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-- For Those Faux News Enthusiasts
For Those Faux News Enthusiasts
Just the facts, mam.
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| http://www.sunspot.net/features/bal-to.fox04oct04,0,5444015.story?coll=bal-features-headlines Study hits war views held by Fox fans Sponsored by By David Folkenflik Sun Staff October 4, 2003 Heavy viewers of the Fox News Channel are nearly four times as likely to hold demonstrably untrue positions about the war in Iraq as media consumers who rely on National Public Radio or the Public Broadcasting System, according to a study released this week by a research center affiliated with the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs. "When evidence surfaces that a significant portion of the public has just got a hole in the picture ... this is a potential problem in the way democracy functions," says Clay Ramsay, research director for the Washington-based Program on International Policy Attitudes, which studies foreign-policy issues. Fox News officials did not return repeated requests yesterday for comment on the study. Funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Ford Foundation, the study was conducted from June through September. It surveyed 3,334 Americans who receive their news from a single media source. Each was questioned about whether he held any of the following three beliefs, characterized by the center as "egregious misperceptions": Saddam Hussein has been directly linked with the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Weapons of mass destruction have already been found in Iraq. World opinion favored the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. To date, as measured by government reports and accepted public surveys, each of those propositions is false, according to the center. The Bush administration has argued that evidence will be found of the weapons in Iraq as will direct links between Saddam and the al-Qaida members who planned the 9/11 attacks. But President Bush has been forced to acknowledge that no such proof has surfaced. Sixty percent of all respondents believed in at least one of the statements. But there were clear differences in perceptions among devotees of the various media outlets. Twenty-three percent of those who get their news from NPR or PBS believed in at least one of the mistaken claims. In contrast, 80 percent of Fox News viewers held at least one of the three incorrect beliefs. Among broadcast network viewers there also were differences. Seventy-one percent of those who relied on CBS for news held a false impression, as did 61 percent of ABC's audience and 55 percent of NBC viewers. Fifty-five percent of CNN viewers and 47 percent of Americans who rely on the print media as their primary source of information also held at least one misperception. The three evening network news shows command the largest audiences, together typically reaching between 25 million and 30 million viewers nightly. But Fox News, the top-rated cable-news outlet, has steadily increased its viewership by offering a blend of hard news and opinionated talk that often takes on a patriotic sheen. Its top show draws more than 2 million viewers nightly. "Among those who primarily watch Fox, those who pay more attention are more likely to have misperceptions," the report concludes. "Only those who mostly get their news from print media have fewer misperceptions as they pay more attention." The PIPA study suggests a strong link between people's understanding of the news and its source. That link held true throughout different demographic segments, such as those based on education level, viewing habits, and partisan leanings, Ramsay said. "It proves that what we're doing is great journalism," says NPR spokeswoman Laura Gross. "We're telling the truth and we let our audience decide." More information on the study can be found at www. pipa.org Copyright � 2003, The Baltimore Sun |
That's why I listen to npr ... dammit I'm starting to know all the correspondants now. Nothing beats diane reem (sp?), she's so freaking old!
Edit: But of course in anlayzing the study, asides from the fox results the data is slightly skewed. Those who listen to npr or prolifickly read the print media demonstrate a greater desire to learn ALL the news as opposed to those who may happen to catch short snippets of local news or whatever on tv.
Therefore those who listen to npr would naturally be less prone to misconceptions than those who are less than interested in keeping abreast of all the facts.
This sparks the question that if npr were a mainstream media news source on tv, and were listened to by the same audience as other major news networks, would their uninformed audience jump in the percentage of misconceptions they have? That would be an interesting study if at all possible. But it just goes to show that stats need to be examined carefully. But yea that does pretty conclusively establish that either A) Fox blows in fair/balanced coverage or B) Most of Fox's audience are morons. Combination of the two?
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| Originally posted by occrider That's why I listen to npr ... dammit I'm starting to know all the correspondants now. Nothing beats diane reem (sp?), she's so freaking old! Edit: But of course in anlayzing the study, asides from the fox results the data is slightly skewed. Those who listen to npr or prolifickly read the print media demonstrate a greater desire to learn ALL the news as opposed to those who may happen to catch short snippets of local news or whatever on tv. Therefore those who listen to npr would naturally be less prone to misconceptions than those who are less than interested in keeping abreast of all the facts. This sparks the question that if npr were a mainstream media news source on tv, and were listened to by the same audience as other major news networks, would their uninformed audience jump in the percentage of misconceptions they have? That would be an interesting study if at all possible. But it just goes to show that stats need to be examined carefully. But yea that does pretty conclusively establish that either A) Fox blows in fair/balanced coverage or B) Most of Fox's audience are morons. Combination of the two? |
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| Originally posted by MisterOpus1 I personally love CarTalk with Click and Clack. They're attorneys are from the law offices of Doowe Cheatem and Howe (har har). I've also been a sucker of Whad'ya Know? on Sat. mornings while I have a bagel and coffee downtown (alright, now I'm sounding pathetic!). I also think All Things Considered is a great show, with Robert Siegel, Melissa Block, and Meeeeechelle Norris. Why the hell is her name pronounced with a long "e"? Never have I heard that name pronounced that way, and it annoys the crap out of me every time I hear it. Still a good show though. As for your alternative study, I think that would be good. And I must agree that both A) and B) must be considered. |
i still prefer drug-poppin Limbaugh 
I don't know NPR is just too, how can I say this.. well "hippy" for me.
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| Originally posted by Yoepus i still prefer drug-poppin Limbaugh I don't know NPR is just too, how can I say this.. well "hippy" for me. |
Sigh ... some people really need some lessons of being poor to be productive.
NPR is good because it does in depth stories. The News Hour on PBS is good for the same reason.
Fox News is bad because it is "yellow". Rupert Murdoch is the William Randolph Hearst of our generation.
MrS
Now that I think of it, why don't they tell us the results from the control group (group that either had no restirctions, or could not see any news) ???
Or if not a control group, then a poll of the general public would offsset this - you need something stable to compare all these things too.. I don't think comparing them to one another can draw any conclusions, as occrider pointed out, perhaps they are simply reflective of the demographic watching them.
All this study tells us is there is a correlation between the number of people who are misinformed and foxnews, but it does not tell us what the causal relationship is here.
But with regards to correlations, my Psychology Professor would always love to point out that there is nearly a 100% correlation between cocaine users and oranje juice drinkers.
... what does that tell us??
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| Originally posted by Yoepus But with regards to correlations, my Psychology Professor would always love to point out that there is nearly a 100% correlation between cocaine users and oranje juice drinkers. ... what does that tell us?? |
- I think NPR is great radio for news. That Diane Ranne is so old, but she''s a good host. All Things Consideris is great too, my history teacher goes on there every once a month. BCC The World is great. I like the radio cause it focuses on everything around the world, different point of vies and opinions are given.
NPR=Bill O'Reilly hatchet job by Terry Gross
i'm surprised that there are people who only rely on Fox News for reporting. maybe because it's closer to the home shopping network
. but that would fall under the "B) most of fox's audience are morons" arguement
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