Complaining that Fox News isn’t news is like complaining that a lemonade stand isn’t a bar. It’s not supposed to be. That’s not its purpose.
The purpose of Fox News (or certainly of the Fox News “personalities” and commentators) isn’t to present “fair and balanced” anything. The purpose of Fox News is to mirror and affirm the anger so many people carry around with them.
You generally feel powerless and victimized; you’re furious; you’re just looking for a way to focus and justify that anger. And there’s Glenn Beck, railing and crying over the gross injustices of all the people in power who are immoral idiots bent on destroying everything that’s decent and good.
Or there’s Keith Olbermann, doing exactly the same thing.
And there are the CEO’s of both of their companies, happily counting their money, secure in the knowledge that anger is always the gift that keeps on giving.
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![John Shore on The Huffington Post](http://johnshore.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/huffpost.jpg?w=120 "John Shore on The Huffington Post\")
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
"I remember FOX calling President Obama a terrorist, Muslim, and impersonator."
Really? Fox called President Obama a terrorist, Muslim, and impersonator? If you can find me one instance where FOX called President Obama any of those things, I'll send you $10,000.
"The difference, of course, John and Lauri both, is that Beck, Hannity and their ilk are not just taking our leaders to task for their failures but also promoting hatred, bigotry, sexism and similar disgusting behaviors, while Olbermann, Maddow and the like are actively pushing for a better America."
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!! (deep breath inward) AAAAHHHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! (gasp, gasp, pant pant) teehee…heehee…tee hee hee hee hee ha ha ha ha HAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA…
Whew…thanks for that.
Maybe Kenneth just took that out of context; as we know they like to imply on FOXNews that Barack Obama is pretty much terrible at everything, perhaps they were just saying that as a impersonator of a Muslim terrorist, Mr. Obama would in fact do a *terrible* job!
Our media has more propaganda than any other country, except maybe North Korea. Just like many North Koreans, many Americans don't realize that they are being brainwashed.
This article is right on the mark. These news networks are nothing more than propaganda machines. Whenever a new network tell you what you think, instead of simply telling you what events occurred, it is nothing more than propaganda. America has mastered it better than Nazi Germany and it is amusing that a lot of people don't realize the extent of propaganda.
Someone also stated that there is a separation between personalities and the news. I have to say that such a statement is ridiculous. If your are called a "News Network", then you should be airing balanced news. You should not be airing personalities who are full of propaganda, ranting, and extremism who present bias commentary as news. That is what these so called news personalities do, they look as if they are presenting news when they are really just brainwashing people. This includes both FOX and MSNBC.
Someone also stated that the personalities on FOX present themselves as conservatives, and not moderates who are trying to coverup their leftward lean. I would have to respond to that by saying that political leaning in the media is not the problem. The misrepresentation of issues, purposely so, is the problem. I remember FOX calling President Obama a terrorist, Muslim, and impersonator. I don't consider that a political leaning, I consider that baseless propaganda.
Okay, you guys need to stop now. I’m going to leave the comments to this post open in case anyone else has anything to say here, but (and no offense to either of you, please), you guys need to take your exchange elsewhere. Feel free to arrange here where that is–but that’s it, please. Thanks for understanding. (It’s a good exchange; I’m sure people will be interested in following it.)
I also think that many people don't want to think for themselves so they let others (sort of) do the thinking for them. In this way the brain has much more room for things like righteous outrage and vindictiveness. Not to mention reality television and the E! channel. Since most people only read one book a year and that is usually at the beach (correct me if I'm wrong Mr. Author) what more can you expect from Fox or their alpha-competitors. The people at PBS understand this – they know they could never survive on advertising and still be thorough (and before the conservatives start slamming PBS don't forget that it was they who put Bill Buckley on the air for nearly 30 years).
I read more then one book a year.
Well said, John. Very well said, actually.
There’s a difference between Fox News’s news division and their personality division. Beck, Hannity, O’Reilly aren’t meant to be news, that’s correct. But Shepherd Smith IS meant to be news, and it is fair and balanced, at least according to most media watchdog groups during election seasons.
The difference between Fox News and the other networks is that Fox News doesn’t claim to be something it’s not. Beck/Hannity/O’Reilly don’t claim to be moderates, just like John Stossel never claimed to be anything but a libertarian on 20/20. At least they’re up front about it, unlike the 80% of the media that votes democrat every election but claims to always practice journalistic objectivity.
You also have to remember the reason that people are angry–one of the reasons Fox News became so popular so quickly is that conservatives couldn’t find balance at the other networks. Their anger came from not getting what they wanted from media– I’m not talking about a conservative bias, I’m talking about balance. When every pop culture outlet (entertainment magazines and shows, MTV, movies, network TV, etc.) leans to the left, it starts to piss you off, and you’ll take what you can get. Fox offered something different even before it went brazenly conservative in prime time.
I’m a libertarian, so I get my fix from South Park!
"The difference between Fox News and the other networks is that Fox News doesn’t claim to be something it’s not."
I'm sorry, have you missed the Faux News tagline? "Fair and balanced." I do believe that IS in fact a false claim. They also claim to be "news."
I get mine from John Stewart's The Daily Show…that is when I bother to pull it up on my computer. My television is only on so the grand can watch one of her princess movies when she is visiting.
I only read headlines on occasion from a variety of sources…note that the highly touted Rapture hasn't occurred yet and go back to life. I see enough idiocy there, some of which I create myself to bother with what some over confident ,over paid, opinion emitter has to say.
(Kidding! It’s a stock photo.)
Skerrib had it almost right: it’s a picture not of Sean Hannity when he was young, but rather Sean’s 5-year-old son, little Adolph.
Who’s the kid?
“Complaining that Fox News isn’t news is like complaining that a lemonade stand isn’t a bar. It’s not supposed to be. That’s not its purpose.”
Dang … Right after I wrote my Fox/Obama piece, I read THIS. I wish I’d written it. Rest assured, I’ll be ripping it off.
Lauri: Soooooo you missed the line about Keith Olbermann.
Whaddam I gonna DO with you people?
: – )
Hey now. Equal time for equal crime!
If not the right-bent camp selling anger, the left-bent camp is always there to pick up the slack & sell artist-elitist/tree-hugging/pollyanna-ishness to the other half of the masses who like to sit over their green tea & soy milk and scoff at how the Fox Watchers just don’t get it.
Sorry, you must have missed the part where it says Olbermann is just as guilty of the same things as Beck, etc.
The difference, of course, John and Lauri both, is that Beck, Hannity and their ilk are not just taking our leaders to task for their failures but also promoting hatred, bigotry, sexism and similar disgusting behaviors, while Olbermann, Maddow and the like are actively pushing for a better America.
You don't see Olbermann talking about how much racial harmony there was back when all the black people were slaves, do you? And yet Glenn Beck said that very thing today on his show.
Do you know what Beck actually said? You know what? I don't even want to know. Whatever it was, I'm sorry you had to hear it. (But … do you watch/listen to his show?)
Did anyone catch O'Reilly, in the run-up to the election, blather on about the love affair with mainstream media with Obama? I don't disagree that there was a cult-of-personality thing going on for a time, but then O'Reilly pulls out this intellectual pop-foul:
He cited how Fox 'News' scrupulously analyzed media coverage of Obama showing that the other networks did more Obama-favorable pieces ["look! He can string sentences together!!"] than Obama-unfavorable pieces. He then showed how Fox had just about a 50-50 favorable/unfavorable split as decidedly fair and balanced…."so there you pinheads!".
So, to meet Fox's high journalistic standards, we should demand that we see a 50/50 split on stories that give us the the fair and balanced coverage of, let's say, genocide in Darfur. We should demand to see the pro-genocide stories right along with the anti-genocide stories. …what a pinhead.
[Gotta say, though, I have been impressed with Shepard Smith on the rare occasion I catch him]
Preach it!
Oh, sure, Dallas: just show up here and know what you're talking about, why doncha? Bastard! You don't see me showing up at your film blog talking about camera angles and proper lighting, do you? No. I wouldn't know what I was talking about if I did—but still, I have the class not to do it. And don't you forget it.
Oh, all right, fine. Fine. You're right. I shouldn't have lumped together Fox News and Fox P.U.'s. (Get it? Cuz of the smell? Get it? Didya get it?) I went back and modified what I wrote to reflect that mildly hyperbolic oversight.
But I won't forget this, famous film director Dallas Jenkins. I'm gonna get you for it. Oh yes I will.
Love it!
Is it deliberate that the kid in the pic looks just like Hannity? Amazing resemblance!
What do you think of Matt Drudge? : )
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