Is FOX News as bad as they say?

FOX News has a notorious rep for being bias, bigoted and pretty much a haven for people who like the ideals of Gingrich & Limbaugh types. From time to time I might come across it when I'm flipping stations but I never notice it as being any different than the other news networks.

It's a right leaning network just as CNN and MSNBC and every other one is a left leaning network. For people with an open mind, it's nowhere near as bad as it's made out to be. The idea that it is bigoted is just a symptom of a people who cannot handle opposing viewpoints.

Yes, it's a right leaning channel. But it's not the bastion of unbalanced reporting that liberals make it out to be. I am sure most here will disagree with me, but most here are liberal so of course that's the case. It's no worse than any other network.

I do however like that because Fox is "notorious," that all conservatives must tune into it and treat it as Gospel. It's such a laughable stereotype. lol

But to answer your question, no, it's nowhere near as bad as its made out to be.

I damn sure don't watch it. There is nothing on that network that I'm remotely interested in.

I think their reputation is exaggerated but for it to be exaggerated, there would have to be some truth to it.

JB wrote:I think their reputation is exaggerated but for it to be exaggerated, there would have to be some truth to it.

You mean that they have a right leaning perspective? lol

I never watch that channel. Yuck.

femme fatale wrote:FOX News has a notorious rep for being bias, bigoted and pretty much a haven for people who like the ideals of Gingrich & Limbaugh types. From time to time I might come across it when I'm flipping stations but I never notice it as being any different than the other news networks.

There are two parts to every cable news network. A) the actual news (which is usually reported unbiased earlier in the day) and the political commentary (which is opinionated and steered by the host of that particular show).

The "news" portion of Fox news is only "minimally" biased (just like the news reported on CNN and MSNBC). News bias is not determined by HOW the news is reported, but in WHICH news stories are being more heavily reported.

The "political commentary" portion of Fox News is notoriously biased in favor of right wing, conservative politics. MSNBC is equally biased in favor of left wing, liberal politics while CNN is considered center left and probably the most neutral of all the cable news networks. Fox News has Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck who are both extremely biased towards the right. Their job is to demonize the liberal left, discredit the Obama Administration, play up the "Muslim" threat, highlight the "advantages" of right wing politics, the failures of left wing politics and the bias of the liberal left media.

MSNBC on the other hand has Keith Olbermman and Rachel Maddow whose job it is to call into question the credibility of the Fox News network, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. They tend to focus on the positive aspects of the Obama Administration and harp on the failures of the Bush Administration and the hypocracy of conservative right politics.

CNN's job is to present the appearance of being a neutral network to attract moderates. They have liberal and conservative columnists working for their station (but more liberals than conservatives) and have center-left journalists like Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper who go out of their way to highlight the perspective of both political parties, but also spend more time criticizing the legitimacy of Fox News as a "fair and balanced network". The fact that they employ more liberal journalists and attack Fox News moreso than MSNBC leads peole to view them as center-left.

The bias in each of the networks is also reflected in their respective ratings. Fox News is the highest rated of the three because it is the only one that cators specifically to the right, meaning that conservatives (roughly 50% of people watching the news) are more likely to tune into Fox News. MSNBC out ranks CNN in the ratings because they take a more extremel liberal stance in their political commentary and absorb much of CNN's left leaning audience. MSNBC is the anti-Fox News. CNN tries to play it down the middle to attract moderates but has the lowest ratings because it is hesitant to take an obvious political stance in either direction and because liberals prefer the stronger liberal slant of MSNBC.

Fox News is "fair and balanced" ONLY in the sense that it balances out the lack of right leaning news media on cable television. There are no secrets about the fact that shows a strong right wing biased as many of it's employees contribute significantly to republican campaigning. It's not as bad as it's made out to be, but it's pretty bad mostly due to the efforts of Bill O'Reilly being it's top rated show and the fact that they choose to employ Glenn Beck (who is most definately certifiably insane).

Forgiveness_Man wrote:I am sure most here will disagree with me, but most here are liberal so of course that's the case. It's no worse than any other network.

I'm a moderate and I disagree with you. I have a feeling most moderates would disagree with you also. But I do agree with you that it is no more worse than MSNBC, just from the opposite perspective. But both networks are extremely, BLATENTLY bias and I would venture a guess that more people are prone to question the credibility of Fox News allegedly unbiased reporting.

I mainly watch Canadian news shows, so I don't know.