In Fox We Trust, Ctd

Ryan Sager has further thoughts on the poll finding Fox News is the most trusted network:

Is any of this surprising? It shouldn’t be by this point. Jonah Lehrer points to a study of 35,000 viewers conducted by TiVo: for each Democrat who watches Fox News there are eighteen Republicans, and for every Republican who watches MSNBC there are six Democrats. And, of course, we engage in the same confirmation-seeking online.

We have a major bias toward seeking out information that confirms what we already know. The flip side is that information that challenges our preconceptions makes us feel uncomfortable. After all, suddenly the world isn’t as we thought it is and that’s a scary prospect for a shaved monkey.

The incentives for the news media are clear: Tell people what they want to hear and what they already believe. It’s the path to ratings. And the electorate will be exactly as informed as it wants to be.