A few weeks ago, a petition was filed with the Federal Trade Commission demanding a cease and desist order be placed against Fox News’ use of the “fair and balanced” slogan.  The petition, brought by ultra-liberal MoveOn.Org and the formerly non-partisan Common Cause, insists that the network “deliberately and consistently distorted and twisted [news reports] to promote the Republican Party of the U.S. and an extreme right-wing viewpoint.”  According to a Common Cause spokesperson, “Fox has no obligation under [First Amendment laws] to be fair and balanced, just not to market itself as fair and balanced.”

One can only naturally assume that Common Cause’s next petition will insist that CNN stop using the erroneous “most trusted name in news” slogan since, by its blatant promotion of the Democratic Party of the U.S. and an extreme left-wing viewpoint, it clearly isn’t.  I would agree, they have the First Amendment right to say whatever, but if Fox News can’t claim to be fair and balanced, then CNN can’t claim to be the most trust name in news, at least not anymore.

This is desperation on the part of the media’s sympathizers is because they know that Fox News’ success is related to one of two things.  It could be the belief by its audience that it truly is fair and balanced in its coverage of the news – a fact that the media simply can’t bring themselves to accept.  But, it could also be because its audience is aware of its slightly rightward slant and agree with that political philosophy – a fact the media cannot accept under any circumstance.

Whichever it is, the liberal media establishment despises the message that it is receiving, which is why they are seeking to destroy Fox News in whatever way they can.  A recent movie, Outfoxed, even attempts a Fahrenheit 9/11-style demonizing of the network by using innumerable out-of-context and never-aired clips from various satellite feeds of the network.

Either way, it means one thing for certain: the media’s days of power and glory are now over and the political opportunities they hoped to accomplish with the rights-infringing Campaign Finance Reform law are gone.  The campaign finance reform law limits advertisements supporting or opposing candidates within thirty days of an election, meaning that the only place people can get information about candidates is from the media.  Before Fox News’ success, this was perfect.  The media could attack Republicans and conservatives and bolster Democrats and liberals for a month before an election without any opportunity for correcting the record.  But, with Fox News’ success, the media must be more subtle in their support of Democrats, otherwise they risk affirming the bias that Fox News and conservatives already insist is true.

To be sure, Fox News slants to the right, but certainly not any less than CNN or any other network news staff slants to the left.  Fox News’ Hume, O’Reilly, Hannity, and Cavuto offer a balance to the astonishing liberalism of Rather, Jennings, Begala, or King.  Yet, no one cries about the leftward slant of those individuals.  And at least the Fox News commentators will admit their slight bias.  Brokaw, Rather, et. al. refuse to accept their own inherent bias.  As the Media Research Center pointed out at the end of last week, the so-called news networks gave more air time to Senator Kerry’s blasting of Bush in the seven minutes of idleness following the attack on the World Trade Center than on the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth protesting Kerry’s Vietnam record.  The media is less interested in Kerry’s credentials than in his hypocritical attacks on a president during a national crisis.  (Hypocritical, you might ask?  Remember, Kerry demanded that the 9/11 attacks be off limits to politics?  And the “rush to war” or “running coward” attacks would surely be front-and-center if Bush had rushed from the school.)  Fox News at least has the decency to put a liberal and conservative at the same table and have them answer questions and duke it out in a debate so that people can hear both sides.

Without question the varied news channels are now providing more balanced coverage of the world’s events than at any other time in their history because they can no longer afford even the perception of a leftward slant.  The success of Fox News has forced them to consider the opposition’s argument for perhaps the very first time.  Despite their staunch opposition to corporate monopolies, their own leftist monopoly of information was finally threatened and they had to make a decision: ignore Fox News or adapt to its success.  In the interests of self-preservation, the media chose the latter and the news is better because of it.

| Main Page | Column Archive | Who Is Brian Clardy? | Files and Links | Feedback |

All written material on this website not attributed to another author is © 2001-2004 by Brian Clardy.
No part of this website may be reproduced in any way without the explicit consent of Brian Clardy.
All rights reserved.