While the battle over whether Fox News is a real news outlet at all continues (really, we’re having this fight?), we figured we’d head on over to foxnews.com and see what all the hullabaloo is all about.
Here’s a little screen grab we took of the site. Digest this sucker for a few seconds, and then join us again.
See, the issue with Fox News in general is the way they frame things. In their main story, the public option isn’t an option so much as it’s “Gov’t-Run Health Care.” Oh, and what’s a clever way to refer to such a thing? Fatal Attraction, of course.
For good measure — and presumably for “balance” — they also link to related content like: Nancy Pelosi doesn’t have the votes for a public option; Even if the public option passes and is signed into law, the states can stop it; and, naturally, and opinion piece that tells readers what they can do to stop “Obamacare.”
Surprisingly, the next two stories on the site are actually news-ish, even if they are a bit sensational.
Just when it seemed as though news may win the day at Fox News, the website run by Roger Ailes — who today was mentioned as a GOP candidate for president — took another shot at Obama.
Seems the administration tried to shut Fox News out of interview sessions with their “pay czar,” whatever that is. They were going to offer said czar to all the networks and the cables, just not to Fox. So what’s the headline?
“Obama loses bid to control press.”
Disingenuous? Yes. A straight-up lie? Perhaps.
They must follow it with some balance, though, right?
No, they actually use their related-story space to offer discussion forums and opinion pieces about how Fox is being wronged. That’s what they devote all their space to. There’s no other view; there’s no ombudsman asking that they take a step back; it’s just gratuitous attacks (from the NEWS side of Fox News), which doesn’t even begin to touch on their opinion broadcasting.
Say what you will about the networks and NPR and their respective slants, but there’s a big difference between having a slant in your opinion pages, and engaging in a coordinated, systematic effort to undermine an administration and party while also fomenting unreasonable and unwarranted anger over things that aren’t real (things like Socialism).
Because that’s what this is.
Agree.