The Truth About Fox –updated below–
One. More. Time.
I first took up this subject, long
before I went to blogging, at the height
of the Iraq war debate in October 2003. The statistics
are damning:
Respondents with one or more misperceptions:
80% of FOX viewers
71% of CBS viewers
61% of ABC viewers
55% of NBC viewers
55% of CNN viewers
47% of Print media
23% of PBS-NPR viewersUnder the heading of “Evidence of Links Between Iraq and al-Qaeda”
the question read: “Is it your impression that the US has or has not
found clear evidence in Iraq that Saddam Hussein was working closely with
the al Qaeda terrorist organization?”For FOX “News” channel viewers, 67% believed that the U.S. has
found evidence of a Saddam-al Qaeda link.For PBS-NPR channel viewers/listeners, 16% believed that the U.S. has found
evidence of a Saddam-al Qaeda link.Under the heading of “Weapons of Mass Destruction,” the question
read: “Since the war with Iraq ended, is it your impression that the
US has or has not found Iraqi weapons of mass destruction?”For FOX “News” channel viewers, 33% believe the U.S. has found
WMDs.For PBS-NPR channel viewers/listeners, 11% believe the U.S. has found WMDs.
Under the heading of “World Public Opinion,” the question read:
“Thinking about how all the people in the world feel about the US having
gone to war with Iraq, do you think: The majority of people favor the US having
gone to war?”For FOX “News” channel viewers, 35% believe the world was with
us.For PBS-NPR, 5% believe the world was with us.
In light of the Fox \”News\” debate debacle, Stoller addressed it again
late yesterday. It\’s a continually recurring theme.
First, we argued that Fox News is not a news channel, but a propaganda outlet
that regularly distorts, spins, and falsifies information. Second, Fox News
is heavily influenced or even controlled by the Republican Party itself. As
such, we believe that Fox News on the whole functions as a surrogate operation
for the GOP. Treating Fox as a legitimate news channel extends the Republican
Party’s ability to swift-boat and discredit our candidates. In other
words, Fox News is a direct pipeline of misinformation from the GOP leadership
into the traditional press.Thankfully, Fox News immediately proved our point with a press release after
the debate cancellation that made the following remarkable claim: \”News
organizations will want to think twice before getting involved in the Nevada
Democratic caucus which appears to be controlled by radical, fringe, out-of-state
interest groups, not the Nevada Democratic Party.\”This statement has all the hallmarks of a Fox News-style Republican talking
point. … ..
UPDATE (1:37 p.m.): There\’s now talk that the CBC is considering doing one debate with CNN and another with Fox \”News.\” Stay tuned.
UPDATE (10:00 a.m.): Congressional Black Caucus chooses CNN over Fox \”News.\”
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