Americans who get their news primarily from cable are the only people who believe that Israel is not committing a genocide in Gaza, according to a new survey that examined the relationship between attitudes toward the war and news consumption habits.
The survey puts numbers on trends that have become increasingly apparent: Cable news viewers are more supportive of Israel’s war effort, less likely to think Israel is committing war crimes, and less interested in the war in general. People who get their news primarily from social media, YouTube, or podcasts, by contrast, generally side with the Palestinians, believe Israel is committing war crimes and genocide, and consider the issue of significant importance.
Very interesting, if not surprising.
I wonder if this would remain true if you controlled for other highly correlated factors like age and political affiliation. Do young leftists who watch cable news (admittedly likely a very small population) still support Israel’s genocide? What about old conservatives who use TikTok?
While on the subject though, why the emphasis on cable news? The article made no mention of traditional free-to-air TV.
I think the key term is “primarily”. The only young leftists who get their news primarily from cable are basically in a household hostage situation.
I mean the sum of those two cohorts make up such a vanishingly small percentage of anyone its a rounding error. Its likely what you originally assumed, that the breakdown is going along pyschodemographic lines. Old ill informed people watch TV news, and the local stations have offloaded all that unsightly political stuff that ruffles advertiser feathers to cable news. And then your only getting the illusion of variety. Its always the same procorporate, neoliberal, neoconserivative uniparty.
BoTh SiDeS
Wait, I can both sides this!
Israel is committing a genocide. Palestine would probably be committing a genocide if they had the capacity to do so effectively (“from the river to the sea, palestine will be free” doesn’t leave much space for Israel to, umm, exist at all?).
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” has never been a call for genocide. It is a call for the destruction of the Israeli state, but not the genocide of Jewish people in Palestine. It’s a call for a new state that grants freedom and equality to all, instead of an apartheid state that has been committing a slow but accelerating genocide against Palestinians.
Free = socialist