Do you trust Fox News?

[Anonymous]

I certainly do better than CNN!

Yes

No

[nightdrot]

Answer "Yes," but it is more complicated than that. Let us keep perspective here.

The media at the time the Founders laid out the First Amendment were almost all partisan news sheets. The very idea of an unbiased media would have been laughable.

Moreover, the term "yellow journalism" came out of the 19th century. Indeed, it was media reaction to the sinking of USS Maine that pushed a very reluctant President McKinley to ask Congress for a declaration of war against Spain. Indeed, speaking of "fake media," it was later discovered that the sinking was probably an accident and not a Spanish attack.

The notion of an unbiased media really only came about as an accident of technology. Television had three - four if you count PBS - networks. Radio had two national news networks - CBS and NPR. There were three newsmagazines - Time, Newsweek, U. S. News & World Report. Newspapers were always locally focused and it was only due to their location that The Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal gained national prominence. (Later USA Today did create a national identity.)

Because of the limited outlets, in order to get the broadest possible audience, the news business had to attempt a high degree of balance. Moreover, during much of this period there was a stronger sense of social cohesion, which tended to reinforce the tendency toward balance.

However, beginning in the 80s with cable and the first cost effective lap top computers, it became possible to target a specific audience. Throw in the proliferation of outlets and social media and audience segmentation took off. Then, as night follows day, a more biased journalism followed. It was as much effect as cause.

Indeed, ironically, it was Fox News - under Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes - who first saw the potential for audience segmentation and who really began the tilt in media coverage. In this MSNBC and CNN merely were echoes - reaching the audience that Fox opted to forego. (Foregoing it because, especially in the 80s and 90s, the conservative audience was much larger than its liberal counterpart.)

So what this boils down to is that the viewer, listener or read needs to be discerning. Please note, this does not mean mere skepticism. As Bagehot said, "A diffuse distrust and an indiscriminate suspicion are characteristic of a semi-barbarous people."
Approach any media with an awareness of their perspective and their audience.

Understand that no media - from any side - will be able to escape fully the perspective of those who run them and report for them. An awareness of this will allow the viewer, listener or reader to benefit from what the media outlet does well and be careful of what the outlet does not.

In fact, Fox has a pretty good track record. They were right - no doubt - about the infamous dossier in the 2016 election and duly reported on it when other media chose to ignore it. They have similarly, so far, been vindicated on the "Twitter" debate - another issue that other media, due to their biases chose to ignore.

By the same token, Fox tends to be too exculpatory of President Trump. They ignore - or at least downplay - his failings as a President, not least his divisive influence on the culture. So when you view Fox's coverage of Mr. Trump, factor that into account.

By the way, to its' credit, Fox's 6:00 news program with Brett Baier tends on the whole to be pretty "fair and balanced" - to use their words. Some of the tilt in Fox coverage on other programs being relatively absent from their evening news program.

The bottom line is that it can safely be said that Fox - and generally the other media outlets - can be trusted. However, it can never be forgotten that it is the obligation of the viewer/listener/reader to be discriminating and thoughtful, not only about their media, but about his/her own biases.

Like it or not, there is no oracle out there who will come down from the heavens and provide final judgement on the absolute final existential truth. Such truth does exist, by the way, but the limits of human imperfection make it almost impossible to discern always and everywhere.

That said, as noted from the Bagehot quote above, to approach everything with a mere skepticism absent any deeper context conduces to mere nihilism. That outcome conducing to worse outcomes than bias. As someone once said, "The person who believes in nothing does not believe in nothing - they believe in anything."

[WhiteSteve]

Fuck no, lmao. Never seen such obvious propaganda in my life. I hear their editorial takes on things from the Tucker Carlsons and such, and it disgusts me, like it’s everything I find to be misguided about humanity. If that’s the “right” mindset to have, then I would legitimately consider offing myself. Just makes me realize how awful the people who live in this world are, very few redeeming qualities.

[Varanus]

You'd have to be absolutely brain dead to not realize Fox News is horseshit. None of the major news networks are particularly trustworthy nowadays, but Fox is by far the worst of the big ones.

[Anonymous]

It's the only news channel I trust. Listen to this lying piece of shit Democrat congressman. (Jerry Nadler aka the penguin)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/B1Zu2fQ7jXw

[exitseven]

I trust it more than any other news outlet. At least they do not spike important stories that could change the results of an election and if it wasn't for Fox news nobody would have a clue about the millions of illegal aliens Biden is letting into the country.
I suppose the only good thing is the Fox's ratings are higher than all the others put together.,

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

No. If you listen carefully these cable news stations including Fox News don't actually report news but rather are commentary for political parties and report bias opinions as "news".

Real news is what your local 30 minutes new stations report within your community.

[Levin]

I don't trust any news organisation, since they present a one sided picture.

However, I certainly appreciate them during the pandemic, for presenting the other side.

Unfortunately, people can only work in dichotomies.

[Anonymous]

Do I trust a news network that literally told the court that their people shouldn’t be taken seriously? No. How can I trust them when they don’t even trust themselves?

[Dargil]

More than any other broadcast TV news, although NewsMax is pretty good.

[Anonymous]

Yes, as much as any other news channel.

[In_Trance]

Same shit

[Anonymous]

Um, no.