Study Finds Fox News Viewers Are The Most Misinformed

[one...two...tree 2,762]

To perhaps nobody's surprise, a study released this week finds that Fox News viewers are the most misinformed of any news consumers.

The University of Maryland study, called "Misinformation and the 2010 Election," looked at "variations in misinformation by exposure to news sources," among other things, and specifically newspapers and news magazines (in print and online), network TV news broadcasts, NPR and PBS, Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN.

The study found that daily Fox News viewers, regardless of political party, were "significantly" more likely than non-viewers to erroneously believe that:

• Most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)
• Most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)
• The economy is getting worse (26 points)
• Most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)
• The stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)
• Their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)
• The auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)
• When TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)
• And that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)

The study also found that as exposure to Fox News increased, so did the misinformation.

But Fox News wasn't the only offender:

Daily consumers of MSNBC and public broadcasting (NPR and PBS) were higher (34 points and 25 points respectively) in believing that it was proven that the US Chamber of Commerce was spending money raised from foreign sources to support Republican candidates. Daily watchers of network TV news broadcasts were 12 points higher in believing that TARP was signed into law by President Obama, and 11 points higher in believing that most Republicans oppose TARP.

Read the full report here.

http://www.worldpubl...n_Dec10_rpt.pdf

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

To perhaps nobody's surprise, a study released this week finds that Fox News viewers are the most misinformed of any news consumers.

The University of Maryland study, called "Misinformation and the 2010 Election," looked at "variations in misinformation by exposure to news sources," among other things, and specifically newspapers and news magazines (in print and online), network TV news broadcasts, NPR and PBS, Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN.

The study found that daily Fox News viewers, regardless of political party, were "significantly" more likely than non-viewers to erroneously believe that:

• Most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)
• Most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)
• The economy is getting worse (26 points)
• Most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)
• The stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)
• Their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)
• The auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)
• When TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)
• And that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)

The study also found that as exposure to Fox News increased, so did the misinformation.

But Fox News wasn't the only offender:

Daily consumers of MSNBC and public broadcasting (NPR and PBS) were higher (34 points and 25 points respectively) in believing that it was proven that the US Chamber of Commerce was spending money raised from foreign sources to support Republican candidates. Daily watchers of network TV news broadcasts were 12 points higher in believing that TARP was signed into law by President Obama, and 11 points higher in believing that most Republicans oppose TARP.

Read the full report here.

http://www.worldpubl...n_Dec10_rpt.pdf

No surprise there. FOX News is right up there with Marvel Comics.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

If you watch Hannity on Fox or if you watch Rachel Madcow on MSDNC, you're going to get the same results... just skewed differently.

If you watch the actual "news" portions, you'll be fine.....

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

If you watch Hannity on Fox or if you watch Rachel Madcow on MSDNC, you're going to get the same results... just skewed differently.

If you watch the actual "news" portions, you'll be fine.....

Agreed.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

If you watch Hannity on Fox or if you watch Rachel Madcow on MSDNC, you're going to get the same results... just skewed differently.

If you watch the actual "news" portions, you'll be fine.....

Here is the link to the study, and you are right, MSNBC viewers were misinformed on a few issues, though apparently less so than Fox viewers.

http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brunitedstatescanadara/671.php?nid=&id=&pnt=671&lb=

[mawilson 2,133]

[*]Most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)

That's a no brainer. It has *already* worsened the deficit.

According to CBO, the unfinanced three-year Medicare "doc fix" will add $65 billion to the budget

deficit over ten years, or up to $400 billion if it's extended again without offsets.

[james&olya 1,121]

To perhaps nobody's surprise, a study released this week finds that Fox News viewers are the most misinformed of any news consumers.

The University of Maryland study, called "Misinformation and the 2010 Election," looked at "variations in misinformation by exposure to news sources," among other things, and specifically newspapers and news magazines (in print and online), network TV news broadcasts, NPR and PBS, Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN.

The study found that daily Fox News viewers, regardless of political party, were "significantly" more likely than non-viewers to erroneously believe that:

• Most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)
• Most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)
• The economy is getting worse (26 points)
• Most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)
• The stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)
• Their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)
• The auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)
• When TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)
• And that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)

The study also found that as exposure to Fox News increased, so did the misinformation.

But Fox News wasn't the only offender:

Daily consumers of MSNBC and public broadcasting (NPR and PBS) were higher (34 points and 25 points respectively) in believing that it was proven that the US Chamber of Commerce was spending money raised from foreign sources to support Republican candidates. Daily watchers of network TV news broadcasts were 12 points higher in believing that TARP was signed into law by President Obama, and 11 points higher in believing that most Republicans oppose TARP.

Read the full report here.

http://www.worldpubl...n_Dec10_rpt.pdf

No, not surprised. Anyone out there that this surprises? Even so, we ought to be talking about it. Is it possible that Fox could be shamed into more responsible programming? I doubt it, I suspect they hold to an 'end justifies the means' point of view. I would love to be proved wrong on this by them!

Edited December 17, 2010 by james&olya

[peejay 327]

Viewers of news sources may be misinformed, but where is the proof that a particular news source is doing the misinforming? Is the news source purposely misinforming or are the viewers misinterpreting? How do they determine who gets all their news from one source?

This sounds more like another FOX hatchet job than any real study that draws any concrete conclusions.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Viewers of news sources may be misinformed, but where is the proof that a particular news source is doing the misinforming? Is the news source purposely misinforming or are the viewers misinterpreting? How do they determine who gets all their news from one source?

This sounds more like another FOX hatchet job than any real study that draws any concrete conclusions.

Actually if you go directly to the study, you will see that it wasn't focusing on Fox in the study at all. It was dealing with misinformation in general. Literally the fox news stat is just a foot note.

Edited December 17, 2010 by Sousuke

[peejay 327]

Actually if you go directly to the study, you will see that it wasn't focusing on Fox in the study at all. It was dealing with misinformation in general. Literally the fox news stat is just a foot note.

But how does this study prove that the news source is misinforming the public? I'm looking for cause and effect? Where is the proof?

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

But how does this study prove that the news source is misinforming the public? I'm looking for cause and effect? Where is the proof?

As I said, that wasn't the point of the study so there is no proof. Its just how the stats worked out. Perhaps they should conduct a new study directly studying the "Fox Effect".

[Peikko 1,575]

Right. The study wasn't trying to prove that watching fox news somehow makes you misinformed, but it did discover incidentally that those who watch fox news ARE the most misinformed. You are free to draw your own conclusions why that is.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It's not really surprising. Of course, given that a lot of people in US treat the media like an extension of the party political system.

[james&olya 1,121]

But how does this study prove that the news source is misinforming the public? I'm looking for cause and effect? Where is the proof?

Looking at your question objectively, there are two distinct possibilities here, 1, Fox news deliberately misinforms or 2, Fox viewers are just not very bright to start with. I was leaning toward #1 but you might convince me #2 is operative as well.

[SMR 368]

The study has some clear bias. Some of the questions that the study performers considered black and white are anything but that. For instance:

--The number of jobs that the stimulus saved or created is impossible to conclusively measure since there is no way to measure what would have been. You can do a lot of estimates and bend it however you want it but in the end you can't know for sure. The study deems the view that "the stimulus saved or created only a few jobs or created job loss" is misinformation. There is no way to demonstrate that this is in fact misinformation. It clearly shows the political bias of the study authors that they have assumed this to be so.

--The study views people who believe their taxes have stayed the same or gone up as misinformed. Yet depending on your income and situation, your taxes may not have gone down. Further, some people may have seen their income increase (or situation otherwise change) which would have increased their taxes. Now, you can't exactly blame the stimulus for this, but at the same time, it's not accurate to simply make a blanket statement that anyone who believes his or her taxes have stayed the same or gone up is misinformed. (The study does make the admission that this is the case only for 97% of households, but that is a number arrived at by assuming everyone's situation and income had stayed the same).

--As far as whether the American economy is getting worse or better, there are so many indicators that for the study authors to assume the economy is not getting worse (without citing a source as far as I can see) is a great example of misinformation at work.

--On the opinions of economists on health care and scientists on global warming, it depends on who you count as experts on the situation and in the end it's at worse misinformation about the opinions of "experts" who may be misinformed themselves.

The study has some serious problems with the assumptions it makes and these assumptions show a clear liberal, pro-Obama bias.

Basically, this study consists of, if you assume that Republicans are wrong, who is more likely to be wrong, a republican or a democrat?

Edited December 17, 2010 by SMR