"Fox Fever"- The Latest Pandemic

[ainu-laire.livejournal.com]

I just read an article by Larry Elder and it is (IMO) one of the better articles about Fox News. It doesn't try and cover the fact that the channel is sympathetic to conservative view points, but at the same time it looks over the other news channels, giving hard statistics to show that, interestingly enough, Fox is actually the most 'fair and balanced' out of the news channels evaluated statistically.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20091105/cm_uc_crlelx/op_2411876

Comments

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Like I said, I don't watch it. (No cable.) So I'm not sure what a "conservative spin" would even be.

But yeah, I'm sure nothing is perfect so you need to use your own mind as well. There's only so much spin any story can get before it's just... not true anymore!

[athousandsmiles]

I recall during the election last year, a McCain ad that accused Obama of advocating sex education for kindergartners, and the Obama camp denying it. On Fox News one night, I heard Brit Hume (and a guest) declaring that the ad was true. So I went and looked up the very bill they were talking about and found that the claim was neither true nor false. The bill didn't specify an age for the proposed sex education, and the language of it was murky enough ("age appropriate") that either side could make their case for whether or not it was true.

So... Brit Hume and guest didn't lie, but... they didn't tell the whole truth either. It's maddening to me.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

A half truth like that is still a lie. If something is deliberately vague like this bill you're talking about here, all you have do is say it the way you just did: This bill doesn't specify an age, so it could be used this way or that way.

The thing is, it does take some time to look things up yourself. Some people are just lazy. But even for those who make the effort, it can be difficult (not to mention time consuming) to find correct information. There is such an overload of information out there. You could be at it literally 24/7 and there's just no way to keep up with everything. It's insane.

That's why I think newspeople have one of the most important jobs on earth. Think of the power and responsibility they have. It is THEIR JOB to look things up, sort things out and give ACCURATE information to the public. The fact that they don't is a source of endless frustration on my part. How I wish I could start my life over. I'd try to get into journalism. Not a TV newsperson on camera (ACK!) but in print. I really consider it to be a high calling that has been utterly perverted.