Fox News Trouncing the Competition! Most Trusted, Even Among Independents!

[Pong Messiah]

Continuing my brave, month long investigation into Fox News!

Fox News is trouncing the competition. That is not surprising. But oddly enough, it is also the most trusted source of news -- not just among Republicans (expected), but Independents (less expected), as well! What is up with this?

I don't think there is a single reason for this, but I can think of a few possibilities off the top of my head:

• It tells people what they want to hear and reinforces their world views: ergo, trustworthy!
• It is very well-produced -- slick and entertaining TV!
• It has been so consistently consistent over the years. Gotta trust stability!
• People know it is biased, so they trust in knowing "where Fox is coming from" in how they analyze and report news stories
• Many of the so-called "independents" surveyed are either "too cool to be Republican" or "too conservative to be Republican" types.
• b/c 'mericans r racistdums

I'm sure there are a lot of other possibilities out there. If you are familiar with Fox News, please give me your opinion on why it is so trusted by viewers? And try to be more creative with your opinion than obvious, low-hanging troll-bait such as "b/c 'ericans r racistdums." That's my job.

 

Now go!

[darth morti]

Is it really that odd to you - curious.

[Pong Messiah]

Yeah, it is strange.

 

Like I said, I'd expect Republicans to be into Fox News. But the trust from Independents is just... curiously odd. Granted, it's not like a majority of independents break for Fox News, but given how often Independents whine about partisanship, Republicans vs. Democrats, etc. it surprised me. Especially given how Fox's subtle-to blatant partisanship in their angle of analysis is usually the butt of jokes!

 

[darth morti]

A curious expectation - I would think that most people - persons - who watch FSN - with out a jaundiced eye , would find that it is not nearly the cartoon that is joked about.

[Ms. Spam]

NPR for the win.

 

God damn it. I hate posting from my phone. I think mor GOP dudes get information from independent services.

[Pong Messiah]

I would think that most people - persons - who watch FSN - with out a jaundiced eye , would find that it is not nearly the cartoon that is joked about.

I think it depends on what you mean by "cartoon." I find Fox News to be extremely cartoonish. It's garish, loud, overly dramatic and excited. Couple its mood and color with the geyser of advertisements for boner pills, AARP insurance, and type 2 diabetes and it's practically psychedelic. Five minutes in, I feel like I'm watching something by Ralph Bakshi!

 

That's not to say it isn't extremely good at what it does, though; its talking heads get good ratings for a reason, and many of the people involved are obviously very talented and intelligent. A lot of Fox News' detractors act like the entire network is nothing but a 24/7 loop of Hannity and embarrassing/inaccurate/hypocritical statements captured and lampooned by The Daily Show, which is obviously inaccurate -- and in my opinion, a sure sign they've never actually watched the network outside of selected clips lampooned on The Daily Show!

 

[RelentlessMalice]

All media is bias. Just look at how Bush and his wife were "cropped out" of the picture in the Selma march.

 

It was perfect timing too because I am currently teaching about bias and propaganda in class and it made for a good example.

 

Plus showing the same news event through the eyes of fox news,cnn and msnbc also is interesting.

[The Kurgan]

I think it depends on what you mean by "cartoon." I find Fox News to be extremely cartoonish. It's garish, loud, overly dramatic and excited. Couple its mood and color with the geyser of advertisements for boner pills, AARP insurance, and type 2 diabetes and it's practically psychedelic. Five minutes in, I feel like I'm watching something by Ralph Bakshi!

 

 

LMAO! That most of the female anchors basically dress like Elinore from "Wizards" probably doesn't hurt either.

 

That was pure gold, Pong. I haven't laughed that hard in ages. Good one!

[Jedi Cool]

I don't watch it, but I think that people who do are looking for the other side of the story. The slogan, "Fair and Balanced" doesn't necessarily mean they aren't biased, but that they're balancing out the bias on the other end.

 

None of which is good for anyone who wants to trust any network as a news source.

[Destiny Skywalker]

The one thing I will say about Fox News is that, on their website, they do a little better job than some of the other cable news networks about covering international news. However, it is definitely slanted and tends to showcase, "Look what these backwards A-RABS did."

 

My friends who "trust" Fox News are very conservative and into things like gun freedom and the military. One of them is a military brat who boycotted CNN after they showed American soldiers being shot and killed on video. I can understand her point of view on that.

[The Kurgan]

The one thing I will say about Fox News is that, on their website, they do a little better job than some of the other cable news networks about covering international news.

It takes somebody who's not an American to point out just how BADLY that reflects on the quality of American media coverage of the world beyond its borders. I'm absolutely aghast reading that.

[Ryn]

I don't watch it, but I think that people who do are looking for the other side of the story. The slogan, "Fair and Balanced" doesn't necessarily mean they aren't biased, but that they're balancing out the bias on the other end.

The problem I've always had with FOX is proffering an opposite bias doesn't make its presentation any more correct.

 

None of which is good for anyone who wants to trust any network as a news source.

It's depressing. There seems real danger in one understanding an issue relying solely on facts.

[Ms. Spam]

PBS for the win. I watch a lot of the Asian news reports on our digital PBS World station.

[Pong Messiah]

The problem I've always had with FOX is proffering an opposite bias doesn't make its presentation any more correct.

I don't necessarily have a problem with Fox -- they are certainly comfortable in their own skin, and there's something to be said for that -- but I do have a problem with people who defend it and other institutions from attack via appeals to hypocrisy.

 

"You're going to sit there slamming Fox News for inaccurately covering 'X' story, while the New York Times is out there spreading misinformation on 'Y?' How dare you, sir! How dare you."

 

I've heard a million variations on the above "argument," and it is always kinda barfy. Your lies don't make my lies morally acceptable.

 

[Odine]

I've always concidered Fox News to be kind of "infotainment" or "disinfotainment". And not really news at all. It's a good laugh at first, then it's depressing cause you realise lots of people get their world view from it.

[The Kurgan]

I think it depends on what you mean by "cartoon." I find Fox News to be extremely cartoonish. It's garish, loud, overly dramatic and excited. Couple its mood and color with the geyser of advertisements for boner pills, AARP insurance, and type 2 diabetes and it's practically psychedelic. Five minutes in, I feel like I'm watching something by Ralph Bakshi!

 

That's not to say it isn't extremely good at what it does, though; its talking heads get good ratings for a reason, and many of the people involved are obviously very talented and intelligent. A lot of Fox News' detractors act like the entire network is nothing but a 24/7 loop of Hannity and embarrassing/inaccurate/hypocritical statements captured and lampooned by The Daily Show, which is obviously inaccurate -- and in my opinion, a sure sign they've never actually watched the network outside of selected clips lampooned on The Daily Show!

I've always concidered Fox News to be kind of "infotainment" or "disinfotainment". And not really news at all. It's a good laugh at first, then it's depressing cause you realize lots of people get their world view from it.

I think this is a lot of it. Vastly superior news sources come across as overly serious, academic and wonky, because that's just what hard hitting, serious news coverage is supposed to be. Fox's appeal is perhaps less ideological and more the fact that it appeals on multiple levels: sensory, emotional, moral and even physical/sensual (though they have no monopoly on "news-babes") while the other news sources stick exclusively with the intellectual. The smug sense of superiority that seems to underscore the progressive's attitudes towards all of this does not alter basic human nature - the more angles you come at people from, the more likely you are to appeal to them, at least on some level. Marketing and advertising are well worth studying.

[Decypher]

People who watch Fox New are less informed about current events than people who watch no news at all. So maybe their opinion on trustworthiness doesn't carry the weight it might.

[darth morti]

People who watch Fox New are less informed about current events than people who watch no news at all. So maybe their opinion on trustworthiness doesn't carry the weight it might.

now that is what we were waiting for - some gravitas - and thats what comes to mind when you read that extensive and in-depth and very conclusive investigation !!

 

Now can we get a Canadian angle on this ..... or do they even care about news in Canada --- oh lets play the Fox Card !!!

 

Curious.

[The Kurgan]

Now can we get a Canadian angle on this ..... or do they even care about news in Canada --- oh lets play the Fox Card !!!

 

Curious.

Fox comes on some cable packages up here. I don't get it personally. I do get CNN. I prefer the BBC myself.

 

Canada likes to act like it's hugely different than the U.S. In some ways we are. Political polarization does exist here, but not like it does Stateside. Some people seem to clamor for it. I'd go bonkers, myself. This carries on into news. Our "version" of Fox - Sun Media Network, struggled while it existed and has since gone off the air.

[Decypher]

 

People who watch Fox New are less informed about current events than people who watch no news at all. So maybe their opinion on trustworthiness doesn't carry the weight it might.

now that is what we were waiting for - some gravitas - and thats what comes to mind when you read that extensive and in-depth and very conclusive investigation !!

 

Now can we get a Canadian angle on this ..... or do they even care about news in Canada --- oh lets play the Fox Card !!!

 

Curious.

 

What exactly are you disputing, is it Farleigh University's original study in 2011, or the follow-up study in 2012 which had the same results or the Business Insider article linked in my post? Regardless, if the sceptical reader still needs convincing that watching Fox News makes you stupid, then they can just examine your contributions to the thread.

[darth morti]

 

 

People who watch Fox New are less informed about current events than people who watch no news at all. So maybe their opinion on trustworthiness doesn't carry the weight it might.

now that is what we were waiting for - some gravitas - and thats what comes to mind when you read that extensive and in-depth and very conclusive investigation !!

 

Now can we get a Canadian angle on this ..... or do they even care about news in Canada --- oh lets play the Fox Card !!!

 

Curious.

 

What exactly are you disputing, is it Farleigh University's original study in 2011, or the follow-up study in 2012 which had the same results or the Business Insider article linked in my post? Regardless, if the sceptical reader still needs convincing that watching Fox News makes you stupid, then they can just examine your contributions to the thread.

 

 

 

I am not disputing the results of the survey. One can get a survey to give you any results you want - I am disputing veracity of the conclusion. If anyone is convinced that they can glean the intelligence or the lack there of based on this study and its cockamamy conclusions - wow are they smart !! Fascinating

 

 

@The Kurgan - sorry - I did not mean to call out for an actual Canadian response - although yours is well taken -- I was just joking about the ole Fox Whistlers that say things like FSN is banned in Canada - watching FSN makes you dumb - there are no lefties on FOX - ALL the chicks are blonde - ad nausium ... I mean such hate for a News Channel that they usually have not ever even watched ....

[Guest]

Do people really hate Fox Sports Network that much?

[Pong Messiah]

with every fiber of my being

[Destiny Skywalker]

Their soccer coverage is decent.

[Pong Messiah]

why do you think i hate them

 

 

womens soccer is ok i guess