Which do you prefer? I know there's probably not many news fans around here but I figured I'd bring it up since a lot more people have probably tuned in since 9-11.

Also, Who do you think will win the 8pm ratings war coming up between Connie Chung(CNN), Bill O'Reilly(FNC) or Phil Donahue(MSNBC)?


Sorry if this topic is a major snoozer!lol:sleep2:

Out of the 3 you gave, I'd say I like MSNBC the best.

But my personal prefrence for news is the Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.

I definitely think that O'Reilly is going to win. I generally watch CNN because FNC is conservative. As for MSNBC I rarely watch that.

Definitely the Fox News Channel. A lot of people on the left accuse Fox News of having a conservative slant. The reality is that Fox, unlike CNN, CNBC, or MSNBC, provides viewers with a much more balanced picture of the major issues. Because they DARE to present BOTH sides of the story - conservative points of view along with liberal viewpoints, they are accused of being biased. (it's the same old "broken record").

The ratings tell the story. Fox's ratings have increased dramatically over the past few years, while the others are losing ground. CNN, once thought to be invinceable, has undergone a major shakeup recently because of the decline in their ratings. At one point last year, CNN was negotiating with the enormously popular Rush Limbaugh to host a program on CNN in an effort to broaden the network's appeal. Unfortunately, Limbaugh's hearing loss caused these plans to be shelved. Even Larry King, who had dominated the cable news ratings for years, has been consistently beaten by Bill O'Reilly in recent months. In addition to his TV program, Bill O'Reilly has had several best-selling books, and is preparing to launch a nationally syndicated radio show. It's obvious that O'Reilly connects with a lot of people in this country. I doubt if Phil Donahue will have any impact at all on Bill O'Reilly's popularity.

"Hannity and Colmes" always provides a lively debate on the issues of the day, again presenting BOTH sides of the story. Fox has also brought people on board like like Geraldo Rivera and Greta Van Sustren, neither of whom could hardly be considered conservative.

I'm sure there are people reading these boards who will attempt to downplay the success of Fox, and rationalize away the network's ever-increasing popularity, but the ratings don't lie. The fact is, Fox lives up to its motto: "We Report - You Decide".

In answer to the post question, I don't have a favorite. None of them report unbiased news, and Fox less so than the others. If ratings tell a story I don't know what it is but high ratings and unbiased news don't ride the same rail. And to state, "The reality is..." and then provide only an opinion, as Jimbo did, is a self cancellation and doesn't reach the realm of reality.

If people think that Fox is biased it isn't because "they [Fox] dare to present both sides." What kind of logic would that be? People think that Fox is biased because Fox has more conservatives as guests on their programs than any other network does, and because Fox is biased. Shows like Hannity and Colmes with their spirited rhetorical debates serve to feed the ratings monster, and aren't conducive to problem solving. If success were only measured in ratings, and if Fox' ratings are on the rise then they would be considered successful. If success is based on fair and reasoned reporting then they've failed. But then, can you fail at something if you aren't really trying to succeed at it?

I watch Fox, even tho I hate their conservativeness, I just can't pass it up for some reason. I think it's very biased. Oreilly brings people on to make them look like bafoons if they don't agree with him. But, even while I absolutely hate it, at the same time, I think it's funny, and their news reporting is more not-boring. Saying this, I VERY rarely ever watch any of the choices anyway...so... :D

Originally posted by kittflynn
In answer to the post question, I don't have a favorite. None of them report unbiased news, and Fox less so than the others. If ratings tell a story I don't know what it is but high ratings and unbiased news don't ride the same rail. And to state, "The reality is..." and then provide only an opinion, as Jimbo did, is a self cancellation and doesn't reach the realm of reality.

If people think that Fox is biased it isn't because "they [Fox] dare to present both sides." What kind of logic would that be? People think that Fox is biased because Fox has more conservatives as guests on their programs than any other network does, and because Fox is biased. Shows like Hannity and Colmes with their spirited rhetorical debates serve to feed the ratings monster, and aren't conducive to problem solving. If success were only measured in ratings, and if Fox' ratings are on the rise then they would be considered successful. If success is based on fair and reasoned reporting then they've failed. But then, can you fail at something if you aren't really trying to succeed at it?

In my previous post, I made the following statement:

I'm sure there are people reading these boards who will attempt to downplay the success of Fox, and rationalize away the network's ever-increasing popularity, but the ratings don't lie.

Kittflynn's rather curious ramblings above are an excellent example of what I meant when I made that statement. Thank you for helping me prove my point Kittflynn.

Originally posted by tcbubblegrl
I watch Fox, even tho I hate their conservativeness, I just can't pass it up for some reason. I think it's very biased. Oreilly brings people on to make them look like bafoons if they don't agree with him. But, even while I absolutely hate it, at the same time, I think it's funny, and their news reporting is more not-boring. Saying this, I VERY rarely ever watch any of the choices anyway...so... :D

Good for you, tcbubblegirl! - make up your own mind on people like Bill O'Reilly, rather than rely on what somebody told you about him. That's the way it should be. As I stated earlier, I do prefer the Fox News Network, but there are others that I enjoy watching as well. Chris Matthews on "Hardball", and Tim Russert on "Meet The Press" are two of my other favorites. I give them a lot of credit for being even-handed on their programs. Matthews and Russert are just as tough on conservatives, liberals, and independents alike. The bottom line is this: Be your own person. Listen to both sides of the issues, then make your own decision about what you've heard, and how you feel about it.

I love FOX News and Bill O'Reilly. Bill will definitely win. Phil Donahue is a joke. :happyface :happyface :happyface

There was nothing "curious" or difficult for anyone to understand in what I said earlier, but Simply put - I'm not interested in ratings, I'm interested in news that's rational and not manipulative. None of the networks put that criteria above ratings, and I believe that Fox is the worst offender. An example: Oliver North on 'Hannity and Colmes' on Fox News about Senate majority leader Tom Daschle's remarks that 'Axis of evil' was not a prudent term for the President to use. "Tom daschle has now joined Ted Turner and the Ayatollah Khomeini and Saddam Hussein and Vladimir Puttin who are people who don't like the term 'axis of evil'." Then North claimed that Daschle was "setting the ground work for our adversaries to take on American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines." To link Daschle (and Ted Turner) with rogue regimes and dictators, and to say that he is in the process of placing American forces in danger, simply because he critisized a phrase used by the President, deters reasonable democratic debate.

Originally posted by ME
I watch Fox, even tho I hate their conservativeness, I just can't pass it up for some reason. I think it's very biased. Oreilly brings people on to make them look like bafoons if they don't agree with him. But, even while I absolutely hate it, at the same time, I think it's funny, and their news reporting is more not-boring. Saying this, I VERY rarely ever watch any of the choices anyway...so... :D
In other words, I watch Oreilly not cuz I like him or agree with him, or any other show on this network, but cuz some of the shows are like a Jerry Springer show without chairs being thrown at each other!

The man, The Myth, The Legend...lol