Thread: Can News Stations Make You Dumber?

Probably not, but they potentially may leave you less informed.

Even factoring in that it's New Jersey, the results are still semi-interesting.

http://publicmind.fdu.edu/2011/knowless/final.pdf

... and misinformed, by news outlets, and by polls, too.

Be careful, I don't know about the people who conducted this survey, but, statistics can be manipulated to prove anything. One of the easiest ways is to select a sample that does not adequately represents the population, but is slanted to prove whatever point you want to prove.

In this day and age, it is not smart to get their news from any single source.

Lies, damned lies, and statistics...

Figures lie & liars figure....

Only Liberal stations - sicne they are best at manipulating statistic to ofit any of their needs
Really - you have to do your own research

Keep in mind, all media outlets have an agenda. Be careful of polls, they are easily manipulated by the questions asked and the people polled. Do your our research and seek out more than one source. Listen to what the news makers say then watch what they do.

yes msnbc,cnbc,cnn will all make you dumber....if you watch them long enough they will have you out at the occupy protests
thinking you know how to count to 99%
lets see.....370,000,000 people in the usa.......a generous guess of 3.7 million are occupy wall street freaks....ummm what percent are they again????

News stations making us dumber? Say it ain't so, Joe!

And in other news, researchers have recently discovered that water is wet and the sky is blue (when there are no clouds)

I had started watching the BBC and they had more information about what was happening inside the US than Fox, CNN, or MSNBC combined. They also had better and more thorough articles. I no longer have cable but I still get most of my world news from the BBC.

Originally Posted by 2506

Lies, damned lies, and statistics...

You must have spent time with my extended family before.

As for news, I've noticed that local news is getting on the sensational bandwagon every so often.

Not just news stations: The Body Odd - Watching 'Jersey Shore' might make you dumber, study suggests


elsie

The poll was conducted by a private college for those referring to media polls.

As for Jersey Shore - just the fact that such a show airs means all of American has gotten dumber.

it amazes me that people watch crap like jersey shore,american idol,x-factor....all this reality tv keeps you in a fantasy world when you should be educating yourself with the world crumbling around you....they are sheep!

Go back 30 - 40 years - you had a couple of news channels and they were the gospel.
The good news is that we have 24x7 news
The bad news - there is a lot of misinformation ( intentional and unintentional).
So you need to spend more time verifying information vs accepting anything that is said.

If you just accept what is said because it fits you political persuasion - then I think it is making most people dumber.
If it makes you think about it and get both sides f the equation do some research - then it is better

Statistics are based on people that get spend a lot of time staring at the TV...probably telling them what to wear, where to go, what to eat and what to believe.

So, yeah, if you sit and stare at the tube for everything you think you need or need to know you're probably a dumb@ss.

If you stop watching TV for just one year and then turn it on it will look absolutely infantile to you.

Without it, Americans could not be the mindless zombies they are today regarding anything important. With it, we have a propaganda-controlled populace of citizens completely disconnected from reality.

"We have all sorts of entertainments to keep the human mind busy so you won't do a lot of thinking and reasoning. Watch your ball game, your favorite TV show, and don't pay attention to what the real adults (that control the path of your life) are doing"
- Jordan Maxwell

yes and no... if you watch tv all the time, and dont think for your self, then yes... but if you get your news from the local channels for simple things like the traffic or weather... then you should be fine.

I don't know about the news making a person dumb(er). I can't watch "Infotainment" for more than a few minutes before I want to cry or screem, all I want is the weather. The talking heads put too much emotion into the stories, trying to get you to feel a certain way about any given story/event.

What's with the show WIPEOUT? Are there really enough people that watch that from week to week to keep it on the air? I'm pretty sure THAT program will make you stoopid. Maybe it's the same people that listen to Rush Limbaugh on a regular basis.

Mike

I listen to Rush on a regular basis and don't watch shows like WIPEOUT. Apparently you have formed your opinion of him from the very people you don't trust to give you the news. His show is about him and what he thinks. He doesn't care what you or anyone eles thinks. He has been very up front about that from the begining. Lucky for him and his bank account many others feel the same way.