Does one need to watch Fox News to know it's crap?

I voted 'no' because I agree with virtually everything edgarblythe posts.

I think that in order to have an opinion, one needs to know what the opinion is about. I believe in checking out the media, from all sides of the political spectrum. What I have discovered, is that there is spin and bias on all the networks.

Precisely why I rarely watch any network news anymore.

That Fox often claims to be the only fair news is indicative of their quality. That persons of a certain extreme in the political spectrum swear by it and call all othe news sources biased is indicative of Fox's political inclination. That they wanted to break into the media by differentiating themselves is indicative of motive.

But it's still a good idea to have a look before ya make an opinion.

But to answer your question: many sources are famous for their bias and many many people make opinions about a news source without having ever sampled it.

Al Jazera is an example.

bias exists in all media, pretty much a given, but when a media such as Fox News constantly states "fair and balanced" its a good indication that its not.

I didn't attend church with Jim Jones, but I am pretty sure I would not have liked it.

I think it's a good thing to have several differing voices.
I don't 'buy' everything from any one source; but it's interesting to see how each media outlet covers each story. How did FOX and CNN headline and report the same event?....

FOX is decidedly to the right, but I think the American public needs at least one right-leaning news outlet. (I realize some people believe FOX isn't the only right-leaner.)

Print media; the same. Comparing sources leads to a more balanced view.

I do agree one must at least sample something before making a judgement.

I get news from different sources. While Pacifica is my favorite, I do search for other voices. The networks have become something less than news reporters and more propagandists for their bosses. I won't play those games.

Edgar, it's a lot easier to watch a TV channel for a few minutes than it is to join a cult

Other than that, I agree with all the other comments.

I merely meant that I had no direct knowledge of Jones's cult but still knew it was not good in there.

Haven't you ever watched Benny Hinn or Pat Robertson? Sometimes intellectual curiosity leads to comedic revelations

To form an informed opinion, it would be wise to study it.
For a plain old opinion, it's not necessary.

I spent the greater part of my life in the company of Benny Hinn and Pat Robertson type characters. There is much to fret and fume about with them and quite a few belly laughs.
I used to be a news junkie. My radio played news all day long. I could not wait to get home to watch the network news and public tv news. I still try to stay informed, but in my own way.

99% of my news i get from NPR-PBS-BBC although i do like Chris Mathews on sunday mornings.

Here's an article I read today that you might find interesting... I mention it because I "saw" the war in a similar way, and I would guess you did too:

Think before you criticize something, you should have at least a passing familiarity with it. Otherwise you a simply responding to reputation and that can be misleading. That said I have little use for FOX news.

on the grocery carts in the market they have small ads for fox news. they are promoting one of their shows. the ad shows 2 ken dolls and one barbie and it says "smarter, younger, warmer", that's enough of an indication to Not take the fox seriously.

I said I listen extensively to Pacifica radio. As other listeners will tell you, Pacifica broadcasts huge chunks of BBC newscasts. Some reporters covering the war for Pacifica were stationed in Baghdad. So it's not like I totally ignored the war. I just tuned out the idiot box.

I tuned out the idiot box too, with the exception of PBS and occasionally Nightline. I don't listen to the radio, but I do a lot of reading online.

I spend a lot of time reading online too. I seek out political websites and foreign news sites, always shifting to new ones.