Does Biased News Have a 'Time Bomb' Effect?

A European study shows that, over time, even the most sophisticated readers can be manipulated.

There's nobody more cynical about the media than your average European.
Only 12 percent of Europeans claim to trust the media, compared to 15 percent of North Americans, 29 percent of Pacific Asians and 48 percent of Africans, the BBC has found.
Yet new research out of the London School of Economics and Political Science suggests that even the most hardened Europeans may succumb to media manipulation and change their political views if they are ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala
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Subjects: Politics, Sci/Tech, Media, Health
Member Tags: psychology, politics, media-manipulation
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# Tweets: 4 (as of 2009-11-09)
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Posted by: Posted by Kaizar Campwala - Nov 9, 2009 - 7:15 AM PST
Content Type: Article
Edit Lock: This story can be edited
Edited by: Fabrice Florin - Nov 9, 2009 - 7:32 PM PST

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Fabrice Florin
3.7
by Fabrice Florin - Nov. 9, 2009

Informative article about new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science, which suggests that repeated exposure to biased news can lead people to change their political views over time. This is a fair and factual report that provides useful context about the social impact of media bias -- even though only one study is cited in this article, without independent perspectives.

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Fred Gatlin
4.2
by Fred Gatlin - Nov. 9, 2009

This is an excellent article on an important study. It approves a concern that I have for sometime. I know a couple who are a doctor and nurse and only listen to Fox News. It is clear that they have moved to the far right.

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Cynthia Gilbert
3.8
by Cynthia Gilbert - Nov. 9, 2009

This seems to support the same thing we are seeing here in the US with Fox News and related supporters of the right wing political spectrum. Seems like the "left" or "center" better get active in the same way, but hopefully more effectively in the long run.

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Ryan Jefferson
4.1
by Ryan Jefferson - Nov. 11, 2009

This article is typical of writing about research. Like a lot of reporting about new research it leaves out important surrounding contextual information about the debate. Who are this researchers peers? What kind of questions did they have about his research? Are his methods sound? Also there is no discussion on how this new information should affect our actions. That we should be more careful about biased news is just left for the reader implicitly. According to the article, even the careful reader is affected by biased news. What would the researcher give as advice to news readers?

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Naomi Isler
4.0
by Naomi Isler - Nov. 9, 2009

Yes, it describes the effects of an apparently scientific survey of biased media on people. How original!

Good grief! Has anyone read the history of Europe between 1933 and 1945? Has anyone ever heard of 'the big lie"? Why do we keep rediscovering stuff that was discovered years ago and think it's new?

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J Sinclaire
4.5
by J Sinclaire - Nov. 10, 2009
Disclosure: J is involved in this story as a co-worker (review not included in overall rating). Help
See Full Review » (6 answers)

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