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TV, radio, print, internet, or in person, the medium is less important than the intent of the message provider.
People are influenced by the information provided to them.
If the information is negative the impact will be negative regardless of how that information is delivered.
Individuals or groups with an agenda will use whatever medium they feel best meets their needs in swaying others.
TV news primarily hypes the negative and conflict.
TV 'documentaries' are not always fact based.
TV entertainment focuses on the feel-good factor, and keeping us fat, dumb, and happy, literally.
Those same approaches can be found in the other media and in our social interactions with family, church, workplace, and commerce.
The best antidote is to maintain a sense of skeptical objectivity.
And by skeptical I mean 'show me'; not the 'can't be' of cynicism.