? for conservatives. Is Fox News fair and balanced?

[BonosSaint]

Okay, to head off your arguments, I concede CNN is liberal. I concede that the three major networks lean left. MSNBC has identity problems. I also think it was fair to have a cable station that reflected the conservative point of view.

My question is, taken only on its own content and not in relative comparison to other networks, do you think Fox is "fair and balanced.?

 

[Irvine511]

how on earth is CNN liberal?

 

[dandy]

how on earth is CNN liberal?

i was wondering the exact same thing.

 

[nbcrusader]

It all depends on where you stand.


Liberal in the US is mainstream/conservative in other parts of the world.

I don't watch enough Fox News to validate a "conservative" label, but from what I've seen, it is very "busy".

 

[Ft. Worth Frog]

I hate watching TV news. I prefer to look online at CNN, Fox, etc. for my news. I think Fox gets its conservative label mainly from its evening hosts, but as far as actual reporting, I have not watched enough to tell if the actual anchors are telling the news from a conservative stanpoint.

 

[Macfistowannabe]

Fox news without a doubt targets a conservative audience in a fashion that they wrestle a number of topics that conservatives care about. I find most of my views in alignment with O'Reilly's, although I find the guy to be obnoxious at times. I don't always agree with the analysis that Fox News has a formula of putting a hard right pundit against a soft left pundit. That's not always true. O'Reilly has interviewed many off-center individuals who seem out of touch with most of the voting population.

I'll let Dr. Hark's analysis on a similar thread do most of the talking:

To be fair, Fox has mostly opinion shows each hour.

Bill O'Reilly is basically conservative and poses as the everyman, "I'm looking out for you", cut through the spin type of guy. I would be surprised if he didn't vote for Bush.

Hannity and Colmes is a conservative vs. liberal debate show. Hannity is the stronger personality and often sounds like a broken record. Colmes is a weak debater.

Neil Cavuto does a financial news hour but also covers world events and does commentary. He's conservative.

Greta van Susterin is a liberal I think but does a good job of appearing unbiased. She mainly bores us with the events in the latest trial du juor.

Brit Hume does news and discusses the issues with panelists, Charles Krauthammer, Fred Barnes, William Kristol (Conservative)
Mort Kondrake (Moderate Democrat), Ceci Connoly, Maria Liasson, and Juan Williams (Liberal). Brit is conservative.

All of these shows have guests from all political persuasions who argue their points of view. There seems to be a fair mix of opinions.

Overall, Fox News is conservatives attempting to be "fair and balanced" in the guests they bring on and the opinions presented by these guests.

I'm not so sure the old news networks tried very hard to bring opposing points of view to all issues. There is less live debate and more pre produced "nightline" and "60 Minutes" documentaries that are very subtle in their bias.

 

[daygloeyes2]

If Fox is "fair and balanced", why do they always offer an opinion on a news story when reporting it?I'm not talking about one of their debate shows, I'm talking about when they are just supposed to be reporting it and that's it.

 

[Macfistowannabe]

If Fox is "fair and balanced", why do they always offer an opinion on a news story when reporting it?I'm not talking about one of their debate shows, I'm talking about when they are just supposed to be reporting it and that's it.

Can you site an example?

 

[Ft. Worth Frog]

If Fox is "fair and balanced", why do they always offer an opinion on a news story when reporting it?I'm not talking about one of their debate shows, I'm talking about when they are just supposed to be reporting it and that's it.

Don't most newscaster do that, especially for large networks?

 

[financeguy]

I think CNN recently probably is SLIGHTLY liberal leaning, possibly in reaction to Fox. I don't think CNN was remotely liberal leaning in the early 90's.

I used to log on to the Fox website frequently in the run up to the Pres election - I found it the best website of the major news channels. There was certainly right wing opinion there, but it was always made clear that this was distinguished from news REPORTING as such.

 

[Macfistowannabe]

I agree with financeguy here. For example, I might randomly flip to CNN and they will talk about firearms and gun control. I can randomly flick to Fox and they will probably have a hot headed conservative attracting most of the attention in a debate with a more reserved, laid back liberal. I find CNN and Fox to be rivals.

 

[melon]

Well, the FOX News website is mostly AP articles, if you notice. However, FOX News is known to change the AP articles to suit their ideological leanings, while making no indication that they made changes. As such, they ride on the credibility of the AP on FOXNews.com.

Melon

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

most news agencies make changes to AP stories... not just Fox.

does Fox lean to the right? of course. i think the analysis by drhark is dead on... they're conservitives trying to be fair and balanced, but at the end of the day, they're still conservitive.

when 90% of the rest of the media leans to the left, i really don't see what the big deal is over one station leaning to the right.

frankly, the only people who seem to have a problem with fox news are liberals. conservitives love it, and based on the ratings, a large majority of the "undecided" vote also watches fox over the other two. their ratings are through the roof... so either liberals don't watch the news, or there's a lot more than just conservitives who watch fox... which frankly doesn't bode well for the democrats in 2008.

 

[melon]

The ratings for FOX News are hardly indicative of the populace at large. Cable, in general, receives much lower ratings than any broadcast network.

Melon

 

[nathan1977]

I used to work for a newspaper where the Editor of our particular area had to sign off on each story before we'd report it. Some stories he was interested in, others he wasn't. Bias.

Are "all things considered" on NPR? Or only certain things, in a certain light, as deemed news-worthy by a certain editor?

 

[Irvine511]

I used to work for a newspaper where the Editor of our particular area had to sign off on each story before we'd report it. Some stories he was interested in, others he wasn't. Bias.

Are "all things considered" on NPR? Or only certain things, in a certain light, as deemed news-worthy by a certain editor?

yes, of course there's bias. but to label that bias as having a specific political agenda -- that's something completely different.

the difference is this: CNN, and the "liberal" media try with all their might to be "fair and balanced" -- they don't want to be called liberal, and if anything, there's been a massive overcorrection, when there was really no need for correction in the first place. Fox is unabashedly conservative, yet calls itself "fair and balanced."

the result is that dialogue -- if you can even call it that; Fox is mostly about shouting -- has swung hugely to the right. Fox will put on a conservative moderator, and one VERY conservative guest, and one barely left-of-center guest, and say that they're giving you both sides of the argument.

as if real arguments had only two sides, but that's another story ...

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I'm used to the fact that Fox leans to the right, and since other stations lean to the left, that's not surprising that one'll lean to the right, nor is it really unfair. No, the only thing that really bothers me about Fox News is that a lot of the people on there, from what I've seen, are just really annoying and not very good at their jobs, at least, I don't think so. And they never let someone finish a freakin' sentence!

Angela

 

[Macfistowannabe]

they never let someone finish a freakin' sentence!

True enough, particularly Hannity and O'Reilly follow this characteristic.

 

[Irvine511]

I'm used to the fact that Fox leans to the right, and since other stations lean to the left, that's not surprising that one'll lean to the right, nor is it really unfair. No, the only thing that really bothers me about Fox News is that a lot of the people on there, from what I've seen, are just really annoying and not very good at their jobs, at least, I don't think so. And they never let someone finish a freakin' sentence!

Angela

no! no one else leans to the left! only Fox intentionally leans to the right!

i challenge anyone to find an example of "liberal bias" in any of the major networks or CNN/MSNBC that is even anywhere near what goes on at Fox.

and don't come at me with the National Guard documents forgery scandal stuff. that was about ratings, not "gotcha!" journalism, and a single incident does not bias prove.

 

[earthshell]

CNN is liberal.

i highly doubt it.

 

[A_Wanderer]

Well Ted Turner is.

 

[earthshell]

fox leans to the right to draw corporate sponsorship unlike no other network. they also have a way with finding the most cracked out liberals in america and portraying them as average. their hosts are the fucking mafia in comparison with other networks.

fair and balanced - no
fucked in the head - yes

 

[nathan1977]

they also have a way with finding the most cracked out liberals in america and portraying them as average.

One could also say the same thing about the mainstream media's treatment of religious types.

 

[melon]

Well Ted Turner is.

He hasn't run CNN in years. It's been owned by Time Warner for a few years now, and Ted Turner has nothing to do with it now.

Melon

 

[melon]

One could also say the same thing about the mainstream media's treatment of religious types.

I'm not inclined to disagree. I hate how mainstream media only seems to choose the most fanatically conservative people to parade around as "Christians." As such, the public-at-large think of Jerry Falwell and the Christian Coalition when they hear "Christian."

Melon

 

[Macfistowannabe]

I'm not inclined to disagree. I hate how mainstream media only seems to choose the most fanatically conservative people to parade around as "Christians." As such, the public-at-large think of Jerry Falwell and the Christian Coalition when they hear "Christian."

Melon

I completely agree.

 

[drhark]

CNN, and the "liberal" media try with all their might to be "fair and balanced" --

That's quite false and laughable

i challenge anyone to find an example of "liberal bias" in any of the major networks or CNN/MSNBC that is even anywhere near what goes on at Fox.

Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, Ted Koppel, Dan Rather. I'm sure you think Bernard Goldberg is a big liar.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

True enough, particularly Hannity and O'Reilly follow this characteristic.

Yep. Those are the names that came to my mind then, too.

Originally posted by nathan1977
One could also say the same thing about the mainstream media's treatment of religious types.

I can agree with that, too.

Angela

 

[Teta040]

Well, then that's the moderate and progressive Christian's fault, for not trying to hard to get on those shows, or (just as likely) that they have tried and have been denied access, becuase of aforementioned editor bias.

I am currently reading "God's Politics: How the Right Gets It Worng And The Left Doesn't Get it" by John Wallis. Everyone should read this, it's been a godsend to me. As people know, I"m a currently disillusioned evengelical Christians who can't stand the public face of evangelical Christianity now, and is looking for a local progressive church to join. (Hm, why does "Acrobat" come to mind here? Come to think of it, the band should start playing it...make it the theme song of the tour....) FYI, the book has a great new Bono blurb on the back cover.

I read the book, looked up this guy's website, his organization, and form I have seen, the "opposition" to the takeover by the Religious Right is in its infancy. They are just barely starting to get organized on a national level. It's like a slumbering giant awakening. Or I hope it will be giant. There's a HUGE wellspring of people who not happy with the tone of things, and want change; only they are trying to figure out how to do it. They can't compete with the superbly organized and overfunded people like Falwell and Pat Robertson. Their message is tolerance, and we should try to build bridges instead of tearing them down. And they come from all sides of the spectrum. There's even an organization called the Common Law Network that is made of both pro and anti abortion women, who have not only opened a constructive dialogue on abortion but are are working together on many issues.

 

[Macfistowannabe]

I'm not sure that if you put a "moderate" Christian on there, it would be all that interesting. Ratings is priority when you're with a network, you don't want a sleepover of agreements on a debate show. Sometimes you have to look for Ann Coulter types, Falwell types, and Ward Churchill types. Nobody said the business was ever squeaky clean.