Fox
News is the number one cable news network.
While its prime time audience of 2.9 million viewers pales in comparison
to major network shows (Big Bang draws 18.5 million) it is still a very
impressive number. (Caruso, 2020)
So I
was horrified to read that a 2012 study by Fairleigh Dickinson University found
that those who watch Fox News regularly are less well informed than people who
watch no news at all. Even those who get
their news from comedy shows like The Daily
Show knew more about current events than Fox viewers. Yikes.
But
here's the really scary part.
Misinformation can be dangerous.
During
the 2009-2010 swine flu epidemic, Democrats and Republicans initially expressed
equal levels of concern. But then the folks
at Fox started in with their conspiracy theories. Glen Beck even told his followers to do the
exact opposite of what the administration recommended and skip the flu shot. (Kristof, 2019)
As a
result of this misleading propaganda, Democrats were 50% more likely to seek
vaccinations than Republicans.
18,000
people died.
So
yes, where you get your news from could be a matter of life or death.
Caruso,
J. (2020, January 28) Fox News Primetime
Ratings For January 2020 Highest Since November 2016. dailycaller.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020, from
Cassino,
D., Woolley, P., Jenkins, K. (2012, May 3)
What you know depends on what you watch: Current events knowledge across
popular news sources. fdu.edu Retrieved January 29, 2020, from
