Where do you get your information?
The
Program on International Policy Attitudes has published a report entitled
Misperceptions, the Media and the Iraq War.
They look at common misconceptions held by the American public about the war on Iraq:
- There is clear evidence that Iraq had links with Al-Qaeda.
- The U.S. has found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq since the end of the war.
- The majority of people in the world favored the U.S. going to war in Iraq.
How many of those do you believe? If you know that all of those statements are untrue, you probably get your news somewhere other than FOX. 80% of Fox viewers believed one or more of those stinkers to be true, while only 21% of those who get their news from PBS or NPR believed one. The major news fall in between.
Furthermore, the report shows the strong correlation between support for the war and belief in these untruths.
Finally, an analysis of the opinions of respondents based on "how closely they follow the news" reveals that close attention to the news media tends to polarize rather than unify public opinion.