Fox "news"

[Tituba]

If this doesn't say it all: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/pol ... how_o.html

[jcjm]

I see no reason to get excited over this and I wish none of the networks would cover any political/news conference from any politician. In this day it makes no sense to have the same thing on every channel. Let PBS and the cable stations like CNN, MSNBC, FOX, CNBC, etc. carry it. It made sense in 1950 because there were only 3 stations NBC, CBS, ABC. But now there are hundreds of stations and to have the same camera angle with the same sound on all of them makes no sense. They can cut in after the talking is done and give insight by different reporters if they really want to, but to run the same feed on all the channels is a waste of electricity. Since FOX also has a cable outlet, I think it is smart not to run the same program on both. It would be like the local PBS station which has 4 digital bands (9-1, 9-2, 9-3, 9-4,) running the same thing on all 4 bands. No one would get excited because they didn't run it on all 4 bands.

[Scenario Thinker]

I heard something interesting that made me think ... in this overly PC and EO world, the media in general is fairly liberal, so it makes Fox News look ultra conservative. I'm not a big news network person, so don't really have a feel for it, but I do agree we are in ultra PC and EO overdrive. I see it all the time in the working world.

[jcjm]

I have also heard that FOX was balanced and it was the liberal slant by the rest of the media that made them look conservative. I think there was a study by a Journalism professor somewhere that started that rumor. I'm not sure if that is true. They do some things that seem intentional as does CNN. Like finding the 3 people in a crowd that are not in tune with the rest of the crowd and making it look like they are the majority. I would say FOX has less bias than CNN, but they both rely on tactics more than straight reporting. They both find the pictures that support the conclusion they have already made, rather than just report the news, but then who doesn't? Even PBS can be slanted at times.

[merk]

i dont watch fox, so all i see are the clips that get posted showing their bias. So all i can say honestly is that at least some of the shows on fox, to me, are clearly biased. Or at least some of their regular news persons are. I dont think anyone would claim sean hannity is balanced (or fair). I dont really care that much about fox not airing it. People can switch to other channels if they want to watch it. I did however find this comment on the boston page funny:

they (fox) are just trying to be fair and balanced - bush had so few press conferences that they need to ration obama's.

[Tituba]

To me, it is just another way Fox shows their complete disrespect for Obama.

[merk]

To me, it is just another way Fox shows their complete disrespect for Obama.

Shrug - to me i dont care about stuff like this. as long as people have easy access to other sources of coverage, it doesn't matter to me. It's only when fox is doing what to me appears to be blatantly aimed pushing a specific agenda that i get annoyed. If fox chooses not to air his coverage, that's their choice. Frankly, i think it's a little bit of overkill anyhow for all the major news networks to air it. That's sort of like forcing people to watch it. Granted, it's probably more important then american idol or whatever it was that was airing on fox at the time, but if people want to choose to watch a tv show instead, that should be their choice.

[jcjm]

Expecting FOX to show respect for Obama is like expecting CNN to show respect for Bush.

[merk]

Expecting FOX to show respect for Obama is like expecting CNN to show respect for Bush.

well at least you admit fox is biased then Seriously though, that doesn't really have anything to do with the argument here. One thing i've tried to avoid doing when ever i debate something with someone is try to use someone elses actions to justify or excuse an action. If you want to argue CNN was unfair to bush i'd like to hear/see some examples, but we should keep that on another thread. Start a CNN thread if you like, i'll read it.

[jcjm]

I don't see an argument here. Everybody seems to agree that FOX leans to the right. It may be subtle and in how things are edited or where the camera focuses, but there is bias. What I don't understand is why its off the subject, pointing out that its a pretty common thing and giving examples. Everything that FOX does, others also do. So, its not just FOX.

[merk]

Well to me, when people do that it sounds more like they are saying 'well the other guy does it too so lets ignore it'. Honestly though, i think fox is more consistently biased then most of the other major news networks. I know some of the other stations occasionally do things i wouldn't call balanced, but it doesn't seem as systemic as it is with fox. If you think it's otherwise, can you give me some examples? Because seriously all i have seen are the occasional reporter here or there losing their cool. With fox it seems like a daily occurance to the point where even some of their own conservative guest commentators they have on speak out against their bias.

[jcjm]

Fox aired the press conference where I live which was a waste because everybody else was airing the same thing. Pointing out that other networks are biased doesn’t play out for me the same as” the other guy does it so let’s ignore it.” It simply plays out as you have one network FOX that is conservative and one network CNN that is liberal in its views. Knowing this helps you filter out the bias or find something else which is less biased. An example of this is the way they both handled the Tea Parties. Fox projected one image and CNN another, neither of which was accurate. The bottom line, if you want an accurate account of what is going on, don’t watch either. Or watch both and draw your own conclusion. As far as the rest of the networks, for me it’s a toss up between whether they are slightly liberal or just being the devils advocate by attacking the party that has power at the time. Right now it seems to be the later. That they are not liberal, just trying to make the big story by embarrassing the party that is in power. Now that the first 100 days are over, we will see if they start to scrutinize Obama with the fervor they did Bush.

[JeannetteLS]

When we discuss whether CNN is as liberal as Fox is conservative, it seems we leave out the examination of something. Does Fox have, as regular participants in its "Fair and balanced" coverage, people on the left? CNN has conservatives--fiscal conservatives. They are not attacked by Wolf. There is back and forth, YES, between the liberal wingnuts and the conservatives--and I admit that the liberals seem to get more hot under the collar. As liberal, I find that REALLY annoying. But when does Fox have lively discussion from both sides. How can anyone say that they "lean" to the right? It seems, from what I have seen of their national "coverage," Saying they are balanced is like saying that MSNBC's Rachel Maddow expresses both sides... or Oberman. They do not really profess to be anything other than the far left, whereas the fact that Fox has made that bogus claim for YEARS that they are balanced in their coverage is offensive to me. I kept trying to watch, but Sean and company... Mr. Crying for our Country... Please. Until Fox has a morning show with someone who is the left counterpart to, say, Morning Joe, who has liberals on a regular basis show up on their shows hosted by the far right--it seems to me that they do a worse job than the other networks. It really seems disingenuous to compare Fox to other news stations. It doesn't lean right--it leaps tall buildings to get there. It makes NO attempts to be fair OR balanced, yet has claimed to be just that, for years. I do, however, feel it should be any network's choice not to air a news conference. Nowadays, there ARE plenty of choices on which someone can view it, and many alternatives for one to choose if they don't WANT to watch. I am a liberal, as I said, but I didn't feel like seeing the whole thing and was glad to watch something else off and on, throughout. President Obama is on the air too much, I think. I would rather have him now, after his first hundred days, focus more on simply doing his job--his unbelievably difficult job-- and not risk overkill with the national, prime time appearances.

[jcjm]

There is a difference between news and topical news shows like Rachel Maddow, Olberman and O’Reiley. None of these is expected to be objective, news is. As far as real news goes, they all report the same stories, it’s the slant they take that makes them different. People are more prone to identify a slant that is different than their own. In my opinion both FOX and CNN are more propaganda machines than news organizations. Which is worse doesn’t matter to me because I know if I want the NEWS I won’t watch either. The problem is more and more people are getting their news from these channels as well as other shows that are entertainment and not news at all, like The Daily Show. Even though there are more news related things to watch, there are less truth oriented newscasts.

[JeannetteLS]

Good points. I think we agree there, not that it matters if we don't! (Fortunately) I don't watch t.v. for hard news. I read, and try to read a variety. Maybe it's for another thread, but I am hard-pressed to find much of any true journalism going on on any "news" stations. I do feel that Bill Moyers does real journalism, but of course, he picks and chooses what his story is about and they DO tend to be lefty favorites. So I like it. That's my bias. Maybe it boils down to being honest about the stations AND being honest about our own biases, doing our best to realize that we watch with our own filters, as well as watch others who are reporting through filters. It gets harder and harder, though to FIND in depth reporting that truly respects more than one side of an argument. I've wandered, though, I think, from the topic so I should probably move on.