How do mass media shape public perceptions on important issues?
People are basically lazy when it comes to free and independent thinking, and this is why the liberal mainstream media (ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, NPR, CNN, Time Magazine, Newsweek, L.A. Times, NY Times, The Huff Post, Media Matters for America, Independent Media Center, Mother Jones, Salon, The Nation, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, The Atlantic, The Village Voice, New Yorker, The Daily Beast, Buzzflash, The New Republic, ACLU, The American Prospect, Air America, The Brookings Institute, et al, have such sway on the minds of the masses, especially when you consider that just about the only alternative to the barrage of lefty views and thoughts is FOX News. Not a lot of balance if you ask me, but smart people still manage to navigate their way through and in between the liberal info conduits.
Do Trump supporters actually care that he cheats at Golf?
I don't, why would I possibly care if leaves a few strokes off his scorecard or “adjusts" the position of the ball? He plays for fun and relaxation, not in tournaments that are sanctioned and carefully observed for irregularities. Many of us call “do-overs" in informal sports settings.I don't think that it does or doesn't show any amazing parallels into his leadership style or abilities as the President of the United States.Many professionals say that Trump is a good golfer, and he actually is the best Presidential golfer of all times. If I was President i have no doubt my game would improve over 10 strokes and get me in the mid to high 60's. Just one of the perks of being the most powerful man in the free world.I’m sure his Tennis game has improved as well. As have his billards play.I actually think it is kinda funny. I can't believe that it is getting air time. America must be in pretty good shame when the the MSM is reporting on Trumps golf habits, and AOC's latest faux pas, or Congresswoman Omar's latest miaappropriation of her campaign funds.Slow news days are good for the country and world.
Why did I get blocked on Facebook by some friends because I like Donald Trump?
Without asking them through mutual friends, you are not likely to find out.The statement I am going to make here is based on what I was told by one of my American friends, who was unfriended by someone he had known for several years after he announced his pleasure at a Trump victory.Trump ran a campaign based on hatred, he may well have used the slogan “Make America Great Again!” (not the first candidate to promise to “Make America Great”, probably not the last either), but his campaign was based on a hateful “blame game.”His campaign didn’t concentrate (at least from what the coverage many of us saw indicated) on how he was going to help ordinary Americans, it was based on how he was going to “punish” Hillary, Obama, the Mexicans, the Chinese, the Muslims. He often backed these claims up with “facts” that were at best “stretching the truth”.Now whether you personally voted for Trump because you hated any, or all, of those people, is immaterial. In the eyes of some, by voting for Trump, you approved of his lies, and his hateful rhetoric. To some, this election was a choice between:Hope - an attempt to improve the lives of most Americans, by replacing dying industries with new ones - represented to them by Hillary.Hate - an attempt to improve the lives of some Americans, by punishing those Trump has told you are responsible, whether they actually are or not.I’m saddened that your friends have decided that it is better to block you than open a dialogue, and find out why you though Trump was the better candidate however, that is their choice. I presume that unlike some of my American friends, you have not posted Trump/Brietbart/ConservativeNews propaganda, If however, you have, this may have played a part in their decision.
Why do people not like Fox News?
The reason I don't like Fox News is because of their way of representing data through misuse of statistics. Fox News consistently puts up a graph, table or chart that backs up the information they are reporting. But this does not mean that it is true or even accurate for that matter.As an example, here is a graph of welfare benefits that have occurred since 2009 as presented on Fox News:If you look at the above graph sitting on your couch trying to relax after a hard day's work and you see that Fox News is reporting an "alarming increase in welfare benefits", you will get upset. From this graph it really does look like people receiving welfare have more than quadrupled in three years!But the reason that this looks like a very dramatic increase is because this is a truncated graph. I am sure most of you know, a truncated graph is one that does not reference "0" on the y axis, thus distorting the data.Here's what this should really look like in presenting the data accurately:This representation would have a totally different reaction for someone who is casually watching the news. This is because with this accurate representation, you can see Welfare benefits have increased but not quadrupled. The statisticians at Fox News use classic and novel graphical techniques to lead with dataHere's another one except in this case the data is actually not plotted correctly. It appears that unemployment has remained high under Obama in 2011. Here it is again plotted correctly:You can see the drop in unemployment during the end of 2011. The statisticians at Fox News use classic and novel graphical techniques to lead with dataHere's another:Here it is represented accurately:The statisticians at Fox News use classic and novel graphical techniques to lead with dataFrom the above, you can see that there really wasn't an alarming increase in the top tax bracket.What is also interesting to note is how Fox News presents the information. It looks dark and ominous by the use of graphical design and color.I believe from the above graphical representations, you can see how Fox statisticians are certainly skilled in using graphics to persuade a certain point of view. I certainly wouldn't call this "News". These are just a few examples of how news media, marketing and politicians can all distort information. So, be an informed consumer of news, and pay attention to how information is presented. It is important.