OutFOXed Debate: Is FOX News a Republican Fraud?

Joe, I realize you would have no way to know this, but what bad timing to post about Fox News. You’ve probably heard by now that two of their correspondents were kidnapped in Israel today.

What always amazes me when people want to discuss Fox, is first, they don’t openly declare who Democratic the NBC block of stations are. Oberman is blatant, for someone who is supposedly “neutral.”

What also amazes me, is that perhaps many don’t check bios. Since when did Greta Van Susteren, Geraldo Rivera, Alan Colmes, Bill O’Reilly and others become Republican?

Van Susteren’s bio talks about the Democratic fundraisers she and her husband host on their yacht. Rivera is big time buds with Bill and others.

I will agree that many of the liberals at Fox weren’t as thrilled about John Kerry as they were former Pres. Bill Clinton.

So maybe this is a good way to get this discussion started. Why would Colmes and attorneys Rivera and Van Susteren front for the GOP? Megyn Kendall is another.

I do think the employees like Fox, given the comments they make about how glad they are to be out of CNN and especially anything connected to NBC. However, my understanding that has to do with the amount of control they have over their programs, not their political affiliation.

Cavuto’s book is a good inside look at Fox. And for those who don’t know and love to take cheap shots at Cavuto, perhaps you might consider what your head or other body parts may or may not look like after surviving cancer and living with M.S.

Joe-

I knew there would be no way you’d know about those kidnappings. They were just announced this afternoon - and they aren’t saying who.

Cavuto is in charge of business. Probably not even in the info you mentioned above. He “Built the business shows on CNBC” and he and his crew gladly jumped ship to Fox when they started.

Lots of people like to take cheap shots at Cavuto about how an arm, his head or different body parts my look “weird” to them. It was my statement to anyone that perhaps one more time, it is a good idea to get the facts before making judging a person, if one is qualified to judge another at all. I seriously doubt many really understand what he’s gone through and stayed on the air, except all the crew who left CNBC with him to join Fox.

Cavuto is the anchor of his own show, “Your World with Cavuto.” He is the VP for business news on Fox. Check out Brenda Buttner and Terry Keenan sometime - some very smart, wise Wall Street women anchors/reporters. Not everyone promotes women as much as Cavuto. However, those two were two of his strongest supports at CNN when he had his acute cancer tx.

Suze Orman is smart too, but it’s different with these two. Terry Keenan makes the world a little more real when people are complaining about the cost of a galloon of gas and she says, “Now is that a half or a whole Grande at Starbucks? And what could you have added in it for $2.50 or $3.00.” At least for me, she reframes some thinking of what people pay for other things and think nothing of it.

Interesting thoughts, Jeremy. I’ll need to think about them a bit more.

When you say, “Tucker,” I’m guessing you mean Tucker Carlson of MSNBC? Or is it someone else. I don’t recognize the name, except for him. He does claim to be a conservative on MSNBC.

Also, from what I’ve read/heard, CNN is seen more in the “middle” ground these days. MSNBC is the far left.

You might be interested in this, and I apologize for not knowing the exact numbers off of the top of my head. In the most recent sweeps for cable, Fox News ranked in the top 10, CNN was in the 20s and MSNBC was in the 60s. But, MSNBC is no surprise, the person in charge of their cable recently “resigned” (probably with encouragement from the board), as they use to enjoy a much larger market share.

Do you watch and have you read Neil Cavuto’s books? Or, were your comments based simply on what is listed above?

O’Reilly is an interesting guy. Certainly, he offends guests. But, what is so strange, is if you’ve watched his progam you know at the end of it he reads some e-mails. Usually, he picks a person who thinks he’s slanted to the conservative side and also a person who is slanted to the liberal side. Both watched the same interview. He is a registered Independent.

Do you think all news capitlizes on fear? I’ll have to give that one more thought. The business tip of what stocks are moving are useful to me. I don’t see how they qualify as fear. Maybe you can help me out where I’m confused with that one, let alone other positive things on cable news.

Also, on the A.M. “feel good morning shows” on the big three, bother me. Who cares what they are doing to celebrate the holiday or whatever segments they decide to add. But, to me what is more interesting, is why the AM show on Fox beats out the CBS morning offering.

No one said cable news was intended for the same audience as the regular big three news. Actually, I hear CNN, MSNBC and FOX separate their selves from the Big 3 often.

I’ll give your viewpoints some more thought. Thanks for stating them.

OK4Now - I think the ratings FOX News is recieving only bolsters my view that fear sells. Sure, there are some useful elements to commercial news channels (although I couldn’t care less, you mentioned stock reports, etc.), the general premise is disgusting. They get some highly opinionated (bigoted) talking heads to spin the news in favor of this religiuos group or political party, tell you who to hate and what to fear, and collect the advertising dollars off the American peoples’ allegiance to fear.

I think all mass media operates this way - yes, in many ways, the Post Register does as well. I believe the Post has their heart in the right place most of the time (Our Kids is GREAT!) and their local coverage is generally positive and encouraging, but when it comes to national coverage, all we get is West Nile, who’s bombing who, and which disease or terrorist group wants most to kill us.

Being someone who has sworn off of major news affiliates like FOX News and CNN, I can’t say whether Tucker Carlson is still with Fox News or now (last I checked, he was “let go” after his confrontation with Jon Stewart), but it’s good to know he has found a career at MSNBC. God bless him and his miserable career.

You mentioned whether I read his books or watch his show. I avoid this for the same reason I don’t ingest rat poison, throw myself down flights of stairs, or answer “yes” when my wife asks if she’s gained weight. Poison comes in many forms.

Bill O’Reilly is a scumbag. I have, regrettably, read his book and was unfortunate enough to work at a store where his show was a favorite of the owner, and was disgusted everytime I happened to capture it on the TV. He is a liar and a scoundrel. He represents everything journalism should be against.

But then again, it doesn’t matter much to me, because I ignore it. I just mourne those who aren’t able to free themselves from the state of fear.

I’ve heard that FOX News is clearly the highest rated news channel, so how do we reconcile the ‘wisdom of the masses’ with the documentary’s allegations? Which is right or wrong, or are there parts of each?

Though I recall Jerry Springer was the highest rated show for awhile, so do ratings really indicate quality?

Jeremy, great, why weren’t you impressed with it? Not to get off track into other corportations, but what about the allegations made in the documentary? Did you agree or disagree, and why or why not?

Can you respond to any of the bullet points above?

Jeremy, I am so glad you treat your wife well (seriously, I’m not being sarcastic). I think many spouses could learn positive things about relating to their spouses, the way you have.

This doesn’t pertain to Fox, but in reading your post, it just struck me that you seem to have learned some very caring and diplomatic skills early on.

So have you gotten Legally Blonde yet, for your laughing pleasure and perhaps because your wife might like it?

Now back to Fox, or outFoxed. BTW - I thought your viewpoint was really interesting about documentaries about anyone. It’s a different way to think about the issue (regardless of what or who the subject is).

Sorry for wandering off for a minute, but I’m just impressed when you say things that clearly are nice things you do for your wife. I think you, or any other person who writes about nice things they do for their spouses/partners/ S.O.’s deserve some kuddos, even if it means going off topic for a minute.

Back to this documentary. I think I’m get less interested.

GREAT NEWS today!

For some odd reason I clicked my tv on and felt like turning to Fox News, as I am interested in Ernesto and Fox does updates the most of the news organizations. But, I just felt I needed to be watching Fox at that time. Probably in less than one minute after I had clicked on the station, Shepard Smith, anchorinv from New York and said the two Fox Journalists who had been abducted in the Gaza Strip on Aug. 14, had just been freed. Indeed, they showed video and live phone calls with Steve Centanni and Olif Wiig. What a relief to their families, their colleagues and to journalists at large. Roger Alies, Brit Hume and Shepard Smith all talked about how the other television stations had rallied around them, lending their support, prayers and following what Fox had to do to best ensure the safe release of these two by NOT broadcasting from Gaza about the Palestini people. Even some pleas from family members, were not aired on purpose. That must have been frustrating to the families; however, the experienced negotationers knowing what they did said it was too risky at that time.

I suspect we will learn some not so pleasant details in the next few days, as Centanni called Smith and started to tell what it was like to be held at gunpoint until he and Olif professed to have converted to Islam and what it was like to be held in the dark. The video tape where both men announce their conversion to Islam, which Alies called questionable in content, was aired two hours prior to these journalists being released. Centanni told other details, which if you are interested you can either read on http://www.Foxnews.Com or watch as Fox News broadcasts them. Contrary to what some said, these two were threatened with their lives several times.

What was fascinating to me, was Centanni’s instant remark, when talking to Smith, about despite being forced (at gunpoint) to make statements and having his life threatened, he still had the deepest respect for Islam.

Perhaps what was most interesting to me was the ongoing dialogue with Amy Kellogg in the Middle East (Jerusalem) Bureau of Fox News. She described, in guarded detail, certain aspects of the negotiations, since the two were abducted. She talked about the professional negotiaters working with Fox News on how hard to push and then when to let coverage lapse. Of course, all who have been on the air discussing this situation knew that their words are being heard around the world, so all their words about the kidknappings were carefully chosen.

Centanni’s brother talked about how the two journalists not only were in Gaza to tell the story of the Palestinian people, but they were guests of those people. Apparently, that is linked to Islamic beliefs and is one of the highest compliments one can give to another in Palestine, to be a guest. If others know more about this subject, I would appreciate you posting your insight as I have none, except what I heard on the air this a.m.

Jennifer Griffin, a journalist based in Jerusalem who has been to all the hot spots in the last 5-10 years, apparently went to Gaza and “worked the pavement and banged on doors demanding answers.” I don’t know that all journalists would do that in Gaza, but then not all jouranlist have a degree from Harvard in comparative politics either.

What was pointed out by many, but especially Amy Kellogg, is this group that kidknapped these two were condemend throughout the world. Hamas and the PLO played a key role in securing their release. Of course the U.S. was invovled, but that is not the angle of the story Fox wanted to focus on, at least not for now because this truly is a first.

It is the first time that no major terror organization claimed invovlement or responsibility. Furthermore, all of the terrorist organizations denounced these kidknappings and demanded the journalist be set free. Additionally, even Aljazeera TV called for the release of these journalists. I didn’t know Aljazeera was capable of taking the stand that they did.

I’m writing about this here because the day Joe posted this subject was the day Steve Centanni and cameraman Olif Wiig were kidnapped, Aug. 14. I wrote the first post saying how ironic the time was for this particular posting and there was no way Joe could have known the kidknappings would happen that day. Thankfully, the day has come today when the best possible outcome possible for these two journalists has happened. Sadly, this news comes as an Israeli air strike hit a Reuters News vehicle, also in the Gaza Strip. Five people were injured. Also, a Pulitzer Price winning Chicago Tribune journalist, Paul Salopek, was charged with espionage in the Sudan.

Regardless of whether you like a particular news network or not, I really wonder how many of us stop to think what life and death risks these brave reporters take to show and tell us the real stories? How many of us would volunteer to go to these dangerous areas just to do our jobs? And will coverage of certain ares now decrease, or stop, given these abductions? I’ll leave these questions to be pondered by those who have read my comments.

It was disappointing to hear that the reporters converted to Islam when threatened with their lives.

Fox News is a lot of things, but to me, they seem to be the only station that even talks about values anymore - and given their obvious Christian slant on news stories (namely, catering to the Evangelical Religious Right), I would hope that their representatives would stick to their guns in that kind of situation.

Then again, I don’t know what I would do in that situation. As an armchair quarterback, I would rather die than have anything to do with Islam.

But that’s just me.

Here is a clip where Fox News edited an interview with Robert Wexler to make him look bad. It shows the real video from the Colbert Report and then what Fox showed. Quite a different context.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGqPxn7njqM

I honestly don’t go hunting for these stories, they just percolate up at digg.com.

Even I can grant FOX News does well at knowing the difference between Democrats and Republicans. They would never mistake one for the other, would they?

Then how come the O’Reilly Factor aired a few segments of the now infamous Mark Foley with a D-FL instead of a R-FL when discussing the pedophile scandal?

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/10/04/bill-oreilly-labels-rep-foley-a-democrat/

Surely they have never mislabeled a candidate’s party affiliation before? Why would they do so in regards to a disgraced congressman?

Joe, For someone not interested you sure seem to get more than you wanted coming your way about Fox.

I think their interns are like interns anywhere, did you bother to count the errors on MSNBC, or CNN? Gee, does CBS, ABC or NBC ever put up the wrong party affiliation in a story? I don’t think it’s that big of a deal - it would be if it continued for 14 days on every show.

I found Jeremy’s comment interesting and I agree. Certainly, the Fox anchors aren’t worried about share the fact they have faith in God. I wasn’t aware CNN was considered the most liberal now. While it has that distinction for many years, CNN has been consider by many to be the more moderate, with MSNBC as the far left. They don’t even pretend to hide it anymore.

I feel for you Joe, I really do as someone who isn’t that interested in politics. It’s awful to keep having info come to you don’t want. Course, isn’t that a basic concept of Google and searches on Google? Based on how information is ranked, a searcher will get certain answers.

And, I’ll stand with my man Cavuto. I was pleased to learn this last week that Cavuto’s is the ONLY business show Donald Trump watches, given how well he understands Wall Street and indicators of subtle shifts in changes in portfolios.

Digg.com is an independent company started by some geeks who wanted to give ordinary people an editorial voice rather than the mass media - sounds akin to concepts that drove this site also?

When I say these stories just keep percolating up, it’s because ALL stories published in the mass media are submitted to digg daily (in fact each story is often submitted multiple times by different people), from Fox to MSnbc to reuters to BBC to anyone you can name.

Digg visitors read through the stories and ‘digg’ what they think is better, when stories reach a certain threshold of ‘diggs’ in a certain time frame, they get promoted to the front page.

Therefore, when any stories ‘percolate’ up to the top stories, that’s where I read them because I just scan the headlines of the best stories vetted by the wisdom of the crowds. I don’t go digging through the thousands of daily stories myself. Therefore, I am not hunting for these stories, but they are really percolating up to me. I read many other stories also, but most have nothing to do with this site so I don’t comment about them. I happened to write this article two months ago, so these stories have some relevance to something written here.

I wholeheartedly agree all networks make mistakes because we’re all human and errors are innevitable.

However, it’s ironic to see FOX News make errors in an area they can be considered experts in: knowing who’s a Democrat and who’s a Republican. It’s ironic they made the mistake at least six times in at least two different shows. It’s ironic the mistakes they made happened to fit in with the other allegations of political hitjobs and smear campaigns (as detailed in the documentary I originally wrote this article about, which many have comments about but few have actually seen for themselves).

I don’t claim to know anything about Cavuto or Oreilly; I really don’t care to know about them. Cavuto may have great business sense, but his business merits cannot redeem the entire FOX News’ alleged overwhelming biases and smear campaigns.

And what I’m hearing in the Internet echo chamber with my ear to the ground is these are not any ironic mistakes. I’m hearing FOX News is deliberately and grossly misinforming their viewers.

Also, I am not reading long opinion articles on why FOX had this mixup; I’m seeing actual screenshots of what ordinary people took on their tv’s when watching. I see the headline, I click through, I see the screenshot that is obviously not altered/fake, I remember this article, I add a comment to the discussion. I’m not seeking these stories out, I’m just commenting on what I’m seeing and hearing.

The echo chamber is getting louder that FOX News is a sham organization that wouldn’t be allowed to call itself news if it had truth-in-advertising laws applied to it.

And once again I say I’ll be willing to watch and write about any other documentaries that criticize other networks for their news coverage biases. Nobody has mentioned one, and I have not heard of any. Not a single one besides FOX News.

Because I don’t want to be totally ignorant, I took a quick look at the first two pages of Digg.Com right now. This was one headlines, “ABC mistakenly releases ID in page probe,” and another “The Daily Show - Annual GOP BBQ and Nude Cub Scout Wrestle,” and most interesting to me, this one, “The Firefox development team returns from Redmond.” I can’t wait to read about Microsoft and Firefox!

Maybe I searched incorrectly and instead of going to page one I should have gone to the last page. I don’t know. I just thought it was interesting that these were the headlines now.

If Fox comes up tomorrow, it will be fascinating to see where it fits in with these headlines.

What is with ABC “accidentally” releasing information about the pages and Foley?

One other thing on Digg vs. other user-voted content: Digg was the first and has the largest userbase by far (I can’t remember how many millions the last figure was).

Perhaps others have benefits and may someday be better, but “wisdom of the masses” is a numbers game that gets better with more users, which is why I still scan the Digg headlines.

Joe, Thanks for the info about Digg.Com. I didn’t have the time to look for a homepage. That is good to know and I will look for it.

Like you, I don’t read the entertainment and NEVER the gaming junk on any site (except how to remove it, if some has gotten onto my computer). But, I hope to check in again later to see if there is more info, or links about Firefox visiting Microsoft. I don’t care the source where that story started, I just want to know the facts, as I find the concept fascinating!

Could a “Micro-Fox” be in the works?

Another story percolated up through digg.com: http://mediamatters.org/items/200610240008

“Fox business anchor [Neil] Cavuto let[s] Snow peddle false stock market performance stats

Summary: Fox News’ Neil Cavuto did not challenge Tony Snow’s false claim that “since the president cut taxes in 2003, the Dow Jones is up 60 percent. The Nasdaq is up 80 percent.” But even under the most favorable criteria, Snow’s statistics are plainly wrong. And when adjusted for inflation, the value of both stock indices has decreased since President Bush’s first major tax cut package in June 2001.”

Also mentioned is Tony Snow whining that nobody is talking about the Dow going over 12,000. In fact many outlets reported it. I even saw it on digg.com, and I never pay attention to market news. It was the only market-related news I’ve seen in months.

Gee…sounds pretty serious. Maybe they should have consulted Dan Rather at CBS. I hear that he is good at making stuff up even when he does check facts.

Big deal. The lawsuit will go no where. I am sure CNN has had people sue it as well….remember the case of Richard Jewell and the rush to judge him in the Olympics bombing….now that is serious stuff. I think the superintendent will overcome the ham sandwich episode just fine and could have got a few laughs out of it too. Pardon me Mr. Superintendent…but would you have any Grey Poupon for your sandwich?

People are too serious in this day and age. Just like the DC judge that sued for 54 million over a pair of pants. Absolutely ridiculous.

No way. No one should be threatened. I think that people on both sides of the debate need to cool it.

No problem with fact checking. That should have been done too. All I am saying is that you can slam the PR, CNN, CBS, they all have their moments. This just happened to be Fox’s.

Good that no one got hurt…but certainly the potential was there and this is certainly not acceptable. I certainly hope that they hire some more fact checkers for future stories.

Ok, I see your point. Chinese news also reported an Onion.com story as news a few months ago. I can agree with that.

It is sad because 5 minutes of fact-checking would have saved this whole episode. They could have called the school district to ask. They could have googled it. They could have looked at the ‘about us’ section of the parody website and learned it was a joke website.

The science fair joke was just an example. FOX is hardly the first news organization to report a joke story that resulted in threats and harassment involving religion.

So, you point out some mistakes that were made. Did