Originally posted by tonberry
What's the difference if Fox News is so biased that they never tell anything bad about the US governement? Maybe they aren't controled but the result is the same.
They always report retractions and mistakes after the majors have. Even the opinionated talking heads have their pet issues, like Bill O'Reilly ripping on the administration for its immigration policy.
However, there are some people that do fawn over the government. Don't they deserve to have their opinions aired? If you don't want to hear FOXs take, try changing the station instead of complaining to change the channel.
Originally posted by MummyMan
"'a religion based on war and slavery,' according to Pat Robertson"
I dunno how reliable that is. Seems pretty farfetched that that kind of opinion would appear on any american news station.
You're saying Pat Robertson should be censored because you don't like his opinion?
He's not lying. The early days of Islam aren't anything to trumpet with pride. The fact that Pat Robertson uses it as an excuse to rip on Islam is lazy, but that is his opinion.
Originally posted by LesCanadiens
I believe the writer meant that there is merely a small picture of the Turkish flag on screen, still, whereas the American flag is fluttering as if in the wind. Perhaps something to do with Turkish culture?
Actually, I've heard that at the end of the programming line-up the national station shows a screen side picture of the Turkish flag flapping in the wind!
I'm sure Flapping Flag Phil didn't watch Turkish TV long enough to catch that.
Originally posted by aaminion00
Are you saying media doesn't influence people's perception of certain things? If you're from another country where FOX News is the #1 outlet for American Politics, the opinions and guests and polls and statistics and interviews and shows from FOX News (which as the article shows a little bit of, are clearly biased) are what you'll have to try and figure out how Americans feel about world issues.
Then you're wasting your time. Even though, Fox has talking head shows where they get two people to argue, which should CLEARLY show that there is no such thing as a homogenous American opinion. Only about 7 or 8% of American's watch Fox news regularly. You can't watch a cable news network to try and get a grasp on a country this diverse, or its political standing. People attempting to do that are going to get an incomplete impression if they're watching Fox, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, or anything except C-Span.
Originally posted by aaminion00
When 69% of Americans say that even if there were no WMD, bombing Iraq was justified, that sends a message to Turks watching the program.
Yeah; that we think freedom is more important WMD. I thought the flapping flag was supposed to show that, though.
Originally posted by aaminion00
And how many times have people in this thread mentioned that news stations have target audiences? Exactly. FOX News targets the average American.
No, they target the compulsive news watcher and a conservative audience.
Originally posted by aaminion00
People from other countries aren't dumb. They know this. They also know that FOX News is one of, if not, the most popular American news channels today.
That holds 15% news market share at best, and about 2-3% overall. Popular does not equal majority, and the fact that they draw higher ratings than CNN doesn't necessarily mean people agree with the talking heads spin on issues. For example, I've watched occassionally, that doesn't mean I agree, it just means they're entertaining and have high production quality.
Originally posted by aaminion00
The problem is that too often those talking heads make stupid statements, such as the one about Chile, which floats over the American audience but instill an opinion of American arrogance in others.
I find it arrogant that other people think they're so important that FOX news ought to censor their talking heads as to not offend these mightily important people like... Turks watching FOX...
Arrogance? I thought it was stupidity they were prevaying, but if people overseas make the mistake of confusing a talking head on a Fox morning show with middle America, which doesn't care one way or another about Chile enough to form such an arrogant opinion.
Arrogance? How about people who think they ought to be able to tell FOX news what it ought to air, when they have hundreads of other options that may be closer to their opinion. Its like some people just can't get over the fact that Fox news lets people on the air who dare give opinions contrary to their own, or that MAY make Turks think we're arrogant as part of the agenda to censor Fox news.
You know what would censor Fox news? People not watching it.
Originally posted by aaminion00
No, I don't watch Fox News. I find them to be far too biased. I preferr CNN.
I prefer C-Span. Cable news is topical entertainment.
Originally posted by aaminion00
But it does happen. Maybe not every day, perhaps not even on a weekly basis. But stupid stupid offensive comments should NEVER be on an objective News station. Period.

So you're advocating that Fox news ought to censor opinions that might be considered 'stupid' or 'offensive'.
I'll kindly direct you to the first amendment. Not the one about freedom of speech, but also freedom of the press. They have a constitutional right to have stupid, offensive opinions just as everyone here does and uses liberally.
I think the idea of screening comments that SOME people think are stupid and offensive would be more detrimental to our information consumption than leaving them out there to be condemned. I imagine if Pat Robertson's stupid and offensive commments were screened, people might still take him seriously. How scary would that be?