worst news network

[soulgeezer]

OK, I've decided to vote CNN based on the following:

When Anna Nicole Smith was found dead, CNN put Wolf Blitzer on for four hours of non-stop coverage. Wolf interviewed Larry King, who was pimping his ANS retrospective, to be broadcast later that evening. And, throughout, Dr. Sanjay Gupta was providing speculation as to the cause of death, but if you missed the beginning, where he stated that he was speculating, it sounded like he was reporting autopsy results.

Fox, on the other hand, kept doing their regular program schedule, with chyron at the bottom of the screen updating the ANS "situation."

Just based on the editorial decision to do wall-to-wall coverage of the death of a golddigging, trailer-trash Playboy Playmate, and make her seem as important as a world leader (not to mention calling her the "modern-day Marilyn Monroe"), CNN *has* to take the crown. I haven't seen meaningless, superficial, exploitative coverage like this *ever*!

Fox may be biased, but so are the rest. CNN, though, has become useless, as well.

Just MHO, of course.

 

[ryco]

IMO there is no liberal press. Freedom of the press is for the coporations that own the presses. What bugs me is at almost anytime I can switch from news channel to news channel and the same story is on each one - usually with the same camera angle.

When I lived in Seattle I had the pleasure of being able to receive Canandian news from CBUT from Vancouver, BC. It was refreshing to get a view on the States from the outside looking in. Also covered way more news from around the world unlike US news, which focuses almost exclusively on the US - like the rest of the world isn't even there unless we're fighting with it.

The networks don't even have real news anchors anymore. It's less about news content and more about ratings. Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson?? -- c'mon! The last good news anchor was Aaron Brown for CNN and they canned his butt 'cause he wouldn't play ball.

The only US newsman I like anymore is Keith Olbermann - at least he can write a complete sentence.

 

[Jeremy Crockett]

hmmm... 5 liberal networks in this poll to absorb the votes of conservatives agaisnt one semi conservative (balanced) network to get all the votes of the liberals as being the worst. I wonder how it will turn out?

+1

You know, I was gonna... but I've decided to pick my battles.

Cheers friend!

 

[Kosko]

Anyone get there news from alternative sources? like Al Jazeera for example.

 

[Dave Siff]

So if you don't make the claim, is it Ok to run campaign commercials for one side disguised as specials?

Example?

and get all your questions for interviews from one side, and still call yourself a news network?

Fox does. They're especially adept at having two guests who take the same side, but they present one as liberal and the other as conservative.

One of the reasons I believe the networks are so anti-Fox, is for years they have had a monopoly on information, and spewing out their misinformation without any accountability.

I think it's because Fox makes the false claim of being balanced, when they're really the pipe organ of the GOP. Call me crazy, I know you will. It has been fun to watch all the Fox personalities whine since November, and label every segment, "Will the Democrats Eat Your Children?"

 

[Kosko]

But seriously, the number of deaths is always toned down on major networks compared to alternative sources.

Take for instance the sad instance in America today with the mall shooting. Google reports it as 6 deaths, Al Jazeera says 10.

EDIT: rather Al Jazeera combined both of the shootings from Philadelphia and Salt Lake City into one article

 

[soulgeezer]

Actually, reading Xinhua (Chinese state-run news network) can be very interesting and enlightening. I learned the meaning of the word "hegemony" by reading that site.

Check it out: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/index.htm

When they're not haranguing the United States, you actually get a pretty interesting view of the world beyond the US.

Besides that, because I've lived in Japan, I make it a regular practice to read the various Japanese newspapers that are available online. Youmiuri, Japan Times, Asahi, etc. -- It's good to get views from outside our little bubble and to keep up with developments over there.

 

[BartmanPDX]

i think in light of the passing of ANS and the diaper astronaut, they all are pretty much suck.

+1. That's why I usually watch the BBC or PBS (if anything). At least they avoid that junk and manage to go into some depth on the issues. Watching the other networks (from both sides of the political fence) makes me depressed about the apparent intelligence level of the target audience.

 

[Jazzdogg]

I voted for FOX because of its lack of accuracy, conservative-tilted stories, and tendency to play on people's emotions rather than deliver straightforward facts. However, they don't always do this, which makes it mildly bearable.

I, too, voted for Fox - because their smugness, smirking, and argumentativeness consistently leads me to question their objectivity. Labeling Fox "News" violates basic tenets of "truth in advertising" in a most egregious way.

I'm not suggesting that other stations aren't just as smarmy, subjective, mindless, and intolerable; it's just that Fox frequently sets speed records for rubbing me the wrong way .

 

[syciprider]

Of course, if we were @ AR15.com, Fox would emerge as the best network out there and NBC and CNN as the worst. So really, this poll is a reflection of the demographics of TB and not what Fox or the other networks are really like in the eyes of the world at large.

 

[Bad Brains]

They all pretty much suck, while being more concerned with their own agendas.

However, FOX News is probably the biggest joke, bar none.

 

[BassGod]

Just as a testament to FOX's many inaccuracies:

The fact that they won't admit their mistake is worse than the fact that they got it wrong in the first place. I like the way O'Reilly, in true Orwellian style, attempts to re-write history.

Graeme

 

[hbarcat]

[The fact that they won't admit their mistake is worse than the fact that they got it wrong in the first place. ]


While you're specifically calling FOX on this, I contend that all major news orgs are at least as guilty. None more so than CBS/60 mins/ Dan Rather for their refusing to acknowlege, to this day, that the easily proved forged documents in the now infamous story were phony.



The fact remains that there is no longer any such thing as "straight news" anymore. EVERY popular news source (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CNN/NPR/PBS/Time/NewsWeek/WaPost/LATimes/NYTimes/etc...is an advocate for someone's political point of view.

 

[syciprider]

Yup.

Watch when CNN or NBC does an "assault weapons" special. They show a military gun firing full auto and give the viewer the impression that these are the guns that the Assault Weapon Bans are trying to do away with (and sensible Mr and Ms America agree). Truth is, full auto aka machine guns have been HEAVILY regulated since 1934 and one cannot simply march into a gun shop and buy one. The "assault weapons" they are falsely portraying are nothing more than semi autos that look like military rifles.

 

[RWP]

Yup.

Watch when CNN or NBC does an "assault weapons" special. They show a military gun firing full auto and give the viewer the impression that these are the guns that the Assault Weapon Bans are trying to do away with (and sensible Mr and Ms America agree). Truth is, full auto aka machine guns have been HEAVILY regulated since 1934 and one cannot simply march into a gun shop and buy one. The "assault weapons" they are falsely portraying are nothing more than semi autos that look like military rifles.

+1 And they know what they are doing.

 

[burk48237]

Example?


Fox does. They're especially adept at having two guests who take the same side, but they present one as liberal and the other as conservative.


I think it's because Fox makes the false claim of being balanced, when they're really the pipe organ of the GOP. Call me crazy, I know you will. It has been fun to watch all the Fox personalities whine since November, and label every segment, "Will the Democrats Eat Your Children?"

I'm referring specifically to the "broken government" series that CNN ran the week of the election. It was shameless, ridiculous, propaganda and an unpaid political add, what it wasn't was "News. Unless you call DNC press releases news. I don't ever recall CNN running "broken government" specials in 94 when a different party had control.

 

[Diggler]

Yup.

Watch when CNN or NBC does an "assault weapons" special. They show a military gun firing full auto and give the viewer the impression that these are the guns that the Assault Weapon Bans are trying to do away with (and sensible Mr and Ms America agree). Truth is, full auto aka machine guns have been HEAVILY regulated since 1934 and one cannot simply march into a gun shop and buy one. The "assault weapons" they are falsely portraying are nothing more than semi autos that look like military rifles.

.50 BMG specials are always good for a laugh. I think they ran the same one a couple times on 60 minutes. "You can shoot down an airliner/nuclear power plant/satellite/etc. with one of these, and this is after it goes through three schools and eats the food out of your refrigerator!!!"

Yeah, right.

Oops, I mean, cool! My next purchase. Seriously.

If they'd quit trying to ban this stuff, I'd quit buying it.

 

[RWP]

.

If they'd quit trying to ban this stuff, I'd quit buying it.

VERY true, I can't imagine how many guns were sold when Mr. Bill was doing his best. I did my part.

 

[Bobbo 77"]

News to me is a thing of the past. "Fair and balanced news" is also a thing of the past. Slanted one way or another. Seems to me it should be called "Public interest" reporting, with the constant "News teases" to shock and keep us watching through the next commercial. Just Fluff!! And true "anchors" are no more, just a pretty face and a tele-prompter reading zombie. Oh, for the good ol' day's.....

 

[soulgeezer]

.50 BMG specials are always good for a laugh. I think they ran the same one a couple times on 60 minutes. "You can shoot down an airliner/nuclear power plant/satellite/etc. with one of these, and this is after it goes through three schools and eats the food out of your refrigerator!!!"

As anybody who watches Mythbusters knows, a .50 cal can't even penetrate six inches under water AND explosive decompression from a gunshot is largely BS.

Now, where's my Glock? I haven't cleaned it in a while...