Celsius 41.11

[OCybrManO]

http://www.fair.org/extra/0108/fox-main.html

I don't think they are as evil as they are made out to be... but you won't ever hear me say that they have any kind of balance to their programming.

I don't have a problem with people stating their opinions... or even starting a whole news channel to promote their views. What I don't respect is when they obviously try to stifle the opinions of their opponents by attacking the person rather than giving a valid rebuttal, present their views as unquestionable fact, and still specifically make a point of calling themselves unbiased every chance they get.

I'm not making wild claims or trusting any radical liberal's analysis of the FOX News Channel's content. I'm speaking from my own experience and research. I only posted that link because it talks about FOX's hiring practices (how they try to only hire conservatives and toss in a few weak liberals for balance) and, from what I've gathered over many hours of watching the FNC, a pretty accurate view of their programming and tactics. I'm just too lazy to write that much on my own.

I admit that I am a little bit (compared to almost any liberal that gets significant air time on a network other than FOX) off-center along the line between liberal and libertarian... and my opinions are prone to a bias in that direction.

On the topic of Michael Moore, I don't trust him any more than I trust Bill O'Reilly. If you catch me accidentally using him as a trustworthy source... slap me.

 

[seinfeldrules]

Stern FOX wasnt the only one to make that mistake. Puhlease.

By the second day, the Washington Post was reporting that the West Virginia supply clerk who aspired to be a kindergarten teacher had fought back fiercely against her captors. In a front-page story, headlined "She Was Fighting to the Death," reporters Susan Schmidt and Vernon Loeb cited anonymous US officials as saying Lynch "fought fiercely and shot several enemy soldiers" after Iraqi soldiers ambushed her supply team, "firing her weapon until she ran out of ammunition." The story soon led television and radio broadcasts: On NBC, Forrest Sawyer reported that "Lynch continued firing at Iraqi troops even after she was wounded," while Robin Roberts on ABC's Good Morning America announced that Lynch "fought fiercely," "shooting several Iraqis" and "emptying her weapon before being stabbed and finally taken prisoner." Although they all credited the Post, none of the networks made any reference to the fact that the Post itself acknowledged it was citing "rumors."

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030707&s=eviatar

The New York Times's first story was cautious, but its second reported that "the rescue team took fire from buildings within the compound, but the troops fired back and quickly made their way into the hospital." On television, the Army's grainy footage of Lynch being carried out of the Iraqi hospital on a stretcher and whisked into a waiting Black Hawk helicopter was played over and over, and became an enduring image of the war. CNN reported that US forces had made a "forced entry into the hospital." On Fox, Lynch quickly became "America's hero."

 

[seinfeldrules]

What I don't respect is when they obviously try to stifle the opinions of their opponents by attacking the person rather than giving a valid rebuttal, present their views as unquestionable fact, and still specifically make a point of calling themselves unbiased every chance they get.

Hannity and Colmbs. They both get equal time to blast their opponents and Colmbs is anything but weak if you have watched the program. He is probably the more intense debator of the two. O'Reilly actually bashes Bush more than people think, when he disagrees, he will let people know. He has on both left and right wing opponents and debates them equally.

 

[CptStern]

the washington post apologized for their "over enthusiastic" coverage of saddam's "WMD". They're definately not free of bias, but they're a league above fox's propaganda agenda ...come on, no one takes fox"news" seriously: they have zero credibility as news source with integrity ...they push their political agenda more so than any other mainstream media

 

[h4vvok]

So what you guys enjoy the senseless crap that CBS and other networks put out? I don't call any of that crap news, I call it stupid pointless information that doesn't effect my life in any way....I don't give a shit if Bush was a goddamn elephants ass before he was president, he got elected and he is doing a good enough job to ensure the United States stay United.

 

[seinfeldrules]

no one takes fox"news" seriously

Then why are they ranked as the most viewed cable news channel in America? Yeah, it iz uz stupdz Amiericanz az uzual!

Within the United States, CNN has been criticized by conservatives for an alleged liberal bias, and has lost market share to the Fox News Channel. In terms of viewership, CNN is currently in second-place behind the Fox News Channel

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Cable News Network

That is based on viewing hours.

 

[CptStern]

Then why are they ranked as the most viewed cable news channel in America? Yeah, it iz uz stupdz Amiericanz az uzual!



http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Cable News Network

That is based on viewing hours.

"Several FOX News anchors have expressedly partisan conservative backgrounds. Daytime anchor David Asman previously worked at the The Wall Street Journal editorial page and the Manhattan Institute, a conservative thinktank. Sunday host Tony Snow is a conservative columnist and former chief speechwriter for the first Bush administration. Critics contend that the level of political partisanship is higher among FOX News employees than among those of its competitors"

 

[Sprafa]

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Cable News Network

That is based on viewing hours.

taken from your link

Allegations of bias
FOX News asserts that it is more objective and factual than other American networks, and its promotional statements include "fair and balanced" and "we report, you decide." The network thus intends to provide an alternative to such news sources as CNN, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, or CBS, for those who believe that the other networks are dominated by a liberal bias. Observers agree that FOX lies to the political right of most other prominent news sources; there is much dispute, however, as to whether the channel is actually a neutral source, or carries a bias in favor of right-wing, conservative, or Republican interests.

A report in the Los Angeles Times on November 1, 2003 quoted Charlie Reina, a former FOX News producer, saying FOX News executives require the network's on-air anchors and reporters to cover news stories from a right-wing viewpoint and distributed a daily memo explaining what stories to highlight and how to report them. Media Matters subsequently compiled the photocopied memos online (http://mediamatters.org/items/200407140002). Sharri Berg, vice president of News Operations at Fox News Channel said in response, "Like any former, disgruntled employee, Charlie Reina has an ax to grind."

FOX News CEO Roger Ailes defended the network in an online column for the Wall Street Journal (http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110005157), stating that FOX's critics intentionally confuse opinion shows such as The O'Reilly Factor with regular news coverage and ignore instances in which FOX has broken stories which turned out harmful to Republicans or the Republican Party.

Further accusations followed a 1997 case in which FOX News fired two reporters, Jane Akre and Steve Wilson, who had refused instructions from superiors to revise a story on bovine growth hormone in ways that the reporters saw as being in conflict with the facts, and had threatened to report FOX to the FCC. The reporters sued under a Florida whistleblower law. A jury ruled that FOX had indeed ordered the reporters to distort the facts. FOX successfully appealed against judgement on the grounds that their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and press protected them from such litigation, and that the FCC's policy against distortion of news was not a sufficiently significant rule for its breach to invoke the whistleblower law (http://www.projectcensored.org/publications/2005/11.html, http://www.foxbghsuit.com).

During the 2000 Presidential Election John Prescott Ellis, a full cousin of George W. Bush, was a consultant who analysed data from the Voter News Service. During the night Ellis had contact with both Jeb and George Bush several times by telephone. It was Fox News who first declared Bush the winner of Florida and thus the election, on 2:16 am Wednesday morning. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/11/14/politics/main249357.shtml However, FOX had called the state for Gore earlier, and in fact was the last major network to retract the call for Gore.

 

[seinfeldrules]

FOX News has been accused of placing an undue emphasis on conservative news stories. Some critics state that the network sometimes dedicates whole segments and shows to conservative stories they feel have been downplayed. Reporters are also claimed to take time off to look for stories that are explicitly conservative or place liberals in a bad light. Some critics say that management asks these reporters to make stories more conservative.

Fox and their supporters, however, contend that what left-leaning observers like FAIR and the Los Angeles Times perceive as a conservative bias is, in fact, lack of a liberal bias. Pointing to items such as this 1997 American Society of Newspaper Editors' survey [1] in which 61 percent of journalists responding identified themselves as "Liberal/Democrat (or) leaning that way", and the book Bias by former CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg, they claim that a left-wing prejudice permeates the 'mainstream' media. Consequently, they say, Fox is perceived as being 'right of center' only because they are not 'left of center'.

From your source. Again, most watched Cable News Channel. UZ STUIP AMERIKANZ!

 

[seinfeldrules]

This is about the same thing as you posted.

Within the United States, CNN has been criticized by conservatives for an alleged liberal bias, and has lost market share to the Fox News Channel. In terms of viewership, CNN is currently in second-place behind the Fox News Channel and ahead of MSNBC.

But wait, because Conservatives alleged this, it cant be true! Doh, the double standard again.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN

 

[Sprafa]

CNN is viewed as the news source of the world by many people.

Fox News was outlawed in Canada.

 

[hasan]

one takes fox"news" seriously: they have zero credibility as news source with integrity

'nuff said

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Here is another link that documents many of Moore's lies and misleading footage/commentary.

http://www.davekopel.com/Terror/Fiftysix-Deceits-in-Fahrenheit-911.htm

Not exactly CNN, but he cites his sources so it works for me.

Debunking the 59 deciets.
The first deciet is Kopel's complaint that the stock footage "dream sequence" is not entirely factual, ignoring the definition of a "dream sequence".

http://www.opednews.com/wade_071004_deception.htm
Also:
http://anton-sirius.dailykos.com/story/2004/7/18/173312/462/

The comments at the bottom provide a good contrast to the points presented, but I see the actual piece as more solid.

And I watch CNN. Try the "liberal media" once and a while. It's not going to kick your face (not literally, at least).

 

[seinfeldrules]

Fox News was outlawed in Canada.

Yeah, but they allow Al Jazeera. Go Canadians, you showed your true colors!

And I do watch CNN on a daily basis, it is usually CNN Headline News though. And to contrast this, I doubt you watch FOXNEWs at all, if ever. Same for Stern and the rest.

 

[CptStern]

Yeah, but they allow Al Jazeera. Go Canadians, you showed your true colors!

And I do watch CNN on a daily basis, it is usually CNN Headline News though. And to contrast this, I doubt you watch FOXNEWs at all, if ever. Same for Stern and the rest.

uhmmm we dont have Al jazeera ...yet ..so what exactly are you accusing Canadians of being? ....terrorist sympathizers? traitors? cowards?

 

[hasan]

what's wrong with al-jazeera? they speak the truth, but truth hurts, especially when it works against you.

 

[seinfeldrules]

uhmmm we dont have Al jazeera ...yet ..so what exactly are you accusing Canadians of being?

Liberals.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/07/15/jazeera040715.html

 

[Sprafa]

Liberals.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/07/15/jazeera040715.html

So the entire rest of the world is involved into a huge liberal conspiracy to take down Bush ?

www.abovetopsecret.com

and it says it was approved for viewing, but no one really broadcasts it apparently.

 

[seinfeldrules]

So the entire rest of the world is involved into a huge liberal conspiracy to take down Bush ?

I dont think it has anything to do with Bush. I think it shows the contrast between America and Canada. It wasnt a very serious point in the first place. Just trying to get a rise out of stern :smoking:

 

[CptStern]

Liberals.

:rolling: ya we're one freakin' hippie commune called Kanada :upstare:

 

[seinfeldrules]

ya we're one freakin' hippie commune called Kanada

And us Amerikanz are all straw chewin' down south redneck conservatives that treat FOXNEWs like its a God.

 

[CptStern]

And us Amerikanz are all straw chewin' down south redneck conservatives that treat FOXNEWs like its a God.

hey you said it not me :E












freakin' :farmer:

 

[seinfeldrules]

hey you said it not me :E












freakin' :farmer:

And you called yourself a hippie :bonce: :afro: , not me . Lets end this discussion before some other crazy stuff happens

 

[OCybrManO]

Hannity and Colmbs. They both get equal time to blast their opponents and Colmbs is anything but weak if you have watched the program. He is probably the more intense debator of the two. O'Reilly actually bashes Bush more than people think, when he disagrees, he will let people know. He has on both left and right wing opponents and debates them equally.

You're making the assumption that we don't watch it? I just said that I watch it frequently. I've seen all of FOX's regular shows. I've seen "Hannity & Colmes" many times. Colmes is by no means a "hard-hitting liberal" as FOX says. He almost seems to ride the middle of the road... and he's submissive. Colmes is said to be like the Washington Generals to Hannity's Globetrotters. He was picked because he would make Hannity look better.

Al Franken describes him as "Sean's liberal on-air punching bag" and always refers to him in smaller type than the rest of the text in his books.

"You are my favorite liberal to argue with." - Newt Gingrich

"You're great for a liberal." - Orrin Hatch

"He's my favorite liberal." - Dr. James Dobson

From disinfopedia.org:
"For example, in early 2003, the show featured author Tammy Bruce promoting her book, The Death of Right and Wrong: Exposing the Left's Assault on Our Culture and Values. Hannity, of course, fully supported her confusing logic, stating, 'But literally, the left is responsible for this.' Bruce responded, 'Well, as I show in the book, it's the left having gone so far to the left.' One would think 'a hard-hitting liberal' would probably have some sort of retort for such an unfair and rash generalization. However, Colmes response fell a little short of what most would call 'hard-hitting liberalism': 'I think in some respects you're right.'"...

My own viewing of Hannity & Colmes supports most of those statements... though, again, not to quite the degree expressed by those quoted. I think being somewhat more soft-spoken can have its merits, but it just doesn't fit the theme of that show.

Fox and their supporters, however, contend that what left-leaning observers like FAIR and the Los Angeles Times perceive as a conservative bias is, in fact, lack of a liberal bias. Pointing to items such as this 1997 American Society of Newspaper Editors' survey [1] in which 61 percent of journalists responding identified themselves as "Liberal/Democrat (or) leaning that way", and the book Bias by former CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg, they claim that a left-wing prejudice permeates the 'mainstream' media. Consequently, they say, Fox is perceived as being 'right of center' only because they are not 'left of center'.

As has been said before, the reporters do not decide the tone of the network. They do not choose what stories to report or what kind of spin to put on them. The higher-ups control that. Also, if I remember correctly, that study said that the reporters were more likely to agree with liberals socially, but with conservatives fiscally. So, a more appropriate term would probably be libertarian... if I'm not mistaken. Too many people think there are just left and right.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

..so what exactly are you accusing Canadians of being?

Liberals.

You know, being liberal isn't analogous to being evil.

It's certainly not something you can really accuse someone of being, because it's not exactly a crime or an insult.

seinfeldrules: All you canadians are liberal!

Mechagodzilla: Yes, yes we are. That's why we've elected a liberal government consistently for many years.
Did you really think you weren't stating the obvious, or did you not know that basic aspect of canadian politics?

seinfeldrules: Oh... snap.


"Liberal" is only an insult to conservatives, really:

Republican Fat-cat: So, I said to Senator Pithy, "Did you know that many of your oil-based products are purchased by people who may be homosexual? You're not turning liberal, are you? Ho ho!"
It was quite the spectacle. He nearly dropped his stocks upon hearing such a devastating witticism. To think, that a liberal should exist! Balderdash!

Another Republican Fat-cat: I must say, you needn't be so hard on the man.
As despicable as they are, we all know that liberals are a mythological oddity, like the jackalope, or the baby seals that are "allegedly" skinned in order to upholster my fleet of seal-skin aircrafts.

Republican Fat-cat: Indeed, now could you pass me a flaming dollar bill with which to light my cigar?

Another Republican Fat-cat: Why of course. I've got a whole pile of them right here.

Both: Ho ho!

 

[DarkStar]

^^ Yeah, it really frustrates me that "liberal" has become such a dirty word. I'm proud that I'm a liberal!