Ms Lib R Tea and the Horse's...Mouth
When it comes to the media, I say ignore it all. There is nobody without an agenda today-with NBC courting Liberals, Fox courting Republicans, CNN courting "youth"(ha), and the newspapers all divided similarly there is no safe unbiased port left in the sea of media overexposure. Even so-called independent shows and magazines and those geared toward 'exposing' the government (The New American, for instance) have very tilted angles these days.And that is exactly why Jon Stewart is America's most trusted newscaster.
I don't mean that to be a disparaging comment-I love Jon Stewart. I've been watching The Daily Show since Stewart started in 99 and I think it is both hilarious and informative....and, despite Stewart's obvious left leanings, it is in my opinion currently the least biased news program on television. He can mock Obama and have Mike Huckabee on the show in one week, then turn around and mercilessly skewer Dick Cheney [in a hilarious reoccurring segment called "You Don't Know Dick"] and kiss the health care bill's butt. Democrats love him. Even conservatives admit he's fair. That's a lot more than can be said for any other media outlet. Still, while I watch The Daily Show Monday through Thursday every week without fail and enjoy it thoroughly I still think the way to get real news today is straight from the horse's mouth.
The only source of news that can be trusted anymore is the unbiased, unvarnished, deglittered, bare bones truth....and any more you can only get that by watching for yourself. I highly recommend committing CSPAN to your DVR and using the THOMAS program from the Library of Congress to look up bills and their status, committee reports, congressional records, and more--that way you can form actual opinions on what is actually happening, not just opinions on the opinions of other people as is so often done.
So I say Don't watch television "news programs". Don't buy newspapers. Don't read magazines. Let all of those outlets go down in flames for what they've done-perverting the news to fit their goals, aims, and political associations. Get the raw data and information for yourself and come to your own conclusions-because you are the only news reporter you can trust anymore.
October 17, 2009 at 9:08 PM
I am not a fan of Jon Stewart at all. I don't find him even remotely funny and it worries me how many people watch his program thinking they are getting actual news and not a comedy routine. (he is very good at showing snippets of actual news and twisting it for a laugh)
I do, however, agree that most programs are in the bag for one party or another.
I will disagree about Fox News, however. (of course hannity has a conservative show and so does Glenn beck, but a lot of the shows on FOX are just plain news programs)
October 18, 2009 at 1:03 AM
I'm pretty sure that everyone who watches Jon Stewart knows that it's comedic. However his comedy is political satire, and is relevant to current events. Still, as I said in the post, there are no unbiased newscasters anymore and this includes Stewart. The best place to get news is directly from Congressional records.
As for Fox News, they are not only biased they are MORE biased than any other news channel. FOX CEO Roger Ailes was the media/image consultant for [Republican] Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. During one six month period in 2001, the conservative to liberal guest ratio on "Special Report with Brit Hume" was 50 to 6. In 2006 the Project on Excellence in Journalism showed that 68% of Fox cable stories contained personal opinions (the next highest being MSNBC at only 27%.
For God's sake-Ann Coulter (author of such gems as "How To Talk To A Liberal (If You Must)" "Godless:The Church of Liberalism" and "If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans" is a regular commentator on at least three FOX programs.
If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck...
October 19, 2009 at 9:57 AM
NBC/General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt is actually on the Obama Administration's Economic Advisory Board. If that's not in bed, I don't know what is.
As for Ann Coultier... she is typically on Hannity (conservative), Glenn Beck, twice, (conservative) and O'Reilly (and most of the time they are arguing. He brings her on typically to disagree with her. LOL)
I have also seen her on Red Eye on Fox, but that show is generally just goofy anyway.
As for other shows on Fox... there is Alan Colmes & Geraldo that are completely liberal. There are also shows like Special Report, with a balance of libs and conservatives.
Every owner of every news channel is going to be something. They all are Americans and they all vote, so to say where they vote matters, shouldn't. However, if they actually WORK for the administration, that is quite another thing. (or, if they sell Obama memorabilia in their stores, like NBC does!)
Unless you watch the programs on FOX, don't judge how they deliver the news. I can assure you, there have been MANY moments that I, as a conservative, get angry with, let's say, O'Reilly for being too "fair" in his analysis of the Obama Administration.
The problem is, most people who attack Fox, do so because the other media tells them to do so. When I was a liberal, I hated Fox and yet had never seen a show. It's just typical propaganda.
October 19, 2009 at 10:01 AM
PS Sadly, I know quite a few morons who do think that Stewart is delivering the news.
October 19, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Oh, one more thing... maybe use more recent polls for news coverage. In all of the latest polls, FOX comes out on top as being the most fair and balanced news station. Esp during the election, FOX was found to be the only station that gave equal coverage to both Obama & McCain, with CNN a very distant second.
The reason FOX has risen to number one in recent years is because they are fair and balanced and no matter how many liberal media channels and newspapers (ie NY Times) try to change it, the truth is, more people are watching FOX than any other channel.
Now, IF Fox is right leaning, that just means that more Americans are RIGHT leaning, OR it means that FOX is balanced.
Either way, it works for me :)
I like the idea of hearing about the war in Afganistan without a twist. I just want it straight and actual news, not what my anchor thinks I should hear. If Glenn Beck is going to divide a bill in half and have experts who explain it line by line, that works for me too. It doesn't mean I take everything he says as ACTUAL fact, but I certainly do appreciate that he does it.
October 22, 2009 at 9:00 PM
I agree with GOPmama.
"In 2006 the Project on Excellence in Journalism showed that 68% of Fox cable stories contained personal opinions (the next highest being MSNBC at only 27%."
I would LOVE to see what a 2008-2009 survey shows. CNN & MSLSD have been so far up Obama's you know what that they can't even see!
October 22, 2009 at 9:01 PM
Wait, I forgot to mention I have an award for this blog on my blog!
You probably don't do awards, but this is a great blog!
October 26, 2009 at 2:37 AM
I'm not saying that other networks aren't biased (in fact I already said they are, in my post) I'm just saying that Fox News is JUST as biased.
Yes, the ratings are up for Fox. That has nothing to do with quality or unbiased reporting...junk can be popular, but that doesn't make it any less junk.
By the way I have watched Fox and determined for myself that they are full of biased crap. Just because it's currently popular doesn't suddenly make biased, opinion oriented "stories" true.