I've always had mixed feelings about Rupert Murdoch and Fox News. The bad things? It is the most slanted and least accurate of all major news networks. Their bias helped push America into a war based on falsehoods, and helped the administration weasel out of responsibility for what should be the biggest crime in America, sending soldiers to die unnecessarily.
It also bothered me that many people in America were being told what it means to be a US Patriot by an Australian. Why doesn't Rupert worry about what it means to be an Australian patriot and let our country decide for itself what is, or is not, patriotic. Rupert's Dad was Sir Keith Murdoch, a family background that really lends itself to understanding America, eh? No wonder the Red States trust him to tell them what they should think.
But, there actually is one redeeming feature for Fox. That is The Simpsons probably the best show on TV today. The Simpsons will make fun of Bush, The Simpsons will make fun of the Fox News Network (a recent episode featured a Fox News remote truck showing up with a gigantic Bush/Cheney sign covering the side of the truck, a hilarious spoof on fair and balanced coverage). How can the Simpsons get away with it?
Well, like most high Republican Supporters, values are one thing, but money is the REALLY important thing. The Simpsons is a cash cow for Rupert and the best show on his network by far, he can't afford to sacrifice for mere family values. Now, I have to add that the values of the Simpsons are in general just fine, child abandonment or other errors from under-regulation, such as nuclear disasters, are always resolved within 30 minutes. But the point is that The Simpsons would not be the poster family for the Christian Right, but it IS the poster family for the Fox TV Network.
Article comments
1 - SFC SKI
"No wonder the Red States trust him to tell them what they should think."
Yep, in the Red States we only get Fox, and can only read "the Washington Times" and "National Review", we are not even smart enough to recognize bias.
2 - RJ
Is FOXNEWS biased? Sure. Is CNN biased too? Yep.
Is the Washington Times biased? You betcha. Is the New York Times biased as well? Certainly.
It's really not surprising that the Left hates FOXNEWS. Nor is it surprising that the Right hates the NYT.
People will tend to gravitate towards those news mediums whose editorial stances they agree with. This is not surprising, nor is it anything new.
3 - L. Cue
Good post...this one might start a really long thread, so I thought I'd pipe in early.
4 - Mike Kole
So, BTP, are you pointing out the Murdoch-porn connection because you are opposed to porn, or because you would like to undermine the credibility of Fox News/Murdoch with conservatives by making the link, under the belief that conservatives would or should be opposed to porn?
For all the grandstanding some conservatives give on porn, I'd venture to say that many or most will privately tell you that they enjoy porn. They might have a hard time publicly saying, "I like Fox News and I'm damn glad Mr. Rupert peddles smut," but the link won't deter them from watching, enjoying, and promoting Fox News.
I'll leave it to you and others to beat the drum on any hypocrisy.
5 - Big Time Patriot
Hmmm... My personal opinion is that in most cities and towns and farmlands of America there are always people who will do drugs, have sex with people of many different kinds outside of marriage, look at porn, have various political and religious beliefs, etc.
Some people look at this and say, "well, people are going to be doing these things, why would we make all these people criminals?"
Others look at the same situation and say "OH NO, Watch out! Fags and Moslems and Feminists are ruining America. Family values are not being upheld!"
The hypocrisy bugs me and I get a little satisfaction in pointing it out. What would give me a lot more satisfaction if people could just be honest about how human beings behave and quit trying to enforce artificial constrictions on others.
6 - Dave Nalle
"Give me smut, smut and nothing but!"
Dave
7 - Robert Morrow
I do not watch programs like the simpsons, which insults the educated person. As far the total news media, I have not trusted any of it for over 40 years as they lie, cheat and steal. Plus the fact that the total new medial has never broadcasted any thing but the negative. Thanks for the internet as I can read or see it all and then find the truth. The left and right are totally wrong and fall into the alignment with being wrong.
8 - HW Saxton
One mans smut is another mans...Oh never
mind. Pixellated nudity is not half as
offensive to me as slo-mo bullets going
ripping through someone's brain on "CSI"
or other prime time nonsense under the
guise of "entertainment".To be clear the
nudity does not offend. The fact that
we have to pixellate because of all the
uptight,upright do gooders who feel that
because they don't like something that
no one else should is way more offensive
to me personally.
"The Simpson's" is an insult to educated
people,really? Judging by your post,how
in the f*** would you know? While it may
have it's ups and downs as regards some
of the storylines and the writing can be
kind of dull, just the fact that they've
been able to stay on TV this long and to
still proffer some cutting edge satire
once in a while speaks volumes to me.
At a local bar near where I live, every
3rd Sun. of the month they have a MENSA
group meeting.Their first order of the
evening? You guessed it,they watch "The
Simpsons".
9 - Mike Kole
You won't convince me that The Simpsons is an insult to the educated mind, either. The subtle references have become fewer over the years, but if all you see is a cartoon, you really aren't paying attention to everything going on in The Simpsons.