THE POWER OF THE MEDIA

So, you don't think that Big Media actually has much sway on you, and if they are so bold as to tell you how to think you're smart enough not to buy it? Then explain the latest NBC News/WSJ poll on the presidential race. It offers some interesting fodder for just how much Big Media skews people's opinions, even to the point where the public ignores logic and their own observations in favor of what B.M. is shoving down their throats.

The best example I see in this particular poll relates to people's perception of the economy. We can all recite what B.M. has been telling us for the past 2 years: Bush runs up deficits, jobs are being outsourced overseas, the economy is horrid…translation: we are all doomed unless a change is made. Fair enough, maybe even accurate. But let’s take look at the polling data. (And incidentally, I will e-mail the entire .pdf file to anyone that wants it; that way you can look beyond these excerpts and draw your own conclusions.)

NOTE: Everything in blue is taken from the poll. The number at the front of each question is where it was in order on the actual poll:

10d. I'm going to mention two sets of issues. Please tell me which set of issues is more important to you in deciding for whom you will vote in the presidential election?
Set A: Terrorism and social issues and values
Set B: The economy and health care

Set A/terrorism and values more important...........44
Set B/economy and health care more important....44
Both equally important...............................................11
Not sure .........................................................................1

This establishes that the economy is at least on equal par with terrorism as an election issue. B.M. has intimated for over 2 years that Bush is lousy with the handling of the economy. And, the polling data seems to back that up:

9a. Overall, do you think the country is better off or worse off than it was four years ago?
Better off................................................35
Worse off............................................... 55
No difference/about the same .............6
Not sure ..................................................4

21. Over the past twelve months, do you think that the nation's economy has gotten better, gotten worse, or stayed about the same?
Economy has gotten better.....................29
Economy has gotten worse.....................36
Economy has stayed about the same....34
Not sure......................................................1

14. Now I'd like you to compare George W. Bush and John Kerry on a few issues. For each one, please tell me whether you think that George W. Bush or John Kerry would be better on that issue. If you think that both would be equally good or that neither would be good on a particular issue, just say so:

Jobs and Unemployment
BUSH..........32%
KERRY.......48
EQUAL.......10
NEITHER....5
NOT SURE..5

The Federal Budget Deficit
BUSH...........28%
KERRY........45
EQUAL.........8
NEITHER....11
NOT SURE...8

So the public apparently agrees that Kerry would be better with the economy. But now, take a look at these 2 items:

22. During the next twelve months, do you think that the nation's economy will get better, get worse, or stay
about the same?

Economy will get better................... 43
Economy will get worse.....................13
Economy will stay about the same...33
Not sure.............................................. 11

23a. Would you say that you and your family are better off or worse off than you were four years ago?

Better off................................................44
Worse off ...............................................35
No difference/about the same .......... 20
Not sure....................................................1

How can this be? How can between approximately 65% of the people say that they are better off or holding their own AND believe things are getting better or staying consistent, yet also say in almost equal numbers how bad the economy is? Simple: B.M. has beat into their heads so much that the economy is awful and they're doomed that they actually buy it, despite their own personal observational and empirical evidence to the contrary!

There is plenty of polling data in the .pdf and we all know how easy it is to manipulate results if there is enough data to work with. I'm willing to listen to any of you who want to refute what I have to say. Keep in mind, though, this isn’t an indictment or an endorsement of any candidate or issue, but rather pointing out just how much influence we have allowed B.M., talk radio and others with an agenda to sway our thought process. To punctuate this further, note that NBC didn’t see fit to put their own poll on their site, opting instead to only give the readers their spin.

As thinking citizens of this country, we have to be more questioning and less gullible. And at some point, we have got to hold Big Media’s feet to the fire.