Crazy like a FOX

BREAKING NEWS: FOX News has a conservative, Right-wing agenda!

Shocking, isn't it? The opposite can be said of MSNBC. They perpetuate a liberal, Left-wing agenda. CNN? They seem to be the moderate of the big three, at least to me. Seems fair.

I still like my news on the non-partisan tip, but when I'm looking for infotainment, I head over to Olbermann, Matthews and Maddow for some fun conservative bashing. Just as, I assume, certain conservatives do with O'Reilly, Hannity and the rest of the merry men and women over at FOX. None of it is un-biased, but who really cares? As long as everyone recognizes that.

But I just don't see how the kids over at FOX can continue to perpetuate the outright lie that they are fair and balanced! They most certainly DO have an agenda, and that is exactly what keeps their base tuning in day after day. Listen, I have no problem with FOX and the content they run. While I don't think it is as rampant as some (especially the McCain campaign) say, there has been a bit of Left-wing media bias and the Right deserves a voice. That voice is FOX News. And I'm fine with that. I'm not going to watch, but I am fine with it.

You never hear the on-air personalities over on MSNBC crowing about how fair and impartial they are. Even in the face of constant accusations coming from the Right and the McCain campaign. They know what they are and they know who their audience is. But over on FOX, you almost can't get through a segment without their on-air talent railing against the injustices of the Left-wing media elite and patting themselves on the back for presenting the fair and balanced take on politics. It's like a mission statement for the whole company.

"Push our agenda, but don't acknowledge it! In fact, denounce it with indignation."

This mantra is pounded into the viewer's brains day after day to the point where their base actually believes it. That is the problem I have with it all. I watch MSNBC with glee and I know that they are pushing an agenda. I get it. A lot of folks I know, including some family members of mine, watch FOX and refuse to admit that they are doing likewise. It's incredible. Their mission statement is working! And it is oh-so insidious. MSNBC admits with a wink and a chuckle their agenda, but FOX refuses to do the same with righteous indignation.

And whenever I see arguments on the political front between the two sides of the political fence, that is what you usually get from each side. A wink and a chuckle from the Left and righteous indignation from the Right. Makes you wonder how much of each of our political beliefs are shaped by the heads of each of these organizations.

Yesterday, an Obama spokesmen named Bill Burton called out FOX for it's political agenda and was invited onto Megyn Kelly's show to get beat on, I guess. She, once again, tows the company line by pounding Burton and denouncing his accusations of such an agenda. Notice her righteousness. I think she actually believes her own crap.

I wanna dive into that poll that she mentions about FOX being the least biased news organization. Was it a poll of FOX viewers? Hmm.

Oh, and that study from the Center For Media of Public Affairs that she mentioned...the one that said that Obama's portrayals on the news have been 65% positive versus 36% for McCain. That is true...to an extant. That study was from August 23rd to September 30th*. Not since the end of the primaries as Kelly stated. Oh, and the same study showed that those numbers on FOX alone were 28% positive for Obama versus 38% for McCain and 49% for Palin. Oh, and the high positives for Obama were a turnaround from his extremely low numbers from their last study released on July 23rd. His numbers in that study were 72% NEGATIVE at that point versus 57% negative for McCain. You can check it all out yourself on their website.

*The study in question used ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News and the first half hour of FOX Special Report. CNN and MSNBC were not included in the study.

Anyone can pick out the details from a study that supports their arguments while ignoring the rest of the facts. But a fair and balanced reporter may have mentioned the facts from the entire study rather than just the ones that supported her argument. That's what a political operative with an agenda does. Not a fair and balanced news person. Hmm.

No agenda there. Nope.

PS - Once again, I'm fine with the fact that they have an agenda. The Right needs a voice in the media just as much as anyone. I'm just tired of them denying it and being righteous about it, is all. - Earl

UPDATE - Much props to Sheppard Smith of FOX News for calling out Joe the Plumber in an interview yesterday and calling his views "frightening". I was feeling bad for the guy after the last debate due to the extreme focus by the media on him. But hearing him speak every day is convincing me that he is a boob. He admits that he doesn't know what he is talking about and yet he is given a voice by the McCain campaign. Good job on calling him out on his ignorance FOX!!!