CBS Poll - Americans Less Optimistic About Iraq than are Iraqis

[Ryan]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in614605.shtml

[Dionysos]

Even money says the numbers would flip if the Iraqis were subjected to CNN 24 hours a day instead of us.

[Ryan]

We're not "subjected" to CNN 24 hours a day here. In fact, the overwhelmingly conservative and pro-war Fox News consistently beats CNN in ratings, so more Americans are getting the pro-war message. Are you suggesting that Al Jazeera is more pro-America than CNN or Fox? I think not.

[Dionysos]

Originally posted by Ryan
We're not "subjected" to CNN 24 hours a day here. In fact, the overwhelmingly conservative and pro-war Fox News consistently beats CNN in ratings, so more Americans are getting the pro-war message. Are you suggesting that Al Jazeera is more pro-America than CNN or Fox? I think not.

I was being facetious. I'll add some sort of emoticon in the future, as my humor(or lack thereof) is too dry to come across on the internet I think.

That notwithstanding, your average American is a sheep. Most of them watch the national evening news(which still beats CNN/Fox/MSNBC handily ratings-wise), and they get a very small snippet of the actual picture without doing any of their own research. This is the same contingent of people that caused a shortage of duct tape when Ridge said it would be a good idea to seal your house in event of a chem attack. If they hear the war is going badly(true or not, that's a different horse carcass to flog) then that's how they think it is.

Iraq on the other hand has a less cohesive media message sent to them. They have 150 newspapers that have sprung up since Saddam left power that all have their own take on the situation, and the majority of the Iraqis don't have access to Al-Jazeera on a regular basis so that doesn't have as much effect on them as some might believe. I think Iraq's viewpoint is more of one that's born of group discussion than exposure to mass media. Whether the poll reflects that opinion I couldn't say, but I do think their opinions come from a much different place than ours.

Originally posted by Dionysos
That notwithstanding, your average American is a sheep. Most of them watch the national evening news(which still beats CNN/Fox/MSNBC handily ratings-wise), and they get a very small snippet of the actual picture without doing any of their own research. This is the same contingent of people that caused a shortage of duct tape when Ridge said it would be a good idea to seal your house in event of a chem attack. If they hear the war is going badly(true or not, that's a different horse carcass to flog) then that's how they think it is.

shaking head grinning sadly at how true that is