Outfoxed: A Documentary

www.outfoxed.org...

I think everyone should watch this documentary. It delves in into the tactics of FOX news and pretty much debunks the whole "Fair and balanced claim". The interviews from former executives are particularly hard-hiting.

The trailer is a must watch:
http.dvlabs.com...(WM7).wmv

A new study from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting finds Fox's Special Report with Brit Hume "still listing right�heavily favoring conservative and Republican guests in its one-on-one interviews. And, according to the study, Special Report rarely features women or non-white guests in these prominent newsmaker inter-view spots."

Among some of the interesting findings:


"Twenty percent of guests were non-ideological. Among ideological guests, conservatives accounted for 72 percent, while centrists made up 15 percent and progressives 14 percent. (The total exceeds 100 percent due to rounding.) Viewers were roughly five times more likely to see a conservative interviewed on Special Report than a progressive."


"Of the 42 partisan guests, 35 were Republicans and only seven were Democrats�a five-to-one imbalance. Furthermore, of the handful of Democrats that did appear, the majority were centrist or conservative, and frequently expressed views more typical of Republican guests. For example, centrist Rep. Jim Marshall (10/23/03) argued that the media weren�t covering the �good news� in Iraq, while Sen. Zell Miller (11/4/03) talked about his dissatisfaction with the Democratic party and his fondness for George Bush. Thirty-four of the 35 Republicans who appeared were conservatives; only one, Noah Feldman, was classified as a centrist."


"Special Report continues to overwhelmingly favor white and male guests: As in 2002, only 7 percent of guests were women, and the percentage of people of color rose only slightly, to 11 percent from 7 percent in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, only one woman of color was featured in a one-on-one interview: National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice."

The study from FAIR was commissioned for the film �Outfoxed.�
Posted on AirAmerica

I really don't see how anyone could claim that FOX news is more balanced than other networks (like I've seen claimed many times on this message board). Saying that you like FOX News and prefer it over the networks is one thing, but to seriously think that it's "fair and balanced".....come on. No really....COME ON.

The one thing that really hit home was when I was watching the FOX news coverage of the war and I saw their intro graphic. It featured some very martial music, bright flashing colors, and a laser beam-shooting F-15 (with cheesy sound effects) that morphed into a bald eagle and flew across the screen. I sat there aghast for about 10 mintues then turned the channel. I haven't watched FOX News since.

I personally watch CNN more than any of the other cable news networks, even though they've tilted to the right and become sensationalistic in order to get their ratings back from FN. I guess I just remember the good days back in the 90s when CNN wasn't garbage. I used to sit there and watch it for hours during my summer break. Thinking about it, I suppose that was really odd thing for a kid to do. You know, to actually care about what was going on in the world....

But for serious news coverage I tend to rely on the BBC or CBC.

what a shock, a news outlet has a bias.

(has a stroke)

seriously though...does ANYONE think ANY media outlet is completely 100% without a doubt neutral in everythign they report?

didnt think so.

so why the hub bub over fox news? i dont watch them and maybe the claim fair and balanced news is a bit more than deceiving but if compared or even paired up with lets say, ABC NBC or CBS things suddenly look a little more balanced. maybe THIS is what they mean? i doubt it.

i admire wanting to point out and cry "foul" when a media outlet claims to be fair and balanced and arent but shouldnt we ponit out all the biases of all the outlets and their reporters? wouldnt THAt be more fair and balanced of us to give them all a closer look to see what they're ALL doing?

i think you'll find the same thing with all the news outlets. some more and some less but you'll find the biases if you even bother to look for them.

thats why i tend to not pay them any mind. yes that might keep me a little uninformed but it also keeps me away from the baises so i'd rather be kept in the dark than given a bias which could make me think something that i probably shouldnt think as it would be based on something they want me to think.

Originally posted by Flinx
But for serious news coverage I tend to rely on the BBC or CBC.

Cool. But what's CBC?

When I'm on-line I'm streaming Air America specifically for liberal spin while watching the right spin on Fox News. It's a bit maddening, but revealing when they happen to be covering the same story.

When I'm feeling less schitzophrenic I stream NPR (which broadcasts alot of BBC) and watch CNN.

Originally posted by RANT

Originally posted by Flinx
But for serious news coverage I tend to rely on the BBC or CBC.

Cool. But what's CBC?

When I'm on-line I'm streaming Air America specifically for liberal spin while watching the right spin on Fox News. It's a bit maddening, but revealing when they happen to be covering the same story.

When I'm feeling less schitzophrenic I stream NPR (which broadcasts alot of BBC) and watch CNN.

CBC is the Canadian Broadcasting Company. Or at least I think that's what it stands for.

I'll listen to Air America for a few hours just to get some info I might not hear elsewhere, but it gets tiring and depressing after a while. I'm suffering from the liberal outrage fatigue mentioned in that one Onion article I guess....

Since I don't know how to quote from 2 separate posts....
PM, It would be more "fair and balanced" of me to mention other news outlets as well, but to be honsest, I'm NOT fair and balanced. I have my own polticial leanings and it would be wrong of me to try to ignore them or play them down. I hate FOX News and Rupert Murdoch, whereas I don't have any specific personal gripes against ABC, NBC, BBC, or the others. That's just the way it is.

The thing is....I don't think I have to be fair and balanced, unlike the most watched cable news network.

woah, hold the truck.

so its if we're as biased as we want to be but its not ok if they are? i dont see the concistency there.

do as i say not as i do? doesnt gel with me for a minute.

much like me choosing not to watch the news from fox CBS NBC ABC CNBC CNN CPSAN and lord knows how many other outlets this country has you or anyone else watching fox is a choice. just like if i choose to be biased you can and shouldnt complain about that, the same standard applies to them.

if being biased is ok then in the course of being fair then all outlets should be biased as well. after all if we ourselves are going to be biased then obviously we are have a mindset that wants to be reenforced by biased ideas and reports, otherwise if they are held to a standard that ensures their neutrality then where would we get the bias from to feed our own bias? without that bias we'd have to think for ourselves for a change.

what a concept!

Yes I think it's of for me to be biased but to demand neutrality from the media. I'm just some guy posting on an internet message board whereas they are providing news to millions of people with differing viewpoints. The media HAS to be held to a higher standard. Just because we have our opinions doesn't give them to right to force theirs on us. I just want the info without the agenda. My gripe FOX goes deeper than their blatant tilt, but that's another post.

As to this "bias" thing, it seems that you're equating that to an opinion. You make it seem like it's wrong and unnatural about having a opinion. Everyone has one! Having a viewpoint with well thought out and solid reaons is fine. I try to examine all sides of an issue and form my opinon that way, but I can't just pretend that I'm perfectly neutral. As I see it, the only people who are neutral and without opinon are those who are uninformed. When exposed to the issues, they will eventually form an opinon as well.

Wow it made the Yahoo News headlines....

story.news.yahoo.com.../ap/tv_outfoxed_documentary

thats what an opinion is, a bias. otherwise it would be called a fact.

we form opinions based on biases we formed from previous opinions.

opinions are how we see the world, which is a perspective and can be and is a bias unto itself.

a bias isnt a bad thing, it is what it is. just like an opinion. if we werent biased we wouldnt have opinions we'd all think alike and we'd accept whatever we thought of as fact.


i dont care if you or fox or CBS are biased but lets not sit here and say "i can be biased but they cant!"

or hammer on fox news when all know they all do it. its inconsistent. this i take issue with most of all. regardless who claims what they all have a bias and if you think they should all be held toa high standard then lets at least try to pretend we want that standard applied evenly at least.

give me a false impression, lie to me, lie for me. blah.

Mmm. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. *shrugs*

I just don't see news organizations as people, but instead...I don't know...entities. In this case I don't think the double standard is wrong.

This link has a load of Fox memos, some used in the film. I can't really see much untoward with most of them myself except the obvious bias, but that's surely expected of Fox by now by anyone with a brain. We get it on satellite over here and it's generally granted as much credence as a broadcast from a third world dictatorship; But If you're bored I suppose it's good for a laugh�

edit: fix link.

[edit on 14-7-2004 by kegs]

i mean i new this already but....

its not like the republicans are the only ones who do this.

this film is some hardcore liberal propaganda, documentary my arse

Originally posted by kegs
This link has a load of Fox memos, some used in the film. I can't really see much untoward with most of them myself except the obvious bias, but that's surely expected of Fox by now by anyone with a brain. We get it on satellite over here and it's generally granted as much credence as a broadcast from a third world dictatorship; But If you're bored I suppose it's good for a laugh�

edit: fix link.

[edit on 14-7-2004 by kegs]

The show FOX news in other countries? Wow. Like, you said, I guess it can be watched as a sort of Comedy Channel.