# Why do most people believe everything from the media **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 23, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690 "2017-06-23T16:15:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![miketx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@miketx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miketx)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/1 "2017-06-23T16:15:33Z")
and why do they think a “link” proves fact? Why are people so gullible today? I’ve caught the media lying and trying to sway people countless times. ---
**Author:** ![quimper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7c8e57/32.png) [@quimper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quimper)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/2 "2017-06-23T16:23:43Z")
> [@miketx](#): > > and why do they think a “link” proves fact? Why are people so gullible today? I’ve caught the media lying and trying to sway people countless times. Cite needed for ‘most people believe everything’ – Most polls have ‘strongly trust media’ at 20% or below. > **[Confidence in Institutions](https://news.gallup.com/poll/1597/confidence-institutions.aspx)** > > Now I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one -- a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/3 "2017-06-23T16:25:37Z")
Depends on which media they’re following. Think about it. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/4 "2017-06-23T16:26:31Z")
I don’t know that most people believe everything from the media. There. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/5 "2017-06-23T16:28:07Z")
I don’t think “they” (i.e., most people) do. It’s more of a cliché, perpetuated (I would think) by people who disagree with something that’s in the media and now rant about their allegedly dumb compatriots who they say believe the rubbish. I don’t have data to back it up, but in my experience most people show a healthy degree of skepticism about what they hear in the news, and that applies to all educational backgrounds. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/6 "2017-06-23T16:30:17Z")
“The media” isn’t a thing. It’s just people who say stuff. So you’re asking why people sometimes believe people who say things. And the answer is: for various reasons. And those reasons are different for each particular person for each particular thing they believe for each particular person who said it. What kind of question is this? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/7 "2017-06-23T16:38:55Z")
Frankly, there’s a strong correlation between people who say they don’t trust the media and people who believe whatever garbage CT their heart desires. And many show the same “healthy” skepticism of science. Or, from another angle; it depends what we mean by “belief”. When news outlets that have been generally accurate in the past all agree on a particular point of fact, then I tend to take it at face value. Not as gospel, but as something likely to be true. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/8 "2017-06-23T16:42:43Z")
Confirmation bias. People are naturally drawn to and believe information that reinforces an already held belief. So if you believe that vaccines cause autism and you see a link that says vaccines cause autism then you’re inclined to believe it. In the case where we have no strong pre-existing belief as social animals we’re inclined to believe those in our social group. So, if we have no existing belief on vaccines and autism and somebody, say your aunt, shares a link saying vaccines cause autism we are predisposed to believe it. So this tends to become our base truth. ---
**Author:** ![miketx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@miketx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miketx)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/9 "2017-06-23T16:44:05Z")
> [@quimper](#): > > Cite needed for ‘most people believe everything’ – Most polls have ‘strongly trust media’ at 20% or below. > > [http://www.gallup.com/poll/1597/confidence-institutions.aspx](http://www.gallup.com/poll/1597/confidence-institutions.aspx) I see it all the time. People quoting a “link” and the defending it as fact when they have no idea if it’s true or not. why do you believe your link? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/10 "2017-06-23T17:25:14Z")
I don’t think **quimper** should have to reply to your question unless and until you reply to the questions you’ve been asked in this thread. Especially **quimper** ’s. ---
**Author:** ![miketx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@miketx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miketx)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/11 "2017-06-23T17:29:52Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > I don’t think **quimper** should have to reply to your question unless and until you reply to the questions you’ve been asked in this thread. Especially **quimper** ’s. Well heck, as already stated, I see people all over the internet taking a “news” story, quoting it, and then because it’s something they want to believe, defend like the gospel. Is that a close enough answer for you? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/12 "2017-06-23T17:32:36Z")
> [@miketx](#): > > I see it all the time. People quoting a “link” and the defending it as fact when they have no idea if it’s true or not. > > why do you believe your link? And what would be a good resource where you can fact-check the media? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/13 "2017-06-23T17:33:23Z")
> [@miketx](#): > > I see it all the time. People quoting a “link” and the defending it as fact when they have no idea if it’s true or not. > > why do you believe your link? You’re talking about Fox News, right? I agree, you really have to fact-check what they say. Most of their followers sort of vegetate and just believe what they are fed and have little talent at fact-checking, so they sort of believe whatever the nice people in fancy suits tell them to believe. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/14 "2017-06-23T17:33:54Z")
Since no single factual answer is possible, I’ll move this to IMHO from General Questions. **samclem** , moderator. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/15 "2017-06-23T17:36:03Z")
> [@miketx](#): > > I see it all the time. People quoting a “link” and the defending it as fact when they have no idea if it’s true or not. > > why do you believe your link? Saying something is “a link” does not describe it and is meaningless. A “link” to what? If it’s a link to a trusted source, then I consider it credible, all the more so when it’s corroborated by other trusted sources. A “trusted source” is an objectively definable entity, defined as one that has been truthful and accurate in the past over a long period of time. The question I would ask you is what do YOU base your beliefs on? When you say offhand unsupported things like “most people believe everything from the media” or “I see it all the time”, it seems to suggest that the basis of your complaint is having a belief system that is at odds with the news reporting on mainstream media. If so, then the pertinent question is whether this is a problem with the media or with your belief system. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/16 "2017-06-23T18:10:44Z")
> [@miketx](#): > > and why do they think a “link” proves fact? Why are people so gullible today? I’ve caught the media lying and trying to sway people countless times. For example…? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/17 "2017-06-23T18:16:05Z")
Shake up, weeple! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/18 "2017-06-23T18:18:39Z")
> [@miketx](#): > > I see it all the time. People quoting a “link” and the defending it as fact when they have no idea if it’s true or not. > > why do you believe your link? The best thing to do is get your information from a variety of sources and see if they’re all generally saying the same thing. Unless you want to believe in conspiracies, the reason they’re all in agreement is because they’re all independently reporting the same truth. I realize that can be uncomfortable if you like what Rasmussen is telling you and don’t like what all the other polls are saying. But living in an uncomfortable reality is better than living in a comfortable fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/19 "2017-06-23T18:24:42Z")
> [@miketx](#): > > and why do they think a “link” proves fact? Why are people so gullible today? I’ve caught the media lying and trying to sway people countless times. I’ve caught posters on this very board lying and trying to sway people countless times. Why, then, should we believe anything you have to say regarding “the media”, whatever that is? ---
**Author:** ![miketx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@miketx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miketx)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690/20 "2017-06-23T18:37:52Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I’ve caught posters on this very board lying and trying to sway people countless times. Why, then, should we believe anything you have to say regarding “the media”, whatever that is? I don’t care if you believe me or not. I just assumed in my short time here there were some smart people here. Perhaps I was mistaken? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-most-people-believe-everything-from-the-media/789690.md?page=2)