According to the study, individuals who trust the Fox News Channel and other conservative media outlets are more likely to believe misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines than those who depend on other news sources.
While the Kaiser Family Foundation research published this week established a strong correlation between trusted news channels and the amount of disinformation believed, it did not confirm whether those opinions were impacted directly by what they saw on those news outlets in the first place.
The Viewers Are More Likely Than Other To Believe COVID Falsehoods
The respondents were asked if they believed seven frequently prevalent myths about the virus. The government is misrepresenting the number of coronavirus fatalities and suppressing reports of vaccine-related deaths and that vaccinations might induce infertility and contain a microchip or change DNA.
According to the study, between 11% and 16% of respondents who most trusted network or local television news believed four or more of those erroneous statements or were unclear which ones were correct.
According to Kaiser’s study, 36% of Fox News viewers either believed or were unclear about four or more erroneous claims. Viewers of Newsmax earned 46% of the vote, while viewers of One America Network News received 37% of the vote (see chart below).
The most widely accepted fallacy is that the government underreports COVID mortality. According to Kaiser, 60% of Americans either believe this or are unsure if it is accurate. For years, a distinct political divide has existed about trust in news outlets, and Kaiser thinks that this divide extends to COVID-19 news. For example, Kaiser observed that 66% of Democrats believe what they hear on the media regarding COVID-19, while just 17% of Republicans think what they hear. Only 18 per cent of Democrats trust what they see on Fox News about the corona more than half of Republicans.
Every day of the week, it is evident how COVID-19 has devolved into a political battleground. The most recent incident of government propaganda occurred when Big Bird, the Sesame Street Muppet, tweeted about being vaccinated, eliciting outrage from some Republicans. While a Fox News spokesman refused to comment directly on findings by Kaiser on Tuesday, she alluded to a number of network stars who have come out in favour of vaccination.
Despite this, vaccine and mandate scepticism has been a steady drumbeat on recent Fox shows. According to a statement, the network completely supports the COVID immunisation, has urged viewers to get the vaccine, and highlights medical professionals who are in favour of the vaccine exclusively on its broadcasts.
Emerald Robinson, the company’s White House correspondent, was taken off the air last week pending an investigation after tweeting: “Dear Christians: Please take this into consideration.” You may be identified because the vaccinations include a bioluminescent tracer known as Luciferase.” She kept her calm on Tuesday.
According to Hamel, Dr Kaiser’s findings on the attitudes of persons who have not been vaccinated reveal a huge challenge for public health workers. Fox News had the highest percentage of unvaccinated individuals who claimed they trusted what they were told about the COVID-19 epidemic, with 30% of unvaccinated individuals rating the news organisation as the most credible.