FOX, are they real???

[Towelmaster]

Last night I saw a program about FOX News with plenty of fragments from FOX itself.

How in the whole wide world can anybody believe - let alone be indoctrinated - by a biased right-wing republican newsnet like that???


Ab-so-lu-te-ly incredible.

After seeing the program the first thing I thought was "America is only 20 years behind the times, it IS 1984 over there". I could not come up with this scary news-network in my worst nightmares. This is so much like ISN under President Clarke that it makes my head spin.

What an incredible discriminating extreme rightwing bollocks-network. And THIS is the most powerful network in America nowadays? Lead by an Australian?
I haven't always been nice to CNN but I'd take them over FOX any day.

In Holland we have something called the Trias Politica, the tripod consisting of the government, the police and the judicial system. The press is not included in this but we garantee a free press by constitution and by law.


In the States you have had something extra for hundreds of years: freedom of the press to counteract any wrongdoing by the government. And what happens? Murdoch sets up the most biased network in the history if the U.S.A. and the average American eats it up!

How can this be?
Help me out here please :

1) The power of the media is absolute.
2) People are basically very right-wing republican.
3) People in America are so gullible that they will believe anything as long as it is repeated day and night.

It is no wonder Bush is still in the race. With friends like these who cares who your enemies are?

And one of the worst things is that - as I understand it - CBS, ABC and NBC are following Fox' lead more and more.

I mean, I saw a FOX-news-snippet :

"Kerry used his usual scare-tactics to frighten the old people, saying there will be no more old-age pensions when President Bush is re-elected"

That is a 99% accurate quote by the way.

And that is "FAIR AND BALANCED" ??? They know no shame.

I mean; the Bush-campaign has a buzzword everyday that everybody has to use in whatever interview they give that day. This is not unusual and I suspect Kerry does the same thing.
But it really gives me an uneasy feeling when I see how FOX uses the phrase over and over and over again in news-programs, just to ram it into the people's heads. Yesterday I saw how they went about using 'Flip-Flopping' in absolutely every politicial topic they had. Until you wanted to puke whenever you heard the expression.
In-cre-di-ble...

I have never seen any network so subjective in my life, and I have seen a lot of it so far. As we say; it was toe-curlingly biased.

The dutch press gets a lot of flack lately because they tend to choose sides more then they did in the past. But my Lord, they are an example of objectivity compared to FOX.

And before I forget : they should attach a liedetector to that total waste of spacetime of an O'Reilly. At least you wouldn't hear what he says because of the continuous bleeping of the machine. What an incredible asshole. Who does he think he is? Jerry Springer? Forget it; Jerry Springer is more civilized than this fluke-of-nature will every be.

Is there any future for new Woodwards and Bernsteins? Apart from making a documentary with Michael Moore because nobody wants to get burned?

I don't understand how anyone could call the opponents of Bush radical. He and his party are totally converting the media-landscape for the sake of more votes and another 4 years in office.

Take a good look with some historical perspective and anyone can see that Bush is the radical here, not Kerry.


Pravda lives again, it just changed sides, moved to the United States and it's now in full-colour.

Anyway: so much for the free American Press.

To quote Jed Bartlett : What's Next?

TM.

[I love Lyta]

*LOL*
I know it's downright unbelievable but you should calm down a bit.
Wouldn't want a reasonable person to get a heart attack.

You know, he's not called Rupert Goebbels over here for nothing...
And the most disgusting thing about this is that there are shitloads of people who actually believe this shit.
Believe me, on another board I see people on a daily basis quoting FOX News to discredit Kerry, promoting the neocon agenda and whatnot.

"Kerry used his usual scare-tactics to frighten the old people, saying there will be no more old-age pensions when President Bush is re-elected"

This should read:
"Bush used his usual scare-tactics to frighten the people, saying there will be more terrorist attacks if he is not re-elected."

I agree. FOX News is the ISN (after Clark took over) of the presence.

[colonyearth]

I work for a local FOX tv station (the network -- which leans massively liberal -- not the FNC). I've been trying to tell people for years how massively and unabashedly right-wing biased FNC is, but those who love Georgieboy refuse to acknowledge it.

I work for the same main corporation, NewsCorp. And we KNOW it's right-wing biased on FNC. We're ashamed of it.

Locally, we're not biased, in fact, I'd say we're more liberal if anything. I struggle to keep us fair, being a liberal myself, and a gay/HIV+ man who thinks all sides should be examined and fairly represented.

Those of us here and at other FOX tv stations are truly embarrassed by FNC.

Ironically, NewsCorp isn't so right-wing in it's personel or it's ideology as a company. FNC is the bastion of the neocon concept in NewsCorp. Granted, Uncle Rupe (as we not so affectionately call him) is a right-winger, however, NewsCorp runs on the whole more liberally (with, as I said, the exception of FNC).

The company offers same-sex partner benefits and other liberal ideals. FOX Network, as well as FX, 20th Century Fox, etc, are all very liberal in their ideology. I mean, just look at such shows as the Simpsons, X-Files, The Shield, even bad ones like My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance. Look at the film studio. They're all liberal leaning.

No, it's FNC that found a very profitable niche as a neocon bastion of the right-wing agenda. And make no bones about it, it's all about the money.

Uncle Rupe saw an untapped market and went for it. It worked. He plays to the liberals with regular and cable network programming and films, and uses FNC to bitch about stuff his own company is doing. Meanwhile, he sits back and rakes in the dough from liberals and conservatives alike. Like it or not, it's marketing genius.

He's playing the masses like a master and making tons of money from it. I can see right through it, but then, I work for the company.

But make no mistake, FNC is a massive right-wing propoganda machine for the neocons and their agenda. That is true. That is also Rupe's true identity. His newspapers are also conservative. But he's not so interested any social agenda, it's the monetary agenda he loves. Why? Because it favors huge corporations, of which he owns one of the largest. So he makes more money.

Remember folks, true conservatives are not the same thing as neocons, but neocons somehow manage to convince true conservative masses that they are. However, there's a huge difference in the two.

For neocons it's ultimately all about the money and big corporations making shitloads of it. All of that talk of social conservatism and Christian morality is fodder for the masses so they will support them, even though they really don't believe most of what they say. Ironically, true political conservatives don't believe the government should legislate any social agenda, but should stay out of people's personal lives. The old-school conservatives hate what Georgie is doing and many are actuall calling on conservative to vote for Kerry, since they believe he's actually better for the country.

The only way FNC will change however, is if the people see it for what it is, realize they've been manipulated and dooped, and quit watching it. Then you'd see how fast FNC changed in order to find an audience again...in short they'll ultimately go where the chance for the most money is.

Sadly, that's not going to happen anytime soon, because the masses who believe in FNC and the tripe they throw out are not willing to open their minds to anything but what FNC and the neocons tell them.

CE

[I love Lyta]

Nice insider view. Thanx for that. *thumbsup*

"My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance"
They showed that crap over here too. Reminded me of what many women are willing to do for money.

"The old-school conservatives hate what Georgie is doing and many are actually calling on conservatives to vote for Kerry, ..."

A new hope...

[Towelmaster]

Fair and Balanced My Ass

Aww Lyta, a good old rant never hurt anyone...

It just eludes me how anyone with an IQ of over 75 could possibly believe that Fox is actually correct and factual... And I am allergic to networks who use slogans like "Fair and Balanced" while they are the exact opposite. Why don't they just come out and say that they are opinionated? It's not against the law or anything.

Now I have to admit, the program I watched had a lot of snippets of a certain Mr. O' Reilly... I tell you, a person like that would not ever ever ever get a position as a serious bringer of news over here. Mind you: he would probably get a show outside the news-medium because a big chunk of the dutch population likes this type of muck-raking rabblerousing assholes just as much as the Americans do. But he would never be taken seriously by more than 2 % of the viewers and he'd be on a par with Jerry Springer at the most. And I apologize to Mr. Springer for saying that(I don't believe I'm doing this!).

Another thing ; I learned recently that the times when a network had to give equal time/coverage to the various candidates has long gone. I thought that this rule still applied(btw: it does in Holland, even the tiniest party gets their say. Although in most of the cases it is not really worthwhile).

CE; yes, I did read the message you posted about Fox some time ago, that was in the thread with Zhd et. al. I believe. But it is hard to believe that this kind of lowlevel crap exists, let alone that it forms the biggest "News Network" in The States. As I said : I am now looking at CNN with a whole different perspective, and let's face it; you cannot really call CNN left-wing.

New knowledge like this is valuable to me of course; I get to know more and more about American media without having to resort to people like Michael Moore(as the only dissident of fame). And without - with all due respect - having to rely solely on report on this and other websites.

Websites can be as politically coloured as anything and they usually are. On a B5-forum I would expect the more reasonable voices, how would you be attracted to B5 otherwise?

And then there is this Ann Coulter I am starting to here more and more about... I think I will delve into the abyss of the web that's called conservative America and see what I can find out about her.

I just hope I don't get swallowed by a "Fair and balanced" newhost...

Oh, and I want Jed Bartlett for America!

[colonyearth]

I would love to have Jed Bartlett as well.

As for Coulter...be afraid, be very afraid. She make O'Reilly look like a bleeding heart commie.

Last week a couple of guys tried to pie her in the face at a conservative function where she was speaking.

My only regret is that they 1) missed, and 2) didn't have a lead pipe hidden in the pies.

I'm not a violent person, and I don't really believe in doing harm to people or such actions, however, there comes along on occasion those people who I truly believe the world would be a better place without them in it.

Coulter is one such person. The day she croaks, the universe will breath a collective sigh of relief. She speak to her the sound of her own voice, nothing more.

Excuse me, I have to go bath now.

CE

[Towelmaster]

Originally posted by colonyearth
I would love to have Jed Bartlett as well.

As for Coulter...be afraid, be very afraid. She make O'Reilly look like a bleeding heart commie.

<SNIP>

Excuse me, I have to go bath now.

CE

Ahhhh, I'll get right on with my "investigative work" on Ms. Coulter...

And if you could get Jed Bartlett together with the rest of the staff I don't think it would hurt America at all. But then again; he was modeled after a democratic president with liberal tendencies. Where on Earth are you going to find a candidate with an open mind like that?

As they say ; It only happens in the movies.

TM.

[I love Lyta]

"Oh, and I want Jed Bartlett for America!"

Ik denk niet dat het een goed idee is.
He is also supposed to be deeply religious iirc. What if he had the same kind of delusions Bush shows?

On Anne:


See all of the -must have- partriotic posters here.

http://www.whitehouse.org/initiatives/posters/index.asp

[colonyearth]

Jed Bartlett deeply religious?

Actually, I find it funny that Bartlett's views on religion and politics are practically identical to Kerry's. Both are Catholic and both believe, while they are true to their own faith, that it is not their place to legislate that faith onto the public.

One of the many reasons I'm fully supporting and campaigning for Kerry.

CE

[Towelmaster]

O.K... I'm reading Ann Coulter on her website... Wouldn't say she is worse then that O'Reilly person. She writes bad though, I could come up with absurdist rants like that... In fact I have albeit on completely different topics. And I ain't no columnist!

Someone who cannot make the distinction between the war on terror as a metaphor and the attack on 9/11 really cannot be taken seriously as a debater. She's just another... populist?

I have to check whether that word means the same in English...<where's the dictionary when you need it...?>...Nope, I don't think it means the same. In dutch it would mean someone who speaks in a populistic superficial, somewhat demag.... HOLD ON! Right, the word is demagogue!

She's just another demagogue and not particularly good at it at that. Obnoxious yes, intellectually challenging nope. I'd be more afraid of a discussion with Ainsley Hayes to be honest... ;-

I wonder how many people you could kill with the poison from just one of her pens though... Perhaps the U.S.A. should send Ann Coulter to Iraq and watch the indigenous people flee...?

[Towelmaster]

Originally posted by I love Lyta
"Oh, and I want Jed Bartlett for America!"

Ik denk niet dat het een goed idee is.
He is also supposed to be deeply religious iirc. What if he had the same kind of delusions Bush shows?

Well nothing is impossible I guess. But I think that the first three seasons of TWW that I have seen clearly showed that he has an extremely strict interpretation of the separation of church and state. I can live with religious people, I just don't want them to base my life on their beliefs. Hell, or as they say "Crickey!" half my family is religious...

Excellent dutch by the way.

[Dr Maturin]

I don't know which show you saw that on, TM, but it was likely an editorial show, which doesn't need to be fair and balanced. Besides that, I can show you literally hundreds of examples of liberal bias in the media. Fox itself is balance in that they don't take the status quo route. I love it...one channel that isn't liberal and the left goes nuts.

[OmahaStar]

Fox News ... Unfair and imbalanced.

Fox News ... We distort, you cry.

[Towelmaster]

Originally posted by Z'ha'dumDweller
I don't know which show you saw that on, TM, but it was likely an editorial show, which doesn't need to be fair and balanced. Besides that, I can show you literally hundreds of examples of liberal bias in the media. Fox itself is balance in that they don't take the status quo route. I love it...one channel that isn't liberal and the left goes nuts.

I never base my opinion on 1 source. Simple as that. I have seen more then one show/program/source of information before feeling I could comment on FOX. We have also known Mr. Murdoch just that little bit longer over here in Europe then you over there in the States.

And yes, there are hundreds of biased opinions? There are millions of biased opinions! But they are not on tv continuously are they? They do not call themselves "Fair and Balanced" when basically they are siding with one pary and are so askew they could fall over anytime.
From big networks that call themselves news-networks I expect a higher standard. We are after all not talking about a weblog of a webforum here.

Either that or admit that the network is biased so people will know what they are watching.

The fragments I have seen so far(from excerpts on Fox-friendly media in Holland to completely FOX-hostile networks), tell me that you cannot possibly use FOX as your main informationsource or even as an objective informationsource.

And if you listen to the exact words they are using they are so full of barely concealed innuendo that it makes you head spin.

[Towelmaster]

BTW : The show from which the producers showed the most was from that O' Reilly-character. And people tell me here that a certain Ann Coulter is even worse...

Oh, and I saw this beautiful FOX-review of a Bush-rally in which they were absolutely glorifying him. While nothing was going on I may add...

It just wasn't 1 thing. I am way too smart to get caught in that trap.