Bill O'Reilly needs a history lesson.

[Dauphin]

So it is simply down to marketing. There are no other reasons?

[Pekka]

"I don't like those news, so I watch these news.. I like these news much better.. these are the news where Saddam is the 9/11 co-operative and funding all terrorism and AQ.. I KNEW IT!"

I mean. News are news, period. you don't have to LIKE them. THey are not suppose to support any views or opinions, and again I say this, once again.

[Zulu Elephant]

See, this is why everyone should just watch the BBC

[GePap]

Originally posted by Dauphin
So it is simply down to marketing. There are no other reasons?

Well, many of the people who run ity probably do believe that "the media is liberal" and want a obviously, openly conservative channel on the air.

After all, this is the United States, where our left is the center in most of Europe.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Oerdin


Fox News doesn't bill their news ankers as entertainers they bill them as journalists. Unfotunately, most of their "journalists" are craptastic hacks who play fast and loose with the truth. They always have and I don't see them changing. for all of Krugman's attempts to advance his view point he sticks to the facts. O'Reilly, and most of the rest of the big guns at Fox, make up facts when it suits them.

That's the difference between real journalists and Fox "journalists".

I honestly find Krugman a much greater threat to good discourse, simply because he trots out his credentials as an academician on an opinion page where the vast majority of the writers are serious, while engaging regularly in contemptible intellectual dishonesty. I never took O'Reilly seriously, he's simply a talk radio style crank (like Limbaugh) whose purpose is obviously not to engage in an honest give and take, but to spout off all sorts of titillating nonsense. They may both claim to be journalists, but one does a much better job looking like one while still not meeting the standard.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Zulu Elephant
See, this is why everyone should just watch the BBC

But the BBC is crap, tabloid television with production values somewhere between our local WB affiliate and our local UPN affiliate. The Newshour is the only decent news program, I only watch the others (including the BBC) to see how they are trying to spin things.

[Darkstar]

Originally posted by Sava
O'reilly is a political commentator working at a major media conglomerate. He might have a great deal of creative freedom, but he still has producers and his bosses who pretty much shape what he talks about.

Although I would blame his parents and his schools/teachers responsible first.

Let's see...

#1) He is an acredited teacher of American Schools. I think that explains it all right there.

#2) If the lawsuits against him are true, he's his own producer.

#3) His education is pure American left. His parents were alcoholic lefties that beat him weekly. He's just never gotten over his rebellion stage. (If you can believe anything others have written on him.)

[Darkstar]

Originally posted by Oerdin
The problem is virtually all of News is one big editorial.

As admitted by the head of CBS news, ABC, NYT chief editor, FoxNews... you name it.

American News is about entertaimnent and feeding the delusions of its customer base. Otherwise the audience finds someone else spinning things the way they like it, and that's lost money.

[Darkstar]

Originally posted by Pekka
Why is it that so many Fox viewers still think Saddam and Iraq had lots to do with 9/11? Because a) they are not watching the news or b) they watch fake news, such as Fox?

It's a slick bit of suggestion and proprogandizing done in the run up to the Iraqi war. Something that no agency in the mainstream (that is American central market rightward) has bothered to cover, because its old news.

Although the Fox polls I can recall only had it at like 25% thought there was a direct connection. More people believe that Elvis is still alive and Sasquatch is a real alien living amoung humans, AIR.

[Darkstar]

Originally posted by GePap
It plays to the notion that the media in the US is "liberal" with a vengence. That way it soaks up the untapped audience of conservatives who dislike the major outlets and CNN.

Actually, its just chasing audience due to greed. The American public has been drifting rightward for years. Fox went after all those people that were deserting the traditional outlets for AM radio (a haven of righto to wacky right). In doing that, they sucked up all the less then left Americans.

All the significant news outlets in America are drifting rightward, in an attempt to keep their current audiences or attract back those they've lost. But most just aren't going right fast enough for the average American. So their revenues continue to drop, as less and less Americans ever bother to pay attention to anything they say or report.

Of course, nothing remains the same. In time, the rightward drift of American culture will change to a leftward drift, and the news agencies will start drifting left, chasing that ad revenue. This is the cycle of news in America since the first significant newspapers started operating here.

[Darkstar]

Originally posted by Pekka
I mean. News are news, period. you don't have to LIKE them. THey are not suppose to support any views or opinions, and again I say this, once again.

But news isn't simply news. Not as long as there is someone trying to make money from it or stay in the business of reporting the news. A state owned and ran news organization doesn't have to chase its audience, but commercial news providers do (at least, where there is competition). If they don't cover stories that their audience will watch, they'll lose audience and that's a direct lose of revenue. if they don't approach their news in a bias that is matching their audience, their audience will move on to any competitors that better match their bias. Supply and Demand. Simple market economics at work.

Right now, Fox is #1 because it is closer to the what the average American is then any other major news outlet. Somewhere to the left Oerdin, fascinated with people behaving badly (O'Reily, Hannity, Combs, and a whole lot more "Fox" personalities and regular guests like Ann Coulter and James Carver), and enjoying a good giggle at the total idiotic comments that the worst/dumbest personalities there spout off (such as one Fox personality stating that Canada was the sovereign ruling nation of Australia. Whoops!). Americans are like all the other people on this planet. Americans like to occasionally feel smarter then somebody else, and Fox provides many examples a day for Americans to know that they are smarter and better than while still getting the occasional facts/happenings right.

[Pekka]

"More people believe that Elvis is still alive and Sasquatch is a real alien living amoung humans, AIR."

This is not true. You are trying to downplay this figure, or claim Americans are incredibly stupid.

"But news isn't simply news."

It is supposed to be. You don't have to tell me what news entertainment is. I know it's BS, and that most of you think it's 100% truth. If you'd like to claim otherwise, 25% or more think Elvis is still alive. You think they can make a difference between joke news and real news?

You make it sound so innocent. All I know is lots of the viewers have ****ed up views of the world supporter by FOX, but not by facts. But ohh, few people have giggles, it's worth the trade? No it's not.

I mean, Pravda provides giggles too. And yes, the readers feel smarter reading it than the rest of us. Yet is complete crap.

If you want entertainment, watch friends. If you want news entertainment, watch jon stewart. If you want to learn what's going on in the world, see REAL news.

You know, maybe news aren't supposed to be an area of business?

[Berzerker]

Fox' popularity is simple: right wingers fed up by years of left wing bias flocked to Fox as the first network news station giving them what they want, right wing bias. The left is divided up between a number of outlets, the right was limited mainly to radio until Fox came along...

I hate media bias, now excuse me while I go watch Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity.

[Pekka]

YOu see you guys are already lost. There's no real future for you anymore. You accept this **** as it comes. Your little bi-polarized world. Go on, kill each other. Get mad and nuke each other or something, you won't be missed by anyone in the civilized world.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Pekka
Get mad and nuke each other or something, you won't be missed by anyone in the civilized world.

Ummmmm...................Sit down and think this one out a little will you? Fallout.