It's weird. All the hub-bub.
The proliferation of former news reporters giving up that role for infotainment, plus a lot of people criticising FOX, without watching to see what they are talking about is causing confusion.
Katie Couric, Soledad O'Brien, Paula Zahn and their morning co-horts used to be reporters and morning news anchors, and turned those positions in for their network's morning infotainment desks. FOX has a similar assortment. They aren't straight news anchors.
Bill O'Reilly is an opinionator, like Jeff Greenfield, that old bald guy who is viscerally Democrat and spins every statistic against Bush, and others on other networks...
Each network and CNN have shows they put together, starring an assortment of former straight newspeople, who now operate as pundits or opinionators. Capital Gang is an assortment of pundits, each with their own very identifiable slant.
People--slant is everywhere! Fox has the same, but they take pains to represent people on each side of the issue. Sometimes, O'Reilly is high camp. I hate his personality (obnoxious), but he provides something no one else does, IMO. (Except maybe the more intentionally funny Jon Stewart. HE'S doing political commentary!) I think it was nutty to cut into Glick the way O' Reilly did, but it's his show. (And, sometimes HIGHLY entertaining)--
What is so weird is that many of you don't even see or acknowledge the slant in most of the media--because it represents the left as the center. Their bias only screams out at conservatives, the way Fox's slant screams out at you. We have endured the left/anti-GOP slant for decades.
You can tolerate one station that leans to the right.
I don't see any of you in a huff over Tavis Smiley, Dan Rather and other way left, pro-Dem mouthpieces.
Same thing, different slant.
Britt So and so, Chris Wallace, Tony Snow and Shep Smith are Fox's anchors. Before you condemn Fox, give them a watch and see for yourself. At least your criticisms would be based on a fact, if you find any.
When I've watched O'Reilly, he's always had on opposing views--both sides of the issue represented. This is why he says he's fair and balanced. It doesn't mean he doesn't have an opinion--it means he gives both sides a chance to speak their opinions.
Where he is different to a news reporter--is he adds HIS opinion.
That's why people watch him.
He's been anti-Bush, and pro-Bush, depending on the issue and HIS OPINION.
He's not a reporter, or a news anchor. What about this do you not understand?
Sofia wrote:It doesn't mean he doesn't have an opinion--it means he gives both sides a chance to speak their opinions.
Girl - did you read
this? Does it sound like he's giving the other side "a chance to speak his opinion"? Really?
Or does it sound like he's trying to shut him up as soon as he says something he doesnt like?
Not to mention
the way he did so ... thats just disgraceful. Forget left or right or liberal or conservative - anyone who behaves like that is just utterly disgraceful. Like I said, anyone behave like that to me, I'd slap him. What an ass.
Gotta go with ya there, nimh ... O'Reilly's brainfart there was spectacular. I happen to think, that particular episode playing no part in my assessment, as I didn't see it, that O'Reilly is not merely an ass, but an exquisite, consumate, flaming pompous ass. From what I can tell the cause into which he pours all his energy and emotion, to the exclusion of all other agenda, is self-promotion. Mrs Timber, who's political outlook makes me look like your average Deaniac by comparison, turned away from him a couple years ago. She even gave her autographed copy of his first book to the bookdrive for the local library. She was really pissed. And she ain't the type that gets over much. Ever. I know.
Yeah--He'd obviously heard all he wanted about Glick's opinion--and was voicing his. Free speech, mic ownership, and all...
We have people shouting down opposers all the time. Begala, Al Hunt, Carville, Maher--all rabid liberals...
It's OK for them, but not O'Reilly?
Why is that?
(Perhaps because O'Reilly has a wider audience, and is on FOX?)
I guess timber will have to forgive me for not listening to the brainfart on Fox.
Sofia wrote:Yeah--He'd obviously heard all he wanted about Glick's opinion--and was voicing his. Free speech, mic ownership, and all...
We have people shouting down opposers all the time. Begala, Al Hunt, Carville, Maher--all rabid liberals...
It's OK for them, but not O'Reilly?
Why is that?
(Perhaps because O'Reilly has a wider audience, and is on FOX?)
I don't even know who Begala or Al Hunt is, but last time I checked Carville and Maher weren't one of the key commentators on a news channel that proports to be fair and balanced.
Ah well. Red-faced screechers come in all shades.
I feel funny defending O'Reilly. I think he's an ass, as well--but entitled to be an ass along with all the other asses in punditryland.
Begala is a former Clinton operative, who shows up to shout down conservatives on Crossfire. He can also been seen parodied on SNL--spoofed by a wide-eyed Chris Kattan...
Al Hunt is a lib on CNN's Capital Gang, married to the thorny Clinton handmaiden, Judy Woodruff.
Thanks for the info Sofia. I guess I don't get to check out those "liberal" news outlets as much as the "conservative" ones.
I gotta admit, Fox is more entertaining.
Political pundits are showpeople, plain and simple. They wouldn't have an audience if they weren't entertaining, albeit to the poltical geeks. I can take them in small doses except for Bill Maher and Jon Stewart who both mix satire, comedy and political commentary quite well. And Bill is coming back on HBO soon.
Thanks, LW. That's what I've been trying to say. The straight news shows are rare on FOX. Can't compare most of it with news--cause it ain't.
I'll have to give Maher a plug.
He is waaaay left, but he has really proven himself to me, as far as giving air to conservatives.
He is entertaining, and intelligent. His panel always includes righties--and, while he disagrees with most they say--he doesn't insult them, though he insults the views, on occasion..
Used to LOVE McLaughlin Group. That was the craziest show I've ever seen. They HAD to be half drunk. McLaughlin always assassinated Kondrake's
name.
<bellowing> "And, what do you say Mr. Mort Kondrickie-draky-drake?" Eleanor Clift was always pissed off. It was like an Animal House food fight, without the food...
<sigh>
I miss it.
Bill Maher is excellent.
Just my two cents.
Maher's NOW to me was a great example of what news can be when you don't have a CEO meddling with content.
i find it funny alot of liberals attack foxnews, when its the least liberal newschannel. republicans can go on for hours about how the other news channel arent fair or balanced and are more liberals, but most of them dont(well i havent seen to many complain about them)
That was breathtakingly incoherent.
lol, im not good at wording what i think.
Don't worry about your writing style, mrcool011, just say what you think. Lots of folks present cogent thoughts in less-than-eloquent fashion, and lots of folks eloquently spout pure poppycock. Lots of times, an individual will manage, either by turns or in a single example, to manage both
Oh, and welcome to A2K ... make yourself at home and get comfortable. Hope you enjoy it here. If you'd like a little help figuring things out, the color-formatted words down at the bottom of my posts are links to our FAQ, our Help Forum, and the Terms of Use. Feel free to poke around, and just holler out if anything's unclear.
mrcool--
I love your funky, Bohemian, eecummings delivery.
And, of course, you were completely correct in your scathingly true assertion!
