# Does CNN think we're stupid? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 26, 2006, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243 "2006-06-26T18:45:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243/41 "2006-06-27T17:23:05Z")
> [@Leviosaurus](#): > > CNN has been watching its viewership decline against compeitiors like Fox for years. What you’re seeing is CNN’s attempts to capture the Fox audience. These are Fox tactics. _What_ exactly, are Fox tactics? Lazy reportage? Deliberate inaccuracies? Creeping sensationalism? Political bias? Pandering to the LCD? If you think this trend started with Fox News, you’re sadly mistaken. It’s way, way older than that. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Clam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@Happy\_Clam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Clam)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243/42 "2006-06-27T17:25:30Z")
> [@MelCthefirst](#): > > How come other countries don’t have the same “system” then? > Will the BBC get more money if they underestimated the intelligence of the British public? No, because the BBC is funded by the government, not ads, and they don’t have to chase viewer ratings: in fact, they were recently criticised for being too populist by the Parliamentary select committee that watches such things. ---
**Author:** ![Leviosaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Leviosaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leviosaurus)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243/43 "2006-06-27T18:51:48Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > _What_ exactly, are Fox tactics? Lazy reportage? Deliberate inaccuracies? Creeping sensationalism? Political bias? Pandering to the LCD? If you think this trend started with Fox News, you’re sadly mistaken. It’s way, way older than that. Yes, granpaw, I’m familiar with the history of yellow journalism in this country, and realize it wasn’t invented in the last five years :rolleyes: The fact remains that of the major cable news networks, Fox is the most blatantly sensationalist, home of the most most paranoid and content free stories, and the most devoted to bells and whistles and shiny objects instead of actual hard news. Fox also has the highest ratings. CNN is imitating Fox, not William Randolph Hearst. ---
**Author:** ![tashabot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tashabot/32/6250_2.png) [@tashabot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashabot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243/44 "2006-06-27T20:32:20Z")
In reference to the OP: In most journalism classes nowadays they teach you to write at a third-grade reading level and not use big words because people nowadays just aren’t intelligent enough to grasp a word like colloquialism or elloquent or pretty much anything with a random Q, Z, or Y stuck in there. It’s sad, really, it is, but unfortunately - it’s TRUE in a lot of cases. Grab your random joe off the street and quiz them on vocabulary, and then ask them if they read the news. They do think you’re stupid. ~Tasha ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243/45 "2006-06-27T21:04:06Z")
> [@tashabot](#): > > In most journalism classes nowadays they teach you to write at a third-grade reading level and not use big words because people nowadays just aren’t intelligent enough to grasp a word like colloquialism or elloquent or pretty much anything with a random Q, Z, or Y stuck in there… > They do think you’re stupid. I don’t mean to sound confrontational - but do you have a cite for that? I’m truly interested in finding out what journalism classes teach that assume collective idiocy on the readers’ part. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243/46 "2006-06-27T21:16:39Z")
> [@Leviosaurus](#): > > Yes, granpaw, I’m familiar with the history of yellow journalism in this country, and realize it wasn’t invented in the last five years :rolleyes: > > The fact remains that of the major cable news networks, Fox is the most blatantly sensationalist, home of the most most paranoid and content free stories, and the most devoted to bells and whistles and shiny objects instead of actual hard news. Fox also has the highest ratings. CNN is imitating Fox, not William Randolph Hearst. Ah, I see now. By Fox tactics, you meant the most current version of the tested-and-true media-hack-derby tactics. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243/47 "2006-06-27T21:59:14Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t mean to sound confrontational - but do you have a cite for that? I’m truly interested in finding out what journalism classes teach that assume collective idiocy on the readers’ part. I graduated from a reputable school with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. For all press releases and news articles, we needed to write at an 8th grade level. Sometimes, depending on the audience, we were told to write at a 6th grade level. In my current job, external communications for my company are written at an 8th grade level, too. The philosophy behind it is something along these lines: We know that not all of our readers will have a high-school education. We do not want to alienate any potential readers. More sophisticated readers can still get the information they need when it is conveyed in simpler language; the inverse is not true. Therefore, write in simple language guaranteed to be understood by all readers. Every publication will have its own standards about what level to write to. The Wall Street Journal writes at what is considered a 10th grade level; but 8th grade is more common. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243/48 "2006-06-27T22:02:38Z")
I should maybe add that I graduated in 1998 – I don’t think the standards have shifted since then. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243/49 "2006-06-28T15:38:49Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > None of them are perfect. The best is probably NPR, but there’s a definite left-wing slant to some of the content. That said, it’s simply the only widely-available source of news in the US that provides some straight news and commentary allowing both liberals and conservatives a forum for intelligent debate. That more conservatives don’t tune in and encourage more of such debate is too bad. Maybe the majority of conservative listeners aren’t interested in being challenged, I don’t know. Every single story n PBS has a representative from both sides. If not they explain how they tried to get one. Sometimes I get annoyed when equal time is given to polluters and crooks. NPR does the same. We are so used to seeing one sided stories that we cant recognize a neutral stance when we see it. Link tv with Democracy Now, Source Code and international news is the best we have available. Iy came with my dish satellite. We are so used to right slanted news that we think being balanced is slanting left. All large media is big(huge) business. The business as usual slant is mainstream news. Protect profits. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243/50 "2006-06-28T16:04:39Z")
Who would have believed a parody like Network would turn out to be the truth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cnn-think-were-stupid/362243.md?page=2)