# I was naive about Fox News **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 21, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896 "2009-09-21T01:12:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/41 "2009-09-21T14:27:30Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Any man who’d screw a Republican is simply too lazy to jerk off. I’ve pointed this out before, my friend. But I know a man who regularly slept with Ann Coulter. How 'bout them apples? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/42 "2009-09-21T15:16:37Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > It’s unclear to me whether you believe that something like this, only Fox News would do, or whether you’re choosing this incident, which happens to be from Fox, to decry the general practice. What does it matter when it comes to what _you_ think about it? You don’t have an opinion unless you know what my opinion is? All this looks like is you making sure your defensive ducks are in a row. How can you use a tu quoque argument on me about the media when I’m not a member of the media? I am not affiliated in any way with any news organization, not even “news” organizations. I don’t have a “side” in the media. No one represents me. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/43 "2009-09-21T15:20:33Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > I’ve pointed this out before, my friend. But I know a man who regularly slept with Ann Coulter. > > How 'bout them apples? I am indeed surprised, I had always thought rabies was very contagious. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/44 "2009-09-21T15:26:26Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > What does it matter when it comes to what _you_ think about it? You don’t have an opinion unless you know what my opinion is? All this looks like is you making sure your defensive ducks are in a row. > > How can you use a tu quoque argument on me about the media when I’m not a member of the media? I am not affiliated in any way with any news organization, not even “news” organizations. I don’t have a “side” in the media. No one represents me. I think the practice is unseemly, but not horribly destructive. But I’m asking what your argument is. Is it, “Only Fox News does this! And we can infer it violates basic journalistic ethics, because no other organizations do it!” If that’s your argument, then I can proceed to discuss that argument. Or is your argument, “This is a terrible practice, no matter who does it!” If that’s your argument, I can discuss it as well, although it will be a shorter discussion, because I agree in substance with the claim. In other words, are you decrying the practice, or Fox News for being the sole offender? Which argument you make will necessarily drive my response. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/45 "2009-09-21T15:31:35Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > What does it matter when it comes to what _you_ think about it? You don’t have an opinion unless you know what my opinion is? All this looks like is you making sure your defensive ducks are in a row. I’m not defending anything, as any news organization with standards will generally have people who fall short of them from time to time. And for better or worse these incidents have affected the reputations of the organizations involved. For instance, Dan Rather appeared at a fundraiser for the Democratic Party in Texas in 2001 and spoke - he was the headliner for the event. Now, this ran afoul of CBS rules in place that their news people shouldn’t involve themselves in a public way with partisan political activity. And Rather’s reputation with conservatives, which already wasn’t particularly good, suffered further. Now, can similar things be said about this Fox News incident? Certainly, and it is a sure bet that liberals trust them about as much as conservatives trusted Dan Rather. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/46 "2009-09-21T15:33:32Z")
Show me any news organization that has come remotely close to what Faux does. The CBS National Guard story? Puh-leeze. CBS hired an independent review panel to check the whole sequence of events. Dan Rather was essentially fired over it. Personally, I don’t think CBS did anything wrong as the facts of the letter in question were correct even if its forensic pedigree were not proven. How many times has Fixed News “mistakenly” put a “D” instead of an “R” next to the name of some disgraced politician? This crap doesn’t happen by accident. Let’s see if they name an independent panel to review the white teabagger promotion. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/47 "2009-09-21T15:38:06Z")
Yeah, it’s terrible that the conservatives have the audacity to have ONE news station where the liberals have ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, and CNN. You all were used to your monopoly and it just kills you that journalists would DARE try to not bow down at the altar of St. Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/48 "2009-09-21T15:38:57Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > I’m not defending anything, as any news organization with standards will generally have people who fall short of them from time to time. And for better or worse these incidents have affected the reputations of the organizations involved. > > For instance, Dan Rather appeared at a fundraiser for the Democratic Party in Texas in 2001 and spoke - he was the headliner for the event. Now, this ran afoul of CBS rules in place that their news people shouldn’t involve themselves in a public way with partisan political activity. And Rather’s reputation with conservatives, which already wasn’t particularly good, suffered further. > > Now, can similar things be said about this Fox News incident? Certainly, and it is a sure bet that liberals trust them about as much as conservatives trusted Dan Rather. Oh yeah. That’s real similar. One guy speaking as himself at a single fundraiser is totally the same as a whole network devoted to pushing a political agenda, 24/7. It’s exactly equivalent. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/49 "2009-09-21T15:39:59Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Yeah, it’s terrible that the conservatives have the audacity to have ONE news station where the liberals have ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, and CNN. You all were used to your monopoly and it just kills you that journalists would DARE try to not bow down at the altar of St. Obama. FFS not this shite again. I think you think everyone thinks like you think. You’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/50 "2009-09-21T15:44:02Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > …the liberals have ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, and CNN. Where did you get that idea, Fox News? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/51 "2009-09-21T15:44:06Z")
It’s only Fox News that does crap like this. While MSNBC has started to try to appeal to left as a survival tactic in the last few years, the rest of the so-called “liberal media” is, and always has been, nothing but a demagogic phantasm invented and nurtured by the conservative media complex. **Bricker** will no doubt try to tout the Dan Rather memo as his trophy _tu quoque_. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/52 "2009-09-21T15:47:11Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Yeah, it’s terrible that the conservatives have the audacity to have ONE news station where the liberals have ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, and CNN. You all were used to your monopoly and it just kills you that journalists would DARE try to not bow down at the altar of St. Obama. At least you’re willing to admit that FNC is dishonest in promoting itself as “fair and balanced.” Can you provide a cite for any of those other networks organizing and promoting political demonstrations? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/53 "2009-09-21T15:50:39Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > One guy speaking as himself at a single fundraiser is totally the same as a whole network devoted to pushing a political agenda, 24/7. It’s exactly equivalent. > > :rolleyes: I’m sorry - where did I discuss equivalence? It seems to have come up in my post only on the question of trust - and frankly that can be lost over small and large things alike. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/54 "2009-09-21T15:57:56Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Yeah, it’s terrible that the conservatives have the audacity to have ONE news station where the liberals have ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, and CNN. You all were used to your monopoly and it just kills you that journalists would DARE try to not bow down at the altar of St. Obama. Once again proving my theory: Conservatives claim left-wing bias solely because something does not have a right wing bias. There is no middle of the road. In fact, Fox ‘News’ exascerbates this retardeness with their completely disingenuous tag line of “Fair and Balanced.” Conservatives will earnestly claim something with overt right-wing biases as “fair and balanced” and all else is the evil left-wing’s doings. ---
**Author:** ![bri1600bv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@bri1600bv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bri1600bv)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/55 "2009-09-21T16:14:04Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Not 100% related to the OP, but about Fox news in general. I was flipping through the channels earlier tonight, and on Fox news they were at a rally in California for farmers, and they question of the day was “where is our government to help us?” > > It seems the farmers needed some water, or something, and was pissed the government wasn’t doing anything to help them. The people all rallied in the background had don’t red on me flags and looked to be the same sort of people at the tea party rallies… The gov’t shut their water off. They just want the gov’t to not turn their water off…little bit different. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/56 "2009-09-21T16:27:47Z")
How so? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/57 "2009-09-21T16:28:58Z")
Simple solution for that, just turn it back on! Clearly, this is an Obama plot to, uh, do something really, really bad! You want simplistic, I’ll give it to ya! The bad news? In a couple of years, everybody in California will be drinking sewer water. The good news? Not enough to go around. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/58 "2009-09-21T16:33:23Z")
> [@bri1600bv](#): > > The gov’t shut their water off. They just want the gov’t to not turn their water off…little bit different. Maybe they should pay their water bill? Just from morbid curiosity, what do they say is the background? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/59 "2009-09-21T16:47:33Z")
You want to read up on the water crisis in California, go right ahead, just be sure to keep a stock of anti-depressant drugs on hand, your gonna need 'em! Short story version: Ma Nature put a desert there, we decided She was wrong, it was an agricultural paradise. She can be really, really, pissy about stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896/60 "2009-09-21T16:48:39Z")
> [@bri1600bv](#): > > The gov’t shut their water off. They just want the gov’t to not turn their water off…little bit different. My understanding is that the US Fish and Wildlife service has ordered water restrictions at the Oroville Dam, which supplies water to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, in an effort to aid the spawning of the endangered “delta smelt,” a small fish of some kind. The change in water allocation came as a result, again as I understand it, of a 2006 lawsuit by the Natural Resources Defense Council asking for water policy protection in the smelt’s habitat. The lack of water, coupled with a drought in the area, has severely impacted farmers in the Valley, and opponents of the present situation characterize it as “fish vs. farmer” – that is, the federal government taking the welfare of a 2-inch fish over the farmers involved. I’m not sure what the counter-argument is, but I suspect it’s more nuanced than that. I do find it mildly amusing that one of the chief spokespeople for the farmers, and someone who is apparently quite upset at the lack of response from the feds, is Paul Rodriguez, who was an Obama supporter during the election. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-naive-about-fox-news/510896.md?page=4)