We’ve been onboard our ship for eight days, and it has been delightful; the sole complaint I have is that our only option for television news is Fox. (This may have something to do with the average age of the passengers, which looks to be somewhere around the mid-eighties, just barely older than the average age of Fox’s audience.)
At home, I almost never watch Fox. I see Jon Stewart’s clips and I read about some of the more outrageous and/or embarrassingly wrong reports that periodically become a topic of broader discussion, but this has been the first time I’ve been exposed to extended “real time” broadcasts.
It’s even worse than I thought.
Earlier today, during a discussion about the (genuine, troubling) IRS scandal, one blond “newscaster” turned to another and said the problem stemmed from the fact that President Obama has total power—“there are no mechanisms to keep him from doing whatever he wants. There has never been such a powerful chief executive.”
I am not making this up.
Blond bimbo evidently never heard of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, the Senate filibuster, Mitch McConnell, the Party of No….
Yesterday, there was a roundtable of some sort about Benghazi. I listened for a good ten minutes in an effort to figure out precisely what the participants believed the “scandal” was. What, exactly, do they think is being covered up? What misdeeds are suspected? What is it that they are insisting is “worse than Watergate?” Not a clue. But one of the hosts signed off the segment by saying “You’ll only hear about Benghazi on Fox, because all the other media are covering for the Obama Administration.”
Really?
Perhaps “all the other media” are hamstrung by that old-fashioned journalism practice called verification—the quaint notion that reporting requires demonstrable facts and that in the absence of anything remotely resembling evidence, responsible news organizations don’t manufacture and air stories, no matter how ideologically satisfying such stories might be.
A research project a year or so ago found that people who got most of their news from Fox knew less than people who didn’t follow the news at all.
I believe it.
Yes Yes Yes. It really is a bag of crazy snakes. I was trapped in a waiting room at Community North Cardiology office and I was subjected to that insanity for 30 Minutes. I think a long term exposure to that filth would really lower ones IQ. I need to write to the Cardiologist and request that they take it OFF. The other cardiologist upstairs has MSNBC on their TV. I might want to change docs.
If I find a bank or other business with that crap on the TV, I complain to the manager and will NOT do business with them. A McDonalds in my home town in WI has that filth on 24/7. I ONLY go to Burger King when in WI. I hope others speak up but I doubt it. Enjoy your Trip Prof K. Sound wonderful. DON’T watch TV 🙂
A few monthes ago I was sitting in the radiology department at IU Health facility, 9600 East Washington Street, when I noticed their big screen TV had closed captioning turned on. Then I noticed it was Fox News, no remote in sight so staff or administration apparently controls the choice of channels. After reading patmcc’s comment about another health facility showing Fox News, I can’t help but wonder if this is the situation in all medical facilities – a covert protest against what they call Obamacare?
I could go on and on regarding unnecessary testing and I lost count of different doctors and nurses examining and questioning me but ignoring my answers during a two-day stay in Methodist Hospital. Their diagnoses were totally wrong, their decision to “help” my deafness of 37 years and “do something” about my disabiity of 21 years were only to get money from Medicare. I told them repeatedly I had the best specialists and therapy for my years long conditions, I was hospitalized with a viral form of flu.
While we lived in Europe, we got a satellite service and Fox was one of the “news’ offerings. There was also the RT, Sky News, BBC and CNN International so there was quite a few options to get a different perspective of America from them. I did watch fox for awhile but I couldn’t understand their logic or opinion which was not based on logic at all. I have to thank Bill O’Reilly for introducing me to LEFT wing internet sites and the Huffington Post. He complained about the commenters several times, so I decided to check it out and been a fan ever since. After reading the left side of the column about politics, I realized I wasn’t a conservative at all. I was fire breathing Liberal with a capital L and those that watched faux spews (which is what I call it now) were bat sh*t crazy. Nobody has convinced me otherwise. To be a conservative in America, redefines logic.
One would have to live in a cave – or be a leftwinger – to not even be aware of what is suspected at Benghazi.
On 9/11/12 a heavy and coordinated military attack on the Benghazi outpost resulted in a number of deaths, including that of our ambassador, who was also raped because he was homosexual.
The attack could have been stopped but US military forces, which were only minutes away, were ordered twice to stand down by the State department.
The consulate location was attacked because (a) it was a CIA post for detaining and torturing prisoners and (b) it was a conduit location for CIA arms shipments.
The coverup was infinitely worse than Watergate. Nobody died from Watergate. Ms Clinton deliberately let US staff die, rather than be rescued, in order to hide CIA activities.
Mr Obama, Ms Clinton, Susan Rice, and others in the administration, concocted a fantastical story that the attack was related to a Youtube video. This video had never been heard of or mentioned in the news, prior to the attack. Mr Obama stuck to this lie, and even had the creator of the Youtube video put in jail, where he is still.
The media you all fawn over participated in covering up this story until post-election. Congratulations, you have your Fascism.
AgingLittleGirl loves CNN International; but CNN International admits it covered up Saddam Hussein’s atrocities so it could remain on TV in that country. Torture and mass murder were covered up by CNN, so they could make money.
It’s noteworthy that Mr Obama has prosecuted more reporters under the 1917 Espionage Act than all past presidents combined.
Well, darn the luck! The shuttle bus to Crazytown just left and the last person who commented here wasn’t on it. There’ll be another one shortly. We hear that Fox Noise (faux spews–love that!) runs 24/7 in every home and doctor’s office in Crazytown. He should be happier there than here in the real world.
Please don’t make assumptions about my news viewing. I never watch CNN anymore and haven’t for nearly 4 yrs. We don’t have cable.
#4 actually reads like a Fox News broadcast. CNN not what it used to be and that is a loss; I stick with MSNBC for latest and closest to the truth news…they stopped being almost 100% pro Obama long ago which strengthens my trust in them. The Indianapolis Star printed a less than medium size article on page 8 regarding President Obama’s one hour speech on National Sucurity – this reaction by the Star screams it’s far right wingnut leanings.
I am still 100% behind President Obama even though I do not agree with all of his decisions, indecisions, actions and/or non-actions. Such is the nature of the presidency; I wouldn’t want the weight of responsibility he carries 24/7/365. Fox News fluctuates between being good for a laugh and downright frightening. The inmates are running that asylum.
A) Jon Stewart does comedy, not the news. If you are getting your news from Comedy Central, that’s your first mistake.
B) FoxNews is the highest-rated cable news channel. Businesses aren’t betraying any kind of zealotry by showing them. It just makes sense considering their ratings are higher than CNN and MSNBC put together. Furthermore, the fake indignation and outrage and “ordering” someone to change the channel in a waiting room where there are more people waiting (and watching) than just you is the height of arrogance and rudeness, pat and joann.
C) Eugene didn’t say anything that has not been factually documented through the investigation. All everybody has is narrow-minded name-calling and bigotry. Even you, Joann, claim to support the president 100% but cannot even demonstrate a basic understanding of the criticisms you are mocking. As for the blog host, you are a college Professor, how on earth do you rationalize this kind of close-minded prejudice?
As far as I’m concerned, for you to minimize what happened at Benghazi and condescendingly joke about these things on MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, no less, is utterly shameful. You owe a lot of apologies, but you probably wouldn’t understand. My bit a month or two ago about people wrapping themselves in what they think to be true has certainly proven itself once again.
Marco, which cemeteries are you visiting today to put flags on the graves of those who have served in the military? Perhaps I’ll see you at Washington Park West where my grandfather (WWI) and father (WWII) are buried.
Jon Stewart is brilliant and has the balls to take on ANY administration that doesn’t serve the citizens of this country. You cannot watch the Daily Show unless you are political because of the nature of his topics. If you are not political (like I was when his show began), I could not follow his humor because I didn’t know who the players were or kept up with the antics of politics. I started watching Jon when we were finishing up our last year in Europe and learned a good many things about politics from him. If you aren’t watching, and laughing, you are missing out on some great comedy. A shame really because I don’t think that the 911 first responders in NYC would have their health care grant without his shaming of the politicians that delayed it for YEARS. It was finally approved last fall and THAT is what I’m sure his intentions were with those segments in the first place. Jon Stewart is a national treasure and apparently his ratings are higher than faux spews on cable because BOTH programs are considered ENTERTAINMENT.
How I spent my Memorial Day factors into whether or not people are allowed to belittle the deaths of troops overseas how? I’m happy you were able to get off work, good for you. Don’t worry about the sacrifices my family, friends or I have made. Just rest assured I’ve earned the right to speak my opinion, just like anybody else. Was that a response to my comment or are we opening up a new line of dialogue?
Jon Stewart’s a comedian. He says as much when journalists call out his fact-checking. My personal favorite was I believe on Crossfire (way back when, YouTubed it) when he accused them of hurting the country with their poor journalism. They quoted some ridiculously off thing he said and his response was “I’m not a journalist. I’m followed by sock puppets making prank calls.” I won’t go into his misquotes because he’s a comedian, he’s not rated on accuracy. If that’s where you choose to get your news, that’s fine. It’s just not news. I watch lots of horror movies for the entertainment value, that doesn’t make them news.
Mitt Romney and a number of other Republicans have been embarrassed by their reliance on FOX for their news which was then exposed as fabrications. MSNBC has its fringe folks as well but it’s noticeable that their sources are more often independent sources while FOX sources are like-minded conservatives.
Limbaugh and FOX repeatedly construct non-existent straw men and then blame Democrats for supporting the non-existent and often outrageous constructions. A first-semester logic student can see right through them. Perhaps a basic requirement of citizenship should be passing 2 semesters of logic.