Discussion: Media, The Press, Journalism, Cable News, Media Bias, and Other Media Issues

[The Overlord]

I don't think half the people on Fox News believe the things they say. They may be bigots, but they're not as ignorant as they present themselves.

I remember when Jon Stewart had a segment on Gretchen Carlson pretending to be an idiot (claimed she didn't know what a czar was). Even though she graduated from Stanford with honors.

O'Reilly went to ****ing Harvard. Yet he still tries to play that everyman schtick.

I even less sympathy for snake oil salesmen then I do Pharisees, at least a Pharisee is delusional. Having these snake oil salesmen being made into important figures on the American political stage, reinforces my increasing cynical attitude. The American conservative movement is only hurt in the long run by making these people their spokesmen.

I might not have agreed with William F Buckley, but he was at least he was intelligent and took pride in that fact. Now the conservative movement has become actively anti intellectual, Buckley would never survive in the modern conservative movement. This seems like several steps back, then steps forward.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I'm sorry, but I have as much sympathy of people who are unhappy with the term "Happy Holidays" being used instead of "Merry Christmas" as I do people from Gamer Gate who complain about ethics in video gaming journalism, i.e none. This is such a first world problem, if this is the worst thing that happens to you during the day, consider that a good day. I consider it a very trivial and petty thing to get upset over.

"Happy Holidays" is not ruining Christmas, greed and commercialism is and those are the things a lot of conservatives seem to admire. You want to make Christmas meaningful and spiritual, go to a soup kitchen over the holidays and help the less fortunate, which something Jesus commanded of his followers, instead of getting angry at the overworked, under payed clerk at Walmart who dared to say "Happy Holidays". I think if people truly wanted to make Christmas more spiritual and meaningful, they spend their energy on important things, rather then things that petty and trivial.

I have no sympathy for Bill O'Reilly and his "war against Christmas" because it is pointless manufactured outrage at a petty and trivial issue, that completely ignores a greater point, about both life and Christianity.

You're missing the point. It's that many aspects of society have become so afraid of offending someone that we get stupid things like schools afraid of putting up Christmas trees. Honestly, I'd rather get a Happy Hanukkah (even though I'm not Jewish and don't celebrate it), than a Happy Holidays because it's more heartfelt and genuine than a generic, bland Happy Holidays. It's much different than GamerGate where people are complaining about the "ethics in journalism" to cover up their own vile sexist beliefs.

While much of O'Reilly's rants were manufactured, and you're absolutely right that much of what he said was petty and trivial, but he tapped into something that existed and it was very successful for him.

 

[The Overlord]

You're missing the point. It's that many aspects of society have become so afraid of offending someone that we get stupid things like schools afraid of putting up Christmas trees. Honestly, I'd rather get a Happy Hanukkah (even though I'm not Jewish and don't celebrate it), than a Happy Holidays because it's more heartfelt and genuine than a generic, bland Happy Holidays. It's much different than GamerGate where people are complaining about the "ethics in journalism" to cover up their own vile sexist beliefs.

While much of O'Reilly's rants were manufactured, and you're absolutely right that much of what he said was petty and trivial, but he tapped into something that existed and it was very successful for him.

Okay, I get what you are saying now, I still don't care though and I have no sympathy for those people. Complaining about political correctness is such a first world problem, if that's worse thing you have deal with, consider yourself lucky and nowadays we have the opposite extreme, where people think something that something that is politically incorrect is instantly right. Political Correctness can be annoying, but its still a first world problem that is insignificant to the much greater problems plaguing the world.

Again what is really ruining Christmas, political correctness or greed and commercialism?

 

[hippie_hunter]

Okay, I get what you are saying now, I still don't care though and I have no sympathy for those people. Complaining about political correctness is such a first world problem, if that's worse thing you have deal with, consider yourself lucky and nowadays we have the opposite extreme, where people think something that something that is politically incorrect is instantly right. Political Correctness can be annoying, but its still a first world problem that is insignificant to the much greater problems plaguing the world.

Again what is really ruining Christmas, political correctness or greed and commercialism?

Greed and commercialism. The whole PC on Christmas thing is just a part of society's overall annoyance with political correctness as a whole (not just on Christmas), it goes beyond Christmas. But greed and commercialism....that kinda directly affects the spirit of Christmas.

 

[SV Fan]

Elements of it existed, O'Reilly just completely blew it out of proportion. And he was able to tap into society's irritation of being so damn needlessly PC.

So why did Fox News complain when somebody wanted to put a Festivus pole made of beer cans at a nativity scene in Florida?

I mean if people hate being PC is the so called reason for a War on Christmas, that is as un-PC as one can get.

 

[Kelly]

I don't really call that un-PC, I think what some see is if that had been say...a Muslim based piece of art, or something akin to that all hell would have broke loose, people would have been thrown in jail, etc....but since it was a Christian based symbol then speaking out against someone disrespecting it is un pc or I'm sure in some cases the pole was seen as a piece of art. Ya know, the whole....we throw a guy in jail for doing a short on Islam, and call an upside down cross with Jesus on it in a jar of urine, art.

To be honest, as far as the above video....meh, I don't see that as news. Let'um put up whatever they want to put up, but should those that want to speak out against it be able to do so? Sure, as should those that want to speak for it. IMO, neither are being un-pc....they are simply using the rights they have been given.

 

[chamber-music]

Fox News was forced to apologise for more scaremongering BS comments from a contributor going on about Britain's second city Birmingham being a no-go zone for non-Muslims and being a lawless city run by Islamic fanatics.

People have responded by mocking the segment on social media.

 

[Marvolo]

Fox has no shame.

 

[Feenix]

Anything for ratings.

 

[Red Mask]

Even Fox is not immune to French satire:

http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/01/20/pkg-amanpour-fox-news-paris-france-iaw.cnn

 

[chamber-music]

Outside if the U.S no one takes Fox News seriously. Fox is really seen as a laughing stock and satirists and comedians regularly mock them.

Charlie Brooker did the best satirical Breakdown of Fox I have ever seen a few years ago.

 

[Red Mask]

Fox has no shame.

Fox has no brains.

 

[Red Mask]

Outside if the U.S no one takes Fox News seriously. Fox is really seen as a laughing stock and satirists and comedians regularly mock them.

Charlie Brooker did the best satirical Breakdown of Fox I have ever seen a few years ago.

Unfortunately,Down Here they supply a major cable TV service.

 

[SV Fan]

Pretty funny bit on Jon Stewart tonight

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jon-stewart-oh-so-now-fox-wants-obama-to-be-a-powerful-muslim-king/

Jon Stewart: Oh, So NOW Fox Wants Obama to Be a ‘Powerful Muslim King’

Jon Stewart kicked off tonight’s Daily Show not by addressing the big news (well, not directly), but by calling out the hypocrisy of one of his favorite targets: Fox News.

You see, Fox really praised King Abdullah of Jordan for how he’s combating the threat from ISIS, and asking why President Obama can’t be more like him.

And Stewart couldn’t help but find it amusing and weird that Fox is asking “why can’t Obama be powerful Muslim king,” because, well, they don’t like Obama acting like a king or acting too deferential to radical Muslims.

I think my favorite bit is when Gretchen Carlson is basically saying why isn't Obama doing anything, and in the same picture they have a fox fact showing how the US is responsible for 80% of the airstrikes(3 minutes into the video)

 

[Kelly]

Outside if the U.S no one takes Fox News seriously. Fox is really seen as a laughing stock and satirists and comedians regularly mock them.

Charlie Brooker did the best satirical Breakdown of Fox I have ever seen a few years ago.

Do they do the same to MSNBC?

 

[The Overlord]

Do they do the same to MSNBC?

I'm not sure how many people outside of the US even know that MSNBC exists. I don't think it has the same prominence that CNN or Fox News does around the world.

 

[Kelly]

I'm not sure how many people outside of the US even know that MSNBC exists. I don't think it has the same prominence that CNN or Fox News does around the world.

I can definitely see that, I see where you are coming from.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I always thought of it simply as conservatives are older, and older people watch cable news. Fox News is the only mainstream right-leaning outlet, so conservatives who watch the news will flock to it.

Liberals are usually younger, so they get their news from other sources, like the internet. So a left-leaning outlet like MSNBC won't do nearly as well.

And CNN... well, it's always on at airports.

 

[Kelly]

Fox is on in quite a few airports as well...I was actually shocked at how many airports actually show Fox.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I always thought of it simply as conservatives are older, and older people watch cable news. Fox News is the only mainstream right-leaning outlet, so conservatives who watch the news will flock to it.

Liberals are usually younger, so they get their news from other sources, like the internet. So a left-leaning outlet like MSNBC won't do nearly as well.

And CNN... well, it's always on at airports.

I think you sum it up quite perfectly.

 

[Mightmitenot]

OOOPS! FN's Todd Starnes' false claims that a high school student who added the phrase "God Bless America" in his PA announcements was disciplined for doing so got the school voice mail bombed,

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/...news-article-botches-god-bless-america-story/

 

[Kelly]

Who the hell is Todd Starnes' ?

 

[Mightmitenot]

Sayeth the article:

Todd Starnes, host of the radio show “Fox News & Commentary.

Sayeth wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Starnes

 

[Kelly]

I've never heard of him...I only watch a couple of shows on Fox News, and I have never seen him on either of them. Oh well....probably better that I don't know who he is.

 

[Mightmitenot]

Not to be outdone by the national Snooze, Fox 5 in San Diego "Accidentally" uses an Obama photo as that of a rape suspect Police had to let go.