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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sully- who wrote (18459)	12/3/2003 8:23:57 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 793883

I think FOX does have a conservative bias, but I don't find their reporting to be heavily biased. When Fox News first appeared on my cable a couple of years ago, I watched it exclusively for a month to try to get a feel for it. I really didn't see all that much difference in the news coverage, itself. The difference was primarily in the topics selected for coverage. What was different was the perspectives of the talk show hosts, who were clearly conservative. The difference between Fox and the rest didn't become all that conspicuous until the war in Iraq when Fox was the cheerleader and the rest were worry warts. I don't know that you can call that partisan bias. Seems to me more a naturally different perspective, just two different ways of looking at things. And to some extent two different ideas about the role of the media. They don't consistently report one sided, half truths & distortions as though it's gospel like I regularly see on CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC & CNBC. So much of that is a function of what we consider to be the truth, which is a function of our own biases. It's virtually impossible for people to point the finger at bias. What they're usually calling bias is simply a perspective different from their own. It's natural for people to want to be around those who are like them, to hear their news from those with whom they feel comfortable. I wish everyone would just quit fussing about it. When all the news outlets delivered the same perspective, the frustration was understandable. Now that there are alternatives, everyone should just watch what's in their comfort zones and leave the rest to do the same. Can't perspectives simply be different and one not necessarily wrong? FOX regularly has guests on who have opposing viewpoints & both sides get a chance to air their POV. I think this is a good point. But not nearly as "fair and balanced" as purported to be. Yes, it's good to have the other perspective. But it's not necessarily fair to do so in a way that is dismissive of or ridicules the other perspective, which is much of what Fox does. I haven't decided whether half a loaf is better than none, though. If you call upon a clown, or simply treat like a clown, a presenter of an opposing viewpoint, that's like the Lakers asserting their superiority by playing the Generals while the fans cheer on. You are correct, though, the the other news outlets do not make that effort to present dissenting opinion. They see no point of having a creationist interviewed for a science report or a polluter interviewed for a report on an environmental issue no more than a priest would invite an atheist to give the homily. They are dismissive of opposing viewpoints that they consider unworthy of exposure because they are not mainstream or are unevolved or patently ridiculous, in their world, at least. Fox is offering as the default positions that have long been dismissed by the major news outlets so it is in their interest to offer a contrast, particularly in the form of a caricature. If CNN started doing the same thing, you'd be screaming bloody murder. Fox dismisses opposing perspectives actively. The other channels dismiss them passively. I don't know which is better. When Fox starts treating opposing perspectives with equal dignity, then I'll cheer for their approach. Not yet.