Fox News - The fightback starts

Recent events have just highlighted that BBC News is not the paragon you would like it to be. It's like the Queen with some people, you're un-patriotic to even suggest it has shortcomings.

What, sorta like, say, Fox News in the US?

Provide some evidence of bias, you moron. Earlier in this thread, I provide evidence that the BBC was in fact, pro-war. It's not hard to do - find an independent source via the internet. It's only difficult if the evidence is not there.

You don't have a brother called Ste, do you?

When people get abusive it suggests they have run out of useful things to say. Just watch BBC1 newscasts and BBC News 24 and it all will become clear.

I do watch them and I can't see this idea. Can I suggest you think about something though.

Lefties accuse the BBC of being too pro-Isreal
Righties accuse them of being too pro-Palestinian.

Surely that proves they are impartial? You couldn't accuse Fox of the latter.

Jonny is only being abusive because you refuse to back up your alligations with hard facts.

Until you do this, people will view you with distain on this forum.

Evidence?

When people are unable to back up their extreme statements with evidence, it suggests they are a moron.

[quote="Psythor"]
Actually, no, we don't.

FNC, like CNN & MSNBC fall outside the purvue of the FCC, as they are cable/satellite channels as opposed to broadcast networks. CBS/NBC/ABC all provide content to broadcast stations, and as a result, they have a higher "standard" they have to meet.

That being said, though, there are no rules one way or the other regarding bias toward the left or right.

Many in the States consider the broadcast networks, along with CNN & MSNBC to be biased toward the liberal side of the coin, while they consider FNC to be biased in the opposite direction.

FNC does provide some "alternative" (i.e., non-conservative) viewpoints, just as the other cable networks (MSNBC & CNN) provide some "non-liberal" views.

Of the three satellite networks, MSNBC is closest to being balanced politically (with programs from both sides of the political spectrum on a daily basis). The venom paid toward FNC here is not unlike similar arguements directed against FNC by many people in the States.
(I hope I'm not coming off as rambling; I apologize if I am)

Michael

I've heard people say both as well.

I consider myself to be conservative (and yes, I frequent FR as much or more than I do here), but I find that I enjoy watching BBC News, if for nothing else than to see what we look like to others outside our borders.

In addition, there is plenty that the BBC provides in terms of content that we don't/can't get here from any of the domestic news sources.

I used to participate quite regularly here, and have gotten away over the past year or so; while I'll admit to being an unabashed American flag waver, I've enjoyed the conversations here.

M

Not just FNC, but some others here as well. Part of the issue is that there is constant bashing of the Administration (whether or not it has been warranted) from other quarters of the media here -- from morning hosts like NBC's Katie Couric to evening hosts like MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. Unfortunately (just as we don't get to see Channel 4's news here) you don't get to see a lot of this (infighting, as I've called it in the past) outside of America.

Those hosts go out of their way to insist that they are "impartial," yet proof surfaces from multiple quarters that this is not the case at all. Case-in-point, ABC News produces a daily political roundup email newsletter, The Note , in which late last week they unapologetically admitted to being not only liberally biased, but going out of their way to find news that was damaging to the Bush Administration.

Again, this is the kind of thing that doesn't get a lot of traction outside the country, so many of you don't get to see it.

Michael, take this as a compliment, but you seem far too intelligent and open to the opinions of others than the other "Freepers".

Some of the stuff there is appallingly racist - especially when it comes to Arabs and Muslims.

As a black man, does that not stick in your throat? And if it does, and you speak out about it, how do you avoid getting banned? I must have been thrown off there around 5 times in the last two years.

I do agree with that, having seen a lot of all 3 major cable news networks in America, they are all bad in one way or another, but FOX News stands out because it has a mostly obvious centre-right (and sometimes greater) bias, and leaks about things like the daily memos telling anchors how to cover a story, and from what angle, and this court case in which FOX News was arguing it has the right to lie about a story. CNN and MSNBC have what I would describe as a passive centre-left bias.

FOX News gets a lot of bad press in the UK because it is the only 1 of the 3 available 24 hours a day on Sky. CNN/USA is simulcast on CNNI (but not as much as it used to be) for programmes like Larry King and Newsnight, and bits and bobs of MSNBC are shown on CNBC Europe at weekends, and used as a filler when CNBC US programming isn't showing due to holidays.

Also, FOX News has more obvious editorial slots that attract more attention i.e. O'Reilly's call for the mayor of San Francisco to be arrested for this gay marriage issue recently, Gibson using distorted facts and information in his rants against the BBC in his "My Word" slots.