Study Confirms That Fox News Makes You Stupid.

Ok, that's the name of the story.

I prefer the term misinformed according to this story.

December 15, 2010 |
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Yet another study has been released proving 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 percent believe the stimulus legislation lost jobs
72 percent believe the health reform law will increase the deficit
72 percent believe the economy is getting worse
60 percent believe climate change is not occurring
49 percent believe income taxes have gone up
63 percent believe the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts
56 percent believe Obama initiated the GM/Chrysler bailout
38 percent believe that most Republicans opposed TARP
63 percent believe Obama was not born in the U.S. (or that it is unclear)

Source

Here's the link to the actual study.

Source

What do you all think? I'm not much of a MSM TV watcher myself. I catch a bit of the nightly news here and there, mostly local stuff. I know that FOX has some pretty sensationalist people on, but then again so does MSNBC and CNN.

There's some very interesting statistics in the survey regarding how people vote as well. It seems the general population on either side is misinformed. I certainly feel that way sometimes.

Thoughts?

~Keeper

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Doesn't surprise me..

My mom watches Fox News and still talks about upcoming terrorist attacks
She honestly believes they attacked us because they are jealous of our freedom... Nevermind all the stuff about Us screwing them over against the Russians; or how it was allowed to happen...

This was already posted.

Glen Beck's chalk talk isn't real?
This is huge!

This should have been posted under the captain obvious forum.

nope, no....you can do better....those stats are wrong
fox bashing, makes me wonder about the future bad thread start, maybe someone can strait'n it out for ya!!

Those results are clearly biased and tampered.

Last time i checked, TV as a whole made one stupid and dumbed down.

After reading the summary (your second source), it seems to me that it is more a case of people hearing what they want to hear, rather than what is being said. this statement, from the actual report, also lends credence to this speculation...

Curiously, when people were asked what they thought—not what economists think—the group with the view closest to experts opinion was those with less than high school, 33% of whom said they thought the stimulus had saved or created several million jobs (college or more: 13%).

Of particular note to me, was the wording of some of the questions. Always telling of what the poll will find, before the results are tallied.

In the election that just took place on November 2nd how often did you encounter information that seemed misleading or false?

Seemed?

[Asked of those who said they encountered it at least rarely] Do you think that the level of misleading or false information was a) higher than usual b) same as usual c) lower than usual?

It is interesting that Republican and Democrat respondents answered this one in the same way. Also, of all respondents, only 11% believed the stimulus packages "saved or created several million jobs". WPO seems to think this was the correct response. I would say that is highly debatable. Particularly the incalculable "saved jobs".

ETA: Found another interesting quote, which seems to be in disagreement with the title of the OP...

This suggests that misinformation cannot simply be attributed to news sources, but are part of the larger information environment that includes statements by candidates, political ads and so on.

91 percent believe the stimulus legislation lost jobs.....what was the unemployment rate before the stimulus, and what is it now? HINT: It is higher. Government jobs have increased greatly though.
72 percent believe the health reform law will increase the deficit.....parts of Obamacare have been found to be unconstitutional...
72 percent believe the economy is getting worse....it's not getting better
60 percent believe climate change is not occurring....only evidence that it is was manipulated, distorted, and deleted....Total hoax.
63 percent believe Obama was not born in the U.S. (or that it is unclear) It is very unclear and Obama has done nothing to prove otherwise.

reply to post by tothetenthpower

91 percent believe the stimulus legislation lost jobs

The cumulative effect of bailing out the friends of Obama and the stimulus bill was a sum net loss.

72 percent believe the health reform law will increase the deficit

The health care bill WILL INCREASE THE DEBT and DEFICIT

72 percent believe the economy is getting worse

The economy is GETTING WORSE. There has been 21 states with increases in unemployment, hmmm seems to be getting worse.

60 percent believe climate change is not occurring

Climate change occurs all the time, the question I am sure was asked in such a way to infer that it was man made and HUGE TAXATION and REDISTRIBUTION of wealth to communist and socialist countries is the cure.

49 percent believe income taxes have gone up

Taxes have gone up. States have made the adjustments to property taxation, sales taxes have gone up and INFLATION, the largest tax there is, is spiraling out of control.

63 percent believe the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts

Yes, calling a tax break a stimulus and actually inferring that money was spent would confuse a lot of people.

56 percent believe Obama initiated the GM/Chrysler bailout

Who cares who initiated, OBAMA broke bankruptcy law by bypassing the holders of the bonds for his buddies in the unions. So is that crook looking for more laws to break?

38 percent believe that most Republicans opposed TARP

Yes, there were socialists and crony capitalists in the Rethug party, a lot of them got #canned. Tell me, how many Democrat socialists lost in the primaries? Not one.

63 percent believe Obama was not born in the U.S. (or that it is unclear)

As soon as he runs for president next cycle, people will find out whether or not he is. You can bet that the states are working on the legislation now that to run in the state, you have two prove you have to parents of American citizens.

Got anything else?

edit to put quotes in and say this-

Sounds to me like the author is another one of those typical liberal progressives, no matter how many times they tell you the sky is red and you do not believe them, they call you an idiot. Oh well.

Just reading elsewhere.

GUESS who supports the created this here study? Tides?


www.worldpublicopinion.org...

Who are some other relevant peeps backing this study?

WPO is made possible by the generous support of:
Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Tides Foundation
Ford Foundation
German Marshall Fund of the United States
Compton Foundation
Carnegie Corporation
Benton Foundation
Ben and Jerry's Foundation
University of Maryland Foundation
Circle Foundation
JEHT Foundation
Stanley Foundation
Ploughshares Fund
Calvert Foundation
Secure World Foundation
Oak Foundation
United States Institute of Peace

Lots of funds and foundations huh?

If watching Fox News renders you stupid, imagine the mind-numbing potential of MTV.

dis tread makeded me stoooooodid

I watch Fox News all the time, it does not make you stupider!

Well, here is a study that liberals are mentally ill.

Liberals are mentally ill.

I am sure anyone can create a study to defend what ever belief they want.

I am sure I could create a study that says ATS has a majority of members who believe anything they find on the internet.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


LOL

I love the questions the viewers supposedly got "wrong."

Clearly they are misinformed as to the real cost of government run healthcare, banker bailouts, and "climate change."

reply to post by tothetenthpower


We sure must have alot of dumb people in this country because Fox News buries all the other news networks in the ratings, what does that mean???

Just another lame attempt by the Far Left Wing Nutjobs trying to justify their existence, kinda like Al Gore's invention of the Internet and Global Warming.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Oh Dear God,

The survey is based on a Socialist, progressive agenda from a group paif for by the TIDES Foundation and progressive thinkers.

And you try to pass this off as an accurate reflection?

Here is a survey of my house.

My children and I think you are socialists and want to do damage to America.

My survey is just as accurate as your pathetic one.

Originally posted by Boomer1941
reply to post by tothetenthpower

 

We sure must have alot of dumb people in this country because Fox News buries all the other news networks in the ratings, what does that mean???

Just another lame attempt by the Far Left Wing Nutjobs trying to justify their existence, kinda like Al Gore's invention of the Internet and Global Warming.

actually alternate media has higher numbers but fox is the leader of mainstream.

So, a Soros-based study shows that a network, that is biased against Soros-funded programs, makes you stupid.

And people are buying this? I would have to say that anyone who believes this "study" should take a long hard look at their own belief system and personal issues they might have that could be thought of as political.