At least one voice on Fox News isn't afraid to speak the truth. Here are a couple of clips of Shepard Smith (whom we've noted before) from his Studio B show, today, via nikkibong and Twin.
And here is what I had to say in the same thread, when questioned by one of the resident wingnuts after I responded to the first clip by saying, "A good clip, and a good man. I hope he has some effect on some of Fox's regular viewers, especially in light of today's events."
Originally Posted by Lyle
Do you actually think Fox News' 'regulars' think anything but what happened today was a tragedy?I think there are some who think this way, yes. Today's shooter, I'm quite sure, is not the only racist/anti-Semite/nut in this entire country.
I also think there are more Fox viewers who are somewhat on the fence about things like this. Certainly, there has been no shortage of insane overreaction to the DHS report on right-wing extremism that predicted exactly the sort of behavior we've seen in today's shooting and the murder of Dr. Tiller. I expect there are plenty of people who watch Fox regularly who don't explicitly condone what happened today, but have something of a "yes, but ..." attitude in their minds.
There are some crazy people on the Right, even crazier people like this guy von Brumm... but Fox News doesn't support this kind of racist, bigoted nonsense.
I agree that Fox does not say the exact same things today's shooter is reported to have said. But they do dance up to the line all the time; e.g., O'Reilly and his non-stop "Tiller the Killer" rants, Glenn Beck and his paranoid view of Obama's secret agenda, the non-stop references to Hitler, fascism, communism on many of their shows, Hannity's outright lying, the platform they give to all manner of unhinged guests, the constant reinforcement of a victim and seige mentality ... the list goes on and on.
Have a look at Media Matters, for example. Even if you insist that all MM does is cherry-pick the worst parts, there is no denying the overwhelming number of cherries.
You'll be shocked, shocked to learn that this answer did not sit well with our Lyle.
[Added] From seeing on-screen text in another video of the show whence the above clips came, the other guy in the studio with Shep Smith is apparently Mike Baker, "FMR CIA Operations Officer."
8 comments:
I found this Blogg about Sheppard Smith to be very interesting, but I have been watching Fox Cable News Network for years. Ya Know, what is fair and balanced? I really do not know anymore. I do not know where to get my news.
Sam Danner
Thanks for stopping by, Sam.
As to your question, one strategy is to start with the assumption that no one news source is "fair and balanced," and working from that, develop a pool of regular sources. For example, maybe balance watching Fox News with reading The New York Times.
I also find getting a non-US perspective helps, so maybe check out some British news sources, like the BBC, the Times (of London), the Guardian, the Independent, and so on. Or English-language versions of, say, Le Monde and Al Jazeera.
Third approach: find a few blogs that specialize in doing news aggregation, who link to a variety of sources. Andrew Sullivan is a good example of this. So is Balloon Juice (although the commentary along with the links is obviously left-leaning). Memeorandum can also help in this regard, particularly with respect to hot stories.
Fourth approach: when you've got an interest in a particular topic or event, use Google News and search for relevant keywords. You'll invariably see links to a broad spectrum of news sources covering the same item.
To my mind, credibility and reliability are much more important than the news outfit's political leanings, particularly once you know the leanings.
Good luck. Glad to hear you're interested in being sure about what you consume, rather than settling for something that seems most immediately comforting.
While it's true that no news source (that I've found) can be described as fair and balanced, some news sources have been shown to go beyond merely slanting the news to include lies. Fox is among these.
I agree with the multiple source approach (probably better not to make cable too much of a source at all) and getting news from off-continent.
Well mates, I married an Australian woman and they could care less about what goes on over here. Her family thinks Australia is a panacea for all. It is somewhat true. There government is so layed back and there labour, liberal parties are so close together that there is not much difference. They are not politically correct as here in the states. I read news from Russia, England , Germany, and Australia. I am not a fox news basher. I watch Glenn Beck every night. There is an element of truth in what He saids also. I am 56 years old with cancer. This is not the constitutional United States when I was young. I have no clue as to where this country is going. But, all of this spending is out of control. There is no democracy as the people votes do not really count. Acorn is a depressing example. It is all very depressing to me. I served in Nam in 1971. For what?
Ssm Danner
Well, Sam, if you think a black man with the name Barack Hussein Obama could beat Hillary Clinton in the primaries, and war hero and media darling John McCain in the general election, and yet still insist that "the people['s] votes don't really count," I'm afraid I don't know what to tell you.
I'm also sorry to say that I am unable to dignify ACORN-bashing or approval of Glenn Beck with any sort of response.
As to the alleged vanishing of "the constitutional United States," I'd say you ought to look a lot more critically at the previous Administration before you go any further.
if you think a black man with the name Barack Hussein Obama could beat Hillary Clinton in the primaries, and war hero and media darling John McCain in the general election, and yet still insist that "the people['s] votes don't really count," I'm afraid I don't know what to tell you.
How about - Dude, THAT is what you were fighting for in '71. At least, we can hope that something along those lines were in your head. Our government should have never asked you to go there, but since you were patriotic enough to answer their call, I really do hope that those were the ideals you felt you were fighting for.
Brendan, I enjoy your Blogg. The John McCain issue, I could not figure out. I fear He may have been an extension of Bush thinking, of which I have never gotten over. I think as a older person, todays times are like Future shock in some respect. We indeed are living in historical times. BTW, I do not hang on what Beck said,s. It is Ratings and the smoke and mirror show He puts on. Today I watched Pravda.ru and CNN. The election in Iran was a news maker. Once again, Brendan thank you for letting me speak here. You are as we say in Australia Spot on!
Sam Danner
Thanks, Sam. You're more than welcome to weigh in at any time.
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