The Verdict IS IN: TV News Is Bad For Your Brain

A new study has revealed that people who rely on television to get their news are more likely to be misinformed.

The study polled over 3,000 people on their perceptions about international support for the Iraq War, ties of Saddam Husein to the events of 9/11, and the Discovery of WMD's in Iraq. What they found, incredibly, though not suprising, was that the more people got their news from TV, the higher the frequency of their misperceptions.

Out of all the news networks, of course, Fox News ranked highest among misinformed viewers. The lowest was PBS.

Another angle of the poll was to group by Bush supporters or Democratic candidate supporters. Naturally, the vast majority of the misinformed were Bush supporters. This included Democrats that supported Bush.

From the Program on International Policy press release:

So what does this mean?

The ramifications of this study are far reaching. For one, it confirms the long held suspicion that corporate controlled tevision networks are not only failing to provide necessary information to viewers, but are in fact providing false information.

It also confirms that, at least among the news networks, liberal bias is a complete fabrication which, because of this report, is easier to believe since a significant percentage of viewers believe liberal media bias exist because they heard it on TV news.

But a larger issue exist here. The report shows a clear link between misinformation and support for Bush's war. Here's where the Orwellian factor comes in. Not only did Bush & co. mislead the public into war, but they had ready accomplices in the network news organizations.

This forces serious questions about the motives of those who hold the sacred trust of the public airwaves. It also demonstrates how powerful TV news is at affecting pulic perceptions and consequently, public policy.

 

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Bernstein: Novak Allowed Himself to Be Used

But Watergate Star Says Leaks Still Vital

By Joe StruppNEW YORK -- When it comes to utilizing unnamed sources and digging up government secrets, legendary Watergate investigative reporter Carl Bernstein practically wrote the book on it. Actually, he and Bob Woodward of The Washington Post wrote two books about their coverage of the Watergate affair, whicheventually led to the downfall of the Nixon administration and garnered the pair a Pulitzer Prize.

So what does Bernstein think of the recent disclosure of a CIA operative's identity by columnist Robert Novak? Bernstein was quick to criticize both Novak and the Bush administration staffers who leaked the information -- while also warning other journalists to make sure anonymous sources are used carefully.

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