Why the Market Can't Give Us Quality News
Because we don't want it. Miller-McCune reports on a new study by some media researchers at USC that looked at the "viewing habits, cultural, political and cognitive dispositions" of people in six different countries. Their findings:
(1) viewers worldwide turn to particular broadcasters to affirm rather than inform their opinions, meaning the global news media are likely to reinforce existing attitudes and stereotypes of cultural ‘others’; and (2) the longer viewers have been watching Al-Jazeera English, the less dogmatic they are in their thinking and thus more open to considering alternative and clashing opinions.
There are endless studies showing how slanted, infotainment news in the style of Fox doesn't do much to really inform people. But with The New York Times moving to a "metered model," it merits mentioning the further point that if we just let the market decide which media outlets survive we will likely end up with less informed, more dogmatic voters because people don't choose informing news.
via good.is
Disappointing, but not all that surprising.
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