July 23, 2004

Outfoxed is OK -- a good compilation of damning clips about a right-wing opinion page masquerading as a 24 hour news news organization -- but what's really interesting is this study which the documentary refers to.

The study consisted of three yes/no questions on matters of fact:

Is it your impression that the US has or has not found clear evidence in Iraq that Saddam Hussein was working closely with the al Qaeda terrorist organization?  

Since the war with Iraq ended, is it your impression that the US has or has not found Iraqi weapons of mass destruction?

Thinking about how all the people in the world feel about the US having gone to war with Iraq, do you think the majority of people favor the US having gone to war?

The true answers to the questions are, of course, "no clear evidence has been found," "no weapons of mass destruction have been found," and "the majority of people in the world do not favor the US having gone to war."

The researchers asked these questions to a sampling of people, and also asked those people where they get their news. It's quite incredible.  45% of Fox viewers got ALL THREE wrong.  Among ABC/CBS/NBC/CNN viewers, the highest total was 16%.

More data in here, including a little chart of the percentages.


Media, Misperceptions, and the Iraq War





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