[extropy-chat] same story, different spins

[Harvey Newstrom]

Spike wrote,
> The tone of the articles is so very different that
> it leads to different conclusions.  The CNN report
> almost makes it sound like they do not know who set 
> off the explosion.  Fox news has already tried and
> convicted the mad dogs of the Taliban.  It is no
> wonder there is such deeply divided opinion on the
> coalition action in Afghanistan, it depends on which
> news sources one reads.  Both sources are necessary 
> to even start to understand.

OK, that's the specifics that I was curious about.  You are exactly right.

As near as I can tell, CNN reported physical damage while Fox focused on
emotional horror.  CNN quoted the chief of police as a source while Fox
quotes the Taliban terrorists as a source.  CNN focuses on the actual Afghan
victims while Fox focuses on the presumed U.S. victims who were not actually
attacked.

They seem to be the exact same story, except I would classify the CNN report
as a factual news report about the event, while I would classify the Fox
report as an editorial position about the event.  They are different
newspapers with different purposes and methods of reporting.

There is no doubt why 80% of Fox viewers versus 55% of CNN viewers believed
that our troops found links between Iraq and al Qaeda, found weapons of mass
destruction, and that world public opinion supported the war.  (Ref.
<http://www.tvbarn.com/ticker/archives/015590.html>.)

	Fox viewers - 80% to have these misconceptions
	CBS viewers - 71%
	NBS viewers - 61%
	CNN viewers - 55%
	Print readers - 47%
	NPR/PBS listeners - 23%

(The report also notes that variations in misperceptions according to news
source cannot simply be explained as a result of differences in the
demographics of each audience, because these variations can also be found
when comparing the rate of misperceptions within demographic subgroups of
each audience.)

Simply put, CNN is more of a news source, while Fox is more of an editorial
opinion source.  I have known this for a long time.  I was able to read both
sources and see that they described the exact same event with no direct
factual contradiction.  That was why I wanted to know exactly what
difference you saw.  It is rare to see CNN and Fox agree so well on the
facts, with only the spin being different.  Usually CNN and Fox diverge
wildly on actual numbers and facts in the stories they report!

-- 
Harvey Newstrom, CISSP, CISA, CISM, IAM, IBMCP, GSEC
Certified IS Security Pro, Certified IS Auditor, Certified InfoSec Manager,
NSA Certified Assessor, IBM Certified Consultant, SANS Certified GIAC
<HarveyNewstrom.com> <Newstaff.com>