I 2nd that... too much psychobabble.. I'll have to go watch some FoxNews where they talk plain for us slow folks :wink:
Personally, I don't feel that a discussion about the merits or failures of a particular news network warrants much thought. All news is filtered and spun, you either like it or you don't, and in the end you must make the ultimate decision about what is real or not. Paralysis by analysis takes all the enjoyment out of too many things.
Several of my right-wing hetero male friends admit only watching Fox News because the female news anchors are "hot." They clearly don't actually care what's said, so why should the rest of us?
Foxes News... RG, I hope I am not one of those hetero blokes you mentioned... because we are totally now friends!! Kidding... I ***do*** admit that Fox has some hotties on air, but it's not the only reason I watch Fox News... nor is Fox News the only news I watch. They do cover more stories from the States than do the other options I have in my Cablemenos selection of news channels (CNN International, American Network (CBS News), BBC International, TVE, TV Azteca, etc)... so I like that aspect. I used to like Hannity&Colmes quite a bit... although I have to admit that Hannity all by himself rubs me the wrong way. I don't mind O'Reilly most of the time... And I dig Shepard Smith for the evening new more than any of the other channels evening new anchors. He's cooler? I think that most Fox hard news anchors are fine. I would agree that their commentators lean to the right, but I think it's fair to say that their contributors are evenly balanced. I like to see Bob Bechtel (who is intelligent and a staunch democrat). I also really like Juan Williams. They do try to present both sides of all of the controversial issues. Anyway... most of the problems with "the media" don't have as much to do with HOW they cover hard news stories, but WHICH hard news stories they choose to cover and HOW MUCH coverage those hard news stories get. Therein lies the rub, IMHO. Chris
True that Fox does have people from the "other" side. The only problem is that people like Glen, Bill and Sean don't let them talk much...preferring to cut them off and scream louder. A couple of the women anchors there have learned how to do it too.
To be fair... JiC, How often do you actually watch the commentators on Fox News? I have watched Bill O'Reilly fairly regularly over the past 3 or 4 years and have seen him shout down about 3 people. Barney Frank was one of them... Bill played a couple of clips of Mr. Frank making certain claims about Fannie and Freddie and Mr. Frank practically ignored the substance of the clips and basically denied having fault in the matter. Bill wanted him to apologize for misleading the American people about the state of F&F, but Mr. Frank refused (and became rather insulting)... so Bill yelled at him. I don't watch Hannity much now that Alan Colmes is not on with him. I only see Glen Beck when he's on O'Reilly. I think that they do a good job with presenting both sides of the issues during their hard news shows. And even many times on their news commentary shows. Chris
Re: To be fair... Only watch FOX news for *hits and giggles. Hannity is so off he is on another planet. Then there is Anne Coluter ( look at that adam's apple, is she really a she?). Fox thinks Rush Limbaugh (drug addict) is all that. It is not news but theater. Just my opinion and I am still entitled to aren't I ? Probably not according to Fox News followers. Scream and yell until you beat them done. Not ready for that yet.
Well... cancunwhoopie, Of course you are entitled to your opinion. I don't much agree with Hannity either... and even when I do agree with him I don't much like his disposition. I liked him a lot better when Colmes was there to balance things out. As I have stated a number of times now... I watch Fox News mostly for their hard news shows... and I watch O'Reilly as well. I thought Bill's interview of President (then candidate) Obama was the best one the interviews I saw during the entire campaign. I thought he was very fair with Mr. Obama, but not 'enchanted' with him. He didn't ask him any softball questons... I appreciated that. I don't see the need to denigrate people by making disparaging comments about them. At any rate... I hope you are well. Chris p.s. Ann Coulter is not a Fox News commentator... she MAY be a Fox News contribitor (although I am not sure that she is). She also has appeared on almost every other major (english-speaking) news network on this side of the Atlantic that I can think of. You probabaly don't like her for her harsh style and personal attacks... yet you engage in it??
Once upon a time I liked FoxNews, I even thought (briefly) that O'Reilly was a straight shooter. Then I started to hear about people pointing out how one sided their coverage was and I thought.... how could that be? I mean after all they remind you they're "Fair & Balanced" every 30 seconds! Then as time went on, I started to notice that the issues they covered and the positions of 90ish percent of the commentators/analysts/experts/guests/etc... were just constantly spewing "right-wing" political views. I then started to pick up on the disproportionate and/or weakly represented "opposing" views when it came to anything political (which everything seems to be). That show Hannity & Colmes was a perfect example... of the 60 minute show how many minutes did the "democrat" dominate the microphone? 10? less? Maybe when they first launched and when I enjoyed watching it, they were not as blatantly political, or I was just oblivious to it, but after not watching for a few years, it was painfully obvious what agenda they were pushing when I started to watch it again. After a few months of "Fox News Alerts" ringing every minute, I got to where I couldn't tolerate the propaganda anymore and dropped it from my service. Now, just to be clear. I'm not a fan of CNN either, with their Nancy Grace "personalities", and the like (copying FoxNews....), and I can also detect a slight "left" lean in some of their reporting, but not near as much as the slant with FoxNews. For the last few years I've gotten the majority of my news online, via Google News, and I tend to read the views from several sources... I also read a lot of news direct from the AP/Reuters, before its gets sensationalized and politicized. (If you don't believe FoxNews is a right-wing political machine.. read an unedited AP news story about something, then find the same story on the FoxNews's website, it will be almost the exact same, with just a few words or sentences changed to favor the "right" or bash the "left" 90 percent of the time. CNN is guilty of this too, but not to the same extent.) Before I moved here I don't think I realized just how false the "news" in the States really was, but once you start to look in from the outside, and see their coverage of things such as Mexico, its really quite obvious how little factual reporting goes on. After all if the US "news" cant get anything right about their neighbor to the South, why would you think they can get anything else right? Unfortunately, many, many, many people just suck up whatever their favorite "news" personality tells them as the God's honest, unquestionable truth, and base their opinions, actions, and beliefs on that false information.... PS: For the record I am an "Independent", my political views are all over the map and I cant stand the blowhards from either of the two main political parties.
