# Is Fox News really all that bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 3, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625 "2012-10-03T21:14:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 100
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1981 "2018-05-15T01:26:42Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > All right, let’s test that theory. If you make a list of all the liberals on Fox, I’ll get to work on the others. Deal? Don’t bother, usually this will end up with quibbling over who is a liberal with them claiming that Sean Hannity is a centrist. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1982 "2018-05-15T18:34:35Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Don’t bother, usually this will end up with quibbling over who is a liberal with them claiming that Sean Hannity is a centrist. Like eschereal said, I don’t even consider Hannity to be a conservative. Conservatives actually want what’s best for the country, it’s just that their ideas of what’s best are different from liberals’ ideas. Hannity is just a treasonous bootlick for the current administration. He doesn’t give a shit about the country, just himself. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1983 "2018-05-15T18:58:34Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Like eschereal said, I don’t even consider Hannity to be a conservative. Conservatives actually want what’s best for the country, it’s just that their ideas of what’s best are different from liberals’ ideas. > > Hannity is just a treasonous bootlick for the current administration. He doesn’t give a shit about the country, just himself. Good assessment of his character! ---
**Author:** ![Alexis\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@Alexis\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alexis_1)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1984 "2018-05-15T19:11:59Z")
Everyone has their their own biases that may or may not intentionally seep into their work. Whether it’s a conservative, liberal, etc bias always exists. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1985 "2018-05-15T19:42:52Z")
> [@Alexis\_1](#): > > Everyone has their their own biases that may or may not intentionally seep into their work. Whether it’s a conservative, liberal, etc bias always exists. The old “They all do it” defense. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1986 "2018-05-16T01:06:40Z")
> [@Alexis\_1](#): > > Everyone has their their own biases that may or may not intentionally seep into their work. Whether it’s a conservative, liberal, etc bias always exists. That’s true. And MSNBC shows their liberal bias with their story selection and emphasis. No doubt about it. But the Fox News prime time commentators go far beyond that. They make shit up, they report every stupid rumor that’s damaging to the left as fact, and they continue to flog false stories long after they have been debunked. Then they sign off with “Fox News, fair and balanced.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1987 "2018-05-16T04:39:31Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > That’s true. And MSNBC shows their liberal bias with their story selection and emphasis. No doubt about it. > > But the Fox News prime time commentators go far beyond that. They make shit up, they report every stupid rumor that’s damaging to the left as fact, and they continue to flog false stories long after they have been debunked. Then they sign off with “Fox News, fair and balanced.” See? They’re exactly the same! ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1988 "2018-05-16T14:26:47Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > That’s true. And MSNBC shows their liberal bias with their story selection and emphasis. No doubt about it. > > But the Fox News prime time commentators go far beyond that. They make shit up, they report every stupid rumor that’s damaging to the left as fact, and they continue to flog false stories long after they have been debunked. Then they sign off with “Fox News, fair and balanced.” And when there is actual news they (Fox) don’t want to discuss, they don’t. Instead, they talk about hard-hitting topics like sex-crazed pandas. Or super important car chases. Their viewers are fed a steady stream of bullshit. And that’s how trump supporters are made. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1989 "2018-05-16T14:37:29Z")
> [@Alexis\_1](#): > > Everyone has their their own biases that may or may not intentionally seep into their work. Whether it’s a conservative, liberal, etc bias always exists. Okay, so help me out - when’s the last time that, oh, let’s say MSNBC had a huge story break that hurt liberals, and decided instead to talk about some frivolous crap so as not to offend their viewers’ sensibilities? I’m looking and not really find anything. Or when was the last time that, I dunno, CNN flogged a long-debunked conspiracy theory to the point that people whose kid was involved in the conspiracy theory filed a fucking lawsuit to make it stop? Or when was the last time that a commentator on MSNBC just straight-up made shit up about a sitting senator in direct contradiction of the record of said senator? It’s not about bias! If the only problem was “Fox News is biased”, we wouldn’t have this thread, and we wouldn’t be talking about Fox, Hannity, etc. as a threat to American democracy. The problem is extreme lies, omissions, and bias, to a quite frankly embarrassing degree. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1990 "2018-05-16T16:55:43Z")
I am sure there must have been a high-profile boycott against an MSNBC commentator because they were being dickish. There must have been. After all, they all do the same shit. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1991 "2018-05-16T17:02:01Z")
I like that the best defence of FOX is still “But others do it too!”. Which is still horseshit, but I mean even its adherents can’t bring themselves to claim it’s not simply propaganda, that demonstrably lies, contradicts itself and omits important stories. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1992 "2018-05-16T17:16:26Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Okay, so help me out - when’s the last time that, oh, let’s say MSNBC had a huge story break that hurt liberals, and decided instead to talk about some frivolous crap so as not to offend their viewers’ sensibilities? I’m looking and not really find anything. > > Or when was the last time that, I dunno, CNN flogged a long-debunked conspiracy theory to the point that people whose kid was involved in the conspiracy theory filed a fucking lawsuit to make it stop? > > Or when was the last time that a commentator on MSNBC just straight-up made shit up about a sitting senator in direct contradiction of the record of said senator? > > It’s not about bias! If the only problem was “Fox News is biased”, we wouldn’t have this thread, and we wouldn’t be talking about Fox, Hannity, etc. as a threat to American democracy. The problem is extreme lies, omissions, and bias, to a quite frankly embarrassing degree. Exactly. It’s not the bias, it’s the propaganda. A news organization that fairly reported news but had a conservative bias would be welcome. One could argue that CNN and other major news networks are that. But that can’t exist as it’s incompatible with the contemporary Republican party as virtually all of their party positions are in opposition to observable reality. Any news organization that reports facts would be contradicting what the majority of Republicans believe. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1993 "2018-05-16T17:51:16Z")
> [@PigArcher](#): > > Exactly. It’s not the bias, it’s the propaganda. > > A news organization that fairly reported news but had a conservative bias would be welcome. One could argue that CNN and other major news networks are that. But that can’t exist as it’s incompatible with the contemporary Republican party as virtually all of their party positions are in opposition to observable reality. Any news organization that reports facts would be contradicting what the majority of Republicans believe. As has been said, reality has a liberal bias. I suppose the question is, if enough people get together and _believe_ really hard, will that have an effect on reality? Will reality be bent to the will of the people, if there are enough who feel strongly enough? Personally, I don’t think so, but it does seem as though that is the basis of Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1994 "2018-05-16T19:41:54Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I suppose the question is, if enough people get together and _believe_ really hard, will that have an effect on reality? Will reality be bent to the will of the people, if there are enough who feel strongly enough? I _believe_ that there is a karmical element to that. Belief cannot be contentious. If enough people believe in unicorns then perhaps they could be believed into existence, but if there are disbelievers, people who actively believe that unicorns do not in fact exist, their belief counters the faith of the true believers. You must have absolute consensus (which may or may not tolerate the unbelief of passive doubters) for the power of aggressive belief to prevail. So, I guess if you want to have hope for your beliefs, you have to convert or kill all of your opposition. But if you fail to get them all, or if one of them poisons any of the faithful’s firm hearts, the enterprise will not succeed. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1995 "2018-05-17T07:44:05Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I _believe_ that there is a karmical element to that. Belief cannot be contentious. If enough people believe in unicorns then perhaps they could be believed into existence, but if there are disbelievers, people who actively believe that unicorns do not in fact exist, their belief counters the faith of the true believers. You must have absolute consensus (which may or may not tolerate the unbelief of passive doubters) for the power of aggressive belief to prevail. > > So, I guess if you want to have hope for your beliefs, you have to convert or kill all of your opposition. But if you fail to get them all, or if one of them poisons any of the faithful’s firm hearts, the enterprise will not succeed. \ I do! I do! I do believe [del]in fairies[/del] that Trump is making America great again! ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1996 "2018-05-17T18:41:28Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > It’s not about bias! If the only problem was “Fox News is biased”, we wouldn’t have this thread, and we wouldn’t be talking about Fox, Hannity, etc. as a threat to American democracy. The problem is extreme lies, omissions, and bias, to a quite frankly embarrassing degree. True. As an example of bias that is the mirror of the liberal bias of MSNBC, I would point to the Wall Street Journal. The choice of emphasis has a conservative slant, and their commentary is almost exclusively right wing, but they generally don’t lie or bury important stories that don’t portray conservative in a good light. Fox news is in a whole different league. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1997 "2018-05-25T13:17:16Z")
Well, we now had a classified briefing to congressional leaders about the Mueller investigation and[Mitch McConnell has commented after the briefing that he supports the investigation](http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/389314-mcconnell-says-he-backs-mueller-probe-after-classified-briefing). Of course this is not the story that Fox is selling to their viewers; F[OX has been claiming that the entire FBI is a criminal shadow government that needs to be purged and arrested](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlicJO3IKes). What the fuck has happened to my country? Where the fuck are the conservatives that have any moral compass left? Do they exist anymore? Party before country, right comrades? Fox is not bad at all, right? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1998 "2018-05-25T14:33:49Z")
> [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](#): > > Where the fuck are the conservatives that have any moral compass left? Do they exist anymore? Well, you just mentioned Mitch McConnell. And there’s always Jeff Flake. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/1999 "2018-05-25T14:37:11Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > **Well, you just mentioned Mitch McConnell.** And there’s always Jeff Flake. Everyone has an off day. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2000 "2018-05-25T14:39:02Z")
> [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](#): > > Well, we now had a classified briefing to congressional leaders about the Mueller investigation and[Mitch McConnell has commented after the briefing that he supports the investigation](http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/389314-mcconnell-says-he-backs-mueller-probe-after-classified-briefing). Of course this is not the story that Fox is selling to their viewers; F[OX has been claiming that the entire FBI is a criminal shadow government that needs to be purged and arrested](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlicJO3IKes). What the fuck has happened to my country? Where the fuck are the conservatives that have any moral compass left? Do they exist anymore? Party before country, right comrades? Fox is not bad at all, right? Thank god the the Idiot in Chief harpooned his NK talks. Helps drive the above news into oblivion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625.md?page=99) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625.md?page=101)