Cable News Viewers Have a Skewed Attitude Toward Gaza War, Survey Finds
Cable News Viewers Have a Skewed Attitude Toward Gaza War, Survey Finds
Americans who get their news primarily from cable are the only people who believe that Israel is not committing a genocide in Gaza.
Americans who get their news primarily from cable are the only people who believe that Israel is not committing a genocide in Gaza, according to according to a new survey that examined the relationship between attitudes toward the war and news consumption habits.
The survey puts numbers on trends that have become increasingly apparent: Cable news viewers are more supportive of Israel’s war effort, less likely to think Israel is committing war crimes, and less interested in the war in general. People who get their news primarily from social media, YouTube, or podcasts, by contrast, generally side with the Palestinians, believe Israel is committing war crimes and genocide, and consider the issue of significant importance.
When it comes to the salience of the war on Gaza as an electoral concern, the trend continues. Just 12 percent of the overall public lists it as a top three issue, and just 3 percent say it’s their top issue. Of that 3 percent, nearly all of them get their news from social media or YouTube. One in 5 social media news consumers say Israel’s war is a top-three issue; the same is true for 18- to 29-year-olds.
Asked if Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, cable news viewers said no by a 34-32 margin. All other news consumers said Israel is committing genocide, including print (36-33), YouTube (41-31), and social media users, who agree with the statement by a 44 to 19 percent margin. People aged 18 to 29, meanwhile, have similar views (48-21 percent), while those over 65 say by a 47 to 21 percent plurality that Israel isn’t committing genocide.
Makes me wonder how much is causation vs correlation. Other studies show a clear age divide on the Israel-Palestine conflict, with elderly people more likely to support Israel and younger people more likely to support Palestine.
Each group happens to get their news through different media, with boomers more likely to watch cable TV and younger generations more familiar with getting news from the internet.
I don't think that necessarily speaks to the quality or accuracy of news across each medium, because you'll still find bullshit all over the place. Despite the large volume of Israeli apologia/misinformation on the internet, young people are still sympathetic to Palestine because they know not to take claims at face value. And boomers in denial can be presented with factual, provable truths on TV yet still wave them off as liberal conspiracies.
25Younger viewers attend to social media, which amplifies outrage and doesn’t have the benefit of an editor or trained journalist staff doing fact checking; only fringe TV outlets run with the loaded/emotional slant that is seen in typical short-form social media content.
Additionally, social media is chock full of (and, in TikTok’s case, controlled by) propaganda actors - usually operating on behalf of regimes such as the CCP and Russian government, who field well-known efforts to tarnish the reputation of the US and its allies.
For example, here on Lemmy, posters like Linkerbaan submit sometimes 20 or more anti-US and anti-Israel articles a week from anywhere they can find them - often comprising their sole activity on the network. There is little balance there.
Another thing - cable TV news viewership is dominated by Fox News, with almost double the ratings of MSNBC and triple the ratings of CNN. Any analysis that lumps all cable viewers together will be describing mostly Fox News viewers.
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