14% Think Fox News is LIBERAL???
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
October 30, 2009 8:58pm CST
Most of the findings of a recent Pew Research Center survey aren't at all surprising...
"The Fox News Channel is viewed by Americans in more ideological terms than other television news networks. And while the public is evenly divided in its view of hosts of cable news programs having strong political opinions, more Fox News viewers see this as a good thing than as a bad thing.
Nearly half of Americans (47%) say they think of Fox News as “mostly conservative,” 14% say it is “mostly liberal,” and 24% say it is “neither in particular.” Opinion about the ideological orientation of other TV news outlets is more mixed: while many view CNN and the three broadcast networks as mostly liberal, about the same percentages say they are neither in particular. However, somewhat more say MSNBC is mostly liberal than say it is neither in particular, by 36% to 27%."
You can read more here: http://people-press.org/report/559/
However, this part - "14% say it is mostly liberal" - jumped out at me and made me say, "WTF?"! Granted, 14% is a small percentage but this is Fox News we're talking about. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone say Fox is even a TEENSY bit liberal, let alone "mostly"! I have a feeling it wouldn't have some of the fans it has if it were even a tad liberal.
Believe it or not, by the way, this isn't an attack on Fox. I'll admit, as much as I disagree with most of you here about how "biased" MSNBC is there's no way I'd ever say it's "mostly" conservative. I admit the hosts there lean more to the left than to the right with the exception of Joe Scarborough and even he is a "compassionate conservative" much of the time.
Anyway, are any of that 14% here on myLot?
Annie
3 people like this
10 responses
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
31 Oct 09
I don't believe this poll could be accurate. Where are the 4% with no opinion?
Actually, I have watched some of the "straight news" programming at Fox and I would say that Shepard Smith definitely doesn't lean right. He seems to be in favor of the health care reform for one thing. If his was the only time slot that some view, I would say they might think it's at least middle of the road.
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
31 Oct 09
Rollo1, hold onto your hat and get ready for one HE11 of a blizzard...I agree with you, especially about Shepard Smith. I just read earlier where he'd apologized for not having an interview with both candidates during his show recently. When I'm channel surfing and he's on I actually stop and watch a few minutes now and then. I remember him from another network, I think it was CNN but I'm not sure anymore.
Annie
@piasabird (1737)
• United States
31 Oct 09
I've heard Graham being called a RINO but not an outright liberal.
1 person likes this
@jbrooks0127 (2324)
• United States
31 Oct 09
Anyone that believes that Fox News is even remotely liberal must be watching another network by mistake. There is nothing liberal about anything they put on.
I freely admit I seldom watch the news any more. I get most all my news from the internet. However even I know that you would be very hard pressed to find any network that is not partial one way or the other. Some come more to the center than others but all have a certain market they are trying to appeal to and seldom stray from it.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
5 Nov 09
You're absolutely right, each network of any kind has a particular target audience. That's understandable and I really have no problem with it. Before the inception of Fox News there was a perception by the right that the media was all slanted to the left. I never thought so, but if they believed it that's their right! My main problem is when someone like Fox CLAIMS to be "fair and balanced" as if they had no bias at all. Even most of its biggest fans will concede that they are more skewered to the right than most other media outlets.
Annie
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
31 Oct 09
Hmmm, interesting. I think 95% of those calling themselves liberal aren't really liberal. They have no clue of what being a liberal is, so I'm not surprised by the 14% who think Fox is liberal. Then again, the 14% might actually understand what being liberal is really about.
1 person likes this
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
1 Nov 09
LOL That's pretty funny! I'm not one of the 14%.
1 person likes this
@bestmommy (92)
• United States
31 Oct 09
Wow--that's really shocking! I'm with you on the "WTF" reaction. Do you mean to tell me that 14% of this country may not know the definition of liberal vs. conservative? That's what came to my mind first, people just don't what those words mean. Or maybe the 14% polled just don't watch Fox News enough to get a feel for the general tone of the network and they guessed at the answer. Maybe that's a good thing? Especially, now that the Obama administration is calling them out for pushing a conservative agenda and not actually reporting the news in the "fair and balanced" manner they claim as there tagline, more Americans should become aware of the terms liberal and conservative and see Fox News for what they truly are. But then again, Obama is the antichrist, or the reincarnation of Hitler, or whatever else Fox News wants us to believe and he's just bashing Fox News to distract us from his evil agenda to destroy our country, right? What, you don't think so? Well, it has to be true I heard it on Fox News!!!
1 person likes this
@laglen (19759)
• United States
31 Oct 09
lmao and no. I am willing to bet that 14% just dont know and so answered anything. I wish when people dont know about something, they would just say I dont know. I really can not imagine who would think that Fox is liberal.
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
31 Oct 09
Believe it or not, there are people who think I'm too liberal! There are definite definitions of Liberal and Conservative as ideological groups, but most people define them with themselves as the point of view.
Take Nancy Pelosi (Please! ;~D). While I consider her so far left she is teetering to far out on the left wing sudden turbulence might blow her off. However, I know a lot of people who don't think she is far left enough. Why? Because she isn't as far left as they are.
On the other hand, I know people who say that Rush and Hannity are far too moderate. Why? Because those people are as far right as I consider Pelosi to be left.
I'd say the people who consider Fox News too liberal are the people who are further right than the most right winged commentator on Fox.
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
31 Oct 09
If only 47% think it is "mostly conservative" then that leaves 43% who think....oops that is the problem they obviously can't think at all.
@piasabird (1737)
• United States
31 Oct 09
I don't think that they know what they're talking about. Some people don't pay any attention to politics at all. They don't know left from right. Gosh, can you imagine? 
1 person likes this
