# 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:** 21
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/401 "2014-04-01T00:20:13Z")
[![](https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2014/03/31/obamacareenrollment-fncchart.jpg) ](https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2014/03/31/obamacareenrollment-fncchart.jpg) This graph is a perfect example of why Fox is so bad, and they do this all the time. CNN never does stuff like this. I don’t know why people like to get trolled by their news sources. Tomorrow there will probably be over 7 million people signed up under Obamacare. I wonder if we’ll see a graph like this then? I doubt they’ll even mention it. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/402 "2014-04-01T00:30:05Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I wonder if we’ll see a graph like this then? Why would one wish to? This is a clear example of a truncated graph that could easily be inserted into an updated edition of Darrell Huff’s How to Lie With Statistics. (It is also a clear example of the sort of lie to which Fox routinely resorts–although I doubt that they are alone in this sort of example.) ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/403 "2014-04-01T00:32:16Z")
Ha ha ha!! That must be some kind of fancy graduated scale or something! Because, you know, it appears that 7 million is more than _double_ 6 million. Fox sucks. Fuck Fox. ---
**Author:** ![rustyrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@rustyrunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rustyrunner)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/404 "2014-04-01T11:45:02Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > It’s often worth watching international news channels, if only for the different perspective; the US news media can be insular and narrowminded at the best of times. AJE is surprisingly good, although their coverage of US internal affairs is a lower priority than Middle Eastern events. I’m told the Arabic version of AJ is more…_pointed_…in its presentation of world events but have no way of evaluating that. > > BBC World is also pretty good although I’ve noticed a decline in quality over the years as funding cuts hit the BBC news division and the (radio) World Service has taken some serious hits as well. My German’s not good enough to do a quality assessment of Deutsche Welle although I’ve heard it’s decent, and sadly I dont’ have access to France 24. > > Also sadly, I _do_ have access to Russia Today, which is about as blatant in its propagandizing as FoxNews is, although surprisingly less good at it. I tried to watch it, really I did, but it became fairly obvious that journalistic integrity was not high on their list (and this was long before the current situation in Crimea, for which they’ve ramped it up to 11). I agree, except Fox, NBC, CNN, CBS, are news channels as international as BBC or Algazeera, even though the first 4 seem designed for US consumption, but widely viewed elsewhere. I can say that because I live in an insignificant Western country where it seems as easy to access those as the others. I am not surprised Algazeera (means The Island) has failed to successfully infiltrate the US viewing audience. Pity. As far as Fox goes I don’t know their agenda. They seem much the same as the other US networks, but perhaps a more unhealthy reliance on presenters and personalities rather than content. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2014, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/405 "2014-04-01T12:10:20Z")
> [@rustyrunner](#): > > I agree, except Fox, NBC, CNN, CBS, are news channels as international as BBC or Algazeera, even though the first 4 seem designed for US consumption, but widely viewed elsewhere. They really aren’t; all of them remain intensely US-focused even in their international incarnations. CNN used to be much better but has descended into a tepid miasma of viewer-poll-driven “news” and epilepsy-inducing flash cuts. > [@](#): > > I am not surprised Algazeera (means The Island) has failed to successfully infiltrate the US viewing audience. Pity. I’m not surprised either, given the post-9/11 prorpaganda against it. No one wants to be caught watched that there Mooslim news channel. > [@](#): > > As far as Fox goes I don’t know their agenda. They seem much the same as the other US networks, but perhaps a more unhealthy reliance on presenters and personalities rather than content. Their agenda is openly known - they’re there as the propaganda arm of the GOP. During the Bush years they had a direct line to the White House and they repeat right-wing talking points verbatim from the likes of Breitbart and Limbaugh. They’ve admitted to being right-wing-biased, so it’s hardly just leftist whining. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/406 "2014-04-01T12:26:10Z")
Fox News is to journalism as the Walking Dead is to a documentary. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/407 "2014-04-01T12:29:35Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > [http://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2014/03/31/obamacareenrollment-fncchart.jpg](http://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2014/03/31/obamacareenrollment-fncchart.jpg) > > This graph is a perfect example of why Fox is so bad, and they do this all the time. CNN never does stuff like this. I don’t know why people like to get trolled by their news sources. > > Tomorrow there will probably be over 7 million people signed up under Obamacare. I wonder if we’ll see a graph like this then? I doubt they’ll even mention it. Fox has mostly commentaries on the news. News is what is happening now, not 6 years ago. I can predict that tomorrows news will be something against what president Obama says or does. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/408 "2014-04-01T13:42:20Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > [http://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2014/03/31/obamacareenrollment-fncchart.jpg](http://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2014/03/31/obamacareenrollment-fncchart.jpg) > > This graph is a perfect example of why Fox is so bad, and they do this all the time. CNN never does stuff like this. I don’t know why people like to get trolled by their news sources. > > Tomorrow there will probably be over 7 million people signed up under Obamacare. I wonder if we’ll see a graph like this then? I doubt they’ll even mention it. Why would you assume that any two things Fox News was comparing to make a political point would be drawn to the same scale? 😃 😃 But as long as we’re doing screenshots, here are some. [This article](http://killfile.newsvine.com/_news/2009/06/25/2968314-libel-by-label-a-brief-history-of-fox-news-accidental-democrats) provides links to some great screenshots from Fox News illustrating the amazing transformation of Republicans to Democrats when they become disgraced. For instance, when South Carolina Republican governor Mark Sanford revealed that “hiking the Appalachian Trail” actually meant traveling to Argentina to commit adultery, on Fox News [he suddenly became a Democrat](http://killfile.newsvine.com/_news/2009/06/25/2968314-libel-by-label-a-brief-history-of-fox-news-accidental-democrats). When Republican Congressman Mark Foley was found to greatly enjoy the intimate company of underage male Congressional pageboys, [=mark%20foley%20d&filters[primary]=images"]he suddenly became a Democrat, too.]([Photo Storage](http://media.photobucket.com/user/bobgeiger/media/Fox_Foley_Label.jpg.html?filters)[term) When Alaska Republican Senator Ted Stephens was under indictment for corruption, yep – [suddenly a Democrat](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img183/5431/36b7f3386fb7cf7fe5a4248sk4.jpg). The article gives a couple of other examples of this wonderful relabeling. Larry “wide stance” Craig managed to escape being labeled a Democrat; in his case, Fox took the tack of just not mentioning his party affiliation at all. Strangely, in the instances where actual Democrats were accused of wrongdoing, Fox always got it right. They never got labeled Republican. ---
**Author:** ![rustyrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@rustyrunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rustyrunner)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/409 "2014-04-01T15:05:31Z")
[QUOTE Their agenda is openly known - they’re there as the propaganda arm of the GOP. During the Bush years they had a direct line to the White House and they repeat right-wing talking points verbatim from the likes of Breitbart and Limbaugh. They’ve admitted to being right-wing-biased, so it’s hardly just leftist whining.[/QUOTE] There you go prefacing your bias just when I thought you had something! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/410 "2014-04-01T15:07:47Z")
> [@rustyrunner](#): > > [QUOTE > Their agenda is openly known - they’re there as the propaganda arm of the GOP. During the Bush years they had a direct line to the White House and they repeat right-wing talking points verbatim from the likes of Breitbart and Limbaugh. They’ve admitted to being right-wing-biased, so it’s hardly just leftist whining.[/QUOTE] > > There you go prefacing your bias just when I thought you had something! Just because you disagree with the statement doesn’t make it biased. Was there something exaggerated or untrue in that statement? ---
**Author:** ![rustyrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@rustyrunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rustyrunner)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/411 "2014-04-01T15:43:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > There you go prefacing your bias just when I thought you had something! Just because you disagree with the statement doesn’t make it biased. Was there something exaggerated or untrue in that statement? [/QUOTE] I don’t disagree, and I can not prove exaggeration or untruth at this time so I must retract. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/412 "2014-04-01T15:48:20Z")
> [@rustyrunner](#): > > Just because you disagree with the statement doesn’t make it biased. Was there something exaggerated or untrue in that statement? I don’t disagree, and I can not prove exaggeration or untruth at this time so I must retract. [/QUOTE] Good, because that bad coding was hurting my eyes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rustyrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@rustyrunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rustyrunner)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/413 "2014-04-01T16:15:56Z")
Your eyes hurt because your vision may be impaired (slightly)😃 ---
**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:** [April 1, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/414 "2014-04-01T16:46:34Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > But as long as we’re doing screenshots, here are some. [This article](http://killfile.newsvine.com/_news/2009/06/25/2968314-libel-by-label-a-brief-history-of-fox-news-accidental-democrats) provides links to some great screenshots from Fox News illustrating the amazing transformation of Republicans to Democrats when they become disgraced. My reflex reaction is to blame incompetence more than malicious intent for blunders of this sort. And although I have no proof and should probably know better I will do so in case as well. However given the one sided nature of the occurrence, I imagine that there is probably an underlying bias to the mistake like the following. Fox Intern #1; So this Mark Sanford guy I don’t know what party he is in. Should I put a D or an R by his name on the info-graphic. Fox Intern #2: Well we are putting out a story criticizing him, so he’s probably a Democrat. Go ahead and put up a D. ---
**Author:** ![nole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@nole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nole)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/415 "2014-04-01T16:49:34Z")
It’s biased, but in no way worse than MSNBC. Both however successfully appeal to large market segments. Particularly those that choose not to think for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/416 "2014-04-01T16:52:57Z")
> [@nole](#): > > It’s biased, but in no way worse than MSNBC. Both however successfully appeal to large market segments. Particularly those that choose not to think for themselves. No matter how often it is said, saying it doesn’t make it true. Have you got something equivalent to Fox’s ongoing "Bad "R"s called “D"s” situation on behalf of MSNBC that you could show us? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/417 "2014-04-01T17:07:15Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > There’s really no rational response to a post of this type other than to point and laugh. Oh, please do. I love it when the libs come galloping in and stumble all over themselves to post and prove how correct I was. ---
**Author:** ![nole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@nole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nole)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/418 "2014-04-01T17:18:40Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > No matter how often it is said, saying it doesn’t make it true. Have you got something equivalent to Fox’s ongoing "Bad "R"s called “D"s” situation on behalf of MSNBC that you could show us? I’m not sure exactly what you’re referring to but if you can honestly watch MSNBC & not see how horribly biased it is then there isn’t much I can do for you. Just listen to anything Al Sharpton says. It is in every way the equivalent of FOX. They are both nothing more than entertainment successfully designed for specific market segments. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/419 "2014-04-01T17:23:02Z")
> [@nole](#): > > I’m not sure exactly what you’re referring to but if you can honestly watch MSNBC & not see how horribly biased it is then there isn’t much I can do for you. Just listen to anything Al Sharpton says. It is in every way the equivalent of FOX. They are both nothing more than entertainment successfully designed for specific market segments. MSNBC is biased, but Fox News is _more_ biased, has way more lies, way more obfuscations, and way more misrepresentations. They’re definitely not the same. Sharpton has nothing on Hannity when it comes to misrepresenting, obfuscating, and outright lying. ---
**Author:** ![nole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@nole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nole)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625/420 "2014-04-01T17:35:27Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > MSNBC is biased, but Fox News is _more_ biased, has way more lies, way more obfuscations, and way more misrepresentations. They’re definitely not the same. Sharpton has nothing on Hannity when it comes to misrepresenting, obfuscating, and outright lying. This is nothing more than opinion being passed off as fact. Provide proof that FOX lies more, I’ve watched both & both are full of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fox-news-really-all-that-bad/636625.md?page=22)