Finally, Proof that watching Fox News makes you dumber...

1. 58

   MelissaBarrettposted 12 years ago

   I knew it!
   
   
   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/2 … 06305.html

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      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This has confused the hell out of me. I thought you had to be dumb in order to watch Fox news? Chicken...egg..?

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      1. 58

         MelissaBarrettposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         It's a vicious cycle... and proof of reverse evolution.

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         1. 61

            Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Indeed it is. I have to admit, however, I've always appreciated the comedy element of fox. When we get glimpses in this country, to me at least, it was akin to watching Robin Williams doing stand up. ROTFLMAO

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               John Holdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               And we supposedly get a very sanitised version of Fox News in the UK!

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   2. 94

      Sue B.posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I thought that was very funny! Thank you for passing on. Although I agree I don't completely take the poll as seriously as I would research studies and other more reliable sources, it is interesting.

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2. 61

   Hollie Thomasposted 12 years ago

   Have you watched Sky news in the middle of the night when they "switch" to USA mode?

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      John Holdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think I've ever watched Sky News, I'm sure I'm missing something!

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         Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I do sometimes John, but kinda out of bewilderment. Do people actually buy this? There could be comedy element if it wasn't so tragic.

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3. 61

   Hollie Thomasposted 12 years ago

   Did you see the version of the interview with Murdoch Snr? Where he wouldn't discuss the phone hacking. It was hilarious.

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      carol3sanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The Fox version of the news can be so easily challenged.  Thankfully there are peopl who do just that everyday.

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4. 60

   Randy Godwinposted 12 years ago

   Where do you think The Daily Show and The Colbert Report get their material?

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   1. 60

      carol3sanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      They are a funny bunch of people.  They make those on the fox news channel look a bit ridicules.

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      Xenonlitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Those shows would be out of business without the clown car of news!

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         LookingForWaldenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Without a doubt.

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5. 0

   Brenda Durhamposted 12 years ago

   I cut down on watching Fox News when some of the commentators started spouting liberalism on important topics and/or ignoring those topics.   If that makes me smarter, then so be it.
   But hey, I wouldn't put much stock in a "survey" emanating from some institution or persons I hadn't properly vetted anyway.  That's why America's in the pickle it's in now.
   And actually, I'm sure it was a smart move on my part to stop watching CNN too in the first place, long before I got disappointed with some of Fox's stuff. I wasn't able to get Fox News when all the carp started, so I watched CNN.  Boy, yes, I did learn a lot!  I saw liberalism dig its nasty claws into the News arena when the agenda first exploded onto our tv screens.  I guess if they didn't want me to see what was going on, they shoulda hid it.  But alas, it was all there in living color streamed directly into our living rooms.  And some other channels followed, making a mess of what should be good news reporting.
   
   Either way, I'd much rather be "dumb" about some specific facts/timeframes than to be ignorant and/or deceived about an entire ideological stance.

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      Ron Montgomeryposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      Why do you have to bring the carp into every discussion?  What did we ever do to you?

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         Brenda Durhamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         lol Hi Ron.
         I could write the word without the middle letters transposed, but....then I'm afraid you'd post pix of that.  Ergo, the poor helpless fishy gets the bad rap!

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         Xenonlitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         

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         wavegirl22posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Ah Ron .  .this is perfect for the party. . Carp (Gefilte fish) goes great on a Friday night with the challah  .. . and since you are bringing the fish . .dont forget the horse radish... .

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   2. 85

      livelongerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm guessing you might think ChristWire is a better news source.

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         Brenda Durhamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Hadn't even heard of it 'til you mentioned it.
         Googled it.
         Is that the kind of warped satire you watch?

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         1. 85

            livelongerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I think it's hilarious.
            
            Remember Poe's Law:
            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe's_law
            
            I've often applied Poe's Law wondering if you're serious about what you write, or if you're just pulling a fast one on everyone.

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               Brenda Durhamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               You'd do much better if you applied discernment and conscience instead of some "Poe's Law".   I'm neither an extremist nor a satirist.  I'm simply a firm Believer, and that includes belief in knowing what's right and standing up for it. That's crystal clear in my writings, really.  Perhaps you've been reading too many blogs like that one you mentioned, or the Onion, or watching Rachel Maddow?

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            Ralph Deedsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Brenda, try the Landover Baptist site. You might like it.
            
            http://www.landoverbaptist.org/
            

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               Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               I must have been struck down by that old devil consumerism.
               I read your suggestion, Ralph, as "try the LANDROVER Baptist site."
               

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6. 77

   Mighty Momposted 12 years ago

   A similar study conducted by the University of Maryland, judged how likely consumers of various news outlets and publications were to believe misinformation about a wide range of political issues. The study found that Fox News viewers, regardless of political information, were "significantly more likely" to 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)
   
   In addition, the study said, increased viewership of Fox News led to increased belief in these false stories.
   
   Funny. We see these exact same talking points presented and defended regularly on Hub Pages, don't we? Now we don't have to wonder where our fave neocon hubbers are getting their non-news!

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      Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Can't be.  They never, ever watch it.  They tell us that all the time. 
      
      According to them,  these things just pop into their heads.

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         Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         U mean like spontaneous deconstruction?
         Or more like divinely inspired?
         Or maybe through their tin-foil hats?
         

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7. 59

   paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

   

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8. 77

   Mighty Momposted 12 years ago

   
   
   Faux and Unbalanced News

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9. 60

   mikelongposted 12 years ago

   I think its the hats.

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      Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      La la la la
      Unless your name is O'Reilly or Hannity
      I can't hear you!

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10. 59

    paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

    

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11. 60

    emrldphxposted 12 years ago

    A poll of 64 people that listed Fox news as 'a source' they had gotten news from in the previous week.
    
    Firstly, this doesn't address if Fox news is the person's primary source.
    
    Secondly, margin of error on a group of 64 people is +/- 12%!
    
    That means any particular answer for the Fox News category can be off by as much as 24%.
    
    Hardly a worthwhile poll...
    
    Polls are for news, not for real information.

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    1. 83

       kerrygposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       It's hardly the first poll or survey to find that Fox News viewers tend to be more misinformed, though, and some have been more serious studies:
       
       http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8148.pdf
       http://woods.stanford.edu/docs/surveys/ … x-News.pdf
       http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20 … d-bad-news
       http://www.comm.ohio-state.edu/kgarrett … Rumors.pdf
       http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Iraq/ … 03_rpt.pdf
       http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/ … 10_rpt.pdf
       http://climateshiftproject.org/wp-conte … nStudy.pdf

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       1. 60

          emrldphxposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Sorry, but I don't care enough to look at every poll you posted. I was curious about the OP, and I ended up with spittle on the screen from a news source citing this as anything near reliable information.

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             Moderndayslaveposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             If you say so,
             http://www.nydailynews.com/news/fox-new … bled=false

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                emrldphxposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                ... that's the same poll as the OP stated. Polls aren't good for this kind of thing, because there is no control done for varying factors.
                
                Again, the margin of error for the Fox news group is +/- 12%. Almost the same margin of error for CNN.

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    2. 64

       Ralph Deedsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Just curious, where do you get your information?

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          emrldphxposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          from the source of the poll:
          http://publicmind.fdu.edu/2011/knowless/
          
          looking at it again, turns out they weren't smart enough to put a % sign on the number of responses that said they listened to Fox during the past week. So it's not 64 people, it's 64% of 612 people or 392 people that got news from Fox.
          
          But, since it's percentages, it means that only a maximum of 26% of the 612 could have possibly gotten their news chiefly from Fox news, and a minimum of 0% getting their news chiefly from Fox news. There was no control in the poll at all. 612 people with 3439 total news sources.
          
          Let's give them the benefit of the doubt that every person who didn't get news from the most popular source also got ALL of their news ONLY from Fox. That's 159 people, which still leaves a margin of error of +/- 7.7%.
          
          http://americanresearchgroup.com/moe.html
          
          This is why these polls are worthless. Nothing in the poll checked to see which news source was the person's main news source. The average person from the poll listed 5.6 news sources they used from the previous week. There is no control.

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12. 93

    habeeposted 12 years ago

    I watch FOX sometimes, so I guess I must be stupid. I also watch CNN and MSNBC. I read voraciously, from a wide variety of sources - left wing, right wing, moderate, etc. I think you have to do this to get an idea of the truth.

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    1. 61

       Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I think that's true. If you only ever read information or watch TV sources that are nearest to your own perspectives, you can't critique. Reading widely allows you to reach your own conclusions. (still think Fox news is a bit OTT, though. Mind you I also think the BBC is very one sided)

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       S G Huppposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I also watch FOX in addition to CNN, MSNBC and what ever else.  Also, when a particular news story gets my attention I try to check out a variety of sources because they all have a different slant.  The FOX news derangement syndrome is pointless.  They slant right but most of the others especially MSNBC (hysterically) slant left.  You can put them all together and get a more realistic picture.   Anyone who is too dogmatic to explore other sources of information is missing a lot  of what is going on in the world.

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          Ralph Deedsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          ***

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       LookingForWaldenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, the formula is to take 1/8 of what you read times it by pi squared times the cosine of a quarter of all the news you watch.
       You end up with aprox half the truth after that.

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          AshtonFireflyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          LOL

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13. 62

    JSChamsposted 12 years ago

    You listen to those people? And who is dumber? You think that is unbiased?

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14. 62

    JSChamsposted 12 years ago

    So is the alternative Current? You know where Keith Olbermann fled to and now gets about 16000 viewers a night? Only the Left believes failing downward is a good thing.

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