FOX News has been known to push a very conservative agenda; some considering the Rupert Murdoch affiliate a 'wing of the Republican Party.' Many conservatives argue that there are dozens of news agencies that have a liberal bias, and consider FOX News to be one of the only televised news channels that have a conservative voice. I happen to agree with both. The FOX News agency does act as an extension of the Republican Party, but it also is one of the only conservative voices in televised journalism. Therefore my qualm with FOX News is not that they are biased, but that they mislead people by considering themselves "fair and balanced."
These claims are not new, and have been well known for some time. There have been several articles written and documentaries made about the FOX News bias. President Obama's administration even came out to "wage war" on the network. While there is nothing more that I admire than reputable journalism, I also respect the first amendment.
I have recently read several articles concerning the current situation in Afghanistan, and the effects that President Obama's recent troop increase has had on the war torn nation. More than 15,000 NATO troops swept into Marjah, a Taliban stronghold, earlier today as part of Operation Mashtarak, the largest attack since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The recent attack has gone unexpectedly well. Major-General Gordon Messenger, a spokesman of the NATO forces, said that "the Taliban appeared confused and disorientated" and that "the key objectives have been secured and have been done so with minimal interference." However, he continued to say that the Taliban have a reputation for "sitting and watching" and that they could strike an attack at any time.
War is war. Taking over a single Taliban stronghold is certainly not a win, but it is a victory, and as we know victories under President Obama are not appreciated by FOX News. Like Rush Limbaugh, FOX News would like to see President Obama 'fail.' While BBC News put up headlines such as "NATO Hails Major Afghan Operation" FOX News put up headlines that read "U.S., Afghan Forces Face Bombs, Booby Traps in Push to Take Taliban Stronghold." In all fairness, something the FOX organization is incapable of being, the article did go on to mention that NATO forces were doing well, but not until about halfway through the article after mentioning all the "homemade bombs and mines" that slowed the advance.
These types of misleading headlines come all too often from FOX News. Although the article contained valid information, many people today simply get their news from reading headlines or get through half the article if their lucky. It shouldn't be shocking when FOX News puts out a negative headline about President Obama or the Democratic Party, but I was surprised that they had the audacity to disrespect young men and women that risk their lives to make this country safer for you and me. Our troops don't deserve the type of defamation that comes from FOX News headlines, not when we have a victory. Give their families and our citizens something to be proud of, and don't let the enemy believe that they are winning. Shame on you FOX News.
President Obama, bring our troops home.
3 comments:
I think that you are completely wrong about Fox News. the news shows are simply that. News shows. The opinion shows, such as Hannity are opinion shows. Glenn Beck is not a republican, he is a Liberarian, as is John Stossel. O'Reilley is middle of the road. All of these programs have the other side represented. These are not any different from Olberman, Mahr, Matthews, or others.
I do appreciate that you respect the 1st ammendment---that is refreshing coming from the other side. So many want to see Fox shut down and make no qualms or excuses for it.
I will add that during the Bush years, MSNBC would have had you believing that we were loosing the war. I really dont get that impression from Fox.
***Thanks for the invite to your blog!
"So many want to see Fox shut down and make no qualms or excuses for it."
Yes, shut down as a they are a menace to civilization. Oh, better not say shut down, better to say show the lies that they espouse daily.
Casey, welcome to Real Talk Politic. I respect your view of FOX News, but I disagree with some points you made.
1)The FOX News shows are not simply news, and believing that is a huge problem in this country. Perhaps some stories are, but many are not, they are formulated in such a way to push a conservative agenda. MSNBC is also not news, and I never said it was. All I said was that there are many liberal news shows, and that FOX is the only conservative one. Unfortunately, in order to get a straight forward briefing on politically charged news stories it is important to check a minimum of 3-5 news sources. That is a sad truth.
2)While O'Reilly may be one of the more sane and moderate hosts on FOX, he is with no doubt a Republican and pushes a conservative agenda. That being said, I do have respect for O'Reilly and his attempt to be "fair and balanced." Second, although Beck is a libertarian, he is a very conservative libertarian, and pushes a conservative agenda. We all know that Hannity (certainly a Republican), Beck, and O'Reilly are the primary FOX News figures and they are all conservatives.
I can admit that MSNBC pushes a liberal agenda. Please don't deny that FOX pushes a conservative one. Once we become complacent it means we are okay with the biased news in this country. If we want change we need to start by admitting that there is a problem, just like an alcohol addiction.
Side Note: Lately I've noticed something very sad and pathetic. It concerns the "war" between MSNBC and FOX. As an example is a recent debate between Glenn Beck and Rachel Maddow concerning Global Warming. Some of the debate is between facts of the issue, but a large part of the "fight" is against their integrity. In other words, it is becoming a form of infotainment in which reporters are now at war with each other, as if it were some sort of civilized Jerry Springer show. Sad.
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