BY DAN
KENNEDY
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See the World Through My Daughter's Eyes (Rodale, October 2003),
click
here.
Friday, October 17, 2003
The Fox Misinformation Channel.
I'm late to this, but it's too amusing -- and relevant -- to let
it pass by.
According to a University of
Maryland study of seven nationwide polls, those who rely on the Fox
News Channel as their primary source of information are the most
likely to believe at least one important misperception about the war
in Iraq.
The misperceptions:
- That weapons of mass
destruction have been found in Iraq. (Sorry, David
Kay fans -- precursors,
abandoned trailers, twigs, and seeds don't count.)
- That evidence has been found of
a link between Saddam Hussein's regime and Al Qaeda. (Even George
W. Bush had to correct Dick Cheney on this one.)
- That world opinion favored the
US going to war with Iraq. (It's hard to believe that
anyone believes that.)
According to the study, 80 percent
of Fox viewers believed one or more of those untruths; between 55
percent and 71 percent of those who relied on CNN or one of the Big
Three broadcast networks were similarly misinformed; and only 47
percent who rely mainly on print, and 23 percent who rely on NPR
and/or PBS, shared those misperceptions.
Here's a story
on the study in the Washington Post by Harold Meyerson. (Guess
he's not at the American Prospect anymore.) You can read the
study itself here.
Turning on Romney.
Globe columnists Scot
Lehigh, who is certainly
not hostile to Governor Mitt Romney, and Brian
McGrory, who could be
considered a fan, have both had it up to here with Romney's
transparent political posturing.
Specifically, they're disgusted
with Romney's absurd bid to name the depressed Central Artery the
Liberty Tunnel rather than honor the late Tip O'Neill.
Turning on Grady. There is
nothing I can add to what has already been said about last night's
horror show.
The early nomination for the
smart-commentary award goes to Dale
Arnold and Bob Neumeier on
WEEI Radio (AM 850) this morning. (Caveat: others may have said this
before them, but the fill-ins on Dennis & Callahan seemed
mainly interested in constructing a gallows for hapless manager Grady
Little.)
Arnold and Neumeier argued that
from a pure management point of view, Little probably deserves to be
rehired because of what he's accomplished during his first two
seasons, and because his players not only like him, they play hard
for him.
But -- and this is the but on which
everything turns -- they added that, logic aside, Little can't
be rehired. The fans will never stand for it. They're right. After a
decent interval (say, until right after the World Series), Little
will be gone.
And let me add my voice to those of
millions of other Red Sox fans: Little's decision not to start the
eighth with Mike Timlin was the single most bone-headed managerial
move I have seen in 35 years of watching baseball games. My heart
sank when I saw Pedro Martínez stroll back to the mound after
his outstanding night's work was apparently over.
Of course, that blunder was only
compounded by Little's refusal to get off his ass and rescue
Martínez after he gave up a hit, then two, then three.
There was no Curse last night. Just
sheer, unmitigated stupidity.
posted at 11:23 AM |
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Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
