Toronto Star:
There were however a number of cases where greater exposure to a news source increased misinformation on a specific issue.
Researchers found that the more you watched Fox News the more misinformed you became; it didn’t matter whether you turned on the channel as a Republican or a Democrat.
“The effect was also not simply a function of partisan bias, as people who voted Democratic and watched Fox News were also more likely to have such misinformation than those who did not watch it — though by a lesser margin than those who voted Republican,” said the study.
Those who watched Fox News almost daily were significantly more likely than those who never watched it to believe [the following lies]:
- most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)
- most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)
- the economy is getting worse (26 points)
- most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)
- the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)
- their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)
- the auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)
- when TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)
- that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)
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