# What are the prospects for a left-wing analogue to Fox News? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 18, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544 "2004-12-18T18:13:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/61 "2004-12-22T04:05:41Z")
> [@RevCo](#): > > Just a correction - FoxNews set out to MAKE MONEY. They saw a gap in the market - people weren’t watching nightly news because a percieved bias. FoxNews filled this void and made and continues to make a lot of MONEY. They are a business. CNN is a business, but it caters to a different crowd. > > \ > > If you think this is about more than money, sorry, I don’t believe it. The execs who run CNN, CBS, etc., might be looking at the bottom line. But I’m fairly confident that if Fox NJews started to show a net financial loss, Rupert Murdoch would tap the resources of other parts of his business empire to keep it going. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/62 "2004-12-22T20:51:16Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > By adding their on slant to news stories, Fox is actually breaking one of the Ten Commandments. I like my news broadcasts without adulterants added. > > Just the facts, m’am. Oh yes, like Dan Rather at CBS, just the facts… Unbiased, sure, they would’ve been just as quick to run such a story on John Kerry :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/63 "2004-12-22T23:14:05Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Oh yes, like Dan Rather at CBS, just the facts… > > Unbiased, sure, they would’ve been just as quick to run such a story on John Kerry :rolleyes: And what reason have we to think otherwise? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/64 "2004-12-23T00:17:49Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And what reason have we to think otherwise? :dubious: I believe Andy Rooney mentioned specifically that they only ran the story because it hurt Bush, and would not have done so against Kerry. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/65 "2004-12-23T00:19:40Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I believe Andy Rooney mentioned specifically that they only ran the story because it hurt Bush, and would not have done so against Kerry. > > Regards, > Shodan Missed that. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/66 "2004-12-23T13:08:40Z")
Rather and CBS run one ill-advised story which results in Rather’s resignation, and that means CBS=FOX. There just aren’t enough rolleyes in the world … ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/67 "2004-12-23T13:47:47Z")
> [@Mr2001](#): > > Oh, I don’t know about that. Air America has gotten excellent ratings in the areas where it’s available. Sirius Satellite Radio also has its own liberal talk stream, [TalkLeft](http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/CachedPage&c=ChannelAsset&cid=996089496790), and produces at least three of the shows on there, one of which has also gotten excellent ratings on the local stations that have picked it up. I am on the right and enjoy Air America radio, though (as you can guess) disagree w/ most of it. IMHO there is room for a left “fox” so to speak. But I don’t think the left has totally hit upon why Fox is different then conventional media, which is that the hosts on FOX are honest and open about their political views, while the conventional media hides their host’s bias. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/68 "2004-12-23T14:42:47Z")
Reuters News Service is quite guilty of being left-biased also. I know, I used to work there and I can give an example. The left tends to frown on anything related to space exploration as it they see it as wasted money (it could all go their beloved social(ist) programs). There was a press conference about the Mars Pathfinder (I guess this was around 1997). I watched the entire thing on CSPAN. The JPL spokesman was quite upbeat. He talked about the success of the landing, and was proud that it was all achieved with a “small” budget. The exact amount escapes me, but it could be looked up. For arguments sake say it was $50M. Anyway, the press peppers the spokesman with various questions: how long will the mission last, blah,blah,blah. All straight forward stuff. The next day I go to work and read our news stories. I had a basket set up to catch all science/space related news. There’s one on the press conference, so I read it. I wish I had kept it because the article had a completely negative spin on the whole affair. They wrote how incredible sums of money (over $50M!) were being spent on “little” scientific return. I was incensed and emailed the writer since he was in our corporate directory. The jerk didn’t even have the guts to respond to my calling him out on this. I started to pay more attention to our “slant” after that. The more I watched, the more I saw. I would also see our wire stories “unedited”. The next day they would run in our local newspaper “Newsday”; and I would see sections of stories dropped to give a more “left” spin. I can’t even take Newsday serious anymore. So is Fox biased? Absolutely. What one has to do is watch them, watch CNN, and realize that the “truth” lies in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/69 "2004-12-23T14:52:45Z")
> [@Mr2001](#): > > Not necessarily. There is such a thing as objective reporting, and you can objectively decide whether or not a story is worth reporting, how much time to give it, what to include in the story, and so on. Objectively speaking (:D) there is and has never been any such thing as objective reporting. Every story has a point of view. The trick, especially in reporting of political/social/economic issues is to strive for _fairness_ and give reasonable weight to opposing viewpoints, while keeping one’s own views hidden as much as possible. No major news organization consistently meets these professional standards, left or right. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/70 "2004-12-23T20:06:50Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > So is Fox biased? Absolutely. What one has to do is watch them, watch CNN, and realize that the “truth” lies in the middle. So the “truth” is always somewhere between the center and the right? Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/71 "2004-12-23T20:40:32Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > IMHO there is room for a left “fox” so to speak. But I don’t think the left has totally hit upon why Fox is different then conventional media, which is that the hosts on FOX are honest and open about their political views, while the conventional media hides their host’s bias. If you’re right – and if, as you seem to imply, that difference is the secret of Fox’s success – then it follows that an **openly** leftist cable channel, a “Pacifica Television Network” or “Revolution News Network” or “Soros News Network,” could be as big as Fox! ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/72 "2004-12-23T21:19:18Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > IMHO there is room for a left “fox” so to speak. But I don’t think the left has totally hit upon why Fox is different then conventional media, which is that the hosts on FOX are honest and open about their political views, while the conventional media hides their host’s bias. Yes, that’s why Bill O’Reiley swore up and down that he was a non-partisan “centrist,” until it was revealed he was actually a registered Republican. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/73 "2004-12-23T21:22:05Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If you’re right – and if, as you seem to imply, that difference is the secret of Fox’s success – then it follows that an **openly** leftist cable channel, a “Pacifica Television Network” or “Revolution News Network” or “Soros News Network,” could be as big as Fox! Well yes, but I though I didn’t have to mention that the show must be good to watch. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/74 "2004-12-23T21:38:02Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Missed that. Cite? Let’s see - Yup, [here](http://www.poynteronline.org/dg.lts/id.45/aid.74597/column.htm) it is - it was at Tufts University. November 19, 2004. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/75 "2004-12-23T21:46:47Z")
The cite quotes Rooney as saying the piece was run because it was critical of Bush. There is no mention of your assertion they would not have done so if it were Kerry. Still, half-a-truth. A definite improvement, over all. ---
**Author:** ![annaplurabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@annaplurabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annaplurabelle)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/76 "2004-12-23T22:15:03Z")
Oh come on. Kerry was obviously a media darling. That’s why the Swift Boat Vets couldn’t get any airtime… I like [Olbermann’s](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240) take on the “liberal” bias: > [@](#): > > **The American media has a liberal bias:** > > I think we can pretty much put this one to bed. > > The mainstream media has so tiptoed around the voting irregularities stories that it’s deflated any reasonable belief that there are swarms of reporters bypassing facts to substitute their own agendas. Instead of a circus, the Conyers “voting forums” have received tepid coverage. > > Had there been a reversal of the poles in this political equation, of course, the impenetrable Sean Hannity would be in his 49th consecutive day of broadcasting without sleep, and by now would’ve already announced that Democrats from Outer Space had stolen the election. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/77 "2004-12-23T22:42:12Z")
After reading the majority of the posts in this thread I have to say…you guys are absolutely right! I’m sure that a left wing Fox equivenent is poised to burst on the scene any day now…hell, it might happen TONIGHT!! Just kick back and wait in joyful hope for the coming of the left wing Fox (obscure Catholic reference). The market for such a beast is HUGE…simply HUGE…in America. Americans, at their tender hearts, are liberals…except those poor deluded redneck racist ignorant ones of course (who voted for that mad man Bush). They just pretend to be centrist/conservatives…but the truth will out in the end!! And I’m quite convinced that Air America is on the threshold of knocking Limbaugh et al completely off the air! Kumbya!! _sits down with a bowl of popcorn and awaits the coming of the massive left wing movement to sweep away the conservatives and take back America_ -XT ---
**Author:** ![RevCo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@RevCo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RevCo)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/78 "2004-12-23T23:25:01Z")
> [@annaplurabelle](#): > > Oh come on. Kerry was obviously a media darling. That’s why the Swift Boat Vets couldn’t get any airtime… Yeah, remeber when the media demanded Kerry’s Military Records, and he released them? Remember when the Swift Boat vets story hit and Kerry responded to each one of their accusations in kind? Remember when the media demanded to know who was behind the forged Bush Military Service memos? I don’t either - but hey, do a search at MSNBC for fun since you brought it up - First do a search for [“Swift Boat”](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/?querytext=%22Swift+Boat%22&id=3053419&action=fulltext&searchfromtoc.x=11&searchfromtoc.y=14) - hey, critical reporting, skepticism, and some slams at Zell Miller! Now, do a search for [Bush Military Record](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/?querytext=Bush+Military+Record&id=3053419&action=fulltext) - even I didn’t remember that the AP sued and “Demanded” the Bush Military Records - ask yourself why Kerry didn’t release his records, and why AP didn’t demand them or sue to see them. There isn’t even any notice of the forged memos at MSNBC - or who was funding the mudslinging. Do a search at any major media web site - and read for yourself. Partisans won’t see a patern, and that’s too bad. Either way, I don’t want to turn this into a Kerry, Swiftboat Vets, Bush Military Record, Election hijack, there are already too many of those. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/79 "2004-12-23T23:40:40Z")
> [@RevCo](#): > > Yeah, remeber when the media demanded Kerry’s Military Records, and he released them? [Actually, yes.](http://www.johnkerry.com/about/john_kerry/military_records.html) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544/80 "2004-12-23T23:47:10Z")
> [@annaplurabelle](#): > > Oh come on. Kerry was obviously a media darling. That’s why the Swift Boat Vets couldn’t get any airtime… > > I like [Olbermann’s](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240) take on the “liberal” bias: Funny you should bring up the SBV in a thread about Fox. If you recall, the SBV bought there air time, and most of what Fox did in their analysis was to rip them apart. Must be that pro-Republican bias they have. I also this line of reasoning from your cite: > [@](#): > > Had there been a reversal of the poles in this political equation, of course, the impenetrable Sean Hannity would be in his 49th consecutive day of broadcasting without sleep, and by now would’ve already announced that Democrats from Outer Space had stolen the election. Posing a hypothetical and then stating some extreme action as though it had actually happened. What is that supposed to demostrate other than that he has a creative imagination? Oh, and maybe the media didn’t jump all over the “irregularities” is because most of them had no substance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-prospects-for-a-left-wing-analogue-to-fox-news/280544.md?page=5)