Fox News Viewers: Mistrust CDC, Less Vaxxed, More Infected
The culture wars are deepening, and Axios-Ipsos has a new poll out with a mildly shocking reason for why: it's the media. The poll points out that two years ago, in March of 2020, roughly 9 out of 10 people said they trusted the CDC. It did not matter if these people got their news from Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, network news, or other outlets. A majority of Americans still believed the CDC to be trustworthy.
Fast forward to last month and only "16% of those who said they get most of their news from Fox or other conservative outlets still said they trust the CDC, compared to 77% of those who favor network news and major national newspapers and 87% of those who primarily watch CNN or MSNBC." Unsurprisingly, the poll also shows that those who primarily get their news from Fox or other conservative outlets are also less likely to be vaccinated and more likely to say they tested positive for Covid-19 during the pandemic. Conversely, "the highest vaccination rates among respondents were Democrats (87%) and those whose primary news sources were network TV or major national newspapers (86%)."
If you think it is wild that where an individual gets their news from could impact something like how to respond to a global pandemic, you are probably not alone. But it is true that where we get our news contributes to divisions in an already divided country. This poll demonstrates once again that to live in America today is to live in a bubble. And often, that bubble is one of our own choosing.
After all, we choose where we get our news from. We choose who we will and will not listen to. We choose who and what we deem trustworthy, even when reality might say otherwise, but in 2022 we also get to choose our own facts.
Axios points out at the end of their reporting that America has been changed by this pandemic. Many of those changes are not things that we chose. But we can choose to put an end to partisanship. We can determine that one of the ways the pandemic will change American society is cultivating the value of seeing the dignity and worth of every human life, even those we may not approve of.
Truth is often found when all perspectives are considered. A healthy democracy requires a healthy population. One small way to do better is to shake up our news consumption. Just as you might go and get a second opinion from a doctor to ensure you are receiving the best care, a second opinion from a different news outlet is also helpful.
The pandemic has put before us an opportunity to shake up what was before. In many ways, it forces us to shake up the status quo. Especially when a first step requires nothing more than watching less of just Fox, MSNBC, CNN, or other news sources and adding in more varied opinions. It would be a shame if we did not take the chance before us to stop the deepening culture wars.
3 More Things
Voter fraud is here to stay. Or at least claims over voter fraud are, according to a new report from ProPublica on the Voter Reference Foundation, or VoteRef. VoteRef is run by and supported by pro-Trump billionaires. Its methods are incredibly flawed and unlikely to find any fraud. However, this has not stopped them from becoming a nuisance and casting doubt on election outcomes and voter registration.
The Dispatch has reported on the conspiracy theory that the US has bioweapons labs in Ukraine. This is not a new tactic out of Russia, which has long falsely accused the US of running research in former Soviet Republic nations. What is true is that the US does have labs in Ukraine; however, they are working "to secure old Soviet weapons left behind in the former Soviet republics." Still, the conspiracy about bioweapons is likely not going anywhere, as Donald Trump Jr has recently tweeted about it.
Writing for Range Widely, David Epstein has a great interview on the staying power of propaganda. It is a fascinating interview with Lisa Fazio, a Vanderbilt psychologist who studies misinformation. Lisa and David discuss the illusory truth effect, how the repetition of a falsehood causes people to think it is accurate. They also discuss what Lisa would do to help stop disinformation, like scrutinizing larger social media accounts more because with great reach comes great responsibility.