Cable News Viewers Have a Skewed Attitude Toward the War on Gaza, Survey Finds

 

By Ryan Grim

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 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.

The poll of 1,001 American adults was conducted by J.L. Partners from April 16 through April 18. It was paid for by the YouTube-based news network Breaking Points (for which I co-host the show “Counter Points”).

The survey comes as events surrounding the war in Gaza seem to be coming to a head. Talks aimed at something approaching a ceasefire are reportedly making progress, even as Israel ramps up its bombing campaign in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent the last week attacking the International Criminal Court for what he said was a looming plan of theirs to charge him with war crimes. The U.S. dutifully came to his defense, preposterously claiming that because Israel is not a party to the ICC, the court has no jurisdiction. The same is true for Russia, but we applauded the ICC’s charges against Vladimir Putin. With U.S. support in hand, Netanyahu announced he’d go forward with a Rafah invasion regardless of whether Hamas accepts a hostage deal.

College administrators and local police are cracking down hard on the mushrooming campus protests. Overnight, Columbia University students took over Hamilton Hall, the same building occupied by antiwar protesters in the 1960s. They renamed it Hind Hall, for 6-year-old Hind Rajab, whose family was killed while they fled to southern Gaza. Her harrowing final phone call to rescuers captivated the globe, as people around the world desperately awaited news of her fate, only to learn Israel had killed not just her and her family, but also the rescuers sent to save her — a rescue team that had coordinated its movements with the Israeli military.

Click here for the full report.

Source: The Intercept_

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