73% of Americans agree that extreme political views are hyped by misinformation — like that pushed by the liberal media in these 5 instances

The latest Pearson Institute/AP-NORC survey was published on Thursday, revealing that Americans overwhelmingly agree that misinformation is a problem. Of the 1,003 adults aged 18 and older who were interviewed between September 9 and September 12, 77% agreed that "misinformation increases hate crimes" and 73% agreed it increases "extreme political views."

Sheila Kohanteb, forum executive director at the Pearson Institute for Study and Resolution of Global Conflict, said, "The public continues to see misinformation as a significant problem that is impacting them personally."

"Many are also worried about the impact on democracy including the ways misinformation fuel hate crimes and extreme political beliefs," Kohanteb added.

David Sterrett, senior research scientist with the AP-NORC Center, said of the results, "There is a consensus among people, regardless of their partisanship, age, or race and ethnicity, that misinformation is a problem."

MediaWise's director, Alex Mahadevan, suggested that "uncertainty, polarization, [and] the decline of local news" have brought about a "perfect storm that's created a flood of misinformation."

While the AP assigned blame to "online misinformation," this universal concern over the veracity of false claims and their fallout was no doubt exacerbated in part by a myriad of consequential lies advanced by the establishment media in recent months and years.

Here are five instances where impactful false claims were advanced or amplified by liberal mainstream news organizations.

1. Russian Collusion Hoax

Claim: Then-candidate and later-President Donald Trump and his team conspired with the Russians to secure victory in the 2016 presidential election.

Impact: The false narrative and its supporting claims ultimately resulted in the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller; a two-year-long $32 million Russia probe; a midterm Democratic House victory; a distracted, investigation-addled presidency; and over 55% of Democrats left believing it to be true.

Facts: Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 2019 report cleared the Trump campaign, indicating that neither the president nor his team had conspired with the Russians during the 2016 election.

The Russian source of some of the rumors that were widely circulated about Trump is presently on trial and the Steele dossier, which the FBI used to spy on Trump, has been discredited.

Jake Tapper Unaware Of Any Mistakes CNN Made In Its Russiagate Coverageyoutu.be

2. Hunter Biden laptop story

Claim: The Hunter Biden laptop story initially reported on by the New York Post is Russian disinformation, "unverifiable," and the libelous work of the Trump campaign.

Impact: The media, aided by Big Tech censorship and elements of the intelligence community antipathetic to Trump, successfully downplayed the implications of the damning evidence discovered on Hunter Biden's laptop, which he abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop.

The repair shop's owner received countless death threats and was roundly castigated.

Then-candidate Joe Biden won the 2020 election. A recent TechnoMetrica Institute of Policy and Politics poll found that 79% of respondents indicated that “a truthful interpretation of the laptop” by the media would have resulted in Trump's reelection.

Facts: The laptop's authenticity and its contents were verified by the liberal media after the election.

3. 'Fiery, But Mostly Peaceful' riots

Claim: The BLM riots "were largely peaceful."

Impact: This and other coordinated efforts to downplay violence committed by BLM rioters allegedly eliminated pressure on politicians to take action while also generating greater distrust in the news media.

Facts: In September 2020, Axios reported that the BLM riots incurred $1 billion in damage and was the "most expensive in insurance history." Other estimates put the cost closer to $2 billion.

Of the 8,700 BLM-related events, 574 involved violent acts in over 140 cities, including shootings, arson, looting, vehicular crimes, and explosions.

RealClear Investigations reported that between 6 and 20 persons were killed in the riots.

1 police officer was killed and 2,037 officers were assaulted or injured. 16,241 arrests were made.

4. Deaths at the Jan. 6 Capitol protests

Claim: Five cops were killed by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, one of whom was bludgeoned to death.

Impact: Liberal outlets' suggestion that protesters killed police at or as the result of the Capitol protests lent credibility to those who repeated the lie for political advantage, including the president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and January 6 committee panel chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).

Facts: The only person killed at the Capitol was a protester, U.S. Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was gunned down by Capitol police Lt. Michael Byrd.

No police officers died in the line of duty during the Capitol protests.

Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick, who was claimed to have been killed in or as the result of the fracas, returned to headquarters in "good condition" after the incident, but suffered two strokes the following day, reportedly dying of natural causes.

5. Nick Sandmann

Claim: Then-16-year-old Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann tried to intimidate a native American Vietnam War veteran when attending the March for Life at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. When the native elder sought to peacefully march by, Sandmann blocked his way and then prevented him from retreating. At some stage, Sandmann or one of his peers chanted "build the wall."

Impact: Sandmann was defamed as a "racist kid," received death threats, and was the subject of vicious, violent rhetoric amplified by celebrities and others online.

CNN, the Washington Post, and NBC were among the outfits that had to settle multimillion-dollar defamation suits filed by Sandmann.

Facts: While waiting for their bus to arrive, Sandmann and his peers were targeted by a nearby group of black Hebrew Israelites, who leveled at them a litany of vulgar, racist remarks. Sandmann reportedly nonverbally motioned for one of his peers to stop engaging with one of Phillips' alleged associates, then nonconfrontationally stood in place.

Nathan Phillips, who is not a Vietnam War veteran, approached Sandmann, banging his drum just inches from the teen's face.

An independent investigation concluded there was no evidence that Sandmann and fellow students used "offensive or racist" statements. It also found that Phillips' account of the incident contained "some inconsistencies."