Pseudo-journalism
Rupert Murdoch's
Fox News came in for some scathing criticism from
Los Angeles Times editor John S. Carroll when he delivered the annual Ruhl Lecture at the University of Oregon. Blaming Fox News and some talk show hosts, Carroll cited a study from last year that showed many Americans had three major misconceptions about Iraq:
- That weapons of mass destruction had been found
- That a connection between al-Qaeda and Iraq had been demonstrated
- That the world approved of US intervention in Iraq
Eighty per cent of people who primarily got their news from Fox believed at least one of the misconceptions. Carroll said the figure was more than 57 percentage points higher than for people who got news from public broadcasting. "
How in the world could Fox have left its listeners so deeply in the dark?" Carroll asked. He lamented that such people "
are practicing something I call a pseudo-journalism, and they view their audience as something to be manipulated." The full story, which covers ethics, and the difference between news and propaganda, is at
http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/05/07/409bbfc0d5b00.
Posted by belinda at May 11, 2004 10:13 AM