Americans Stupid? Media to Blame?
I saw the link to a Fortune Magazine article with that title at the bottom of the CNN page, and thought it might be interesting. Maybe it would provide some data or at least fascinating insights from people in the know.

Instead, it turned out to be a prime example of what the title suggests: the media turning people stupid. It basically just presented one-sentence print bites from eight people at a conference, and ends with the author's conclusion, based on nothing at all discussed in the article, that "Consolidation isn't to blame for dumbed-down journalism, and it isn't to be overly feared."

I know that I, for one, am stupider than I would have been if I had read a better article. And you'll be smarter if you read something from one of the other links than if you read that one.