Extended exposure to Fox News makes voters stupid, university study finds

[meegbear]

Source: RawStory.com

The troublesome record of spin by conservative television station Fox News has long been a cause for concern to many Americans, who frequently allege that the nation's most viewed "news" network has the effect of dumbing down voters.

Turns out, they were right.

A University of Maryland study (PDF) published earlier this month found that people in the survey who had the most exposure to Fox News were more likely to believe falsehoods and rumors about national and world affairs when compared to those who paid attention to other news outlets.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/study-confirms-spin-fox-news-voters-stupid/

---

In a summary carried by Alternet, the following falsehoods were most relayed by Fox News viewers:

• 91 percent believed the stimulus legislation lost jobs;
  
  
• 72 percent believed the health reform law will increase the deficit;
  
  
• 72 percent believed the economy is getting worse;
  
  
• 60 percent believed climate change is not occurring;
  
  
• 49 percent believed income taxes have gone up;
  
  
• 63 percent believed the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts;
  
  
• 56 percent believed Obama initiated the GM/Chrysler bailout;
  
  
• 38 percent believed that most Republicans opposed TARP;
  
  
• 63 percent believed Obama was not born in the U.S. (or that it is unclear).
  

The poll's findings seem to sync with those of an NBC News survey (PDF) taken during the height of America's health care reform debate, where Fox News viewers were found to be most likely to have believed wildly inaccurate interpretations of the legislation.

<snip>

[ZombieHorde]

1. Recommended. nt

[CanonRay]

2. File under NSS

No Shit, Sherlock. At least it's official now.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

67. Yeah - takes a University Study to make it legit...

[donquijoterocket]

81. except

You know the wingnuts will discount this study and try to impeach the source because it's an academic institution and WE ALL KNOW those are liberal-biased despise, right wingers, and Fux noise so this study can't be trusted.On top of that the truly fuxated minimally reprogrammable drooling zombies that comprise the Fux audience will receive the ignore order from their box, nod and go right on believing as they're told to.IIRC this is not the first such study to note this cognitive dissonance in Fux audiences.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

86. You are right, sadly!

[calimary]

110. Oh good grief, the attack of the pointy-headed liberals.

:eyes:

[gibby2433]

3. This and other stories in the upcoming issue of Duh! Magazine

Yes, an homage to the great Norm Macdonald :)

[L. Coyote]

11. Editor-in-Chief, Bart Simpson

Whe knew he would grow up and get a real job :rofl:

[AsahinaKimi]

39. D'Oh!!

[Gman]

44. LOL!

[ChumbawambaFan]

115. LOOL!!

[Doctor_J]

4. It has been clear for some time

that if we really want to take the country back, Fox "News" and hate radio should be the primary targets.

[mazzarro]

91. Too dumb to know I'm too dumb - huh? D'oh --n/t

[ProudProgressiveNow]

100. So true! NT

[Roy Rolling]

5. Like all truths

this will go right over the head of Fox viewers. They are too dumb to understand they are dumb.

[RoBear]

6. or in the words of Alexander Pope:

The fool is happy that he knows no more...

[bongbong]

8. Lots of quotes on this theme

The idea of the stupids not realizing how stupid they are has been the noted by great thinkers throughout history.

"Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world." - Schopenhauer

"He that is unaware of his ignorance will be misled by his knowledge." - Whatley

"I know that I am intelligen­t, because I know that I know nothing." - Socrates

"The biggest cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid people are so sure about things and the intelligent folks are so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

"The majority of the stupid is invincible and guaranteed for all time. The terror of their tyranny, however, is alleviated by their lack of consistency." - Einstein

"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." - Voltaire

"Truth never set anyone free. It is only *doubt* which will bring mental emancipation." - Anton LaVey


Unfortunately, the apparent relief from the stupids that Einstein's quote implies has been largely eliminated through the use of propaganda outlets like Fox "news" so that all the fascists are on the same page.

[jmodden]

104. the gods themselves...

„Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens.“
Friedrich Schiller (Die Jungfrau von Orleans, III, 6)

[Beartracks]

15. IF they acknowledge it at all...

... Fox and its apologists will a) mock the study as liberal/elitist, and b) stroke viewers' egos by telling them they are in fact smarter than the rest of the population.

When faced with facts that run counter to your belief system, simply seek out those who tell you that you are right.

----------------------------

[fascisthunter]

7. They are purposefully harming this country

[Mnemosyne]

9. 4 of my five sisters are complete Faux news sheep, and dumb as

a box of rocks. No insult meant to rocks, of course!

[zinnisking]

117. My big brother is one too. He's NOT dumb though.

He just stopped thinking.

[Mnemosyne]

125. Stopped thinking is a much better description, thanks, zinnisking. Welcome

to DU! :hi:

[L. Coyote]

10. Propaganda works. Who knew?

:rofl:

[valerief]

12. But if ignorance is bliss, why are Fox viewers so angry? nt

[Raschel]

14. Misery loves company? They don't just have the news, they have 'friends' too!!!

[savalez]

58. Ignorance means a lack of knowledge on a given topic.

Faux viewers feel they know a lot about these things but the problem is what they know is usually not true.

So it's not ignorance, it's gullibility.

Faux News is pure evil for exploiting this characteristic in these people.

[valerief]

98. If they don't know the facts,they're ignorant. nt

[savalez]

114. Nah, I still say gullible because...

being ignorant of the facts is built-in to being gullible. So is being naive, trusting, and easily deceived.

[valerief]

122. Ha! You've got a head full of split ends! nt

[Enthusiast]

13. Fox viewers = willfully ignorant.

And all because Fox reinforces their cherished misconceptions.

[Auggie]

16. That's just how free-market advocates want them. n/t

[stubtoe]

23. ding ding ding

[harun]

17. Wow, the old school communist's must be in absolute awe of propaganda that

successful.

[get the red out]

18. Fox News - Dishing out the Stupid Juice

Like I had a doubt.

[DeSwiss]

19. K&R

[Peggy Day]

20. My friend says he doesn't care about the facts

So how is one to fight that thought?

[AlbertCat]

21. My friend says he doesn't care about the facts

Then what does he care about? Why would he watch ANY news?

[Peggy Day]

22. He cares about his church

and that seems to be all he talks about anymore

[CLANG]

24. I posted the same thing and only got 20 recs. I ws ROBBED!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x22171

[onehandle]

25. LBN is higher profile. nt

[CLANG]

43. Yeah I was contemplating that, but was afraid there would be people

saying "IT'S NOT LBN!!!". I guess I should have just done it.

[Turborama]

26. 21 & a kick

;-)

[CLANG]

42. Yeah! Thanks, Turbo. I'm up to 23 now!

[Rozlee]

29. Change your handle to megahunkloveyouallnightlong.

I'll rec you every time.

[CLANG]

41. That's actucally my real name! Who told you?

[Rozlee]

51. Your reputation precedes you.

K&R. See? It's working already.

[CLANG]

53. Hot damn! Thanks, Rozlee!

[The Wielding Truth]

72. Sometimes it's just a timing issue. You had a decent 24 recs when I checked your post.

:kick: :fistbump: Glad you posted.

[Turborama]

27. K&R Any chance we can see this being reported by any national news networks? n/t

[Iliyah]

68. NOPE

Have the corporate media shown the protest yesterday or the other day???? It wasn't the tea bats stupid moment, so nah.......

It sooooooo obvious about fake news.

[onehandle]

28. In their defense, racists tend to be naturally stupid, but can get more stupid.

[howaboutme]

30. Most of the media is about spin. Not just Fox

The "new" corporate controlled consolidated media is about spin to advance certain interests that coincidentally will always advance the economic status of the wealthiest Americans. Much of the agenda revolves around keeping issues on the front burner that keep us divided while deflecting from the underlying issues that keep the media itself and its constituency at the top rung of the economic ladder.

George Carlin's advice would probably be to turn off the MSM and get your opinions, not from pundits or their biased stories, but from raw data provided at alternative media/news sites (Raw Story is one example) and then form your own opinions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acLW1vFO-2Q 1,064,203 views going to 2,000,000 and up.

[DeSwiss]

32. Agreed.

They're all pretty much tainted. Faux Snooze is just more obviously crappy.

[No Elephants]

31. Anyone seen the DUer who spammed threads asking "What's wrong with Fox" a few days ago?

If you have, link him or her to this thread, please.

[rug]

33. Finall, a fair and balanced study.

[Plucketeer]

70. Fox News - fare un-balanced

[Love Bug]

34. I can feel the brain cells dying just channel surfing!

[NoQuarter]

84. Delete it from your surfing "wave."

I did so I wouldn't be exposed to even a fleeting 2-3 seconds as I blow right on by.

[PSzymeczek]

95. That's why I use the on-screen TV guide

that comes with my cable service. I just scroll right on by, without ever having to hear a word of their drivel.

[Doc_Technical]

35. John Stuart Mill:

"Not all conservatives are stupid people,
but most stupid people are conservatives."

[Golden Raisin]

36. Un-informed, ill-informed,

but riled-up viewers/voters, anesthetized to the truth, incapable of distinguishing between facts and propaganda presented as facts, are EXACTLY what Fox wants and exists for. Goebbels himself would be proud of Murdoch & Ailes' achievement.

[liberal N proud]

37. Something we here have know for some time.

From the article:

The network has big plans to expand it's brand into the future: According to anchor Chris Wallace, the 2012 Republican presidential primary elections will be "a production of Fox News," not unlike the Fox network's American Idol.

They are going to air their election coverage like some talent show? :nuke:

[caseymoz]

38. Rec: conservatives wonder why I don't tune into Fox to be impartial.

Because listening to demonstrated lie after demonstrated lie isn't getting "the other side." Also being certain that Murdoch's stooges were dictating the news, (Which proved to be the case) I recognize the difference between a news outlet and a downright fraud.

Murdoch should have been stopped by anti-trust prosecution in the 1980s.

[davidthegnome]

40. Now that's hardly fair

Let's be honest - they were quite stupid long before they watched Fox news.

[CLANG]

45. FNC is like catnip for the low-IQ crowd.

[sofa king]

46. Or balanced.

"Stupid" and "crazy" may be hand-holding cousins among Fox news viewers. I'll bet when they mate, they produce right-wing authoritarians.

[davidthegnome]

48. Perhaps

Though I'm thinking more along the lines of "drooling cavemen"

[Kucinich Feingold]

108. Or more like "god saved my life, liberals are EVIL" types

That how I see it.

[COLGATE4]

47. Has to be the biggest non-headline of the century.

[DFW]

49. Why do they keep calling Fox "conservative?"

It is right wing, it is reactionary, but conservative? That's their own label. It doesn't apply.

As for long exposure to Faux making you stupid--if your long exposure is of a voluntary nature,
I submit that it would be difficult, indeed, to make you more stupid that you already are.

[Gregorian]

50. Well, duh! It's the MacDonald's of news.

All hype and no substance. Fake. Phony. Contrived. And the fact that people watch it, and get dumber, is an indictment against the people who watch it. In my opinion it is going to take just as long as it takes to educate people, to reverse the damage. Vocational schools, better classroom environments, media reform. We've fallen a long way. Now we have to go sober, and recover.

It's just shy of treason.

[Initech]

52. Fox News isn't a news network - it's a virus.

[SoapBox]

54. Ditto to all the previously posted DUHs!

FoxNooseChannel...Making Americans Stupid, One Day at a Time.

[The Wizard]

55. Calling themselves news

is consumer fraud, as is calling themselves fair and balanced.

[LynneSin]

56. In other studies found that bears do indeed shit in the woods...

file this all under.....

[Kingofalldems]

57. A revamped Fairness Doctrine covering cable

and satellite should be instituted.

[ItNerd4life]

59. Um, #2 is correct.

Obama's own deficit commission said it is.

[mbperrin]

74. CBO says will reduce deficit.

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/114xx/doc11439/WHCC_Presentation-4-12-10.pdf

 The underlying law and the subsequent reconciliation
act that modified it will generate changes in direct
spending and revenue that will reduce federal deficits
by $143 billion (-$15 billion in 2019).

[rAVES]

60. standing in the rain makes you wet.

[kgnu_fan]

61. Fox = stupid

[nxylas]

62. I question the extent to which Fox News "made" these viewers stupid

Chances are, they were stupid before they started watching.

[BumRushDaShow]

63. "they were stupid before they started watching."

And are LOUD and PROUD of it too!!! :rofl:

[texshelters]

64. This study shows that people who watch Fox are ignorant

not stupid. IQ is hard to test and sometimes people watch Fox to validate their world view and don't bother with the facts. It doesn't mean they are incapable of learning the facts though.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Deep13]

66. While I appreciate the distinction ...

... I think to a large degree that intelligence is a use-it-or-lose-it asset. That's analogous to muscles: use strengthens then and nonuse weakens them. When strength is lost, it is not necessarily lost forever and that is the same with intelligence. So I think that something that encourages ignorance also makes a person stupid.

[Matilda]

106. That's an interesting hypothesis.

Could it be that laziness also comes into it - people like O'Reilly are so sure of themselves that lazy/stupid/ignorant people are only too happy to let them do the work, while they sit back and soak it in. Beats having to do a little reading and thinking for themselves. With FOX it's all handed to them on a platter; no effort required.

[texshelters]

121. Many neocons

use their intelligence to cleverly justify their ignorance, bigotry and hatred of those that suffer.

So, it's not unused, it's misused.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Deep13]

124. That is true. nt

[PSzymeczek]

96. Maybe not incapable,

but likely unwilling.

[AllTooEasy]

65. My alma mater coming through!

[whistler162]

69. I will hazard a guess that the researchers watched FOX news

24/7 for several years!

Sounds like the same type of research that went into the book about Liberalism being a mentqal illness!

[JohnWxy]

71. now it's been scientifically documented. Bookmarked. REcommended. Now, is there anything to be

done about it.

[robbob]

73. Much as I would like to believe

...that Fox News viewers are especially dumb compared to those who get there news from other mainstream sources, I don't see anything in this article about the number of people who believe these falsehoods and DON'T watch Fox. I mean, it's all well and good to say "70% of Fox viewers believe the world is flat", but how many non-Fox viewers also believe that? The numbers are meaningless without anything to compare it to.

Am I missing something here?

BTW, for the record, I DO believe that anyone who watches that shit probably needs a new brain...

[PSzymeczek]

97. My in-laws don't watch Faux Nooz,

but they listen to Reichwing radio all day long, which is the aural equivalent.

[SnakeEyes]

75. No, the media won't report it

If we see anything it's probably only the falsehoods believed by PBS and network viewers in the study. Only MSNBC speaks out against Fox

[Javaman]

76. One under reported fact from the same study...

faux news watchers also believe that the hollow earth people will one day rise up, and eat their brains.

But that is their faux news watchers best weapon...They have no brains.

[krispos42]

77. Well, fiction always is more popular than fact. Hence their ratings n/t

[AllenVanAllen]

78. Facing facts make them dig their heels in deeper.

This study was posted on a local message board where 90% of the posters are republican and none of the conservatives trust any of the findings. Typical.
And the stupid marches on!

[irislake]

79. Ballderdash!

They had to be stupid to watch it in the first place! No intelligent person would watch FOX for more than three minutes! And if they did they would experience growing disgust rather than increasing stupidity! Tch!

[jakeXT]

80. economy getting worse

I bet there are some people who would agree on that.

Fox just like other news outlets reported U3 unemployment numbers, I guess.

[proReality]

82. HA! We didn't need a study for that...

All you have to do it listen to their stupidity and you know they watch FOX.

[saras]

83. Dunning-Kruger effect

It's a new set of data points to add to an old conclusion

Here's the original 'unskilled and unaware' paper, where they demonstrate that the truly ignorant don't even know that there's a subject they're ignorant of...

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.64.2655&rep=rep1&type=pdf

But I recall reading of studies back at the beginning of the Bush administration that one's misknowledge of current events was much larger for Fox viewers... can't find that link right now.

In the case of hate-speech consumers, it's willful malfeasance at being a human being, is what it is.

[SemperEadem]

85. those people should not be trusted with the right to vote

[bbgrunt]

87. they are not stupid--just duped......much like some of us on the left.

[Creative]

88. Wow...this is as bad as college kids not knowing who Thomas Jefferson or

Benjamin Franklin were.

[truth2power]

89. It also makes for an anxiety-ridden and exceedingly fearful state of mind...

I have a neighbor who has her TV tuned to Fuxx, 24/7. And, I swear, I've never seen anyone with such free-floating anxiety. She has 3 dogs, several guns, and a home security system.

I live in a very low-crime area, all things considered. Anecdotally, I would say that B&E is probably on the rise here, the economy being what it is, but the incidence of home invasion (when the owner is present) and other stranger-on-stranger violence is vanishingly small.

I really believe Fox raises the fear quotient.

[savalez]

93. +1

[catgirl]

90. Kick!!!

[azul]

92. Tabloid crap backed up by authority.

When Fox news won the lawsuit that ruled that there was no requirement for news shows to tell the truth, it set them free to muddy what passes for true and to fool folks.

Congress should have fixed this with legislation directing the FCC, but when they didn't, tabloids could make up shit and have many people think it's true, because the government (FCC) allows it still to be regarded as a real news source.

Mixing editorials and adverts and news under the auspices of government authority truth did the trick. It's a con backed by duplicitous or scared law-makers, just like the housing mortgage scam that nearly brought down the house.

[Rex]

94. Hahahahaha! Fucking Pukers are stupid monkeys!

:rofl: Can't make this kinda shit up! :rofl:

[alp227]

99. same with right-wing talk radio, fashion magazines, MTV, Oprah, any other mass media

they've got a product to sell and money to make.

[TxVietVet]

101. Whodathoughtit!

It took a university to figure that out? WTF? Most liberal/progressive and independents, we already knew that.
Last Saturday, I met a dumbf*ck Wisconsin cheesehead and he was trying to tell me Fox Noise and bill o'lielly were the best news source in the world. I called him "chomp". He was so ate up with the dumbass, you could hear it chomping on him.

Fox reliable???? My ass!:rofl:

[glinda]

102. Viewers want that to be their reality or at least parts of it. Less educated and appealing

to at least one inner demon sews up their audience.

[SHRED]

103. I know

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=109x39630

[Bozvotros]

105. Bonus Checks are in the mail

Mission Accomplished: Happy Holidays from your owners at Fox.

[Matilda]

107. When you look at the collective damage done by the presenters

and the viewers of Fox News, does this make Rupert Murdoch one of the most evil men in the world?

[Shining Jack]

109. Dayum!

Those are lies propagatated by the Librul media and this whole sturdy is fuzzy science I say!
I love Glenn and Bill rule!1!!

[Mosaic]

111. No Surprise At All

I've known for 6 years this partisan propaganda network was not only a danger to its viewers but to democracy in America and both have prove true. It is time to pass laws to make it fair or shut it down.

[Anakin Skywalker]

112. Why am I not surprised? It's both funny and sad!

[boppers]

113. Kick eom

[ChumbawambaFan]

116. At his point I think they are WILLFULLY ignorant. The worst kind of stupidity. nt

[spicegal]

118. A couple of things:

Of course we all know that right wingers will immediately dismiss this study as being biased, because after all, any study associated with academia or a non-profit institution in their world view is most certainly biased. Secondly, right wingers don't watch Fox because they seek truth and enlightenment. They watch Fox to have their world view validated even if it means they're being misinformed. All we can do is to continue hammering on Fox and point out their lies. Hopefully, the less indoctrinated will start to figure it out.

[madokie]

119. No doubt in my mind about that

I've lost a couple old time friends because of their stupid brought on by traitor fox noise

[AllyCat]

120. I believe the 3rd one and I don't watch Faux

[buckrogers1965]

123. Confusing cause and effect.

Don't blame fox news. I am sure their viewers were stupid to begin with.

[defendandprotect]

126. Late K/R -- somehow missed rec-ing this earlier?!