Fox News: Disgraceful.

[Neo]

I just saw a very disturbing documentary called "Outfoxed" which exposes the fox news network as nothing more than a 24-hour propaganda machine for the Bush administration. We all knew fox tends to have a conservative agenda, but I had know idea how far they would go to promote their ideology. The number of republican guests far exceeds that of democratic guests, and those democrats they do have on tend to be centralist and sometimes supportive of Bush's policies. Any left-wing thinker who was too challenging was never asked back. They take every opportunity to make everything Bush does look good and pure while engaging in a systematic smear campaign against top democratic figures.

Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly are two of the most vile human beings ever to be given microphones. Their sleezyness is not a product of their beliefs but rather their utter contempt for objective journalism and the nasty manner in which they treat any individual who disagrees with them. They continue to say they are "fair and balanced" when they are anything but.

Murdoch, the creator of Fox news, is a staunch conservative whose power and influence are felt everywhere. Being the owner of multiple broadcasting companies which are worth billions of dollars he obviously has conservative views. Fox news is the tool he uses to advance his own agenda.

The 'reports' Fox news airs would be laughable if they weren't so frightening. They breed an atmosphere of fear and then try to convince you that the government is the only one who can protect you. Fox tells us to be afraid of dirty bombs, exploding toys, anthrax spores, abortion, and of course gay sex. Polls show that viewers of Fox news have distorted ideas about how the world views us and whether or not we found WMDs in Iraq as compared with viewers of other news networks.

Money is power in this country and those that have it use it to further their own agenda. This is why keeping corporations in check is so vitally important in maintaining our freedoms. When you turn a blind eye to corporate corruption you soon find that they have bought the American political system and are using it to secure their positions of power and wealth.

I encourage you to rent "Outfoxed" today or visit their website at www.outfoxed.org.

[GameMaster]

I've heard about that movie, I'll have it rent I guess since someone near and dear to me has given it a good review now.

[thatmariolover]

I just read the entire website and most of the links on there. And I agree, it does seem to really make FOX look aweful. I would appreciate a direct response to the statements there from FOX; though I somehow doubt that will ever happen.

[Joeiss]

Interesting. I'll definitely rent this with my bro.

[DeathsHand]

All I noticed was that they're the only news network that actually went along with calling suicide bombings "homicide bombings"...

bombing implies homicide, people (attempted or successful)... Suicide is what they're commiting in the process...

Suicide bombing...

And still, it's the only 24 hour news network I watch... :hmm:

[Xantar]

So wait. You mean this all comes as news to you?

[thatmariolover]

So wait. You mean this all comes as news to you?

Not news, no. But some of the facts are much better presented than I've come to see on my own. More of an affirmation to an self-concluded quandary.

[gekko]

Wow, so what you're saying is Fox viewers have a more conservative view compared to viewers of other networks? Such a surprise, considering Fox news is one of the only major news outlets that doesn't have a liberal slant.

So is it any surprise that conservatives would migrate over to Fox news, instead of watching MSNBC and reading the NY Times?

Maybe instead of wasting time watching liberal propaganda like Outfoxed and Michael Moore, you should step back and try to understand how politics work.

[Neo]

This goes far beyond countering any supposed liberal slant of other news networks. Fox employees are harassed and bullied in to complying with an obvious conservative agenda.

I know how politics works. Whoever has the most money has the most success advancing their agenda.

[Bond]

So you're going to believe everyhing you hear in a movie?

It's already obvious Fox News is conservative and all the other news channels are liberal.

[gekko]

Bullied? Into doing reporting the news in the way the company wants? That's not harrassment, that's politics of running a business.

There's nothing different about the way Fox news runs their company, than there is about any other major news orginazation, only Fox reports the news with a conservative slant, while everyone else ops for a liberal slant.

Fox news is a business, and like every other business in the world, is out to make money.

I have forgotten the petty problems you all care so much about. It's a news station, if you don't like it, change the channel. At least you still have that freedom.

[Neo]

What I'm saying is that is much more than a simple "slant." And I question the notion all other news stations are liberal considering they aired more negative stories about Gore in the 2000 election trying to paint him as a sore loser. Anyway I invite you to watch it before arriving at conclusions.

[Dylflon]

I thought CNN was conservative too. *shrugs*

[Neo]

I thought CNN was conservative too. *shrugs*

Well here are some headlines from September 5th, 2004 from both CNN and Fox. Watch how Fox sensationalizes and puts a conservative spin on them:

CNN: "Kerry focuses on on jobs, health costs."

Fox: "Kerry blasts Bush on jobless data."



CNN: "Hurricane Frances spreads across Florida."

Fox: "Florida devestated again."



CNN: "Bill Clinton awaits heart surgery next week."

Fox: "Clinton to have typical surgery."



CNN: "Putin: 'An attack on our country' Russian leader admits weakness..."

Fox: "Putin vows no more weakness on terror."



CNN: "[Bush]A strong showing, but long road ahead."

Fox: "Bush durges ahead."

[gekko]

If only I had the time, I could show you many headlines with a liberal twist on them when it came to covering OIF. And I'm only talking CNN, throw the NY Times into the mix and I wouldn't even need to try.

[thatmariolover]

If only I had the time, I could show you many headlines with a liberal twist on them when it came to covering OIF. And I'm only talking CNN, throw the NY Times into the mix and I wouldn't even need to try.

Indeed... If only if only... :Puke:

[Xantar]

Think about this for a second: the job of news stations is ultimately to try to get as many viewers as possible. So if the media has a liberal bias, does that mean that a great majority of Americans are liberal?

By definition, that doesn't make sense.

The reason some people keep calling the media liberal is because it doesn't cater to a far right viewpoint. I think you will find that real liberals have just as many problems with the media, if not more, as conservatives. They just don't have their own radio talk shows to rail about it.

I think it makes more sense to say that news networks are by and large centrist but that Fox has managed to stir up conservative passions enough to build its own viewership.

[playa_playa]

It's not the purported conservatism of Fox News that irks me. If it did, I'd be just as vexed by the remarks of George F. Will or the opinions of Antonin Scalia. The truth is, FN is just a shady syndicate and a sorry excuse for journalism.

You need to look no further than O'Reilly's vitriolic 'interview' ('interrogation' seems more apt) of Sami Al-Arian. When the ex-USF professor came on the show to answer a couple of questions regarding the state of USF and its supposed ties with terrorists, what he got was a barrage of inflammatory remarks guised as questions. The 'interview' ended with O'Reilly firing off "if I were with the CIA, I'd follow you wherever you went," Al-Arian being dismissed before he had a chance to make defending remarks and O'Reilly sitting on his chair with a smug grin of self-satisfaction that would make even Clarence Thomas doubt the intelligence of "conservatives" today. You know, journalistic prudence at its paramount form. And of course, Al-Arian was subsequently fired from USF by some bs reason like "he spoke for the entire USF administration." Then in the following year, he was arrested and indicted on charges that were never really clarified and is rotting in prison to this day (thank you very much, Mr. Rumsfeld and your Patriot Act!).

So no, I don't consider this sort of practice good journalism. And I don't care if the syndicate favors supposed liberalism or conservatism. Shoddy professionalism coupled with ****ty ideology that really has nothing to do with true conservatism (tossing Bush's salad or being a 'neo-conservative' has nothing to do with true Socratic conservatism) makes for one stinker of a new channel. Funny thing is, I'll be damned if I watched it, but I defend its every right to be on air. Could we say Bill O'Reilly and co. would do the same for people critical of them (O'Reilly's scuffle with Al Franken ring a bell?)?

PS - I swear I'll kick the next dog and/or a small animal I see if I hear someone else say that most of the media has a liberal slant. There are plenty of Washington Posts for every New York Times. And there are plenty of William Kristols, O'Reillys and Rush freakin' Limbaughs for every Michael Moores.

[Professor S]

The key to watching Fox News is remember WHO YOU'RE WATCHING. Sean Hannity is on a show called Hannity and Colmes, which is a show exprressly to share the views of a conservative (Hannity) and a liberal (Colmes). Hannity isn't even a journalist. He's a conservative radio talkshow host not unlike Rush Limbaugh. So why should you be surprised that he expresses conservative views?

Bill O'Reilly, while being an arrogant ass and having a tendency to offer same lies of ommission that Micheal Moore is guilty of, is also an openly conservative host. So why would you be surprised or disgusted that he's a voice of the right?

Don't expect these people to be balanced, as they never pretended to be.

Here are the strengths of Fox News: Their "fair and balanced" philosophy is not based on their journalists, but on their guests and representatives of both parties. Whenever they have political "experts" discuss a topic, they ALWAYS have "experts" from BOTH SIDES and give them equal talking time (not on O'reilly, but as I said he's an arrogant ass and I don't believe he's a journalist). ALWAYS (on their news programs). This is something that other networks like CNN do not ALWAYS do and CBS under crazyman Dan Rather NEVER do. Plus there are news stories that Fox covers that other networks do not, not unlike the UN Oil for Food scandal which gets more and more disgusting with each passing day.

There is one fox journalist who I love, but his name escapes me. I believe he mans the afternoon news broadcast and he absolutely grills everyone he has on as guests, be them liberal or conservative. He has brown hair and glasses (Not Neil Covuto) so if anyone can remind me what his name is I'd be very appreciative.

Here is my advice: If you want truly fair and balanced news... DON'T TRUST ANY ONE SOURCE. I watch CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and FOX. Then I take all the information together and make your decision as to what you believe.