Media Myths Quiz—The Answers

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How Do We Know What We (Think We) Know?

The Media Myths (or Trivia) Quiz has been developed and updated over years as research and other studies have revealed scary, amusing, confounding and confusing facts about what we the people think we know about the world around us.

As you now know, much of our perception of the world—about people who are “different” from us, about race and gender and culture and beliefs—come to us from our contact with the mass media. The late great media scholar George Gerbner often said that siunce the advent of television, family and friends, church and school, teachers and mentors . . . all are less influential on how kids come to “know” the world than TV. Gerbner’s research focused on television, but extrapolate his view of how TV “cultivates” attitudes and beliefs to the larger mass media landscape, and you start to see people today—especially kids—as besieged by constant messages from advertisers, politicians, Hollywood and brainless TV shows.

By now, you have completed your own Media Trivia Quiz. Now here are the answers and some commentary for your continued amusement and horror....

I. MEDIA TRIVIA: Media & Society

1. In 2007, American adults and teens consumed an estimated ______ hours of media.
a. 1,500 hrs b. 2,500 hrs c. 3,500 hrs d. 4,500 hrs e. 5,500 hrs
• 3,518 hours—nearly five months—spending $936.75/person

2. American 1-year-olds watch an average of how much TV per week?
a. 0 hrs b. 2 hrs c. 4 hrs d. 6 hrs e. 8 hrs

3. BUT! The American Association of Pediatrics recommends children under 2 watch how much TV/week?
a. 0 hrs b. 2 hrs c. 4 hrs d. 6 hrs e. 8 hrs

4. T/F Kids who watch 4 hours or more of TV daily are more likely to be bullies than kids who watch less.

5. Who spends more time watching TV—women with young children or single men? (circle)
• Women with kids watch an average of 90 minutes a day
• Single men watch an average of 4½ hours daily . . . so much for the soap opera cliché

6. T/F The average U.S. household has more TVs than people.
• 2.75 TVs vs. 2.6 people; also, more TVs than indoor toilets!!!

7. What percentage of U.S. households has an Internet connection?
a. 51% b. 61% c. 71% d. 81%
• Up from 50% in 2001, but that still leaves about 31 million U.S. households offline.

8. Americans buy almost _____ movie tickets per day.
a. 1 million b. 2 million c. 4 million d. 6 million e. 7 million

9. How many DVDs are rented from Netflix per day? (in 2008-09)
a. 1½ million b. 2½ million c. 3½ million d. 4½ million

10. Before Clairol introduced its 1950s ad campaign for home hair color with the slogan “Does she or doesn’t she?” what percentage of American women colored their hair?
a. less than 5% b. 10% c. 15% d. 25% e. 50%

• Three years later, what percentage of American women colored their hair?
a. less than 5% b. 10% c. 15% d. 25% e. 50%
• How do we explain this? The power of advertising made dye jobs more acceptable; previously, only “low-class” women used cosmetics.

11. Which U.S. city is the nation’s “vainest,” based on amounts spent on plastic surgery and cosmetics? # per 100,000 population
a. LA (4.1) b. Salt Lake (6) c. San Diego (5.2) d. Louisville (4.4) e. New York (4.1)
• Amazing, no? More people per capita in Salt Lake City purchase elective plastic surgery and makeup than any other major U.S. city. Why do you suppose that would be?

12. Ooo-lala! Which country is the world’s leading producer of pornography? (in 2006-07)
a. U.S. b. France c. Sweden d. Japan e. Italy f. India

13. T/F Teens surveyed in 12 countries believe the violence, crime and sex portrayed in U.S. media accurately depicts life in America.
• We will talk about how mass media images—TV, movies, Internet, etc.—“cultivate reality” in the minds of media users who have no first-hand experience with the topics.

• But here’s a true story: When I was in high school, I spent a year studying in France. Among my French friends was an “older” woman, a college student, maybe 22, on whom I had an enormous crush. She had an offer of a full-ride scholarship to study at the Universitty of Chicago—an incredible opportunity, and very prestigious. She turned it down. Why? I still remember the conversation: She was absolutely convinced that Chicago was crawling with evil hoodlums who regularly gunned down innocent people on the streets with Tommy guns. Media effects?

14. It takes how many trees to publish Cosmopolitan magazine each year?
a. 28,000 b. 128,000 c. 228,000 d. 328,000 e. 428,000

15. _____ % of Cache Valley residents responding to a Herald Journal survey said they believed that the assassination of John F. Kennedy was an internal U.S. government conspiracy.
a. 1% b. 9% c. 22% d. 52% e. 82% thought it was a U.S. gov’t plot f. 92%
• This is the conspiracy theory on which Oliver Stone’s movie JFK was based.

II. MEDIA TRIVIA: Politics

16. The top-three Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa’s 2008 caucuses spent $____ per voter just on TV ads.
a. $178/voter b. $141/voter c. $100/voter d. $87/voter e. $47/voter

17. TOTAL TV political ad spending in Iowa’s 2008 caucuses (Jan. 3):
a. $63 million b. $50 million c. $13 million d. $9 million e. $7.5 million

18. Four years earlier, TOTAL TV political ad spending in Iowa’s 2004 caucuses:
a. $63 million b. $50 million c. $13 million d. $9.1 million e. $7.5 million
• What does this tell us? That political leaders in America now market themselves like soap to American consumers, who seem to be easily swayed by such messages. In recent presidential elections, more than half of voters said they got most of their information about candidates and issues from the candidate own TV ads. The power of the mass media at work.

19. Mix ’n Match: Which presidential campaign spent how much on TV ads ALONE in Iowa?
$1.4 million (Huckabee)
$4 million (Edwards)
$7.1 million (Romney)
$7.5 million (Clinton)
$9.5 million (Obama)
• What does this tell us?

20. In July 2008 alone, how much did presidential candidates McCain and Obama spend on media advertising?
a. $73 million b. $54 million c. $24 million d. $9 million e. $7.5 million
• Obama $33m; McCain $21.4m

21. Percentage of people ages 19 to 29 who cited The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live as regular sources of their election news.
a. 21% b. 31% c. 41% d. 51% e. 61%
• What does this tell us? One-fifth of voters YOUR AGE depend on late-night comedians for information about the election of the next leader of the free world....!?

22. During the 2008 primary season, which presidential candidate received the most negative coverage?
a. Obama b. Giuliani c. Edwards d. Hillary Clinton e. Romney
• If the press is so friggin’ "liberal,” why would that be?

23. During the 2008 primary season, which presidential candidate received the most positive coverage?
a. Barack Obama b. Giuliani c. Edwards d. Clinton e. Romney

24. Percentage of Americans who believed before the election that Obama was not only unpatriotic, but also a secret practicing Muslim.
a. 2% b. 5% c. 10% d. 12% e. 15%
• This (false) rumor was reported/discussed in the press, and constituted nearly 1% of the total “news hole” in March08, rising to 3.8% of news accounts in June-July08. Is this people believing what they want to believe? Or is there some media role in one+ of every 10 Americans thinking this?

25. U.S. rank among 100 world nations in terms of women holding national political office:
a. 32nd b. 52nd c. 72nd d. 82nd e. 92nd
• 17% of Congress are women; 54% of the U.S. population are women.... hmm.

26. Of 172 nations that held elections in 2006, U.S. rank in voter turnout:
a. 13th b. 39th c. 79th d. 119th e. 139th
• Only slightly more than 50% of registered U.S. voters actually bothered to vote.

27. Whose press coverage in the 2000 presidential election was more negative?
Democratic nominee Al Gore or Republican nominee George W. Bush
• So much for the “liberal press.”

29. Was President Barack Obama born in the United States?
• 30% of __Republicans____ are not sure.
• 93% of __Dems____ and 83% of ___Indies____ do believe he was born in the U.S.
• 28% of __Repubs___ do not believe he was born in U.S.
• So where does that come from? We’ve SEEN his birth certificate...

III. MEDIA TRIVIA: News

30. Which of these news magazines are in the top 10 best-selling mags in the U.S.?
a. Time b. Newsweek c. U.S. News & World Report d. The Nation e. none
• Hmmmm. No news mags among the top 10—how sad is that?

31. The average American newspaper subscriber spends ____ reading the daily paper.
a. None (don’t read at all) b. 20 minutes c. 45 minutes d. 60 minutes
• This is a little deceptive, because the majority of Americans no longer read any newspapers, down from up to 70% penetration in some communities a generation ago. But those who do get a newspaper spend less than 20 minutes on it, and it’s even worse for people your age (see #32 below).

32. How many Americans 18 to 24 years old do not read, watch or listen to any news on a daily basis?
a. 10% b. 15% c. 25% d. 30% e. 40%
• C’mon, you guys. You're about to inherit the nation and the planet. Don’t you think you should have CLUE???!

33. The average American 18 to 24 years old spends less than ____ a day reading newspapers.
a. 5 minutes b. 10 minutes c. 25 minutes d. 30 minutes e. 40 minutes
• Actually, 9 minutes. Just 9 minutes!!

34. Approximately ___ % of all Americans watches TV network news every night.
a. 10% b. less than 30% c. 50% d. 75% e. 89%

35. How many Americans under 30 say they get their news primarily from late-night comedians?
a. 13% b. 23% c. 33% d. 43% e. 51%
• And 2/3 of all Americans say they get their news primarily from TV.

36. T/F Regular viewers of comedy shows (e.g., The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Letterman/Leno, etc.) are just as well-informed about news events as consumers of more elite news (e.g., PBS’s Lehrer News Hour, newspapers, etc.).
• These viewers also tend to consume a lot of news sources, and so are more news-savvy than the average American—so they get the jokes....mostly.

37. One-in-eight American families lives in poverty. One-in-nine American households goes from day to day without being sure they’ll have enough to eat. How much time do nightly network newscasts spend covering poverty in the United States, on average?
a. 2½ seconds b. 4 seconds c. 2½ minutes d. 4 minutes
• . . . up to 4 seconds briefly in period immediately after Hurricane Katrina. So is Anna Nicole Smith or Britney or American Idol more important than starving people in the Land of Plenty??

38. America viewers who rely on (which TV network?) for their news are most likely to believe that the U.S. found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and that Saddam Hussein was directly involved in 9/11.
a. ABC b. CBS c. CNN d. Fox e. NBC f. MSNBC

39. T/F A recent research study found that conservatives believe comic Steven Colbert shares their conservative values, and uses his program to make fun of liberals.
• Do they have no sense of humor? Are they paying attention at all???

40. T/F Most news reporters consider themselves to be political liberals.
• I know what you think, but only 34% of journalists say they are “liberal”; most consider themselves independent moderates. More than half consider themselves “very” religious, too.

41. In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told the United Nations that the U.S. had firm evidence of weapons of Iraqi mass destruction (WMD). In the two weeks before Powell’s speech, CBS, NBC, ABC & PBS ran 392 stories about Iraq, Saddam, WMD and war. How many of these stories questioned the evidence that Iraq had WMD?
a. 1 b. 3 stories c. 5 d. 10 e. 20 f. 50
• In May 2004, the NYTimes & Washington Post apologized on their editorial pages for their failure to raise questions about White House administration’s case for WMD and the Iraq war. “We screwed up,” both newspapers acknowledged. But how? Why?

42. During 2007, how much of U.S. news coverage was devoted to reporting on the Iraq war?
a. 3% b. 13% c. 23% d. 33%
• Actually, 26%.

43. In 2008, through the end of June, how much U.S. news coverage focused on Pakistan?
a. 1% b. 2% c. 3% d. 4% e. 5% f. 8%
• Although it is both a nuclear power and a crucial front in the war on terror, events inside Pakistan don’t generate much interest from the U.S. media.
• One dramatic spike in coverage of Pakistan when Benazir Bhutto, the Harvard-educated, pro-Western former prime minister, returned to run for president and was assassinated.
• Threatened by impeachment, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf retired in August ’08, generating media attention for a week.

44. Buxom celeb Anna Nicole Smith died of drug overdose in June 2007; how much of total news coverage focused on her during the two days after her death?
On cable news:
a. 10% b. 25% c. 30% d. 40% e. 50% f. none of the above
In all news sources:
a. 10% b. 25% c. 30% d. 40% e. 50% f. none of the above
In newspapers:
a. 10% b. 25% c. 30% d. 40% e. 50% f. none of the above
• Compare Pakistan coverage with Anna Nicole’s death (or Michael Jackson’s). Are the news media dumbing us to death?

45. In the first 28 hours after Michael Jackson’s death, U.S. news outlets devoted _____ of their coverage to the story.
a. 10% b. 20% c. 40% d. 60% e. 80%

46. Which U.S. newspaper did billionaire Rupert Murdoch recently purchase?
a. Wall Street Journal b. LATimes c. New York Daily News d. USA Today
• Can you name other major news outlets owned by Murdoch?
Murdoch, an Australian, became an American citizen some years ago so that he could purchase huge media holdings—from satellites to movie studios to newspapers and cable news networks (Fox). He single-handedly owns more media outlets worldwide—including much of China’s and India’s satellite system—than any other person, giving him extraordinary tools to shape public opinion and media appetites. Does that make anyone nervous?.

47. How many newspapers have failed since January 2009?
a. 25 b. 50 c. 75 d. 100 e. 125
• 105, actually. So as media moguls like Murdoch control more and more media, there are fewer and fewer outlets and “voices” in the marketplace of ideas. Hmmm.

48. Over the past two years, how many major U.S. metropolitan daily newspapers have closed or adopted hybrid online/print versions or online-only models?
a. 10 b. 20 c. 30+ d. 40 e. 50
• 12 metro dailies closed, including: Tucson Citizen, Rocky Mountain News, Baltimore Examiner, Kentucky Post, Cincinnati Post, Albuquerque Tribune, South Idaho Press
• Eight other print dailies are now online only, or have cut the number of weekly print editions and replaced them with online versions: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Capital Times (Madison, WI), Detroit News/Detroit Free Press, Christian Science Monitor, Ann Arbor News

49. Veteran CBS newsman and anchor Walter Cronkite died this past summer. During his career, he was considered “the most trusted man in America.” Since his death, a Time “Click” poll reports that Americans voted for whom as the new most trusted newsman in the U.S.?
a. Brian Williams, NBC (29%)
b. Katie Couric, CBS (7%)
c. Jim Lehrer, PBS (0%)
d. Charlie Gibson, ABC (19%)
e. Jon Stewart, The Daily Show (44%)
f. Steven Colbert, The Colbert Report (0%)
• So a comedian is America’s most trusted person? hmmmm. Utah’s Votes: Couric, 0%; Gibson, 15%; Williams, 25%; Stewart, 59% (46 votes)

50. Which story generated the biggest worldwide Internet coverage since Jan. 1, 2000?
a. Obama’s Election (2008) (#1)
b. Michael Jackson’s death(2009) (#2)
c. 9/11 terrorist attacks (2001) (#8)
d. Iraq invasion (2003) (#3)
e. Hurricane Katrina (2005) (#6)
f. Beijing Olympics (2008) (#4)

51. Which story has generated the most U.S. news coverage since Jan. 1, 2000?
a. Obama’s Election (2008) (#1)
b. Michael Jackson’s death (2009) (#9)
c. 9/11 terrorist attacks (2001) (#5)
d. Iraq invasion (2003) (#4)
e. Hurricane Katrina (2005) (#2)
f. Beijing Olympics (2008) (#6)
• What does this tell us about differences between what the U.S. public finds important/interesting, and what the world’s population thinks is important?

• Overall, what strikes you about the issues raised in this section?

IV. MEDIA TRIVIA: Race, Ethnicity & Gender

52. T/F Fox News pundit Glenn Beck recently told viewers that President Obama is a racist who hates white people.

53. People of color make up about 38% of the U.S. population. With the exception of sports and coverage of Barack Obama, what percentage of the news appearing in newspapers is about U.S. people of color? (in 2009)
a. 5% b. 10% c. 20% d. 30% e. 35%

54. Between 1995-1998, TV network evening news ran 48,000 stories; how many were about Hispanics?
a. less than 1% b. 2% c. 5% d. 10% e. 15%
• Hispanics=14% of population at that time.

55. In 2003, Hispanics were the focus of _________ stories airing on ABC, NBC, CBS & CNN newscasts.
a. less than 1% b. 2% c. 5% d. 10% e. 15%

56. What percentage of nightly network-news stories was reported by whites in 2000?
a. 49% b. 59% c. 69% d. 79% e. 89% f. 99%

57. What are the chances that a U.S. film with male Arab or Muslim characters made before September 11, 2001 (9/11), depicts them as greedy, violent or dishonest?
a. 1 in 20 b. 5 in 20 c. 8 in 20 d. 15 in 20 e. 19 in 20

58. ______ % of children say criminals on TV shows are usually played by a African-Americans.
a. 19% b. 29% c. 39% d. 49% e. 59%

59. ______ % of children say bosses on TV shows are usually played by a white actors.
a. 21% b. 41% c. 51% d. 71% e. 91%

60. Percentage of entertainment and news media decision-makers who are white men.
a. 20-25% b. 45-50% c. 70-75% d. 90-95%

61. Who is most likely to be pictured in TV news stories about youth crime?
a. African-Americans (61%) b. Latinos (31%) c. Asian-Americans
d. Native Americans e. Caucasians f. Mexicans

62. Number of black men who have appeared on the cover of Men’s Vogue since it launched in 2005.
a. 0 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 e. 5 f. 10
• Tiger Woods, Barack Obama, Denzel Washington, Will Smith

63. Number of black women who have appeared on Vogue’s cover since it was founded in 1892.
a. 0 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 e. 5 f. 10

64. Percentage of ads in magazines targeted to new brides featuring African-American women (2000-04).
a. 0% b. 2% c. 3% d. 4% e. 5% f. 10%

65. Number of covers of magazines targeted to new brides featuring African-American women (2000-2004).
a. 0 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 e. 5 f. 10

66. About 52% of Americans are women. Excluding Hillary Clinton coverage, how much of the news in U.S. newspapers is about women?
a. 10% b. 20% c. 40% d. 50%

67. Men reported what percentage of nightly network news stories in 2000?
a. 46% b. 56% c. 66% d. 76% e. 86% f. 96%

68. How many U.S. newsmagazine covers (Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report) in 1996 featured women who were not princesses, murderers, or models?
a. 0% b. 5% c. 10% d. 15% e. 22%

69. Between 1987 and 1997, Time magazine published 574 issues. How many Time covers featured women who were not entertainers, wives of politicians or Princess Diana?
a. 29 b. 59 c. 79 d. 99 e. 159

70. Total number of news stories that mentioned ex-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert was a grandfather (9/1/06-12/1/06).
a. 6 b. 60 c. 160 d. 260 e. 306

71. Total number of news stories that mentioned that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is a grandmother (9/1/06-12/1/06).
a. 6 b. 60 c. 160 d. 260 e. 306

72. Which of the following terms has been used by print & broadcast journalists to describe Speaker Pelosi?
a. “Wicked Witch of the West” b. “Shrew” c. “castrater” d. “Squeaker” e. all
a. Fox News’ executive editor of Special Report & Roll Call
b. New York Post bureau chief Deborah Orin-Eilbeck
c. Chris Matthews of Hardball said Pelosi was “going to castrate” Rep. Steny Hoyer” if he was selected House majority leader; she had supported John Murtha, who lost

73. Which media talk show host referred to Hillary Clinton as a “She-Devil”?
a. Rush Limbaugh b. Chris Matthews c. Bill O’Reilly d. both a & c

• What do these items illustrate? That the media portray different groups of people in ways and frequencies that are not reality—skewing “reality” for readers/viewers dependent on those sources for their knowledge of these topics. The point of the above items is that people without power in society tend to treated differently—even badly—by the mass media, which is controlled largely by white men. To what extent do these portrayals “cultivate” incorrect or negative or stereotyped perspectives among media consumers?

V. MEDIA TRIVIA: Miscellaneous

74. T/F The majority of people worldwide are followers of Christian religions.
• Christians=33%; Muslims=21%; Hindus=14%; Non-religious=16%

75. One-fourth of the world’s population lives in the United States. How much of the world’s natural resources are consumed by Americans?
a. 25% b. 33% c. 50% d. 67% e. 75%

76. Number of plastic grocery bags used in a year by the average U.S. family of four.
a. 500 b. 1,000 c. 1,500 d. 2,000
• Actually, 1,460 plastic bags/family. YIKES! Total plastic bags used in the U.S. in 2006 = 88.5 billion; it takes 12 million barrels of oil to make those bags....

77. Americans recycle what percentage of plastic bags?
a. less than 1% b. 5% c. 10% d. 15% e. 20%

78. How long does it take for a plastic bag to decompose in a landfill?
a. 10 yrs b. 100 yrs c. 500 yrs d. 1,000 yrs e. 1,500 yrs

79. Debate over health care reform has dominated the news and talk shows in recent weeks. According to the World Health Organization, which country(s) ranks in the top 10 nations that provide the best health care to citizens?
a. U.S. (#37) ----- YOWIE!
b. France (#1)
c. Japan (#10)
d. Costa Rica (#36)
e. Slovenia (#38)
• Wait a minnit. Let me get this straight—The United States ranks below Costa Rica in its health care system? At least we beat Slovenia!

So what have we learned?
1. We’re being lied to, boys and girls. Or at least misled . . .
2. The things we think are truth clearly aren’t always.
3. The people who control the content of the mass media system have a lot of power to mislead us, or at least to make us see the world in the ways they want us to—in politics, marketing/advertising, general worldview.... Hmmmm.
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