Page 38 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

Chapter 1

Figure 1.1

Is the U.S. the Primary Threat to

World Peace?

Source: Christopher Marquis, "World's View of U.S. Sours After Iraq
War, Poll Finds," 4 June 2004, New York Times, 19(A).

Damning in itself was the conclusion reached by PIPA that these misperceptions
took root more often amongst Fox viewers who actually paid more attention to
the channel's news reports. This trend was not relegated only to Fox News
though. The PIPA polls revealed that the percentage of Americans surveyed who
held at least one of three rnisperceptions (that Iraq had ties to A1 Qaeda, that Iraq
possessed WMD, and that world opinion supported the U.S. going to war) was
rather high for all the mainstream television networks. Seventy-one percent of
CNN viewers reported at least one misperception, whereas 61 percent of CBS
viewers, 55 percent of ABC viewers, and 55 percent of NBC viewers reported
holding at least one of these misperceptions between January and September of
2003.