Alec Baldwin believes 'Americans are very uninformed about reality'

Alec Baldwin believes that Americans have a misunderstanding of the world's most pressing problems. 

The reason for this, he explained at a recent event, is that they're uneducated and led astray by the mass media. 

The 66-year-old "Rust" actor, this year's recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Torino Film Festival in northern Italy, commented on the media's influence in reporting news. 

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"Television news in the United States is a business. They have to make money," Baldwin said during a press conference, per The Hollywood Reporter. He added, "There's a hole. There's a vacuum. There is a gap, if you will, in information for Americans."

He continued, "Americans are very uninformed about reality – what's really going on. With climate change, Ukraine, Israel… You name it, all the biggest topics in the world, Americans have an appetite for a little bit of information."

Baldwin believes that the film industry – one he's been a part of for decades – plays a role as well. 

"That vacuum is filled by the film industry. Not just the independent film industry, not just the documentary film industry – which are very important around the world. But by narrative films, as well. Where the filmmakers and the buyers, the studios, and the networks and the streamers, are willing to go that way. They're willing to try it."

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Baldwin, who earned an Emmy Award for his portrayal of President Trump in 2017, also spoke about the current political climate. Asked about his fears and desires for the country now that Trump is returning to the Oval Office, Baldwin answered without directly addressing the billionaire businessman.

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"There are many challenges to face," he said of the country. "The environment, the problem of plastic, of permafrost: there are plastic molecules in every corner of the planet. These are the real problems to solve."

"It will be necessary for every building to have an alternative energy component," he continued. "Every hospital, school, airport, and government building will have to have photovoltaic panels on the roof. We must force states to work on alternative energy sources. But we will never get rid of oil and gas. Can you imagine an ambulance car or a fire department car that runs on electricity and has to be refueled at a charging station?"

In addition to receiving the accolade, Baldwin appeared in Italy to introduce a showing of his 1990 film, "The Hunt for Red October," which he starred in alongside Sean Connery.