Examining Mainstream Media Bias

Since when does having a majority in congress mean the minority should follow blindly along with the majority's wishes ["Obama's War on Limbaugh and Fox Will Backfire With Voters," usnews.com]? Seems to me Fox and others are simply giving the other side of the story. I think all those CNN and MSNBC viewers are confused. Fair and balanced doesn't necessarily mean both sides of an issue will be heard, but rather it's the other half of the story that the liberal media is not talking about. Does Fox go over the top sometimes—sure. Do [MSNBC's] Olbermann and Matthews let their personal opinions seep into the broadcast—you bet they do!

Comment by Jason of KY

Doug Heye uses a false equivalency, comparisons to President Nixon, to tap into the understandable unease Americans have with any president being so petty as to have a personal "enemies list." However there is a major difference in media criticism focusing on policy, and a purported news organization presenting blatantly false rumors day in and day out as real news (e.g., Obama's a Muslim; Obama's a foreigner; Obama wants to indoctrinate school children). Fox is a well-branded, well-crafted product designed to make a certain segment of the population feel better. Many well-documented media studies have shown that the "fair and balanced" folks at Fox feature Republican guests over Democratic guests at a ratio of close to 4 to 1. As with any first-term president, President Obama has made some mistakes, but identifying Fox News for what it is, and what it is not, is not one of them.

Comment by Mike B. of NV

Glenn Beck is outstanding. People may not like his approach or his ideology, but you cannot deny that he was instrumental in exposing the corruption within ACORN and the communist Van Jones. As time goes on he'll expose more corruption, and more and more people will find him a credible source for political news. He gets results, and people are taking note.

Comment by Larry of UT

When we slid into recession in 2008, economists made it clear that unemployment would be the last component to recover. The fact that it's still down in the dumps should surprise no one with a decent attention span. Meanwhile, your question—"if I'm an independent unhappy with Obama, who do I blame?" missed an obvious answer: Congress. All three major commercial U.S.-based cable news networks have lost my trust. Fox News is clearly the most obnoxious of the three, but none of them are worth a lick. I get my audio/video news from NPR and the BBC. For example, when substantial airtime was being squandered last week with "Balloon Boy," NPR didn't even mention it in its newscast. Smart move.

Comment by Richard C. of PA

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