Masters of Misinformation--Surveys Skewer Fox News for Inaccurate Reporting
86Fair and balanced? Really?
STUDIES SHOW THAT THE MORE FOX NEWS YOU WATCH, THE LESS YOU KNOW
Can Fox News make you more uninformed than not watching the news at all? Well according to seven different surveys (Done by Fairleigh Dickenson University; the University of Maryland; the Wall Street Journal; Stanford University; Ohio State University; the Kaiser Foundation, and the Program on International Policy Attitudes) people who watch Fox News are more misinformed than people who get their news from other sources or who don’t watch/read the news at all.
The studies compared groups of Fox News watchers to people who say they never read the news or watch news shows on TV. Fox News watchers were consistently more misinformed or uniformed than non-News watchers. For example, Fox News watchers were 18% below others in accurately understanding the current situation in Egypt, regarding the government overthrow. Another example concerns the recent health care bill. 72% of Fox news watchers thought it gives Healthcare to illegal immigrants; 69 % think it will cover abortions. 79% of Fox News watchers knew little about the bill except that it was “socialist” and would “lead to government takeover of health care in America”. (Opinions frequently expressed by Fox News anchors.) Also, Fox News viewers tend to frequently reject legitimate science, despite large amounts of proof.
A news quiz by the Kaiser Foundation showed that Fox News watchers were more misinformed that People who watched CNN or MSNBC or who read newspapers like the NY Times or the Washington Post. People who watch no news at all were quick to admit they didn’t know the answers but they were open to new information, as opposed to Fox News watchers who believed that they knew the proper answers and were less apt to accept different information. Even people who got their news from comedy shows like the Daily Show with Jon Stewart were better informed than Fox watchers.
All the studies agreed that Fox News passes off opinions, rumors and editorials as hard news, and viewers accept the misinformation as fact. The consensus is “Its propaganda. Not news”.
Below are a half dozen egregious examples of deliberate misinformation which Fox News passed off as legitimate information…
*When talking about his Health Care bill, President Obama said on a TV news conference, that the people who owned and ran health care companies were “not bad men” but had made mistakes in the way they handled things. The following day, Fox News reported that “Yesterday President Obama called the owners of Health Care companies ‘Bad Men’!” They went on to chide Obama for his “unconscionable” words, even though they deliberately misquoted him.
*In a similar circumstance, Fox played a brief sound-bite clip of Obama saying that “Taxes will go up next year” and spent the rest of the evening condemning him for planning to raise taxes. However, Fox did not play the entire clip. What the President really said was “Because of policies initiated under the Bush Administration, taxes will go up next year. I can’t do anything about that.”
*Yet another example of Fox News doing some bias editing was when they took a clip of Obama saying “We need a Health Care system like the one they have in Europe” and proceeded to lambast him for this terrible idea. In actuality, if you listen to the entire clip, Obama was just repeating what someone else had said as a segue to explain why a European-style health care system wouldn’twork here.
*Still another recent example of Fox New using tapes out of context was when they used a 2008 clip of Joe Biden saying that “the Economy is still basically sound” and used it as an excuse to call him a hypocrite and say that he’s out of touch. They never mentioned that the clip was over three years old.
*A different type of clever editing that Fox did was to use false footage to exaggerate the size of a tea-party rally. When a tea-party event didn’t gather the expected crowds, Fox News combined the rally footage with some footage of a larger event from the previous year to make the crowd seem much larger than it was. They gave themselves away, however, because they didn’t take the trees into account. One rally took place in the summer and the other in the fall. During the Fox News coverage, the trees kept switching from red/gold autumn colors to summer green every few seconds. When people noticed, Fox claimed they accidentally used the wrong footage.
*When President Obama took his 10-day trip to India and China, Fox News reported that Obama was bringing ‘an entourage of 3,000 people” and “34 warships”. They claimed that they trip would cost the America taxpayer 200 million dollars per day or 2 Billion for the entire trip. When asked by the Obama administration to reveal the source of their figures they admitted that they had no real evidence and they were just “guessing”.
These are only six of the many, many examples of Fox News twisting the truth for the purpose of presenting a specific agenda. When criticized for these reports, Fox maintains that many of their TV anchors are “opinion guys” who editorialize. However, does that exempt them from giving accurate information along with their opinion? Is that fact that Fox is “opinion news” a legitimate reason to broadcast false information?
As a former journalism student, I was always taught about journalistic integrity. One thing that gets me peeved is blatant lies in the media. This is not about right or left; it's about honesty and integrity.
So Fox News watchers beware…This network could make you ignorant.
A link to one of the many polls
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Hi Lapse; You're right, Fox is more of an entertainment network than a news network. It amazes me that so many people cling to what such a sensationalized network says. Haven't they realized that these are "opinion guys" with an agenda? No one should ever limit their news knowledge to one single source, especially one that has proven so unreliable.
Thanks for reading,
Rob
You know, I've always figured that Fox had an extremely biased approached to news, but it's nice to see there's finally some evidence to back up that theory. Although, I tend to think all news sources are biased to some degree because of the human factor, but Fox news seems the most biased in my opinion.
Like Lapse, I too feel sorry for the people that exclusively listen to fox news only. Heck, my father is one of them. Whenever I used to talk to him about politics and other news stuff in the past, he would always refuse to listen to anything that contradicted what he heard on fox, by saying "they're the only real news source out there.."(his words, not mine). Of course, to be fair, my father has always a very stubborn person that never admits when he's wrong, so I always figured it was just him...that is until I read this hub...
However, on a brighter note though, you've written another very in depth and insightful hub. One, that I'm going to put on my twitter and facebook page, so I can hopefully get others to read this as well. Anyway, thanks again for the great read.
It's funny when I see Jon Stewart point out these mistakes on his show. He points out problems with news media in general, but always has lots of time for Fox News for being wrong and for CNN for focusing on entertainment rather than on actual news stories. (For example, having the viewers vote on which of three stories to hear them report when all three are important but they have lots of time to play a clip about a cat wearing a mask.) But it is scary. These are real people who watch this channel.
Hi Steve; It's true that there is some degree of bias in most news sources, but none so blatant and full of misinformation as Fox News.
I think of the old time journalist like Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite (Who was voted the most trusted man in America) and I remember how they used to do their best to remain neutral. They were like judges, who weren't supposed to let personal feelings or opinions into the matter. We need more newspeople like those now.
Thanks for stopping by.
Rob
Hi Flora; I also enjoy watching Jon Stewart point out the absurdity and hypocracy in the way Fox News runs its so-called news network. CNN has come to be a bit of a disappointment because they were once the standard-bearer for what a news network should be like. I guess they want so badly to beat Fox News in the ratings that they aren't embarrassed to turn themselves into lite-news.
Always good to hear from you,
Rob
"Fair and Balanced" Beware of any news outlet that titles itself in such a way ( The Most Trusted Name in News - for another.) Viewers decided if you are fair and balanced - not the network itself.
Yes, they are all biased, simply in what they choose to cover. But there is only so much airtime and so many column inches - somebody has to make the choices. It's the viewers who must hold them accountable - not drink the Koolaide.
Hi Kathleen; It's a shame that Fox News is the highest rated news network. It's a shame that so many people choose to get their news from an openly bias and slanted network.
Thanks for reading,
Rob
Well, the problem with most news sources today (ESPECIALLY FOX NEWS) is that like Michael Moore said in his documentary, "Bowling for Columbine", the media really only cares about ratings these days than reporting actual news. Things are lot different now than when guys like Cronkite were still doing the news, as now most media can be bought and controlled by those in power. It's kind of sad if you ask me.
FYI- I normally don't agree with everything Moore says, as I think he can be kind of arrogant pompous a** a lot of times, and he's extremely biased himself, but he does raise a lot of the right questions that we should be asking, and he definitely nailed it when he talked about the bias of the media, and how it loves to use misinformation and scare tactics rather than sticking to just the facts.
Even Newt Gingrich said, the difference between him and Fox news is that as a candidate running for president, he has to know what he is talking about! LOL
Hi Steve; Moore can be pompous in the way he does things but he always makes good points. I agree with most of the things he points out, including the media being controlled by the super rich. They control what we hear, which is not how it was meant to be when "freedom of the press" was thought up.
Rob
Hi 2besure; I heard that quote from Gingritch. It was funny, although I was suprised he would say that to Fox News. He's kind of biting the hand that feeds him. I don't think a conservative can get elected without the support of Fox News, which has been the engine of far-right politics for the last 10 years.
Thanks for reading,
Rob
Thanks for writing about this. I hadn't heard about the surveys and it is really interesting to know how skewed things have gotten with the last decade or so. Not that there wasn't bias before, but it seems more prevelant than ever before.
Great reporting!
surveys can all be moved to whatever results you want to hear... I'm sure Fox is entertainment, but also sure all of the other news stations are just as bias in their reporting... libs and conservatives will always be just that...right and left... also Journalist just want to be known now so they don't care, they just want to be on TV... just thought I would give the other side... it's a little lopsided in the room right now... I don't trust any of them really... I think they are all on the same team... just going back and forth for our benefit... to upset the people... get them stirred up...
Another example is when they showed a clip of Ron Paul's speech, they dubbed out the applause and put in boos from a speech that happened months before that. It's complete manipulation of the truth and they don't care who knows.
It shows what poor reporters they are that they can't expose Obama's demonstrably poor policies by simply reporting on them honestly. It's not enough for them to say 'Obama gonna raise taxes' without explaining why and what the government are going to do with the money and explaining exactly why it is a bad thing. What alternative do you have if you don't want to watch CNN and MSNBC lick Obama's boots?
Infowars and RT, that's what.
Hi vmartinezwilson; Bias is not new but its just becoming more extreme and blatant lately, and people are becoming more misinformed.
Thanks for reading,
Rob
jeanine; Its true that many networks have a bias, not just Fox. But Fox has gone above and beyond the others in flagrant, blatant biasness.
I'm not taking any "sides". This isn't about right or left or center. But Fox has become so closely identified with the far right that any criticism of Fox news is deemed anti-republican or liberal biasness. This isn't about Republicans or Democrats. It's about a so-called news station making people *less* informed, instead of more. They should have some integrity.
Rob
Hi innersmiff; That's another classic example of Fox News doing their editing magic to twist the facts. And you're right that they don't care who knows it. They're so in-your-face about it.
You make a good point that Obama has done a poor enough job in office these last three years that there is no need to twist the facts or to fabricate matters in order to make him look bad. He's doing a bad job all on his own.
It's best to get your news from multiple sources. If you're going to watch Fox then listen to NPR, too. You'll get both sides. I like to watch the BBC news from England to get a different perspective on American politics. It's best to get an overall look at the news rather than getting it all from one place otherwise you end up like those Fox News watchers who are becoming dumber instead of smarter as they watch the news.
Thanks for reading,
Rob
Yes, and where possible, do your own research! That is going to be a lot more prevalent in the coming years where the mainstream media is becoming less and less relevant.
Also, a note on the BBC. I am British and have become more and more annoyed with the blatant statist and mildly leftist bias it puts out. It is a publicly funded broadcaster so that probably explains it. It's worth keeping in mind though.
Hello from America, innersmiff; I guess I'm not surprised to hear there is a bias in the BBC as well. But at least its a different perspective from the usual American talking-heads and its another piece of the overall puzzle when trying to sort out the truth from the propaganda.
Rob
NPR has been called too liberal, but past surveys have shown their coverage has been proven over time to be more accurate than any other news source. The point in news coverage is to be accurate - get your facts right - and let the chips fall where they may.
My daughter in law just started a political science college class, and the first day the professor explained the difference between news stories and commentaries. If only everyone understood the difference!
Hi Kathleen; Excellent points. I wish more people could tell the difference. And I wish Fox made it clearer that they were giving commentary and opinion, not hard news.
And as you say, even in "opinion news" they should present the facts correctly without distortion or tricky editing.
Thanks for reading,
Rob
This is an interesting commentary on FoxNews...
http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/0
It seems the movie is inferring the oil industry is evil, but brainwashing kids? I think that's a leap. I wouldn't call this falsifying things, but it is representative of how everything from groups that are deemed to be liberal are in their claim, detrimental to Americans and their way of life. Sensationalism at its worst. It only serves to divide people and defeat compromise which is what is needed.
I read about this and its one of the most ridiculous arguments I've heard in a long time. The Muppets are being used to brainwash kids? Talk about paranoia!
I saw the movie and there's nothing in it about the oil industry being evil. The character Chris Cooper plays wants to tear down the Muppet's theater and drill for oil and the spot and the Muppets try to raise the money yo save the theater. There's nothing said about the oil industry being "evil". There's no environmental statement. The Muppets aren't presented as ecologoical crusaders. They're just trying to keep someone from tearing down their theater. Its like one of those old Judy Garland/Micky Rooney films where they put on a show to raise money to help the old widow pay her morgage.
How did Fox manage to tie this in with the Occupy movement? I laugh when people twist things to fit into an argument. It's like the whole pointless argument about whether Bert and Ernie should come out of the closet as being a gay couple. People like to give things a significance they don't have in order to follow an agenda. It's a step away from the way Fox News twists the facts to suit an opinion.
Rob
Very nicely done Rob, an interesting article on Fox News. I must admit I watch Fox more than the other channels...the surveys make me wonder which shows they were watching...was it their real news shoes or their opinion news shows....because I am sure the audience for Bill O'Reilly could be easily uneducated ....I think the shows I watch on Fox generally just report news versus do a show that pushes ratings like the old Glenn Beck show. Makes one really think about what news channels are really all about....Fox is easily the audience leader so they have the biggest target currently. Voted up and very interesting.
Hi Cogerson; The guys like O'Reilly, Hannity and Beck are the worst offenders, and I can see how listening to them can make anyone misinformed. Maybe they aren't making it clear to their viewers that they are giving opinions, not facts.
My problem with Fox is that it blurs the line between which is real news and which isn't. If they run doctored footage of Ron Paul being booed instead of cheered, and don't tell people that the footage has been changed, they're passing off a lie as the truth. They don't says "this footage has been altered to make a point". It's only when they're called out on it that they admit it is "opinion news", not fact. They should say that beforehand, not after.
I don't mind Rush Limbaugh because he's not passing off his show as a news show. It's a talk show. But if Fox is going to call themselves Fox NEWS, they have an obligation to be clear on what is fact and what is entertainment. These half-truths are very misleading.
Fox gets the highest ratings by being the most entertaining...but are they accurate?
Good to hear from you,
Rob
You have to know what you are looking at. O'Reilly, Hannity and Susteren are talk show hosts not News anchors. Beck left Fox several months ago.
None of the News Networks are perfect and they have all been caught at misrepresenting the facts. As a listener, you are obligated to do some research if you are interested in the truth and the facts.
You could replace the FNC logo on this blog with CNN, MSNBC, CBS, etc., and the issues would be the same.
'You could replace the FNC logo on this blog with CNN, MSNBC, CBS, etc., and the issues would be the same." Well, no. The point of the survey is that FOX is doing the poorest job as a news outlet. The others may not be doing a great job - but they are doing it better than FOX. That's the point.
Phil either you're a Fox News fan or you're living in a cave - or both. Fox is far and away worse than those others. 9 times out of 10 when CNN, MSNBC, CBS, etc. are "caught at misrepresenting the facts" (as you put it) it is a mistake. 9 time out of 10 when FNC does it, it is a BLATANT ATTEMPT at "misrepresenting the facts." The studies Rob's Hub here discusses prove that. Let me be the first to sincerely welcome you to come out of that cave named FoxNews and live with us in the real world. You can stay JUST as conservative as you want.
Conservative - Liberal - whatever. We need many sources for our information. Then we need to think for ourselves and make up our own minds about the important issues our country - not to mention our family - is facing. We have serious problems to solve. We must make ourselves smart about them.
FOX News is appalling and I don't even have access to the Channel. I have just seen some clips from the Internet. It did do a 180 degree turn, though, once when it brought up that Anwar Awlaki, Al Qaeda, dined at the Pentagon months after 9-11. Couldn't believe that. Still, FOX news should be avoided like the plague. The rest of the mainstream media channels are only marginally better. The whole thing about what happened in Libya was a lie, down to Gadhafi's so-called crimes against humanity against protesters and who the Libyan rebels were, which has now be admitted that they are Al Qaeda.
I read the alternative news. Russia Today is excellent and I get a lot out of Alex Jones, despite the fact he is a NWO shill.
Well, Phil, I don't deny that there is bias all over the media, but there is a line you shouldn't cross--making up false news--and Fox has crossed that repeatedly. It's not just a question putting a spin on things, as most networks do; it's about giving false information and making people know *less* about what's going on in the world instead of more.
But thanks for your opinion.
Rob
Hi Lapse; You're right that Fox is by far the worst as far as spreading misinformation. The other networks make 'sins of omission' by choosing which news that want to cover, but they don't make things up the way Fox does. A news network should not make people dumber than they were before they watched.
Rob
Hi Kathleen; You're right. People need to be smart enough to look into things and check the facts out from various sources so that they can make up their minds intelligently. I wouldn't recommend using any one network or newspaper as a lone source of information. A big problem with many (not all) Fox viewers is the belief that Fox is the only network telling the truth and the rest are all lying liberal puppets
When people are learning more from a comedy show like The Daily Show than from a news network, there's something very wrong.
Thanks for stopping by,
Rob
Hi Clair; I like to read alternative sources, like the BBC news, to get as many perspectives as possible.
Thanks for reading,
Rob
If you are actually interested in the truth, here's a nonpartisan source which explains why that skewed survey give a very false impression:
Great hub! I don't understand why the FCC has not sanctioned FOX news for publishing deliberately incorrect information that practically constitutes libel, slander and defamation, not to mention refusing to correct the facts.
It could be because Rupert Murdoch has a noose around our politicians and regulatory agencies' necks here as he does in the UK.
Well Will, I just googled that St. Peterberg paper and it's Politifact column and from my research, there seems to be some doubt about their veracity and accuracy of that paper's findings. I've found two articles about them being untrustworthy. They're mentioned on "Hotair.com".
I think I'll defer to Stanford university and Farliegh Dickenson rather than that paper's questionable findings.
Hi Xenonit; Murdock has a lot of clout and it's hard to control someone like that. I'd love to see what happened to his UK newspaper happen to Fox News, too.
Thanks for reading,
Rob
I did a little research on some of the contributors to this survey. This in no way is intended or will it change anyone's minds but it does provide another point of view.
Excerpt from: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/21/news/la-pn
Fairleigh Dickinson University recently questioned 612 adults in New Jersey about how they get their news.
Here is an interesting statistic I found in this link;
On Occupy Wall Street, the survey found viewers of "The Daily Show" were 12 percentage points more likely to say protesters were predominantly Democratic. MSNBC viewers were the most likely to say the protesters were mainly Republicans.
The overall survey, conducted from Oct. 17 to 23, had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. Because of the smaller sample size among those who selected a specific news source, the margin of error would be much higher.
It would have been interesting to know what the margin of error was on the smaller sample, considering only 612 adults made up the survey.
The article doesn’t reveal this but, Wikipedia states that, socially, New Jersey is considered one of the more liberal states in the nation. One has to wonder how many of those polled were Liberal.
University of Maryland: Runs The Center on Policy Attitudes which runs The Program on International Policy Attitudes, an institution devoted to research on the public opinion of international politics.
The PIPA is sponsored by The Rockefeller Foundation, Tides Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The Tides Center is a non-profit organization in the United States which provides fiscal sponsorship for progressive groups. The organization is based in San Francisco and is funded in part by George Soros.
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/Articles/Tides%
Excerpt from: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Fire_And_Ice/topic/401122
A poll conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org, a “project” run out of the University of Maryland, was the toast of the left-wingers last week for its finding that Fox News viewers were the most “misinformed” during the 2010 election cycle. Sadly, few of the news pieces on this poll mentioned that WorldPublicOpinion.org is funded in part by such far left-wing organizations as the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation, the Ploughshares Fund, the United States Institute of Peace, and the George Soros backed Tides Foundation.
Here is the real fly in the ointment for those who are fair minded.
Prof. I.M. Distler The Professor of Public Policy for the University of Maryland who released the study is on the advisory board for WorldPublicOpinion.org.
Link to the Kaiser foundation and the Obama administration.
http://dailycaller.com/2011/09/18/kaiser-family-fo
The Ford Foundation In 2010, the foundation granted $16.4 million (USD) to foundations throughout the world that advocate legalization of abortion or provide abortion services, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and International Planned Parenthood Foundation. In 2010, Cecile Richards.
I was unable to find anything from the Wall Street Journal that would support this study, however I did find this.
Excerpt from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527023039
Just under a fifth of those polled (18%) could answer all three questions, while a third (33%) of couldn't answer any of them. But among those who exceeded the national average were viewers of FNC's Hannity & Colmes and The O'Reilly Factor — as well as viewers of Stewart's The Daily Show and Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.
Excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News_Channel_cont
Polls and surveys
A poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports during September 2004 found that Fox News was second to CBS as the most politically biased network in the public view. 37% of respondents thought CBS, in the wake of the memogate scandal, was trying to help elect John Kerry, while 34% of respondents said they believed that Fox's goal was to "help elect Bush."[37] However, a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling in January 2010 found Fox News to be the only US television news network to receive a positive rating by the public for trustworthiness with results strongly split depending on the political affiliation of the respondents [38] A survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press showed "a striking rise in the politicization of cable TV news audiences . . . This pattern is most apparent with the fast-growing Fox News Channel."[39] Another Pew survey of news consumption found that Fox News has not suffered a decline in credibility with its audience, with one in four (25%) saying they believe all or most of what they see on Fox News Channel, virtually unchanged since Fox was first tested in 2000.[40]
I went to politifact and they certainly went to a lot of trouble to disprove these sources. But, you know what they say: there are lies, damned lies and statistics. I think the reason it is so easy to believe negative reports about FOX News is that their fans are so outspoken.
So Phil, the point your making, it seems, is that all those polls are part of a left-wing conspiracy to make Fox News look bad?
Kathleen; I've read some things that make me doubt the accuracy of that politifact column.
Rob
Rob, I posted a response this morning that I haven't seen yet. I believe that post will shed more light on your question.
I will attempt again to post a response to your question Rob.
Thanks Rob.
I only have two thing to say about this Hub:
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GR2AU8T9RI
2) Great Hub as always, keep up the great work! Voted Up, and Everything else :)
I do think you write wonderfully and I really enjoyed your Hub, even though I disagreed completely. I watch many different news channels, both conservative and liberal, and then try to use my common sense. I will take Fox News any day of the week. I believe each individual news station has it's own bias, however Fox feeds mine. But again, great hub.
Carl, great video. I love John Stewart even when he bashes Fox. He is a frequent guest on The Factor and watching those two square off is very entertaining.
"LiberalViewer", must be commended for making no attempt to shade his fringe left agenda. This was a classic example for the case that intent doesn't matter, only impact. This technique is very effective on the closed minded.
Carl; Yes, I've seen that clip before. It does seem hypocritical of them to say they are "fair and balanced" and then admit that they're "telling the other side of the story" which is a blatant confesssion of biasness.
Thanks for stopping by,
Rob
Hi Benoitsmidget; Thank you for the compliment. I'm glad you enjoyed the read. I don't expect everyone to agree with it, but I'm glad you watch many different news channels because no one channel gives the whole truth these days. News has become like "Rashamon", with all the different points of view altering the content.
How I miss the days of journalistic integrity.
Thanks for reading,
Rob
Robwrite said, "So Phil, the point your making, it seems, is that all those polls are part of a left-wing conspiracy to make Fox News look bad?"
Rob, to coin it a, "left-wing conspiracy" is too broad a brush. I do believe there are isolated conspiracies to bring Fox News down. For example, my rather lengthy rebuttal to this blog exposes the fact that specific academia is very active in attempting to destroy Fox News. One only has to peel back a few layers to see who authors, sponsors and funds these surveys.
To say FNC is bias is again using too broad a brush. FNC has NEWS and it has talk shows. Two separate entities. FNC news is no more bias then any other main stream media. For every bias and out of context example that can be found on Fox, I can counter with a similar example from any of the alphabet news outlets.Here is a link exposing the bias of one of America's most trusted news anchor, Dan Rather. http://www.mrc.org/projects/rather20th/welcome.asp
If you lump FNC news talk shows with FNC news as purveyors of raw news, your premise is vary flawed. Talk Shows like The Factor and Hannity, are in part, popular because they balance their obvious bias with left wing bomb throwers which creates a lively exchange of opinion. I will go out on a limb and state that these shows ALWAYS have guests with opposing points of views on their shows.
O'Reilly has had the highest ratings of any cable news show for more than 10 years running. You might think this proves the ignorance of Fox viewers but I would argue that The Factor is number one because in addition to sensationalism, it provides opposing points of view, something open minded people will always welcome.
very, not vary. Sorry, watching too much Fox News.
Great hub, good discussions too! Have you ever seen the movie Idiocracy? Guess which news station is still in existence in the future? Fox News!
Rob, BBC World is also a propaganda news channel.
Hi gryphin; Hi haven't seen it yet, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Thanks for the comments,
Rob
Great Hub. Fox News is mostly hate filled entertainment that tries to pass itself off as news. Real news is a thing of the past and journalistic intergrity has fallen to the wayside.
Hi Mkott; I agree with you completely. It's a sad state of affairs.
Thanks a lot for reading,
Rob
Walter Cronkite once said that anyone that gets all their news from one source is woefully uninformed. Cronkite also included his own newscasts in his comment. The problem with Fox News is that they don't report news, they just comment on opinions of news.
Hi Keith; I completely agree with you. And so do the surveys. Fox gives opinions and editorials, not news.
Thanks for the comments;
Rob
Fox News, like all the others, has its share of problems. It's true that they are out to sway public opinion. But so is this article.
Except that everything I wrote can be varified as fact, unlike Fox News.
Fox News is forbidden from operating in Canada because it's against the law to lie on the news there! I certainly wish it was here! Well done! Keep up the good work! Voted up and awesome!:)
Hi; I didn't know that about Fox in Canada. We need that rule here.
Thanks for stopping by my hub and leaving your nice comments,
Rob
Thanks for sharing this. I had heard the claim, but didn't know the details!
Hi Laura; Glad I could help clear up the details;
Thanks for reading,
Rob
You said that Fox viewers are "18% less informed" about what's going on in Egypt, but you never state just WHAT they have wrong.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Egypt's-parliament-
BTW, one of the polls you cite ALSO says that MS-NBC viewers are equally "uninformed," so perhaps you should do a report on them. Shouldn't they be cited for completely fabricating a connection between Mitt Romney and the KKK (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/msnbc-apologizes-f )? Or for their admitted editing of video to make a Republican look bad (http://leftoutinamerica.wordpress.com/tag/msnbc-li )?
I look forward to your follow-up on MS-NBC's deceptive practices...that is, if you're "fair and balanced" and not just a Fox News hater.
You're free to write your own hub trashing MSNBC or anyone else, if you have varified information that they're biased. If your such a supporter of FOX you should write a hub defending them. As for me, I stand by my information.
Lapse Level 4 Commenter 5 months ago
Heard about this stuff a few months ago. For those that use multiple news sources and have any common sense they should know just by watching this channel that almost all of its shows do this. It is hilarious to hear it confirmed though. Hilarious in a sad way.
For a long time I've thought that so many conservative radio talk shows were simply "entertainment" because they were so blatantly spouting falsehoods and this is just proof that Fox News is in that bunch. I truly feel sorry for people who exclusively get their news from Fox, Limbaugh, Hannity, Bortz (sp?), and a slew of others. It CAN be entertaining but its ridiculous to think its all truth.
Thank you for sharing Rob!!