As the war of words between Fox News and the Obama Administration continues, one thing becomes clear -- assertions that Fox News gives slanted and biased, even dishonest coverage, is and always has been true but its also true they are not alone. Which could be one reason why other news organizations seemed to come to Fox's defense. Journalistic dishonesty wants company.
What conservatives always complained about was not that the mainstream media slanted towards liberals. It;s complaint was that they were never slanted towards conservatives. It wasnt objectivity they wanted. They wanted the same slant, bias and distortions they saw the liberals getting. And in Fox News they have it. But in a much more insidious way.
There is a big difference between Fox's lies and the distortions of other news organizations. What is behind most of the misrepresenations of other news organizations is both incompetence and fear. Fox is not incompetent. And they are not afraid. Their distortions and slanting of the news is willful. And so is much of their dishonesty.
Fox has been asserting that since the Obama Administration has begun their attacks their ratings are up. It's an attempt by Fox News to imply that Obama's attacks against them for bias and dishonest reporting has backfired and has driven more people to watching Fox News. Its Fox's petty way of thinking they are stickng a thumb in Obama's eye. But its also simply not true which should come as no surprise.
The fact is Fox ratings were up last week but not as a result of Obama's firing back at the network. The evidence is they were up because of the balloon boy incident, and it's aftermath, carried live by Fox as it was by the other cable networks and attracted a large audience for all cable networks and is still a news story.
Fox has media people who know this. But it didn't stop the News division from trying to claim that it was Obama's attacks against the network that increased their ratings.
Fox's rating are in fact higher than the other two cable networks but not because of the fight with the White House. That fight is nothing more than retaliation for the fight Fox News picked with Obama. And if Fox tries to assert they have not been picking a fight with Obama and his policies then just add another whopper to Fox's list of lies.
Brit Hume, who has his good moments and bad moments tried to come to Fox's defense by asking if the other cable networks felt good about getting "a pat on the head" from the Administration. His implication is that the press' role should be adversarial in their coverage of politics and that being embraced by the Obama Administration is nothing to be proud of. But distorting the news to comport with right wing propaganda is nothing to be proud of either. And that is what Fox does.
Media Matters reported that over a four day stretch from August 24th-28th Fox News aired 22 news clips opposing health care reform and none supporting it.
It was laughably obvious that during the Bush administration Fox News did every bit as much to deserve "a pat on the head" from Bush and the Republicans as Hume is accusing the other two cable networks of doing for Obama. Fox was about as adversarial over Iraq, Bush's failures in the 911 attacks and the economy as a trained seal is adversarial to a fish.
The real problem though, is not just Fox but the media as a whole. Rick Sanchez, a CNN anchor has been blistered for airing racist Rush Limbaugh quotes that turned out to be false. And he deserves to be blistered. Sanchez is one of the sloppiest journalists on the air and his pandering to what he sees as a "young audience", probably college students who can watch his show at 3 p.m. is almost embarrassing as he keeps using the word " cool" in almost everything he says.
CNN and MSNBC, like Fox, continues a brand of journalism where their anchors just cant stop inserting their own opinions into the news, wanting to be the news as much as reporting it and their opinions are invariably wrong about everything all the time. And no one can deny that MSNBC went from being in Bush's pocket to Obama's pocket as soon as the political winds changed, though to be fair, Keith Olbermann was the lone anti-Bush voice on MSNBC when it wasn't popular be to anti-Bush.
Obama's war with Fox News is a war worth fighting,since they are hardly an unbiased objective news organization and their slogan of fair and balanced is simply a lie. They are neither but wont admit it.
But the two other cable news networks aren't much better . The difference is in Fox's case their slanting of the news is willful and calculated. In CNN's case their misrepresentations are based on incompetence, trying to insinuate their opinions into shaping the debate so they can be the news and shape it instead of just reporting it, and constantly trying to figure out which way the winds are blowing to maximize their ratings.
Fox on the other hand, has built their network understanding that their audience doesnt want the truth, they just want to have their egos massaged and feel like they're right about all the things they are and have been wrong about. And Fox, with commentators like Sean Hannity who are primarily masseurs do a good job giving conservatives a rub down. They have yet to take Bush and the Republicans to task for all the disasters brought on the country from 911 to the economic crisis.
And no one with an IQ in 3 digits would believe that if a Democrat had created the same mess, they wouldnt be pounding away at the Democrats unfitness to run the country. That is Fox's game. And Obama has just decided he no longer wants to play.
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Comments
Hmmm... this is interesting. Fox was the lone voice on the Van Jones story -- which actually turned out to be true. The White House was forced to admit "improper vetting". Here is an example of a story that would have never aired, if it wasn't for Fox, but it's also an example of a story we the people have a right to know. These people advising the President have no Congressional oversight or vetting, and Fox has laid down an indisputable case that many of them are radicals with far left sensibilities.
Mr. Rubin-
I cannot believe that anybody would publish this dribble. You use Media Matters as a source to give evidence of Fox's coverage of Health Care? Are you kidding me? Then you say that "in Fox's case their slanting of the news is willful and calculated". And Media Matters isn't??? Media Matters defines bias in reporting; that's what they do with a liberal slant. They re-package and spit out stories media ready to the entire left press. It is nothing but slanted.
So what we have here is a "journalist" that uses a propaganda outlet like "Media Matters" as a "source", when everything that emits from Media Matters is re-engineered to be served up by the liberal left media.
This is what journalism is today, trash, and it's people like Mr. Rubin who bring it down. Here is a hint, Mr. Rubin about how to be a proper journalist. Actually watch Fox News yourself and report your own observations, and if you did that you might find the quality of you work would improve 100%.
Seems to me that National Public Radio(NPR), is the only way to go. The commentators actually never really give much, if any opinion. The experts or the common people are allowed to discuss the news. I consider this to be "real news talk". Fox and Msnbc is a joke. You can't depend on either for the truth, and that should be obvious. Now if you want to get a great conspiracy theory, go ahead and watch or listen to these extreme right and left wing idiots. But, a person really shouldn't base their presidential vote off of the information that is produced from either of these media groups.
Seems to me that National Public Radio(NPR), is the only way to go. The commentators actually never really give much, if any opinion. The experts or the common people are allowed to discuss the news. I consider this to be "real news talk". Fox and Msnbc is a joke. You can't depend on either for the truth, and that should be obvious. Now if you want to get a great conspiracy theory, go ahead and watch or listen to these extreme right and left wing idiots. But, a person really shouldn't base their presidential vote off of the information that is produced from either of these media groups.
Thank-you! At last someone who's making some damn sense on this thing. It's probably a mistake for Obama to go after them, from a purely political point of view, but otherwise I'm glad someone had the gall to go after FOX. Everyone else, mainstream media included, tiptoes around them, because they don't want to seem liberal.
If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.
George Washington
If the powers that be in Washington have a problem with FOX, then call Glenn Beck on his red phone or GO ON THE PROGRAMS AND DEBATE THE ISSUES. They refuse to debate with FOX commentators and FOX opinion shows and leave the public to believe they are afraid to answer hard ball questions. If they have a problem with Rush Limbaugh, I am positive he would move thier call to the front of the cue if they would only call. The commentators give a phone number to call and the Washington folks cannot be reached and will not answer the call.
WHAT! No liberals to answer that problem? Tell your representatives of your president to GO ON FOX and rip them to shreads. I want to hear it. Or at least answer their phone calls.
Here it is another George Washington Quote :
"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence."
If he lived today , he would advise the White House :
"Be courteous to all (including Fox News) , but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried (eg Van Jones,Anita Dunn ) before you give them your confidence."
All good reasons why I simply do not watch news anymore, and I choose online news that provides straight facts (not opinion) consistently. This article is obviously opinion; a weak attempt to present an objective view of the facts, no doubt about it. Kid yourself all you want, but you can't fool me. Perhaps if the media had refrained from their biased nudging, selected coverage, insidious questioning for as long as I can remember, then there might not have been a need for Fox to pander to those who wanted their opinions on the news.
WHAT! No liberals to answer that problem? Tell your representatives of your president to GO ON FOX and rip them to shreads. I want to hear it. Or at least answer their phone calls.
Years ago, in my youth, I learned the listen to the arguments for, and against, a proposition. I also learned the it is common that when an individual, or organization, has a poor argument, that they often will use a strategy to attack the integrity of their opposition.
The president has a number of propositions to improve the lives of the people of the United States. He shares these ideas with many others; however, he also has many detractors that have a different philosophical view than him. Unfortunately, instead of trying to have an honest, open, airing of his views, he has begun to personally attack those individuals, and organizations, that disagree with his viewpoints. He could have chosen to work harder to find common grounds for agreement and to work towards those common areas of agreement instead of using personal attacks. He did not do so.
Based upon President Obama's actions, it appears as if he feels that arguments for his propositons are extremely weak.
WHAT! No liberals to answer that problem? Tell your representatives of your president to GO ON FOX and rip them to shreads. I want to hear it. Or at least answer their phone calls.
This whole piece is nonsense. Next time to get the facts, try watching Fox....
WHAT! No liberals to answer that problem? Tell your representatives of your president to GO ON FOX and rip them to shreads. I want to hear it. Or at least answer their phone calls.
Van Jones sure did pack his stuff didn't he??
If you dont like Fox News dont watch it. It's simple. I don't rant on lefties for watching MSNBC. You guys just want to argue with anyone who is against the welfare health care.
Fox has the highest ratings of late due to word of mouth about how they have PROVEN things with the Obama camp are not what they appear.
Other things haven't been proven. But darn sure not disproven.
If you want to defend Van Jones,...go ahead.
WHAT! No liberals to answer that problem? Tell your representatives of your president to GO ON FOX and rip them to shreads. I want to hear it. Or at least answer their phone calls.
The behavior of Fox defenders frankly frightens me. Has it crossed your mind that Van Jones stepped down because he was becoming a distraction when the administration had more important things to do? Fox created their own news with the Van Jones bull, and then pushed it to the point that he had to step down and they then trumpeted their own vindication. Its ludicrous. Every non-partisan fact-checking organization ripped Beck's Van Jones attacks to shreds. If only FoxNews viewers were willing to at least occasionally venture outside of their conservative news cacoon, they might have come across that information.
And this whole, "Oh if Fox is so full of lies why are they so popular?" line is just ridiculous. I can't seriously believe any of you actually think that's a valid argument. And the irony of it coming from conservatives who are constantly decrying the ills of "modern society"! You should know that popularity does not equal validation! If that were true you'd be forced to accept that Obama was the better presidential candidate because more people voted for him! If you can believe that millions of "sheeple" had the wool pulled over their eyes by Obama, then can't you at least stop to consider that FoxNews may be doing the same to you? There are objective ways of determining truth, use them and see if Fox measures up. I'm not one to watch MSNBC, or Michael Moore, but FoxNews is objectively, the most biased of the mainstream news organizations. By far.
WHAT! No liberals to answer that problem? Tell your representatives of your president to GO ON FOX and rip them to shreads. I want to hear it. Or at least answer their phone calls.
"Montana4thruth says:
WHAT! No liberals to answer that problem? Tell your representatives of your president to GO ON FOX and rip them to shreads. I want to hear it. Or at least answer their phone calls."
I couldnt agree more. That is exactly what they should do. But regrettably I think your right, there are no liberals with a big enough mouth or big enough heart to do it. That is part of the problem. But if I were calling the shots that is exactly what Id tell them to do.
This article is nothing more than more left wing bash job. Fox lies? Doesn't Obama? The problem seems to be, whose lies will be heard, and what truths will be buried?
I'd rather listen to Beck and Hannity, than Olbermann and Maddow ANY day of the week!
This article is nothing more than another liberal cry baby who just can't take ANY opposition to their point of view. Rather than debate the issues, they call names and demean the opposing view point. The one thing that could actually stop the criticism, they never do, and that is debate the issue on it's merits. It's always the other side that's "not real news", or "fear mongering" or "racist' or "dishonest coverage".
There are numerous networks, all with a liberal slant, and one, just one that has a convervative slant, and they just can't stand it, it drives them crazy. What a bunch of wimps and cry babies.
Fox news "not real news organization"
Obama not a real president.
This is another elitist, urban, upper-middle-class, liberal ("socialist") "journalist" spouting his opinion that the conservative masses of this country are DUMB!
FOX has the best ratings because they provide the best journalism and the least biased news.
The conservative masses are, in factm as has been proven over and over by focus groups and testing, the least informed group of people in the country. Hardly anything they believe to be a fact is true. And the reason is they get most of their "information", or in actuality misinformation, from Fox News. Dont argue with me, argue with those who have conducted the tests. Conservatives never held Bush accountable for this failures in allowing the 911 attacks and in fact glossed over them. That is all anyone needs to know about conservatives and their principles.
Those fact checking organizations ripped Beck's Jones story to shreds??
How so?
One wouldn't even have to listen to Beck. Everyone saw and heard the video that WAS Van Jones. If a fact checking organization says that wasn't Jones in the video they are smoking crack.
The video was real. Jone's socialist ideas are real. He was shown for what he was and he packed his bags. End of story.
Glenn Beck didn't have to push HIS ideas onto anyone. Jones did that for himself.
This piece is what is commonly known as creative non-fiction and written by a professional screenwriter. In short, it is a highly subjective opinion piece. Proper non-fiction requires a thesis and facts to support it. These facts must be cited to that the reader can judge whether to trust the source or not. What I have read here are a series or assertions and the author's implied claims to authority without any evidence save his own perspective. Those who already agree with his thesis praise it and those who do not damn it. Reminds me of that old saying about opinions and ass****s, everyone's got one. But an opinion is a believe without an argument, without proof (and I don't mean hearsay). Make your argument, build your case, do some research, leave some links otherwise just give the keyboard a rest. Fox News is lying because A, B, C and D proves it, and then let the reader decide.
While you are choosing sides between the pro-Obama news channels and the anti-Obama news channels and remaining distracted, they are basically ALL working to manipulate your views on things like the so-called war on terror, the economic 'crisis', H1N1 and vaccinations, the Iranian 'threat', global warming, and everything else under the sun. FOX, MSNBC, CNN, etc .... turn them all off. All of these mainsteam news organizations are corporate owned and run propaganda machines which are designed to keep the same corrupt system in place while scaring you, dumbing you down, and distracting you with fluff pieces and "right" vs. "left" garbage. FOX is just the most aggressive and transparent with their obvious right wing bias. "Our" system serves the banksters and the corporations at the expense of the people no matter who is in the white house, and the media serves to enable it.
Fox is the only 'news' network that went to court to argue for the right to lie in its broadcasts---and won!
They have a free rein to 'misrepresent' the truth. And do so.
This article is empty. Fox lies?
Let's see some of Fox's lies, that other networks ignored.
- Van Jones is a communist.
- Government programs are failures.
- ACORN is corrupt and should be investigated.
- Obama promised to debate anybody, but has so far docked Fox.
- Obama quadrupled the deficit in 6 months.
- Obama favors socialist ideals.
- Pelosi, Reid are radical leftist partisans.
- Most Americans prefer less govt. Obama wants bigger govt.
- Obama hates private sector making profit.
- He wants amnesty for illegals.
- Dems are weak on defense.
- Dems vilify and demonize their opponents.
- Left-leaning media refused to cover Van Jones/ACORN.
- Obama bullies opponents.
- Obama released interrogation techniques to terrorists.
- Obama is going to raise taxes on everybody.
- Obama surrounds himself with socialist radicals.
- Obama is printing huge amounts of dollars.
- Under Obama, energy cost sky-rockets.
These are issues tackled by Fox, other networks ignor
cont'd...
Those are issues tackled by Fox, that other networks ignore.
Where are the lies?
I Don't remember MSNBC or CNN having to go to court to assert they're right to lie:
"During their appeal, FOX asserted that there are no written rules against distorting news in the media. They argued that, under the First Amendment, broadcasters have the right to lie or deliberately distort news reports on public airwaves. Fox attorneys did not dispute Akre’s claim that they pressured her to broadcast a false story, they simply maintained that it was their right to do so. ”
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