Fox News informs less than unplugged TV

[Tucker]

The title sounds like a rude joke, I know. Incredibly, it's not; a new study of over 600 subjects, with a 3.5% margin of error, finds that Fox News view know less about current events than those who watch no TV news at all.

"Because of the controls for partisanship, we know these results are not just driven by Republicans or other groups being more likely to watch Fox News," Dan Cassino, a Fairleigh Dickinson [University] professor who served as an analyst for the poll, said in the report. "Rather, the results show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions that those who don't watch any news at all."]

Fox News viewers less informed about current events than those who don?t watch news at all, study finds - NY Daily News

Among the most informative sources were Sunday morning talk shows, The New York Times, USA Today, and NPR. Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" also scored high.

What kind of a balance of news do you get? My FF start page is Google News, so I'm treated daily to a rotating block of headlines that are more likely to be from Fox than from its progressive clone MSNBC. I'll also peruse any of the sources mentioned above, except Fox News Channel (lies give me a headache), and I check out the rightie Drudge Report here and there.

 

[Blur]

What 'independent' just pops outta bed one morning and thinks, "I think i'll do a questionaire of fox news viewers today, geared towards how versed they are on whats going on." And the results are even more damning. I dont care what you say tucker, someone who watches any of the 3 cable channels almost certainly knows more about the current events than someone who watches no tv at all, no matter the spin any of them puts on the reports. Its natural that anything of importance is bound to get coverage, barring things like factual happenings on republican figures that don't have any possible angles to take which make them look bad. These types of things only get covered on the 'fair and balanced' news channel



FAIR


and


BALANCED



doesnotequalMSNBC

 

[MenInTights]

I found the poll here: Some News Leaves People Knowing Less
Its extremely narrow, only asking either 2 or 3 questions. But I do agree with this:

A poll released by Fairleigh Dickinson University on Monday found that people who get their news from Fox News know significantly less about news both in the U.S. and the world than people who watch no news at all.

You can't get accurate and complete information over tv. People who listen to radio and get news from the internet are much more informed.

 

[Tucker]

People who listen to radio and get news from the internet are much more informed.

A lot of radio news is very headline-based. Credit NPR for having longer segments than most, without editorializing or cherry-picking which facts it wants to present. I have to agree, though, that Internet news readers probably have a distinct advantage, by virtue of the masses of data available at one's fingertips.

I note the study's conclusions, however, that "there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse," and have to wonder how readers of foxnews.com would fare against fans of the NYT or USA Today online editions.

 

[CaptainObvious]

What? NPR didn't cherry-pick what "facts" it presented? Surely you jest. NPR was just as partisan as Rush Limbaugh. It's absurd to suggest otherwise.

I agree with Blur, to think someone not watching any TV at all would be more informed is silly. The poll is ridiculous and isn't proof of anything. There are informed people and uniformed people, some watch Fox News, some watch MSNBC, some read the Weekly Standard and some read Time. It's not that difficult.

 

[Tucker]

What? NPR didn't cherry-pick what "facts" it presented? Surely you jest. NPR was just as partisan as Rush Limbaugh. It's absurd to suggest otherwise.

No, that's absurd. Rush's bias is legendary and all-consuming, not imaginary and a convenient scapegoat for the fact that hard news generally does favor the Left. I've listened to NPR for decades and it isn't hard to discern the difference between it and a partisan source like Fox News or progressive answer MSNBC.

 

[CaptainObvious]

No, that's absurd. Rush's bias is legendary and all-consuming, not imaginary and a convenient scapegoat for the fact that hard news generally does favor the Left. I've listened to NPR for decades and it isn't hard to discern the difference between it and a partisan source like Fox News or progressive answer MSNBC.

I can play that game too. I've listened to Rush Limbaugh for years and he isn't biased at all and is fair in his assessment of current events...see how that works?

All media is biased, we're human beings and it's in our nature. Some of us like cars, some like trucks, some like blue cars, some like white. Some of us like Pizza Hut and others like Dominos. Some media do a pretty good job at being as objective as possible, most don't however. Rush Limbaugh and NPR are amongst the latter. That is of course if you tend to favor Rush Limbaugh or NPR, then you find one fair and the other partisan.

 

[Tucker]

I can play that game too. I've listened to Rush Limbaugh for years and he isn't biased at all and is fair in his assessment of current events...see how that works?

It is a game to you, isn't it? I'm more about getting at the truth. Rush is a notoriously bigoted hatemonger who talks about black people having bones in their noses. He's guttersnipe, virus, pig. NPR is a legitimate news source aimed at an audience of Americans of all types. You can call an apple an orange, sure, but not when the truth matters to you.

 

[CaptainObvious]

It is a game to you, isn't it? I'm more about getting at the truth. Rush is a notoriously bigoted hatemonger who talks about black people having bones in their noses. He's guttersnipe, virus, pig. NPR is a legitimate news source aimed at an audience of Americans of all types. You can call an apple an orange, sure, but not when the truth matters to you.

Ok, Tucker, ALL of the left media is fair and presents ALL of the facts fairly while the right media are ALL biased and are a bunch of racists:lol:

I think this is on topic because it shows the obvious problems with the "poll" cited in the OP.

 

[ianstarboarder]

Nearl 1200 people across America were asked 8 questions and NPR and The Daily scored the best on current events. I can't say that I am surprised that non profit NPR and self proclaimed "joke news" of the Daily Show scored better. I'm not surprised in the least that those who don't get their news from tv xid better than those who watch Fox. I don't get my news from tv, yet I do watch the Daily Show and occasionally pick up info that I didn't obtain from alternate sources. In my opinion, the only people who would think that tv news watchers are more informed than those who don't watch tv news are those people who get ALL their news from tv and never from reading.
As for bias, fox news is outright unapologetically bias. NPR has certain member stations that are biased toward one side or another, like Rush. Most of the time they merely present news and leave opinion to it's listeners. Years ago i observed Fox is mostly opinion...mostly scripted opinion that tends to use key phrases and tends to focus on hot button topics rather than breaking news. When i say scripted opinion, i don't mean the pundits pre-write their opinions, i mean someone hands them all (Fox pundits) the same script and are told "this is your opinion on this topic". The Daily Show actually busted them admit as much on air, it was hilarious!