Does Fox News live up to the slogan Fair and balanced?

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In summary, the conversation discusses the idea of whether Fox News truly lives up to its slogan of being "Fair and balanced." Some believe that Fox News is biased and caters to a certain audience, while others argue that their existence ensures free speech. Journalism is supposed to be objective and neutral, but many news networks, including Fox News, make the mistake of presenting their own opinions. The conversation also brings up a study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, which found that Fox News was not the most accurate in their reporting. It is mentioned that S. Robert Lichter, the editor, is a paid consultant for Fox News. The conversation also suggests looking at other news networks, such as

Does Fox News live up to the slogan, "Fair and balanced"?

  • Yes

    Votes: 8 9.3%
  • No

    Votes: 58 67.4%
  • In some ways/areas

    Votes: 20 23.3%
  • Not sure

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    86
  • #1
Char. Limit
Gold Member
1,222
22
Does Fox News live up to the slogan "Fair and balanced"?

It's tough not to try to sway people...
 
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  • #2
No. A range of people, largely uneducated or who just don't care, get to hear what they want from them. But at least their existence assures that free speech is safe and sound, regardless of the consequences.
 
  • #3
http://www.cmpa.com/pdf/media_monitor_jan_2009.pdf" [Broken]
 
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  • #4
Journalism is supposed to limit itself to reporting what, who, when, where, how and why. Fox New isn't the only one that does it, but TV news generally makes the error of informing us of who is right and who is wrong. This is usually done with terminology, for example, if there is ever a war between the U.S. government's adversaries and the U.S. government's allies, we can be sure that it will be reported on TV in terms of "the guerrillas" versus "the freedom-fighters."

Fox News merely makes it too obvious by often using such unsophisticated language as: Unfortunately, some of the bad guys killed some of the good guys; however, fortunately, some of the good guys also killed some of the bad guys.

Even Bernard Goldberg, a conservative writer who complains about the "liberal media", cited Fox for doing this. In his book _Arrogance_, Goldberg wrote:

"Personally, some of Fox News 'fair and balanced' coverage was a little too rah-rah, flag-waving for my taste. I didn't need to hear Shepard Smith refer to the Iraqi soldiers as 'the bad guys.' But the truth is, I can't get too worked up over it." [page 230 of the hardcover first edition, 2003]
 
  • #5
chemisttree said:
http://www.cmpa.com/pdf/media_monitor_jan_2009.pdf" [Broken]

So the unknown, but neutral-sounding "Center for Media and Public Affairs" is more accurate than Fox, how, exactly?

Just because someone is reviewing the various networks doesn't make them any more or less biased than any of the networks they're reviewing.
 
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  • #6
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  • #7
Interesting results so far, although the poll is in no way closed...

Adding the "yes" and "in some ways/areas" categories, it's about evenly split. Should I make a poll of whoever the liberal version of Fox News is? Who is that?
 
  • #8
rootX said:
S. Robert Lichter, the editor, is president of the Washington-based Center for Media and Public Affairs and a paid consultant to the Fox News Channel.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=S._Robert_Lichter

And how did that fact affect the enumeration of positive/negative stories? Does a Fox News consultant count differently? Nonsense.
 
  • #9
Char. Limit said:
Interesting results so far, although the poll is in no way closed...

Adding the "yes" and "in some ways/areas" categories, it's about evenly split. Should I make a poll of whoever the liberal version of Fox News is? Who is that?

Just how would you do that? The closest you could come to that would be ABC news. That news network employs a former Clinton Communications Director as a news anchor!
 
  • #10
2.5 million Americans watch Fox News, which means that 297.5 million Americans don't.

The squeakiest wheel gets the attention?
 
  • #11
I think that they are all biased and I try to develope my opinion from the information that I find most credible. What more can I do?
 
  • #12
Char. Limit said:
Interesting results so far, although the poll is in no way closed...

Adding the "yes" and "in some ways/areas" categories, it's about evenly split. Should I make a poll of whoever the liberal version of Fox News is? Who is that?

MSNBC. Oblermann and Maddow, especially (although MSNBC does carry more balanced commentators, as well, such as Matthews and Scarborough).

It's tough for news organizations to maintain unbiased stances. CNN is pretty heavy handed in the way they do this, going to the point where their TV personalities have to agree not to contribute to any political campaigns.
 
  • #13
I'll watch the view in the morning to get my dosage of extreme liberalism, and glenn beck in the afternoon to get my dose of extreme conservatism. There's no such thing as fair and balanced news.
 
  • #14
MotoH said:
I'll watch the view in the morning to get my dosage of extreme liberalism, and glenn beck in the afternoon to get my dose of extreme conservatism. There's no such thing as fair and balanced news.

good balance. :)

lmao - I like to watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report to get the most 'accurate' take on politics.
 
  • #15
chemisttree said:
And how did that fact affect the enumeration of positive/negative stories? Does a Fox News consultant count differently? Nonsense.

You posted it as a response to
Does Fox News live up to the slogan "Fair and balanced"?
.
 
  • #16
Alfi said:
good balance. :)

lmao - I like to watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report to get the most 'accurate' take on politics.

LOL, I do the exact same thing!

Strange how some of the most balanced news comes from a comedian.
 
  • #17
Char. Limit said:
LOL, I do the exact same thing!

Strange how some of the most balanced news comes from a comedian.

Its funny, but I figure that it only make sense when the most sobering opinions in regard to politics come from the cartoonists in my newspaper.
 
  • #18
For about a six month period Fox should have included a GODWIN'S LAW ALERT before Glen Beck came on.

 
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  • #19
Is there yet an equivalent law stating "as the number of forum posts grows, the probability of someone calling someone else a racist approaches 1"?

If not, I hereby name it "Beck's/Jackson's Law".

Seriously, how many times have Glenn Beck and Jesse Jackson done that?
 
  • #20
Char. Limit said:
Is there yet an equivalent law stating "as the number of forum posts grows, the probability of someone calling someone else a racist approaches 1"?

If not, I hereby name it "Beck's/Jackson's Law".

Seriously, how many times have Glenn Beck and Jesse Jackson done that?

I don't know about a rascist, but I'm pretty sure that "You Sir... Are a communist!" :wink:
 
  • #21
Char. Limit said:
Is there yet an equivalent law stating "as the number of forum posts grows, the probability of someone calling someone else a racist approaches 1"?

If not, I hereby name it "Beck's/Jackson's Law".

Seriously, how many times have Glenn Beck and Jesse Jackson done that?

Ha, you should have named it "Char.Limit Law" :smile:.
 
  • #22
To really conserve balanced reporting you have to draw the boundary larger. Fox does help to counterbalance the predominantly left wing reporting from most other networks. (but only in a bi-modal distribution sort of way).
 
  • #23
Well, going by my real name, Fitting's Law would be best...

Of course, they do. But they seem more... blatant about their bias than the "liberal media" do.

I love that term... I use it in most of my excuses.
 
  • #24
Char. Limit said:
Well, going by my real name, Fitting's Law would be best...
I think you mean "most fitting," yes?
 
  • #25
LURCH said:
I think you mean "most fitting," yes?

Well, my real name is Z. Fitting. And yes, I usually laugh or smile at puns on my name. I think they're funny.
 
  • #26
I think a blatant bias is better than a subtle one.
 
  • #28
Before Fox News Channel came around, the conservative voice was largely muffled. Fox is obviously biased, but that makes up for the liberal 24 hour stations and keeps the news "fair and balanced" if you watch all stations.

The closest I have seen to a network that just reports the news without spinning stories is BBC world news, but that is not a 24 hour network.
 
  • #29
I'm guessing this slogan applied some time before I was born. With O'Reilly, Hannity, Beck, and the rest, we know how the scales are weighted. (by the way, I despise those 3 people)
 
  • #30
Don't forget Greta Van Susteren and Ann Coulter.

Come now, Jamin, let us not be sexist in our hate.
 
  • #31
Jamin2112 said:
I'm guessing this slogan applied some time before I was born. With O'Reilly, Hannity, Beck, and the rest, we know how the scales are weighted. (by the way, I despise those 3 people)
These three are not reporters, nor do they claim to be. Their shows are opinion shows, not news programs. They say this themselves, from time to time. They do speek to the bias of the station, but are not part of the station's news coverage, for whatever that's worth.
 
  • #32
Jamin2112 said:
I'm guessing this slogan applied some time before I was born. With O'Reilly, Hannity, Beck, and the rest, we know how the scales are weighted. (by the way, I despise those 3 people)

Yeah, I despise them too. I prefer Savage, Lavigne, & Ingraham. They aren't Fox.
 
  • #33
Legion81 said:
Before Fox News Channel came around, the conservative voice was largely muffled.

Really?

You mean that FOX news is the conservative voice?

No wonder the Tea Baggers are more popular than the Republicans.
 
  • #34
In my opinion, Fox News is the worst news program in existence.

Edit: The facts aren't always fair and/or balanced. I don't need a report to be fair, I need it to be true.
 
  • #35
True disappeared with Walter Cronkite. :mad:
 
<h2>1. What is the slogan of Fox News?</h2><p>The slogan of Fox News is "Fair and Balanced".</p><h2>2. Does Fox News actually live up to their slogan?</h2><p>This is a highly debated topic and opinions vary. Some believe that Fox News does present fair and balanced coverage, while others argue that it has a conservative bias.</p><h2>3. How does Fox News define "fair and balanced"?</h2><p>According to Fox News, "fair and balanced" means presenting all sides of a story and allowing viewers to make their own informed opinions.</p><h2>4. Is Fox News the only news network with a bias?</h2><p>No, all news networks have some level of bias, whether it be political, cultural, or personal. It is important for viewers to be aware of this and seek out multiple sources for information.</p><h2>5. How can I determine if Fox News is presenting fair and balanced coverage?</h2><p>One way to determine this is to compare their coverage to other news sources and fact-check their claims. It is also important to be aware of any potential biases and consider multiple perspectives. </p>

1. What is the slogan of Fox News?

The slogan of Fox News is "Fair and Balanced".

2. Does Fox News actually live up to their slogan?

This is a highly debated topic and opinions vary. Some believe that Fox News does present fair and balanced coverage, while others argue that it has a conservative bias.

3. How does Fox News define "fair and balanced"?

According to Fox News, "fair and balanced" means presenting all sides of a story and allowing viewers to make their own informed opinions.

4. Is Fox News the only news network with a bias?

No, all news networks have some level of bias, whether it be political, cultural, or personal. It is important for viewers to be aware of this and seek out multiple sources for information.

5. How can I determine if Fox News is presenting fair and balanced coverage?

One way to determine this is to compare their coverage to other news sources and fact-check their claims. It is also important to be aware of any potential biases and consider multiple perspectives.

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