"TV news seems to confuse more than it clarifies," the study [by the
Center for studies in Communication of the University of Massachusetts
at Amherst] summarizes. "Even after controlling for all other
variables, we discovered that the correlation between TV watching and
knowledge was actually a negative one. Overall, the more TV people
watched, the less they knew. The only fact that did not fit in with
this pattern was the ability to identify the Patriot missle. this is a
sad indictment of television's priorities." They add, "It is extremely
disturbing that this public expertise in aspects of military technology
is not matched by any clear understanding of the circumstances that lie
behind their deployment."
-- Village Voice (3/5/91).