by KingOneEye / Daily Kos / December 13, 2010
Yet another study has been released that proves that watching Fox News is detrimental to your intelligence. World Public Opinion, a project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, conducted a survey of American voters that shows that Fox News viewers are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources. What’s more, the study shows that greater exposure to Fox News increases misinformation.
So the more you watch, the less you know. Or to be precise, the more you think you know that is actually false.
This study corroborates a previous PIPA study that focused on the Iraq war with similar results. And there was an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll that demonstrated the break with reality on the part of Fox viewers with regard to health care. The body of evidence that Fox News is nothing but a propaganda machine dedicated to lies is growing by the day.
In eight of the nine questions below, Fox News placed first in the percentage of those who were misinformed (they placed second in the question on TARP). That’s a pretty high batting average for journalistic fraud. Here is a list of what Fox News viewers believe that just aint so:
- 91% believe that the stimulus legislation lost jobs.
- 72% believe that the health reform law will increase the deficit.
- 72% believe that the economy is getting worse.
- 60% believe that climate change is not occurring.
- 49% believe that income taxes have gone up.
- 63% believe that the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts.
- 56% believe that Obama initiated the GM/Chrysler bailout.
- 38% believe that most Republicans opposed TARP.
- 63% believe that Obama was not born in the US (or that it is unclear).
The conclusion is inescapable. Fox News is deliberately misinforming their viewers and they are doing it for a reason. Every issue above is one in which the Republican Party had a vested interest. They benefited from the ignorance that Fox News helped to proliferate. The results were apparent in the election last month as voters based their decisions on demonstrably false information fed to them by Fox News.
By the way, the rest of the media was not blameless. CNN and the broadcast network news operations fared only slightly better in many cases. Even MSNBC, which had the best record of accurately informing viewers, has a ways to go before they can brag about it.
The conclusions in this study need to be disseminated as broadly as possible. Fox’s competitors need to report these results and produce ad campaigns featuring them. Newspapers and magazines need to publish the study across the country. This is big news and it is critical that the nation be advised that a major news enterprise is poisoning their minds.
This is not an isolated review of Fox’s performance. It has been corroborated time and time again. The fact that Fox News is so blatantly dishonest, and the effects of that dishonesty have become ingrained in an electorate that has been been purposefully deceived, needs to be made known to every American. Our democracy cannot function if voters are making choices based on lies. We have the evidence that Fox is tilting the scales and we must now make certain that they do not get away with it.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
wow. thought this was an story from the onion.com website. but it’s friggin’ true!
Just like Politicians, all media outlets are bias to certain sides. I only like to watch the news for weather, and traffic. Other than that I don’t follow any news outlet or Politician like a Drone or Zombie.
Allthesame – well, we hope you check our site out occasionally. We’re fairly upfront about our biases.
It’s not that they are dumb, they just don’t want to have anything questioned. I bet more of them are religious too, they are capable of more blind faith.
I read somewhere that the kind of people who watch Fox news want the news to confirm what they already believe, rather than to challenge their beliefs or gain any new information.
As someone raised to always question authority, I find this mindset very hard to grasp.
Some early footage of Mr. O’reilly losing his composure for your viewing and laughing pleasure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCC0lpYfL4c
If you are fat and watch Fox News, you are twice as stupid.
I’m fat, I occasionally tune in to see how the other side lives, and I’m one of the 72% that believes the economy is getting worse (at least for everyone who doesn’t own significant shares of stock in the companies that are thriving but not hiring). Does that make me triply stupid?
dave, yeah, that was a weird one. That may have been a close call.
The stock market is a leading economic indicator and the unemployment rate is a lagging economic indicator. The economy is slowly getting better.
I’m not sure what being fat has to do with being stupid and/or Fox News?
But I do understand how making gross over-generalizations and stereotypes makes you stupid. Jus’ Sayin’.
Current research indicates a link between obesity and decreased IQ levels in children. Simply put, don’t let your fat children watch Fox News.
I wonder if they have data on how many of the viewers went to our public schools.
You’re kidding……….. Liberal Rag!
PIPA?
Daily Kos?
World Public Opinion?
They like to use the fact that many “college educated” voters are progressive/liberal and think that means if you are not you are dumb! WRONG! These people are brainwashed in school, ask many parents what they go through when their kids come home and throw these theories at them that they were taught in school that day!
Ahhh yes, I can’t even imagine the pain parents go through when their kids go to school and learn things, then come home and talk about the things they learned. Oh the Horror!! Poor parents. I guess it’s a good thing someone with the “real” answers has his own university now. Of course I speak of our saviour, the Glen Beck. Theories! Who wants to learn Theories!?! We all know that everything true exists in the bible. No need for school. End of discussion.
Good one!
Yes…… Just crap, NOT confirmed!
newsbusters.org/blogs/lachlan-markay