How quick are you to believe what you hear/see in the media?

I'm taking a poll for a research paper. My paper is about if the rate of how quickly someone believes something on the media has really lessened since the "War of the Worlds" incident.





So, here's the question (and please answer honestly, no one knows who you are): Do you normally believe what you hear/see in the media? Not talking about tabloid rumors here, but like serious news. (like people thought "War of the Worlds" was.) Or do you question it, call around, research it, and find out what's really going on first? Or do you take it for what it says and go on?





Thanks in advance!



It depends what kind of news it is. If it's talking about some local issue, like a shooting, I'm pretty quick to believe it, although i know a lot of it is made up. I do try and think about it from the point of view of the people who are involved, and try to think of what might be the "hidden angle," though.





When it comes to something government, I usually just blow it off...


Unless it's something outrageous, like AIG executives using bailout money for their own million-dollar bonuses. When it's something like that, I don't care if it's completely true or not. Because chances are if it ain't AIG, it's someone else.




Most of it is propaganda, so I'm very skeptical of anything I hear on the news or read in a newspaper or magazine. I do a lot of research before believing anything.




I don't believe much in the news, it's a different story in every country




A grain of salt thing.