Author Topic: Survey Shows Fox News Viewers Have the Most Misperceptions; NPR Listeners the Fewest  (Read 1039 times)

Offline Martlet

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Quote
Originally posted by MRPLUTO
Martlet,

I'm sorry but you are completely wrong.

*Go to page 8 of the report for details and links on the international surveys.

*Weapons of mass destruction have not been found in Iraq.  Iraqi scientists, who presumably are now free to tell the truth about Saddam's WMD programs, say that they know of none and have been unable to take investigators to any production facilities.  No stockpiles have been found.

*No chemical or biological weapons were used in the recent war.  I challenge you to find any press report to the contrary.


Also, to say that these are dumb questions...well, that leaves me incredulous.  I can't imagine that any educated person would agree with you.

MRPLUTO


Sorry sir, but it is YOU who are completely wrong.

Offline rpm

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Thanks vader, at least I'm not the only one that knows Faux news is as balanced as a wino on a 30 day bender.
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Offline MRPLUTO

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So, Martlet if I'm completely wrong, where are the news stories about the chemical and biological attacks on our troops?  Hmmmmm? If I'm completely wrong it should be easy to find them.

Same goes for reports on the WMD you say have been found.  No news reports about them, even on FOX.

And did you bother to actually read any of the surveys I provided links for?  After you've read them, try actually using facts to refute them, if you can.

If you can't do this, then you should retract your unsubstantiated opinions.



MRPLUTO

Offline Nash

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I buy it, sure absolutely.

As to the chicken/egg question, that is if misinformed people gravitate towards Fox or if otherwise bright people get misinformed by Fox, I think it's a combination of both.

The replies to this thread, and this O'Club itself is a reflection of that. Many people predisposed to a set of beliefs gravitate to where their beliefs will be propped up and nurtured... and anything challenging those beliefs gets attacked. A virtual group hug.

It's human nature to occasionally find yourself not only disagreeing with certain posters here, but also to become offended and angry at those posts/ideas. The average person isn't gonna want to spend a huge amount of time in an environment if this happened more often than not. To the majority, they hang out here because it serves as a validation for their beliefs. I think the minority hang out here because they aren't afraid of being challenged and even find the excercise fun.

While I highly doubt Fox news deliberately misinforms its viewers, they've got a pretty good grasp on their viewership and are not going to go out of their way to inform their viewers if it means threatening that comfort level.

Lol... where do ya keep the flame suits around here?

Offline AKIron

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Originally posted by 10Bears
AKIron wrote:

3. Thinking about how all the people in the world feel about the U.S. going to war with Iraq, do you think: The majority of people favor the U.S. going to war?


Hey Iron, why won’t you debate question number 3?

credibilily = credibility


Hey, looked like a "t" to me, so I proofread without my glasses. :p

OK, let's look at number 3. One of the survey's they used was an International Gallup poll. This poll asked this question:

“Are you in favor of military action against Iraq: under no circumstances; only if sanctioned by the United Nations; unilaterally by America and its allies?” Of the 38 countries polled (including 20 in Europe), not a single one showed majority support for unilateral action and in nearly every case the percentage was very low.

They translated this to mean that the majority of people in the world were against war with Iraq. Then they have the arrogance to say people are stupid if they don't agree with their distortion of the evidence.
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Offline MRPLUTO

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Martlet, I think everyone will understand you better if they go to your website.  At the top it reads: "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but my biased opinion"

Clearly, the difference between your "biased opinion" and "the truth" is unclear in your own mind.  I can tell you that they are very different.

MRPLUTO

Offline rpm

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Pluto, they hear what they want to hear, see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe. Nothing will ever change that.
My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.
Stay thirsty my friends.

Offline MRPLUTO

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AKIron,

You wrote "they", but I'm not sure whom you mean...the Gallup Poll or PIPA?

And what evidence has been distorted?  You don't say; you just make an unexplained charge.  Do you mean that because this survey only covered 38 countries then we can't draw any overall conclusions about world opinion from it?  All surveys take samples; we don't have to ask every person or every country to know how people feel.  The numbers you quote show very little support for the U.S. going to war against Iraq.  And the Gallup poll cited here isn't the only poll to show that world opinion opposed the invasion.

Or did you mean that someone has covered up evidence that we were attacked with chemical or biological weapons?  Or that WMD really have been found?

As I said to Martlet, if you're going to make assertions like this, back them up with facts.  I have.  Can you find any international surveys showing that people around the world supported the war in Iraq?  Any links you can provide to reports of WMD finds or chemical/biological attacks on our troops?  If you can't, why should anyone take your opinions seriously?

MRPLUTO
« Last Edit: October 13, 2003, 06:05:04 PM by MRPLUTO »

Offline AKIron

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Originally posted by GScholz
I would have voted "only if sanctioned by the UN", and that means I was against this war.


I'm glad you said that before I had to ask. Please describe to me the difference between war sanctioned by the UN and not.

BTW, I happen to believe the war was sanctioned by the UN but that's another topic.
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Offline AKIron

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Originally posted by MRPLUTO
AKIron,

You wrote "they", but I'm not sure whom you mean...the Gallup Poll or PIPA?

And what evidence has been distorted?
[/B]


They being PIPA. They twisted the findings of the polls (which aren't absolute truth btw). Perhaps they should have asked the same question as contained in the poll they used as their source. They had an agenda and twisted the truth to support it.
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Offline AKIron

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Maybe I'm not being clear enough. I'll elaborate. They said according to you:

"3. Thinking about how all the people in the world feel about the U.S. going to war with Iraq, do you think: The majority of people favor the U.S. going to war?"

This is not the same as from the poll they referenced to prove their point:

“Are you in favor of military action against Iraq: under no circumstances; only if sanctioned by the United Nations; unilaterally by America and its allies?”

If they had better qualified their question as:

3. Thinking about how all the people in the world feel about the U.S. going to war with Iraq, do you think: The majority of people favor the U.S. going to war without UN approval?"

They might have been more convincing in their inference. Not to do so demonstrates dishonesty.
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Offline AKIron

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Originally posted by GScholz
AKIron you seem to think this poll was made before the UN declined. These questions were asked after the fact that the US/UK went to war without UN saction, meaning that the UN qualifier does counts as being against this war, but not some hypothetical UN war.


There were at least two polls, one in January (before) and one in April (after). I wanted a look at the polls themselves but alas the link in the report to http://www.gallupinternational.com is unresponsive.
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Offline AKIron

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Originally posted by GScholz
It's the difference between a lawful act of intervention by the international community, and an illegal act of aggression against a sovereign nation state.

Would you please tell me which UNSC resolution authorized the USA/UK to invade Iraq?


I bet you already know but here ya go.

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/SC7564.doc.htm
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Offline Yeager

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For the USA to be able to justify it's claim of self defence WMD needs to be found in large quantities, and it needs to be shown that it was battlefield ready. So far these claims are yet to be justified.
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Is this your opinion or is it documented somewhere that "WMD needs to be found in large quantities, and it needs to be shown that it was battlefield ready"

I always thought the real concern was some iraqi weapons specialist slipping a pocket sized vial of smallpox to a terrorist to be loosed in the NY subway system that was a bigger threat than missles loaded with sarin.

Im disappointed no WMD has been found but we are talking about other scenarios besides the mobile weapons labs and artillery shells loaded with mustard.  These things may honestly never be tracked down before its too late.

Getting back to this poll proving that people that watch fox news are idiots and people that listen to NPR are brilliant.  I cant help but get the feeling that this is all just political tooling.  I am sure the majority of people get their information from many different sources.  In my years of listening to NPR I heard about the same number of idiots talking there as anywhere else in the media, if not a tad bit more so.  My experience simply tells me pluto has been tooled.

Regarding world opinion polls.  Who cares.  When it goes against my beliefs I simply blow them off.  Just human nature and besides, I have pretty much concluded that France, Germany and Canada were grandstanding on political grounds first, some sort of euro circle jerking consortium second and a far distant third, concern for the safety of americans.

In the end I want my government to be concerned with me long before they are concerned about other people on the planet.  Thats what they are supposed to do at least.......Me first!
Straffo second and gscholz a distant third :lol
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Offline MRPLUTO

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Yeager,

I don't think that WMD need to be found in large quantities or battlefield ready.  Perhaps someday some old mustard shells will be found collecting dust.  How much of a threat that is, and whether it justified war is an argument that will have to made if and when such weapons are ever found.

Back to the poll:  It never said that Fox News viewers are idiots and that NPR viewers are brilliant.  It only showed that NPR listeners had fewer misconceptions about the Iraq war.  Remember, even 4% of the NPR listeners missed all three questions.

You said that you felt this was all "political tooling" and that I have been "tooled", presumably by listening to NPR too much.  What do you mean by "tooling" and "tooled"?  The dictionary didn't help.  Do you mean manipulated?  If so, you're dead wrong.  I have conservative and liberal views; I get my news from many sources--I even watch FOX News sometimes.  Tony Snow on Sunday mornings, for example.  I read the Washington Post and the Washington Times everyday.  I'm very well informed, know what's what, and am not easily duped or misled by political spin doctors.

MRPLUTO