Call me jaded. I see propaganda all over the place. Our media is pathetic.

[OnyxCollie]

35. Misperceptions, Media, and the Iraq War

Misperceptions, Media, and the Iraq War
http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/oct03/IraqMedia_Oct03_rpt.pdf

-60% had at least one of the three misperceptions and only 30% had no misperceptions (PIPA, 2003, p. 7)

-among those with no misperceptions, 23% support the war. Among those with just one of the misperceptions, 53% supported the war-rising to 78% with two misperceptions and 86% for those with all three (PIPA, 2003, p. 11) among respondents who were Fox News viewers, 80% were likely to have one or more misperceptions while 23% of PBS-NPR audiences were likely to have misperceptions (PIPA, 2003, p. 13)

-When asked whether the US has found “clear evidence in Iraq that Saddam Hussein was working closely with the al-Qaeda terrorist organization,” among the combined sample for the three-month period 49% said that such evidence had been found. This misperception was substantially higher among those who get their news primarily from Fox—67%. Once again the NPR-PBS audience was the lowest at 16%
.
-when respondents were asked whether the US has “found Iraqi weapons of mass destruction” since the war had ended, 22% of all respondents over June-September mistakenly thought this had happened. Once again, Fox viewers were the highest with 33% having this belief, while only 11% of those who watch PBS or listen to NPR had it. (PIPA, 2003, p. 14)

-“people in the world feel about the US having gone to war with Iraq.” Over the three-month period, 25% of all respondents said, incorrectly, that “the majority of people favor the US having gone to war.” Of Fox watchers, 35% said this. Only 5% of those who watch PBS or listen to NPR misperceived world opinion in this way. (PIPA, 2003, p. 14)

-Looking just at Republicans, the average rate for the three key misperceptions was 43%. For Republican Fox viewers, however the average rate was 54% while for Republicans who get their news from PBSNPR the average rate is 32%. (PIPA, 2003, p. 15)

-for most media outlets, increased attention did not reduce the likelihood of misperceptions. Most striking, in the case of those who primarily watched Fox News, greater attention to news modestly increases the likelihood of misperceptions. (PIPA, 2003, p. 16)

-whether respondents believed clear evidence had been found that al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein were working closely together. Fox News was the exception. Those who followed the news closely were far more likely to have this misperception. Among those who did not follow the news at all 42% had the misperception, rising progressively at higher levels of attention to 80% among those who followed the news very closely. On the other hand, those respondents who get their news primarily from print sources were less likely to have this misperception if they were following the Iraq situation more closely. Of those not following the news closely, 49% had the misperception--declining to 32% among those who follow the news very closely. (PIPA, 2003, p. 16)

Until February, Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal was the second biggest shareholder in News Corporation.

Billionaire Alwaleed Sells $190 Million News Corp Stake
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-04/saudi-s-kingdom-holding-cuts-stake-in-news-corp-to-1-from-6-6-

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s investment firm sold a stake valued at almost $190 million in News Corp., reducing its holding in Rupert Murdoch’s media company to about 1 percent.

Alwaleed’s Kingdom Holding cut its ownership of Class B shares to 2 million from 13.2 million, or 6.6 percent, it said in a statement to the Saudi bourse Wednesday. The sale generated 705 million riyals ($188 million), which will be used for other investments, it said. Through Kingdom, Prince Alwaleed holds stakes in companies including Citigroup Inc. and Twitter Inc.

Alwaleed, who had the second-largest holding of voting stock in News Corp. after the Murdoch family, has been a staunch ally of the media baron. He publicly supported the family’s running of News Corp. amid phone-hacking revelations in 2011 that saw the New York-based company abandon its bid to take over the rest of European pay-TV operator Sky Plc.

“The reduction of KHC’s holding in News Corp. has been decided in the context of a general portfolio review,” Alwaleed said in a statement on Kingdom’s website. “We remain firm believers in News Corp.’s competent management, led by CEO Robert Thomson, and are fully supportive of Rupert Murdoch and his family.”

The Saudi royal family considered Al Qaeda a threat because of the group's dislike of the royal family's opulent lifestyle. What better way to get rid of them than to use the US military? Plus, it allowed for the opportunity to take out Saddam; he had been screwing with the oil supply, letting too much in and dropping the price.

Fox News served as the propaganda outlet for the Saudi royal family.

The Chairman of Kingdom Holdings is Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal

HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal
http://www.kingdom.com.sa/hrh-prince-alwaleed-bin-talal

“The question is not where KHC is as a company right now, or even what it has achieved to date. The big question is what the future holds, and if we can continue to deliver the same spectacular level of growth and success? The simple answer is ‘yes’, and furthermore we’re well placed to even exceed what has been achieved before.” Alwaleed Bin Talal – Chairman

The central figure behind KHC, one of the world’s unrivalled international holding companies, is His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul-Aziz Alsaud of Saudi Arabia. Named twice by Forbes Magazine as one of the world’s most intelligent and creative investors, Prince Alwaleed sets the agenda for KHC’s world operations, providing a guiding vision which has seen remarkable success and worldwide recognition.

The grandson of two of the Arab world’s most celebrated figures – King Abdul-Aziz Alsaud, founder and first ruler of Saudi Arabia and HE. Riad El Solh, iconic statesman in Lebanon’s drive for independence – Prince Alwaleed has always been inspired by the uncommon achievements of his family line.

In addition to the Prince’s business interests, HRH funds a series of highly respected charitable foundations aimed at affecting social change and providing relief and opportunities to those in need. In recognition for this important contribution, Prince Alwaleed has been the recipient of many honors and accolades from esteemed organizations, societies, monarchs and heads of state worldwide.

Kingdom Holdings owns a significant share of Citigroup.

http://www.kingdom.com.sa/investments/finance-services-and-investments/citigroup

Citigroup
Citigroup is a core investment for KHC and, since 1991, among its most consistently successful.

Citigroup represents a unique situation in which a privately negotiated investment was made in 1991 in new preferred shares at a time when Citigroup’s predecessor Citicorp was experiencing financial difficulties. Following KHC’s successes in the Saudi Arabian banking sector, the company identified Citicorp as an undervalued company with strong brand assets and significant potential for growth. By negotiating an investment at a time of great financial uncertainty for Citicorp, KHC was able to acquire a significant amount of Citicorp shares at a valuable discount to the market price – a bold decision that subsequently proved phenomenally profitable.

KHC’s investment played a key role in renewing market confidence in Citicorp, and having demonstrated high levels of support for the rejuvenated company, KHC remained a core shareholder as it undertook a period of huge corporate transformation that saw the group make key acquisitions, such as Travelers, Smith Barney, Salomon and Schroders.

So, in addition to helping out the Saudis with her Iraq war vote, Hillary Clinton gets paid $250,000 by Citibank for a speech.

Hillary should have never spoke at Citibank. Criminal banksters should be shunned, not legitimized.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=880693