The press has not done its job: 3 ways the media has failed our democracy in covering the election

Reporter doing an interview

Reporter doing an interview. Source: public domain

Associate Director of the School of International Affairs at Penn State, Sophia A. McClennen, wrote an op-ed for Salon. Here’s a excerpt from her piece:

Sophia A. McClennen

Sophia A. McClennen

“Very few of us are inclined to consider the mainstream news as a source of real knowledge these days. In fact, numerous studies have documented the egregious ways that the media has failed the public since 9/11.

“In one example from 2003, the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland reported on public misperceptions about the Iraq war and found that there was an astonishing level of disinformation in the U.S. public.  Half of those surveyed believed the lie that Saddam Hussein had worked closely with al-Qaeda.

“Most research, including the PIPA study, has also shown that the misinformation is slanted  — with Fox News viewers among the least informed.”

Read more at Salon.

Skip to toolbar