Thread: Media Matters vs Fox News

I just had a look at the Wiki about C-SPAN and they sound kind of like the BBC parliament channel. It's a shame more people don't tune in from time to time but from what I've seen your political processes are far less easy to follow (not less transparent just less easy for a layman like me to follow) than the British parliamentary system where things are debated in one of two main chambers. Would that be a fair assessment or am I just un familiar with the US system and it's actually quite easy to follow?

Originally Posted by PeterUK75

I just had a look at the Wiki about C-SPAN and they sound kind of like the BBC parliament channel. It's a shame more people don't tune in from time to time but from what I've seen your political processes are far less easy to follow (not less transparent just less easy for a layman like me to follow) than the British parliamentary system where things are debated in one of two main chambers. Would that be a fair assessment or am I just un familiar with the US system and it's actually quite easy to follow?

Its mostly speeches and process, which is boring. Like your parliament, everything meaningful happens without cameras, or off script.

Originally Posted by Speakeasy

Fox News Channel is a terrible piece of shit and it, along with all the other network news channels (which are also crappy sources of news), should wither away into oblivion. Our populace and our IQs would all be better for it.

That being said, Media Matters is totally overstepping their boundaries here. Obviously, FOX News has an appeal to a sizable chunk of people, what's wrong with that? It's just a crappy, sub-par news channel, it's not like they're showing snuff films and child porn. One could argue "Hey, they suck at telling the news, they have a huge bias!" Who cares? Don't watch it then. The people who do watch it will suffer the embarrassment when someone more knowledgeable points out their terrible grasp of current events. FNC has its hardcore viewers and things are pretty much contained there (and I'd imagine a notable portion of their viewers are probably liberals watching it just to find things to hate and make fun of), it's not like its convincing or winning anyone over who's not part of the chorus they're preaching to. In fact, Media Matters is most likely going to cause FNC viewers to entrench themselves further. As they say, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and Media Matters is doing nothing but making themselves look like insufferable a-holes here.

As for the Fox News website, outside of the articles that are linked in with their network programming, I've found them to be no better or worse than the other major US news outlets.

Exactly. Who watches cable news, anyways? They all suck. The only time I've watched it, recently, is for the debates and election results. Aside from that, it's been more than 2 years since I've watched cable news.

Originally Posted by John Drake

Look, I'm sick of this...The cons come right out and attack liberals, up to and including using so callled "insane" assasins to actually shoot them in the head, and we liberals act like. "Yeh, well...but we're above all that." Screw them...I say it's time we grew a pair of big brass ones and got down in the gutter to fight with them just like they've been doing for over a decade now...Hooray for Media Matters, you got my money, support and I'll vote for your candidates

Sorry, you seem to be talking about liberals because they invented the game.

Originally Posted by PeterUK75

It really amazes me when I watch Fox and other US news stations the lack of quality journalism on offer. No wonder people who use such stations have such little knowledge about the outside world as they hardly ever cover anything outside the US and the political coverage is so blatantly biased it's beyond a joke. I would really be interested in the number of people who watch Fox who have ever been outside the US and seen for themselves that the rest of the world isn't the cesspit they seem to think it is.
Something has to be wrong when shows on Comedy Central are almost as good at highlighting the news as the self proclaimed most powerful name in news.

Eh, I wouldn't be spouting anything from across the pond as much of the EU "news" practices censorship.

Originally Posted by Formaldehyde

Perhaps the far-right should stop nominating corrupt idiots to national office, and Fox News should start practicing responsible journalism for a welcome change?

If Palin is corrupt then, I'm sure, you could produce evidence of such allegations.

Originally Posted by Formaldehyde

Perhaps the far-right should stop nominating corrupt idiots to national office, and Fox News should start practicing responsible journalism for a welcome change?

Originally Posted by Formaldehyde

The decline of responsible American journalism has cost this country dearly. And it can be traced back to the day that the networks decided to make news a "profit center". Watch Paddy Chayefesky's Network for details. It is really a parody of Fox News long before they even existed.

The problem with your argument is you only apply it to your political opposition. It is borderline hypocritical of you to suggest FoxNews is out there on their own reporting the news in this sensationalism, absent of total fact, and for ratings manner. We both know the issue of modern mainstream media and "truth" (or, fact) does not start and end with the workings of FoxNews. Even one of your links suggests that.

Originally Posted by jviehe

Its mostly speeches and process, which is boring. Like your parliament, everything meaningful happens without cameras, or off script.

Erm, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to disagree as all the big debates here are televised (I know you don't have anything similar to Prime Ministers Questions) as are all the committees. It's one of the reasons parliament costs so much. The only thing that isn't televised as far as I know is the voting procedure itself but all the results and discussions are.

Originally Posted by fishjoel

If Palin is corrupt then, I'm sure, you could produce evidence of such allegations.

I don't think she's corrupt but I do think she'd make a disastrous President because she just doesn't know enough about foreign affairs.

Originally Posted by PeterUK75

I just had a look at the Wiki about C-SPAN and they sound kind of like the BBC parliament channel. It's a shame more people don't tune in from time to time but from what I've seen your political processes are far less easy to follow (not less transparent just less easy for a layman like me to follow) than the British parliamentary system where things are debated in one of two main chambers. Would that be a fair assessment or am I just un familiar with the US system and it's actually quite easy to follow?

Exactly. What's hard to follow about your parliament because it's not really even a debate, that's a side-show, so much of a tyranny of the majority.

Originally Posted by PeterUK75

Erm, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to disagree as all the big debates here are televised (I know you don't have anything similar to Prime Ministers Questions) as are all the committees. It's one of the reasons parliament costs so much. The only thing that isn't televised as far as I know is the voting procedure itself but all the results and discussions are.

Do you really think those debates change anyones minds? Its all a show. After they all go have backroom meetings where they make decisions.

Originally Posted by fishjoel

Exactly. What's hard to follow about your parliament because it's not really even a debate, that's a side-show, so much of a tyranny of the majority.

That said, I do enjoy David Cameron.

Originally Posted by jviehe

Do you really think those debates change anyones minds? Its all a show. After they all go have backroom meetings where they make decisions.

Anyone that has ever had to deal with politicans and government officials, from the Federal Level all the way down to local zoning matters, knows this to be fact. The core of getting something done anywhere in government is in a backroom, through one or more sidebar political moments, or anywhere off camera and off record.