Fox News Viewers are less informed than people who don't watch news at all

[Barkworm]

I know, it's kind of old news (the University of Maryland had a similar study about a year ago) but it wasn't posted here and the Fairleigh Dickinson University just released a new poll in November 2011. The results are both hilarious and worrying. (http://publicmind.fdu.edu/2011/knowless/)

When the University of Maryland released their study last year Fox News senior vice president Michael Clemente reacted by publishing a statement on the study in which he used wrong information to disparage the university of Maryland. They are that terrible.

Those of you who do watch this journalistic abomination might not have heard of the study. So take this as a lesson and never watch that **** again. Unless you want to get some laughs.

[Slap-Happy]

Just shows how f*cking dumb the assholes on that "network" and the viewers are.

And it's truly sad that more and more people are becoming conservative every year.

[Xav]

Wow calling people you disagree with assholes real mature. People like you are the reason I'm a conservative.

[Krang]

Everyone, let's please try to keep things civil in here.

[Barkworm]

This is not about conservatives vs. liberals, it's about how bad Fox News is. The report even says that Fox viewers are not as well informed about the Republican presidential candidates as MSNBC viewers. Fox is deliberately dumbing down its audience with misinformation.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

This is not about conservatives vs. liberals, it's about how bad Fox News is. The report even says that Fox viewers are not as well informed about the Republican presidential candidates as MSNBC viewers. Fox is deliberately dumbing down its audience with misinformation.

For the record, MSNBC is a liberal news source itself. Which tells you everything you need to know about the value of the study.

[Katie]

The study was done by a university not NBC.

I can believe it. My dad (and grandfathers and great grandfather) are all plugged right in to this news channel and if you try to have a political discussion with any of them all you get is the Fox News info regurgitated word for word.

I view it almost like a cult.

Personally I won't watch any news channels exclusively. If something big happens I go do research for myself to learn what's going on. As far as politics.....I read the plans of each candidate instead of relying on some news channel to tell me.

Think for yourselves people.

[Barkworm]

For the record, MSNBC is a liberal news source itself. Which tells you everything you need to know about the value of the study.
You're not making any sense. Why is MSNBC being liberal connected to the value of the study? The poll is not an NBC poll, it's not even political. The study simply says that MSNBC viewers were more likely to know which Republican candidate was leading the polls. Have you even read the link I posted?

Another amusing fact from the poll: The best informed people on the Occupy Wall Street protesters are the viewers of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

You're not making any sense. Why is MSNBC being liberal connected to the value of the study? The poll is not an NBC poll, it's not even political. The study simply says that MSNBC viewers were more likely to know which Republican candidate was leading the polls. Have you even read the link I posted?

Another amusing fact from the poll: The best informed people on the Occupy Wall Street protesters are the viewers of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

No, why bother? You said it wasn't about liberals versus conservatives, and I proved otherwise. There are plenty of crank articles that "prove" whatever you want to believe. This is obviously one of them.

[Redeemer]

This is not about conservatives vs. liberals

The only thing I know is that there are assholes on bothsides :P

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

The only thing I know is that there are assholes on bothsides :P

There are plenty of smart people on all points on the political spectrum too.

Anyway it's akin to the question of whether cats are smarter than dogs or vice versa. The answer is there is no answer.

[Barkworm]

No, why bother? You said it wasn't about liberals versus conservatives, and I proved otherwise.
You haven't "proved" anything because you were just making a wrong assumption. Katie and I both pointed out that you were wrong and you just ignore it because you seem to believe that you are very smart. Now do me a favour and contribute something worth responding to or post somewhere else.

Now back on topic, I'd really like some real discussion on this poll because this is something I'd also like to discuss with my pupils. What news does everyone watch? Are the results of this poll surprising to you or are they obvious? Should anything be done about Fox etc. etc.

[Katie]

I don't really find it surprising.

I'd wager that a vast majority of americans' opinions are directly derived from what the TV tells them. Fox (in my own humble opinion and nothing more) seems to like to use sensationalism and fear tactics more than other channels.

My parents only have one TV and since I am trapped here through the holidays and GOD FORBID anyone change my dad's tv channel. I'm getting a very good large dose of Fox. It seems like they use a lot of provocative words insead of (at least trying to use) neutral words. It all sounds scary! Oh noes! Liberals!

Not that MSNBC is any better from the other side.

Americans are lazy. No one thinks for themselves. If this tv channel makes gay marriage or Obama care scary it must be. If there are witches running for Republican nomination, then damn it must be true!

Or...OR people could go look stuff up for themselves and actually form their own opinions.....but that would take work

[Candy Kappa]

I didn't think anyone took Fox News for serious journalistic...

Maybe it's just me being a non-American living in a far off country, but Fox News got some of the funniest "news casts" and often more funnier then actual parodies.

[Slap-Happy]

Now back on topic, I'd really like some real discussion on this poll because this is something I'd also like to discuss with my pupils. What news does everyone watch? Are the results of this poll surprising to you or are they obvious? Should anything be done about Fox etc. etc.

Fox News, to be truly "fair and balanced" needs to hire just as many liberals and moderates as they do conservatives. They need to show everybody's points of view, not just one. They need shows that can have liberals and conservatives debate on issues in a civilized way, not just shouting at each other for why they're wrong.

Their viewers need to see other people's points of view to effectively understand what they're for against in politics. They don't need people spouting the same exact things at them in every show.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

Let me try again...

MSNBC is a liberal news source. It's not just what I say, it's what everyone else says on the various forums I visit, by both conservatives and liberals. Yes, I've seen it myself so it's not blind belief in others' judgements.

Re the poll: One poll is not gospel truth, especially if the conclusions were made before the poll was taken, as I suspect was the case in the one referred to here. If a poll had a large enough sample size and was taken among a large enough variety of people, then I would believe it.

How good is FOX News? I have seen too little of it to form much of an opinion, and I watch little television as it is. Most of my information comes from magazines, newspapers, or Internet forums, and I value the opinions of people who can give thorough explanations (as opposed to snow jobs with words). And I listen to both sides of the aisle for one reason: the assessment of someone on one side of the aisle by someone else on the same side of the aisle can mean more than said assessment by a person from the opposite side of the aisle. Not always the case, so sometimes the other side needs to be heard. You can learn some surprising information.

[Peanut]

No matter what political stance Fox News takes, or whether or not you agree with that stance, they're a f*cking joke as far as "news" goes. I mean, most news shows are there simply to fill you in on local crime, the latest natural disaster celebrities are dumping money on, or the newest thing to cause cancer, but Fox can very rarely convey even those messages without some kind of idiocy.

As a non-American looking in, it looks like it has little to do with their political leanings and more to do with the fact that the people who produce the show are complete f*cking nobs.

[Barkworm]

Let me try again...

MSNBC is a liberal news source. It's not just what I say, it's what everyone else says on the various forums I visit, by both conservatives and liberals. Yes, I've seen it myself so it's not blind belief in others' judgements.
Why do you keep bringing this up? Everyone knows that MSNBC is liberal but why is this important for the study? For the third time, the study was not done my MSNBC.

Thanks to everyone else for their contributions.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

Why do you keep bringing this up? Everyone knows that MSNBC is liberal but why is this important for the study? For the third time, the study was not done my MSNBC.

Thanks to everyone else for their contributions.

You missed my point. I didn't say or imply that MSNBC had anything to do with the study. But I thought it said that people who watched MSNBC were the better informed ones?

[Barkworm]

Yes, it said explicitly that they were better informed about who was the leading Republican candidate. So where's that point I missed?

[Koschei]

This is a dumb debate on everybody's stand.
All of the major media outlets only show whats in their favor.
And all of them have been busted with youtube uploads of un-aired but recorded footage.
The big ones are CNN and Fox but it's also local news.
Right now in Iowa Ron Paul is #1 in the polls, but none of that gets coverage and when the local news talks about the caucus Ron Paul is rarely mentioned.

I'm really not sure if MSNBC is "right" about news coverage. Really haven't watched them too much.
But there are channels on youtube that are very open on views and show the interviewees that are not in their view.

I've seen some pretty funny things on Fox News though. And some people believe that since they are the only Republican viewed news source (on TV) that its okay that they bend the truth into the most ridiculous pretzel.

But seriously if your getting any political or government news from television your not getting the whole story.

[Type 97 Chi-ha]

Yes, it said explicitly that they were better informed about who was the leading Republican candidate. So where's that point I missed?

The implication that the definitely liberal news outlet is for the smart people?

What about less liberal news outlets such as National Public Radio? (Which does have more diversity in political opinion than some people say-yes, I've listened to it myself.)

[Barkworm]

The implication that the definitely liberal news outlet is for the smart people?

I think you have to be really insecure to see an implication there. The part about MSNBC in comparison to Fox was simply stating a fact, nothing more and nothing less.

[KROW]

FOX News is garbage. I only watch it when Jesse Ventura is being interviewed; it really shows how inept those journalists are. As the study Barkworm mentioned said, you're better off watching The Daily Show other than anything else (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) since it has -- or appears to have -- a different, and therefore refreshing, perspective on national and world issues.