# 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:** 127
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2523 "2020-03-14T18:44:47Z")
I was curious as to how they were reacting, so I took one for the team and watched a few minutes of Hannity on Friday. Apparently the talking points now are to pretend the whole “Democrat hoax!” thing never happened. He spent his time praising Trump’s decisive leadership, outlining all the steps and decision points made during the course of the crisis – virus identified, national health emergency declared, travel from China restricted. All technically true, but it ignores the too-little-too-late aspects, and also he never mentioned Trump’s bonkers commentary that went counter to all these points. He then pivoted to how Obama handled H1N1. There’s always an opportunity to blame Obama. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2524 "2020-03-14T18:59:24Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I was curious as to how they were reacting, so I took one for the team and watched a few minutes of Hannity on Friday. > > … Thanks for doing that. You’re a stronger person than I am. \*\_ ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2525 "2020-03-15T05:12:19Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > It goes to legal liability and the need to protect the employees and financial viability of the larger Fox organization. Will be extremely difficult to fight off the lawsuits brought about just by your own employees if you allow a division of your company to lie about Captain Trumps while your HR department is shouting “Fire!” Yeah, Fox cares about money, not about crazy. Lou Dobbs, Hannity, and Jeanine Pirro say crazier shit almost every show. ---
**Author:** ![Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/section_maker_jupe/32/1424_2.png) [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Section_Maker_Jupe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2526 "2020-03-15T15:49:00Z")
I try and keep up with Fox here and there, see what the enemy is doing. I cant handle it anymore. Makes me want to march to Fox news headquarters and hit the button on my PND…(personal nuclear device) I joke, having trouble getting parts:eek: ---
**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:** [March 15, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2527 "2020-03-15T16:04:23Z")
> [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](#): > > I try and keep up with Fox here and there, see what the enemy is doing. > I cant handle it anymore. Makes me want to march to Fox news headquarters and hit the button on my PND…(personal nuclear device) I joke, having trouble getting parts:eek: Parts are easy, It’s the [fissionable materials that are hard to find](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib8StpzyxDE). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2528 "2020-03-15T16:11:19Z")
This morning they broadcast Devin Nunes telling everybody [to go out and socialize](https://twitter.com/richardhine/status/1239214981742317568). For that they should lose their broadcasting license forever. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2529 "2020-03-15T17:57:55Z")
It is inevitable that there will be multiple lawsuits hurled NewsCorps way when this is over. My ‘pulled out of my ass’ theory of the moment is this clip, and maybe the entire appearance, was generated specifically to provide legal cover to Fox. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2530 "2020-03-15T19:20:42Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This morning they broadcast Devin Nunes telling everybody [to go out and socialize](https://twitter.com/richardhine/status/1239214981742317568). > > For that they should lose their broadcasting license forever. If they deserve to lose their license - what should happen to Nunes? At what point does freedom of speech turn into yelling 'Fire" in a crowded theater? And is that threshold lower for a someone that should know better? ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2531 "2020-03-15T19:27:14Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This morning they broadcast Devin Nunes telling everybody [to go out and socialize](https://twitter.com/richardhine/status/1239214981742317568). > > For that they should lose their broadcasting license forever. Cable TV networks in the United States aren’t licensed. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2020, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2532 "2020-03-16T03:15:10Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > At what point does freedom of speech turn into yelling 'Fire" in a crowded theater? It sounds more like Nunes is saying “_Ignore that flickering. There are no flames here. This is fine_.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2533 "2020-03-18T06:53:41Z")
The Washington Post tweeted a video that shows starkly the, uh, [evolution of thought](https://twitter.com/thefix/status/1240041548672380931?s=20) at Fox News with their COVID-19 coverage. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2534 "2020-03-18T11:59:02Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > The Washington Post tweeted a video that shows starkly the, uh, [evolution of thought](https://twitter.com/thefix/status/1240041548672380931?s=20) at Fox News with their COVID-19 coverage. I opened this thread just to post that, but you beat me to it! Truly ‘Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia’ stuff. They’ve turned on a dime, following Dear Leader, and it would surprise the hell out of me if they’re making the least mention of what they were saying a week ago. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2020, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2535 "2020-03-21T05:07:32Z")
Lou Dobbs in self quarantine after one of his team members tests positive for a liberal hoax… :smack: > **[Lou Dobbs Said Media Hyped Coronavirus. Now He’s in Quarantine.](https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-business-host-lou-dobbs-in-self-quarantine-after-downplaying-coronavirus-threat?source=articles&via=rss)** > > The Fox host stayed home Friday night “out of an abundance of caution” after a team member tested positive for the coronavirus. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Schmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Some\_Schmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Schmo)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2536 "2020-03-22T16:17:40Z")
Fox is to news what McDonald’s is to food. If you live on either of them, you are grossly malnourished. The final result is talking like Trump. Don’t let this happen to you. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2020, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2537 "2020-03-28T09:15:47Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > The Washington Post tweeted a video that shows starkly the, uh, [evolution of thought](https://twitter.com/thefix/status/1240041548672380931?s=20) at Fox News with their COVID-19 coverage. That’s the kind of compilation that will need to be continually updated. For example, there’s also now [a clip](https://youtu.be/uuBDbqpxsfk?t=677) of Hannity describing it as a hoax, and then, 9 days later, using his Jedi mind powers to tell his audience he never called it a hoax. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2538 "2020-04-22T16:00:47Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > For example, there’s also now [a clip](https://youtu.be/uuBDbqpxsfk?t=677) of Hannity describing it as a hoax, and then, 9 days later, using his Jedi mind powers to tell his audience he never called it a hoax. And Hannity and the virus are in the news today: [A disturbing new study suggests Sean Hannity helped spread the coronavirus](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/4/22/21229360/coronavirus-covid-19-fox-news-sean-hannity-misinformation-death) _Sophisticated new research links Hannity’s coronavirus misinformation to “a greater number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.”_ > [@](#): > > Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, media critics have warned that the decision from leading Fox News hosts to downplay the outbreak could cost lives. A new study provides statistical evidence that, in the case of Sean Hannity, that’s exactly what happened. > > … > > Using both a poll of Fox News viewers over age 55 and publicly available data on television-watching patterns, they calculate that Fox viewers who watched Hannity rather than Carlson were less likely to adhere to social distancing rules, and that areas where more people watched Hannity relative to Carlson had higher local rates of infection and death. > > “Greater exposure to _Hannity_ relative to _Tucker Carlson Tonight_ leads to a greater number of COVID-19 cases and deaths,” they write. “A one-standard deviation increase in relative viewership of Hannity relative to Carlson is associated with approximately 30 percent more COVID-19 cases on March 14, and 21 percent more COVID-19 deaths on March 28.” ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2539 "2020-04-22T17:52:41Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > And Hannity and the virus are in the news today: > > [A disturbing new study suggests Sean Hannity helped spread the coronavirus](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/4/22/21229360/coronavirus-covid-19-fox-news-sean-hannity-misinformation-death) > _Sophisticated new research links Hannity’s coronavirus misinformation to “a greater number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.”_ I’d guess this is probably more due to Trump and inherent stupidity than Hannity, because anybody who can watch more than a couple minutes of Hannity without stabbing their eyes with a fork is going to do whatever Trump says. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2540 "2020-04-22T18:08:58Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > I’d guess this is probably more due to Trump and inherent stupidity than Hannity, because anybody who can watch more than a couple minutes of Hannity without stabbing their eyes with a fork is going to do whatever Trump says. Except sometimes it’s Trump getting the talking points from Fox News and not the other way around. > **[Watch President Trump repeat Fox News talking points](https://money.cnn.com/2018/04/22/media/president-trump-fox-news/index.html)** > > President Donald Trump often repeats, almost verbatim, what Fox News personalities say on air. > **[Report: Hannity Gave Trump Post-Orlando Talking Points](https://www.thedailybeast.com/report-hannity-gave-trump-post-orlando-talking-points)** > > According to Trump confidant. > **[Video Shows 30 Times Trump Repeated 'Fox & Friends'](https://www.newsweek.com/trump-fox-and-friends-influence-video-twitter-tweets-fox-news-1274231)** > > The video shows that Trump's tweets are often posted shortly after similar statements are made on "Fox & Friends." ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2541 "2020-04-22T18:35:41Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > I’d guess this is probably more due to Trump and inherent stupidity than Hannity, because anybody who can watch more than a couple minutes of Hannity without stabbing their eyes with a fork is going to do whatever Trump says. Any study along these lines would need to carefully control for all variables. ie, are people stupid because they watch Hannity? Or do they watch Hannity because they’re stupid? ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/2542 "2020-04-22T19:19:24Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Any study along these lines would need to carefully control for all variables. ie, are people stupid because they watch Hannity? Or do they watch Hannity because they’re stupid? I really don’t like Tucker Carlson and I disagree with him about 90% of the time. But Carlson is not a mindless Trump mouthpiece. He has populist views that don’t always line up with Trump’s and those of the Republican orthodoxy. He’s praised Elizabeth Warren’s economic policies. He excoriated Richard Burr for his insider trading, while the other Fox hosts defended him. So I imagine the subset of Fox viewers that watch Hannity but refuse to watch Carlson consists of extra extra stupid Trump drones, stupid super-spreaders, as it were. The people who absolutely can’t take hearing someone disagree with Trump, on anything, ever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625.md?page=126) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625.md?page=128)