Congressional Black Caucus: Thumbs Up

[Dr. Shane]

:tu :tu to the Congressional Black Caucus.

Dem. Candidates Turn Backs on Fox, Black Caucus

Quote:

Three of the major Democratic presidential candidates have decided not to participate in a debate to be broadcast on Fox News Channel in September.

The debate is being sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, the caucus' educational arm.

Some Democratic Party activists say Fox doesn't respect black Americans — or Democrats. But the CBC said this week it is moving ahead with the debate.

I don't know about other cable networks, but it seems to me that black leaders get a lot of air time on FOX News. Seems that Democrats are afraid that by going on FOX News, they may help it be fair and balanced as it claims.

Liberals Bashing FOX News... Again

Quote:

FOX has issued a challenge. If other major news organizations will release all their internal news direction memos, FNC will release all of its news direction memos.

Then the public can decide which news media is fair and which is not. We have confidence that we will come out just fine if that test is administered.

[lazarus]

Its gonna be a meaningess debate without the three front runners!

It will Richardson, Biden..... see I can't even remeber their names....LOL.

[olger]

"Its gonna be a meaningess debate without the three front runners!"

I understand this point.

olger

[Dr. Shane]

Yet the issue is why are the front-runners avoiding FOXNews, which has the highest rating in cable news?

They criticize FOX News for not giving them a fair shake. When FOX offers them the air time, they turn it down. It goes to show the critics of FOXNews are the ones full of hot air.

Instead of trying to report the news objectively, FOX tries to be fair and balance by giving equal time to liberals and conservatives. So when they offer time to Republicans for a debate they must also offer time to Democrats in order to be fair and balanced. Democrats are afraid if they accepted this, people would see FOXNews as fair and balanced and certain Democrats are actively working to show FOXNews is biased so they certainly won't do anything to show their criticisms is not justified.

The mainstream media claims to be objective. That means they report the news without slanting the story in one direction or the other. That is a standard that has been promoted in schools of journalism for a long time. This principle was covered in the "Intro to Mass Communication" class I took when in college. FOXNews comes along and says the objective standard is an unrealistic standard. That it is impossible to report the news without slanting it one direction or the other.

Instead of trying to perfect a flawed concept, FOXNews has written their own rule book with its own standard. This standard is called fair and balanced. It means giving equal time to each side. Of course, they have not perfected this method either and other networks that adopt the same philosophy may be able to do a better job of its implementation. The fact they are trying to air a debate among the Democrat candidates is to their credit. It supports their claim of being fair and balanced.

Conservatives love FOXNews because their voice is heard. They accuse the mainstream media of being bias to liberals. The fact that so many liberals prefer the mainstream media only lends credibility to that claim. Although if FOXNews was simply a mouthpiece for conservative, liberals would logically also prefer the mainstream press. So that is a draw. The fact that liberals prefer the mainstream press and conservatives prefer FOXNews proves nothing about FOXNews or the mainstream press.

I have watched CBN News and it is everything liberals accuse FOXNews of being. IMO FOXNews is fair and balanced although I there is room for improvement. The mainstream media still has some liberal bias but has come a long way toward being truly objective since FOXNews first started. The Democrat candidates actions simply come off as childish.

[olger]

Hi Shane. It could be that they deeply resent the loss of their media monopoly.

My father taught Ohio history at a Christian school 10-years ago. He told me that over 95% of media people vote Democrat. He was amazed to learn this (and so was I). That may be slowly changing.

I guess I don't particularly care much either way. I've only voted once in my life.

all the best,

olger

[lazarus]

Instead of trying to report the news objectively, FOX tries to be fair and balance by giving equal time to liberals and conservatives.

Shane this is a bizzare line of reasoning that you continue to repeat. Even Fox news themselves don't make this almost pointless distinction.

Objective: expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations

Are you saying that Fox news does not do this?

[Dr. Shane]

Quote:

Shane this is a bizzare line of reasoning that you continue to repeat. Even Fox news themselves don't make this almost pointless distinction.

Actually, I have heard that from Bill O'Reilly on his radio program. Since he hauls in the biggest ratings for the network and has worked for both CBS and ABC, he is probably qualified to give that opinion.

Quote:

Objective: expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations

Hmmm, perhaps the FOX report with Sheppard Smith and Special Report with Brit Hume meet that but most of FOXNews programming is "facts" with distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations. However they present both sides. Bill O'Reilly will have a guest on that disagrees with him. Hannity and Combs have guests on that disagree with each other. The overall content is more about letting both sides have a voice than trying to speak objectively about what the positions of both sides are.