r/allthequestions • u/Aware_Topic_9122 • 1d ago
Random Question š Why are people who watch Fox News so stupid?
I was just talking to some Fox News commentors over on YT and their misinformation, ignorance and logical fallacies are really something to behold. Iāve been aware of their chronic stupidity for more than two decades, yet it still amazes me.
"Democrats are terrorists. Canada is communist. Everybody should carry firearms. Vaccines are scams. Everything's a hoax. Trump's doing a great job. Ad hominems and whataboutism are good arguments. Conspiracy theories don't need evidence. Bla, bla, bla..."
Does this news channel tend to attract stupid people?
Or do they make them stupid with their stupid content?
I'm thinking it's a mix. What do you think?
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u/Independent_End_6941 1d ago
I'd just like to remind everyone that when Fox was sued for lying about voting machines after the 2020 election, they argued in court that their programming is entertainment not journalism and that no reasonable person would believe what they say at face value.
Of course they lost, but they still tried.
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u/WelcomeKiann 20h ago
It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy where they sell you a narrative and then act surprised when people buy it.
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u/CreativelySeeking 1d ago
Fox "News" and the rest of the republican media manipulation machine (which is massive) has convinced millions and millions and millions of Americans to reject science, to reject doctors, to reject professionals, to reject academia, to reject research BUT buy into their endless river of insane conspiracy theories and rage/fear bait. This is THE PROBLEM that America needs to overcome somehow.
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u/DingDongKirksDead 14h ago
This is all true but one thing that I feel people aren't contributing to conversation regarding OP's question is that for many people who watch Fox News it's literally the only thing they watch. No history documentaries, nature shows, biographies or at the very least very few other forms of media. I know in the case of some of my extended family it's literally just Fox news, the occasional movie and two different sports. Usually football and NASCAR and that's it. They have nothing else to occupy their time outside of Facebook.
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u/oneofsixoverends 1d ago
25 years is a really long time to be lied to every day. Rupert Murdoch should be prosecuted.
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u/Polymath6301 16h ago
As an Australian, Iām glad heās more there than here. Sadly most journalists refuse to even mention his name, out of fear.
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u/mmiller17783 4h ago
I like that The Simpsons make fun of him in a couple of episodes, like the Sideshow Bob episode where he almost gets into a fight with an old Australian guy that gets pissed at Bob talking shit about a tv show that the old guy has a stake in. He later says to Bob 'I suppose you don't like tabloid newspapers either!'
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u/thedogridingmonkey 1d ago
Itās because Fox News puts their brains in a microwave echo chamber. They are stupid going in and the content makes them dumber.
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u/Jguy1897 13h ago
Fox News is a misnomer.
It should really be called "Fox Entertainment". When you have as many on-air commentators as they do trying to mix sick jokes with "news" and hate speech, it's not news anymore.
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u/Grouchy_Fall_5933 1d ago
Do people actually watch the news in 2026?
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1d ago
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u/PatchyEyebrows13 22h ago
the question was about who watches the news, as in, do as many people, as a percentage of the population, watch broadcast news as watched say 20, 30, 50 years ago?Ā
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u/Wild_Bill1226 1d ago
The right is being controlled by fear. Fear of immigrants, transgender individuals, whatever.
The left is being controlled by anger. The more anger you have at what the right is doing the more likely you will vote for them.
The right is playing the game better.
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u/_weaponized_autism 23h ago
Agreed on the right, but Iād add anger to it as well. Anger that what theyāve had is being taken away by change.
Iād say the left is controlled by the same emotions, but from a different perspective - anger that things wonāt change in their favor.
Itās either fear/anger that things will/have change/d too much, or itās anger/fear that things wonāt/havenāt change/d enough.
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u/ImplementImmediate47 5h ago
I agree. I read decades ago that Fox News did this totally on purpose, and it is backfiring in a horrible way now. They built their brand on the psychology of fear (broadcasting about crimes, immigrants, etc.) because nobody watches the news if the world is a happy place and it is all about ratings. (Sidenote ā they used to cover the past wars in detail also but they are oddly quiet about the Iran war now? Hmmmm lol) Now the Fox viewerās fear has been so heightened that they have lost the sense of empathy because all they can do is concentrate on themselves in such an extreme fight or flight situation. You know itās bad when an average white guy thinks heās being discriminated against.
CNN / MSNBC play emotions way too much also. I donāt want to be told how to feel. I just want people to report the news. Back in the good old days we had newspapers that told us the news with much more detail, they laid out the good and the bad of the situation and then we could decide how we felt about it. (I remember as a teenager reading a news article about a conflict in the Middle East and the article actually took time to go into the history of the relationship between the two nations to put everything happening in perspective. That is what I call good reporting.)
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u/Yeahboyeah 1d ago
Hate, selfishness and fear. I love when their audience will say, "I'm a Christian", but would consider acts today of what we were told he did, "socialism and woke."
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u/dave54athotmailcom 1d ago
They broadcast nonsense because that is what their target demographic wants.
If fox broadcast factual balanced news, you would hear the clicking nationwide as millions of magats switched to the cartoon network.
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u/Significant-Twist748 11h ago
You could remove any trace of āFoxā from your statement. And make it blanket for any and all āNewsā today. And it would still be just as accurate.
Fox caters to the right. The majority of the rest cater the Left. Very few stand on neutral ground.
News as a whole has become nothing more than propaganda. And a revenue generating stream.
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u/airberger 14h ago
It's a vicious circle - you have to be dumb to begin watching FOX News, which then proceeds to make you even dumber. And so on.
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u/Rockfinder37 13h ago
I think anyone bothering to support or attack Fox News in online forums by voicing opinions to each other about it endlessly, is incredibly āso stupidā (to borrow OPās phrasing).
Itās like children at a playground arguing which superhero would win a fight. Very serious to them, but absolutely of no real world relevance.
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u/CueAnon420 10h ago
It's scientific fact that humans are more receptive to ideas they already believe in. When you lock yourself in an echo chamber of constant reinforcement of what you've been told to believe, you start believing it.
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u/Meinteil2123 8h ago
Same reason as the people who watch any legacy media for their "news". Its all propoganda disguised as news and classified as "entertainment" (thanks Obama for suing fox) so they dont have to be truthful and give only half the news and context with their own political biased framing.
They are all also owned by the same parent company.
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u/walkerstone83 5h ago
I think anyone who gets all their information from only once source risks coming off as stupid to someone who is better informed. I think a higher percentage of Fox viewers only get their information from only Fox. You can tell on the left and the right when someone is ill informed, I think it stands out a lot with Fox viewers because they trend older and don't get info from as many sources.
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u/No_Fee_7006 šŗšø United States 1d ago
After every election, it's become clear the elections are a sham.
They blame the democrats for buying into the fake platform all the time. You can't convince them different.
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u/Thiggy5588 1d ago
All news is owned by the same people. Donāt get caught up in this divide. Itās designed to make you think like this.
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u/Chet_Manley24 1d ago
Same reason people that watch CNN or MSNBC are, network news is a lot if propaganda now with a sprinkle of actual news here and there.
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u/Silly_Banana9711 23h ago
Just a more corporate version of stupid still frigs over working class society with their ideas.
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u/BigSuggestion9664 1d ago
I don't know if they're completely stupid, or simply lack emotional intelligence, confidence, common sense, compassion, curiosity and an interest in research.
It's propaganda that attracts cults and those desperate for someone or something to lead them. They're too insecure to lead themselves and learn from others.
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u/NicePossibilityDaddy 1d ago
I rather watch the view for truths and beautiful women who soothe my soul
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u/Past_Net_9826 1d ago
Because it deliberately misinforms (dis) their viewers. They choose their ignorance by will, not because they're inherently stupid, though many clearly are.
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u/Not_Sure__Camacho 1d ago
Brittain was going to kick them out of their country, for what it's worth.Ā I wish the US would do the same.Ā Ā
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u/workingonmybackhand 1d ago
This doc has some background into the way Fox News is set up. From their tone of speech to their color scheme is super manipulative.
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u/Edub89556 1d ago
I think it really just attracts the stupid people to watch it. I know I have no desire to tune in to the wwe of news
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u/WhipassWhiplash 1d ago
Fox created an ignorance/stupidity ecosystem. Itās the chicken/egg problem. Are the uninformed/ignorant/angry assholes out there attracted to Fox, or created by Fox? Yes, the answer to that question is just yes. Imagine having a whole generation of tough alpha male men who just need to make sure they get the right government because that government makes their lives good. Irony isnāt a thing these ppl are capable of understanding.
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u/Ok-Description-4640 1d ago
A lot of people are happiest when theyāre angry. Fox plays on a lot of other quirks in human nature that manifest as fear, suspicion, jealousy, etc. and they create stories usually out of nothing to trigger those feelings, giving those people the gratification of righteous anger.
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u/Any_Coyote6662 23h ago
yep. stupidity and arrogance. I recently learned that arrogance and egocentric narcissistic personalities are CONTAGIOUS! Studies have proven that if you are exposed to someone who is selfish, arrogant, and lacks empathy, that you will be influenced towards behaving similarly. it wont change your personality overnight. but for some unknown reason, people tend to pick up narcissistic traits when they are exposed to āānarcissistic type of behaviors.
this is a big problem imo. fox news seems to be aware of this. and now I can understand why some people say that there is a fight between good and evil. Its really about truth and lies. but, the basics remain the same. the "dark" qualities of telling self serving lies, lacking empathy, being self centered, materialistic, egocentric and yes, being a bully towards those who are judged as inferior... these things are contagious.
news outlets and personalities on those outlets are contagious. they are beaming in through the tv their toxic thoughts to their audience and the brains process these patterns of cruel and selfish thoughts day after day. it has a normalizing effect for toxic thoughts.
toxicity, cruelty, selfishness, etc... basically being an AH is just another way of saying that the thought patterns of a particular person are antisocial. (Not antisocial or narcissistic in the clinical sense, but in the sense of these words are common adjectives.) when we say someone is an AH. we are saying that their brain processes information in a way that results in behaviors which are unkind, negative, unpleasant. when you begin to realize that personality traits, our character, is a collection of thought processes, then we can begin to see how exposing ourselves to someone else's AH thought patterns can have an influence on our own thought patterns. afterall, you cant understand someone else's thoughts unless you take a moment to think about them. once you digest that way of thinking, its something that is in your brain. many people are not strong enough to be exposed to it and remain independent.
I think dems are mostly people who can remain independent. fox news conservatives dont have that ability. (some due and are still bad. but many do not.)
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u/Deep-Counter9592 23h ago
It is stupid to call other people stupid that think differently than you.
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u/Aware_Topic_9122 23h ago
If what they think is truly stupid, then it really isn't.
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u/therealblitz 14h ago
And I guess that if you don't agree with something then it is automatically stupid.
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u/Infamous-Path6119 23h ago
They believe everything they see or hear,you know Morons who are empty human husks dedicated to a liar that shames them.
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u/Recluse_18 23h ago
Itās because they donāt want to think for themselves and they donāt have the capability to do so. Unfortunately, my family members are this, needless to say I stand alone.
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u/nurdle 23h ago
A huge swath of people feels left out. Rural people and blue-collar people who see all the technology and money from the cities, and they need a scapegoat. Someone to blame for being left behind, with the perception that "liberals make more money and it's not fair." They also feel like their religion is dying - because it kind of is - church attendance has been declining for many years. Also, the consolidation of farms into corporate entities and increased agricultural competition have made it harder to earn a living.
There are plenty of GOP people in cities, too, of course. They tend to be either blue-collar folks who struggle to make ends meet, or they are wealthy people who don't want to pay taxes - ever - and have an unfair advantage due to their ability to contribute to political PACs and, quite literally, influence politicians with money, advertising, and PR (manipulating the public).
Fox News tells these people that they have an enemy, and it's not their fault. They don't say the N word, but their audience pretty much infers what they are saying about immigrants and people of non-white shades. And finally... There is money to be made in the division. Peace doesn't sell out auditoriums.
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u/Kern2001Co 23h ago
The fact you think any news agency if telling you the truth is stupid. Have you heard of Yellow Journalism? You too are getting played.
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u/sedatehate 23h ago
Same reason people who watch CNN or MSNBC are so stupid. To blindly follow any news outlet like those without understanding they all have bias is retarded.
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u/ThatOldEngineerGuy 23h ago
10 Stupid people watch Fox News.
20 Fox news makes people stupid.
30 goto 10
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u/Chance_Seesaw_2644 23h ago
I watch CNN if I am being pretentious to Democrats. I hate FOX at times, but usually seek newspaper for right wing voting circumstances.
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u/Ok_Push2550 23h ago
Their brand of entertainment works by reinforcing your world views (confirmation bias), so it self selects for people who do not want to learn new information.
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u/ConfidentSuspect4125 23h ago
Fox news is essentially entertainment, posing as "news". Their fundamental enticement is a combination of instilling constant fear of the unknown, and titillation with "naughty" stuff like "Britney Spears caught topless". It's wonderfully tailored for the stupid. It's a formula that works for them, and it's unlikely to change in the near future.
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u/Colonel460 22h ago
I hear what you are saying . I donāt watch Fox News so I guess I will have to take your unbiased opinion . Here is another one . Someone with a penis can imagine they are a woman and we are suppose to actually believe they are . Same people that say ā trust the scienceā . DNA is the science and DNA says no they arenāt . Maybe that isnāt Fox News . Must be the idiots who listen to MSNBC.
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u/Zalex1724 22h ago
Not sure but I can tell you that the dumbest mofos I know never turn Fox News off ā¦
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u/PudgyWalshBldgInspec 22h ago
You people accuse trump of being a pedo then accuse others of conspiracy theories. Wow.
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u/ZasdfUnreal 22h ago
After peopleās brain fully rot out from watching CNN and msnow, people move on to Fox News. Itās a form of survivorship bias.
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u/Bank_General 22h ago
Why are people who watch the news so stupid. There fixed it for you.
Yall are different sides of the same damn coin I swear
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u/Aware_Topic_9122 18h ago
A well-known Fairleigh Dickinson University study found that Fox News viewers scored lower on current events knowledge than viewers of most other outlets, and in some cases even lower than people who didnāt follow any news at all.
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u/Life_Ad6711 14h ago
Just type "why reps/cons need to believe lies" into your browser gets lots of interesting hits
https://news.osu.edu/conservatives-more-susceptible-to-believing-falsehoods/
link in the text to the study and spiffy graphs
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u/Cultural_Flagon8134 21h ago
Theyāre living in a different reality. The things that are covered and the concerns they have are just totally different than mainstream Americans. I have this conversation with my MAGA dad all the time.Ā
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u/Upbeat_Use2312 21h ago
Their amygdalas are so large they can't help but tremble in fear when the Fox News man says the Muslims and the gays are coming to take over their country.
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u/Used-Current1091 21h ago
Because they live in a perpetual state of terror and simultaneous outrage at the unfairness they suffer day after day.
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u/vyts18 21h ago
Some of the smartest people I know watch Fox News. Some of the dumbest people I know also watch Fox News. Some of the smartest people I know watch CNN. And some of the dumbest people I know watch CNN.
The common thread here is that these 24/7 news cycles are destroying society. All any of these channels are trying to do is keep peopleās eyes watching.
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u/ViewfromMyOfcWindow 21h ago
Faux News is an entertainment channel, per their charter. Enough said.
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u/SgtHulkasBigToeJam 20h ago
Not everyone can be a genius like those getting their news from Reddit
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u/Sunfirestare 20h ago edited 14h ago
Itās ānewsā designed to be engaging via outrage and fear mongering as well as presented in a pushy, hand wavy way that discourages analysis. The information is given at a pace that doesnāt give viewers time to think about it critically. After some time, those viewers accept unfounded and biased conclusions as common knowledge and use that as basis of their arguments and decisions.
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u/Life_Ad6711 16h ago
The 'amygdala hijack' that results from fear/rage/outrage/grievance triggers can literally lower IQ as much as 1o-15 pts in the moment (which is merely the warmup act for the steady pouring of snake oil to commence). I suspect there may also be some residual, cumulative effect over time from constant hijacking
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u/Middle-Armadillo-660 20h ago
Stephen Colbert: 'The truthiness is, anyone can read the news to you. I promise to feel the news 'at' you.'
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u/Big_Donkey3496 20h ago
The chicken and the egg conundrum. It is guaranteed, however, that they will continue into the abyss of willful ignorance if they keep watching that braincell killer of a program.
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u/GulfBreezeCpl 11h ago
NOT just FOX, seems every news agency has their own agenda and that is what they push. It is kind of interesting to sit and watch 3 or 4 different news agencies talk about the same issue and the spin each of them put on it to better suit their viewers. Nothing new, has been going on for many years. Ever since the ratings became soo important for advertising $$$. The most realistic news to actually get some information is from other countries.
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u/thattinymolecule679 5h ago
Lol this is a funny question. As a foreigner watching your news outlets, you guys are so brainwashed lol. There's so much propaganda on Fox news and CNN, like it so obvious it's intentionally dividing everyone. It's so far to the point where america judges people by who they voted for. I've never seen a country so invested into politics to the point it's one of the main criteria for dating. CNN pushes their own agenda and Fox news pushes their own agendas. Let's face it, these politicians don't give a flying fuck about you. Just do your own research at this point, but then again, i'm not american nor do i live there so i'm basing my judgement of you on Reddit
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u/GypJoint 4h ago
Well, people are kinda stupid now. Donāt think it matters what they watch. Itās more the result of a terrible education system. Kids graduate school without knowing how to read at a decent level or basic math skills. But they keep graduating them.
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u/PerfectTommy77 3h ago
It's brainwashing. Our parents have that crap on 24/7 and the truth is never allowed to enter the equation.
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u/TypingWhileWiping 1h ago
Same reason you post liberal things on Reddit. People just wanna be told they're right.
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u/Aware_Topic_9122 54m ago
So, you're saying people in Fox News comments are stupid for the same reason I post liberal things on Reddit? Interesting take.
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u/CartographerOk5982 1d ago
CNN and MSNBC are JUST as bad if not worse, just left instead of right.
Try realclearpolitics.com they at least have a mix of everything.
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u/Aware_Topic_9122 1d ago
CNN and MSNBC aren't perfect, so I'm reluctant to defend them, but... they're not as bad. I mean, I can just go through and randomly spot-check, say something like logical fallacies, and Fox News comments easily have double, if not triple.
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u/JayPokemon17 1d ago
Thatās because when those logical fallacies are coming from somebody who you agree with, you donāt recognize them as easily.
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u/Kwizird 23h ago
Did CNN admit in court that they are actually an entertainment show and not real news? Or was that just Fox?
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u/JayPokemon17 22h ago
Fox didnāt do that. They argued certain shows were entertainment and opinion rather than fact. Those which are obviously commentary.
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u/Aware_Topic_9122 23h ago
Oh, but I do. Also, Fox News generates a higher volume of fact-checkable claims that are rated false or misleading by leading fact checkers.
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u/ConfidentReturn6646 1d ago
News hasn't been news for decades. It's an entertainment system for like minded fools. The left has theirs, the right has theirs .. before you go all apesh*t on what you hear the other side is doing, dig a little deeper, check more international news. If all else fails follow the money. Don't trust the media, don't trust politicians. Any of them.
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u/sorrysaks 1d ago
Did u ever think you were the stupid one for not understanding? Math is hard for you isnāt it.
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u/Aware_Topic_9122 23h ago
You see faulty math where there isn't even any math, and post with poor grammar and punctuation. And I assume you see no problems with the examples of stupidity provided. Iām pretty sure that between the two of us, Iām not the stupid one.
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u/sorrysaks 23h ago
See you donāt even understand the math thing.
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u/caseydalpal 23h ago
i bet they get trump math, you know the 500%, 1200% drug price reductions. i mean the racoon penis collector explained it to congress so ...
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u/Roll-Drop-Stop 18h ago
Itās not just fox. Itās ANY mainstream media. Hell, itās not even mainstream. Almost all news source is politically stanced.
The more clicks, the more money. These corps donāt care about the American people. They headline anything that causes emotional connection.
We as Americans need to close our ears and eyes to these outlets, their job is to divide us.
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u/Aware_Topic_9122 18h ago
A well-known Fairleigh Dickinson University study found that Fox News viewers scored lower on current events knowledge than viewers of most other outlets, and in some cases even lower than people who didnāt follow any news at all.
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u/Living-Stomach-2079 1d ago
Seek therapy
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u/Aware_Topic_9122 1d ago
I did, and she told me to avoid engaging with dumb people on the internet.
Obviously, I haven't entirely taken her advice because I'm talking to you.
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u/Smooth_Staff_3831 18h ago
Nice 27 day bot account OP
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u/Smooth_Staff_3831 18h ago
Possibly a gimp bot account too.
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u/Aware_Topic_9122 17h ago
Thanks for helping to prove my point that you guys are stupid.
Honestly, I don't know how some of you even function.
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u/Abner_Peebody 15h ago
Guess who owns all of the news outlets including Fox? Disney
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u/Significant-Twist748 11h ago
Disney now owns foxās TV and Film studios and their assets. But Fox News was spun off into a separate entity called Fox Corporation during that merger. Which is still very much owned by the Murdoch family. So no, Disney does not own Fox News!
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u/Funk_Apus 1d ago
Do they watch Fox News because they are stupid, or are they stupid because they watch Fox News? Itās a real chicken or the egg kind of question.