Fox News vs. mental stability

[Osiris]

At least you have the option of seeing Fox News for yourself to help form an opinion. You have watched it, right?

I have, yes. I also don't go in for CNN. In fact, I don't watch news programming simply because it is biased one way or the other. I read the news, and I do so from as many sources as I can, and for the most part ignore anything that tends to editorialize--as that is often the most coloured with bias.

[nikvoodoo]

My two cents: I don't agree with Fox News' politics. I also think its ludicrous to say Fox "leans" to the right. Fox News is right. No question. They are as far to the right as MSNBC is to the left with CNN leaning left in the middle and no one watching C-SPAN which is actually centrist.

I watch and listen to those to the right of me because you will learn what those of conflicting political views think faster if you watch their programming.

Watch Fox News now, and you'll see stories never seen in left media outlets. Watch lefty programs and you'll see coverage of things the right won't cover. I miss the news. Centered unbiased news. I don't want opinion programs dressed up as news.

[Osiris]

My two cents: I don't agree with Fox News' politics. I also think its ludicrous to say Fox "leans" to the right. Fox News is right. No question. They are as far to the right as MSNBC is to the left with CNN leaning left in the middle and no one watching C-SPAN which is actually centrist.

I watch and listen to those to the right of me because you will learn what those of conflicting political views think faster if you watch their programming.

Watch Fox News now, and you'll see stories never seen in left media outlets. Watch lefty programs and you'll see coverage of things the right won't cover. I miss the news. Centered unbiased news. I don't want opinion programs dressed up as news.

It doesn't exist anymore.

[scbubba]

It doesn't exist anymore.

Very true. The media and "news organizations" exist as businesses primarily. They will do what makes the money (mainly advertising or donations)

While most of them don't outright lie (for the most part) they cover what gets the viewers & in ways that keep them. I find you have to get info from multiple sources from both sides.

[turbo]

SNL's weekend update is all the news I need

[Osiris]

Very true. The media and "news organizations" exist as businesses primarily. They will do what makes the money (mainly advertising or donations)

While most of them don't outright lie (for the most part) they cover what gets the viewers & in ways that keep them. I find you have to get info from multiple sources from both sides.

Agreed. The ultimate news broadcast would have both sides of the coin represented equally. Unfortunately, that's never going to happen as long as there is money to be made via competitiveness.

[reaper239]

Agreed. The ultimate news broadcast would have both sides of the coin represented equally. Unfortunately, that's never going to happen as long as there is money to be made via competitiveness.

incorrect, the ultimate news would be facts, no politics. i'm conservative, but i don't want slant, in any direction. i just want to know what happened. the facts. that, in my opinion, would be ultimate news of ultimate destiny.

[Osiris]

incorrect, the ultimate news would be facts, no politics. i'm conservative, but i don't want slant, in any direction. i just want to know what happened. the facts. that, in my opinion, would be ultimate news of ultimate destiny.

Since that's impossible . . .

[Cabbage Patch]

Agreed. The ultimate news broadcast would have both sides of the coin represented equally. Unfortunately, that's never going to happen as long as there is money to be made via competitiveness.

Growing up I had fond memories of the BBC as a thorough, balanced, and objective news source. I was either very stupid when I was young or the BBC became vastly more ideological, and overtly anti-American over the years. During the Invasion of Iraq they might as well have been an arm of Iraqi State Television. I understand they've gotten better since the Labour Government purged their management a few years back, but I'm unwilling to give them another chance.

The ITN International News seemed like a good source back when it was available to watch in the US (via PBS), but I haven't seen it around for years.

[LiamKerrington]

The SPD, what a comedy group. Sadly.

Which is kind of true. Although I don't like speaking in favor of this political party, I must also say that it is a political party with nearly half a million members who do the major political work; and most of it is actually as much ok as the political work of most other political parties in Germany. (We have like 1.2-1.4 Million people organized as members in political parties; and they area involved in many social, economical, and care-taking activities on local, regional, and territorial levels...) And this 'real' political work has little to do with what is going on in the "political elite", which is the group of people you see in the media all the time. Thus I would prefer to think of at least some of the political elite of the SPD as jesters and fools and comedians - and yet I think that this is not true for all of them either. Just think of it how many SPD-politicians (or elite-politicians in general) are members in all 17 parliamts of Germany, the EU-parliament and the supporting administration; I bet most of them do a somewhat decent job. Again ... Generalization based on exceptions ...

why not? they aren't hurting anybody? i understand that in europe that's ilegal (i don't mean that all of europe is the same, but i'm pretty sure that's not allowed anywhere) but why should it be?who's rights are they violating? their clearly there for the sole purpose of making a visible protest, who is actually afraid here? i doubt if they were going to cause any harm they would be standing there taking pictures and posing for the camera.

The whole history of gun-ownership and gun-regulation in many areas of Europe is so different from what is going on in the US that it is a safe assumption that gun-ownership is not only per default forbidden in the EU, but also is its forbidding/ illegality tradition in the EU. It's in our heads.
edit: the main idea behind this is prevention of 'criminal' activities - whether it is the people longing for independence from the rulers or 'real' criminals, that is a totally different question. /edit
Regardless of that we also have criminal activities in Germany/ the EU as well. But only very few people speak in favor of free or more legalized gun-ownership to bring those numbers down. The reason is simple: Compared with the many other criminal activities the fatalities or criminal assaults in which guns are involved are very small in number.

My two cents: I don't agree with Fox News' politics. I also think its ludicrous to say Fox "leans" to the right. Fox News is right. No question. They are as far to the right as MSNBC is to the left with CNN leaning left in the middle and no one watching C-SPAN which is actually centrist.

I watch and listen to those to the right of me because you will learn what those of conflicting political views think faster if you watch their programming.

Watch Fox News now, and you'll see stories never seen in left media outlets. Watch lefty programs and you'll see coverage of things the right won't cover. I miss the news. Centered unbiased news. I don't want opinion programs dressed up as news.

I think this is probably the "best" approach. But it is one which requires you to have the time to do so. Many people simply don't have the time to dive into the different news-services in order to try to get the big picture of of opinions and news ...

incorrect, the ultimate news would be facts, no politics. i'm conservative, but i don't want slant, in any direction. i just want to know what happened. the facts. that, in my opinion, would be ultimate news of ultimate destiny.

It depends. News as part of the media or the press have also the purpose to support you creating your own opinion. And this they achieve by simply taking certain positions themeselves - through selecting what news they want to spread as well as commentary or tendentious reports. This actually is rooted deeply in the constitutional guarantees of the press - in Germany Art. 5 I GG. And I think this is similar in at least most Western/ 1st World countries.
Therefore it is simply 'normal' to have lefty, rightie, centristic or 'middly' news-services with (in theory) all news-services together providing you the biggest possible picture of mere facts and opinions. edit: But it is you who has to choose and evaluate the news-services you recognize, which is part of the opinion-building-process. /edit

All the best!
Liam