News deprivation in red territory

[spinbaby]

I'm just back from Thanksgiving with the relatives deep in rural Tennessee and I think I know part of the reason why this area and areas like it are so stubbornily and persistantly Bush supporters. They're news deprived. I'm a news junky and just about went out of my mind because I couldn't get at the news. No Internet--it's accessible down there, of course, but, among the relatives, not something they view as important enough to spend money on. The newspaper was full of local news with barely a mention of world events. TV was a satellite service but local channels were extra and they didn't want to pay for it.

My only news source for four days was CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and the like--one long festival of brave President Bush carving the Thanksgiving turkey in Iraq plus lots of hints about how to more efficiently do my Christmas shopping.

I don't think my relatives' news access is that unusual--they watch a few minutes of CNN headline news now and then. That's it, that's their whole news experience. They like Bush and they think the economy is recovering. They're beginning to suspect that things aren't going so well in Iraq but only because more local boys are being sent over.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. You've got it about right

I live in rural Arkansas, and only have satellite TV access, which in my case means CNN. I am lucky in that I can pick up two NPR stations, and, obviously, I'm online. But my boss won't get online (he's afraid the internet will corrupt his children), and whenever he's alone in the office he turns the radio to some rock and roll station that has Paul Harvey for news. We do have a network of peace activists in the area that have tried to keep the truth coming in letters to the editor, but my boss only reads the sports page. Yet he and many like him are very worried about two things: the economy and the military situation. As a small businessman, my boss isn't concerned with the hype from the news. He looks around and realizes construction is down and that people are cutting back on getting pest treatments (which, unless you have a major infestation, is going to be one of the first things you let go if you are in a financial bind). He sees clients being called away from their regular jobs and being shipped to Iraq. He's told me several time that Bush has to go. So there is hope in rural America.

[NJCher]

2. recently had a visitor from rural America

Rural Nebraska, to be specific. He watched the evening news with us and we watch only the BBC. After a few nights of this, he expressed frustration that he wasn't able to watch BBC in Nebraska.


Cher

on edit, I guess I should mention I am in NJ, not far from NYC.

[Mari333]

3. Dont forget another thing

Many of my Indiana idiotic relatives who are perfectly capable of reading and DO have access to the Net are being taught by their preachers..thats who is telling them this whole debacle in Iraq is a crusade for jesus...they are insane..their preachers are their NEWS source...
My mother is Catholic, so she is taking the pope's side ...she wont vote for Bushit again...but my Born again Brothers and sister in laws (who do what their husbands say, gag gag gag gag gag , ) are all voting for Bush because he is anointed by their faux god..and I say FAUX, because no :god: would condone the BUSHIT administration and what they are doing..

[pansypoo53219]

4. he was annointed

by JEEBUS. and that ain't a god i recognize.

[ldoolin]

5. Yep, I know what you mean

I live in a small town, but for some reason it's in a "blue" county, which along with one other adjoining "blue" county are completely surrounded by "red" counties.

Here, we have NPR and coffeeshops. Dean and Kucinich stickers abound. The AFL-CIO is relatively strong here. So are environmental groups.

Heading out to any of the surrounding counties is culture shock. Radio station after radio station out there cuts into their country music every day at 10 AM to broadcast the Rush Limburger show. "Get the US out of the UN" billboards from the John Birch Society abound. One of the small town newspapers devotes front-page coverage to the "sagebrush rebellion" activities, and how evil environmentalists are.

I'm just wondering, is there some kind of deliberate propaganda effort by the Repugs to keep these people in the "red" counties so dumbed down?

[jsw_81]

6. You live in a college town, right?

If you look at the red/blue county map you can pretty much see every college town in the country, and many of them (like Lawrence, Kansas for example) are surrounded by red.

[tnlefty]

7. Maybe or not

I'm in a sorta rural area. It's possible to be late for an appointment because of getting caught behind slow moving farm equipment or somebody's cows got out again. There is access to satellite (I have one) and lots of people have the net, but don't use it for news. Besides the radio screams that BBC, overseas papers, etc. aren't actually delivering the news they're just evil liberal media outlets.

Also, people that I know are too busy going to the gym, shopping, etc. to actually take the time to try to determine what the hell is actually going on.