MSNBC Vs. Fox News: Two Networks, Two Different Realities

New York Times:

It was a lousy day to be Senator John McCain, Keith Olbermann informed his viewers on MSNBC on Thursday.

Senator Barack Obama's surge in the polls was so strong he was competitive in Mr. McCain's home state, Arizona. The everyman hero of Mr. McCain's campaign, "Joe the Plumber," failed to make an expected appearance at a morning rally in Defiance, Ohio, and the senator's efforts to highlight Mr. Obama's association with a professor tied to the P.L.O. were amounting to nothing.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[LMKay66]

Yes, MSNBC is the Obama fan club and Fixed News is the McCain fan club, but I'm also starting to think CNN is tilting more toward the McCain fan club as well. When they refused to air Obama's infomericial and instead allowed McCain to do his own free infomercial for an hour on Larry King that same night, I knew who CNN was for. Larry King allowing McCain to sit there and lie about Obama without challenging him? C'mon.

[alienufo]

CNN was the pro clinton channel. Now they are PUMAs.

[johnnynyc]

Boy, is Bill O'Reilly going to be pissed he wasn't chosen as the face of Fox News for this article or what?

Maybe he'll recommend a criminal investigation into this to go along with the criminal investigation about why his show has been getting beat in the ratings lately.

[littlewing157]

Keith Olbermann has been one of the few voices to really take on the Fox (Republican) machine. Fox is biased 24/7; while there are plenty of more conservative voices on MSNBC. But Keith has the primetime slot just like Billo the Clown, so they are expected to be slightly more controversial.

The MAIN difference is that everything Keith Olbermann says can be verified as factual and highly researched. They won't even mention stories about McCain unless they think it is relevant to the campaign. Keith never mentioned the story about the accident in '64, barely mentioned the Keating 5 and all the pork barrel lobbyists McCain has on his team etc. etc. But Fox will take any crumb they can find to put down Obama. Clear Choice: One is owned by the right, biased and constantly repeating the lies of the McPalin ticket, and one does the hard work of stating facts about both candidates.

Perhaps if McCain or Palin said something true and positive, they wouldn't get the negative press. Did they ever think about that?

Thank goodness this will all be over soon, then Palin can go back home and take care of her children better.

Vote on Tuesday!! Then, celebrate, because we all deserve it after all this :)

[mgray34]

Great points. That's the difference between Keith and all the hacks at Faux. He backs his up with facts.

[ILikeH00ters]

Fox News is an extension of the republican party. This network promotes negative and false news about democrats and democratic candidates running for office. That's a 24/7 advertisement for republican candidates. CNN is at center and center right. That left a huge void for the center and center left. MSNBC took advantage of the vacuum and they are having relative success. How in the world can you ask a democratic presidential candidate to limit to only $85 million dollars to run the campaign when you have 24/7 political advertisements for republicans from Fox News? Where is the fairness? I am glad Obama didn't take the oldman's bait.

[Tubalcain]

I agree with you. Obama could possibly not take on the Republican propaganda machine with $85 million. If Obama looks the wrong way, you can bet that there will be a negative story on FOX or any other right leaning outlet. The media has been extremely silent on Todd & Sarah Palin's association with the Alaskan Independence Party, her witch doctor priest, her charging personal expenses to the state, etc. Had it been Obama, his political career would be over by now. If Obama had a daughter that was unwed and pregnant, that would be in the news everyday but because the Palins are lily white and "conservative" they get a pass? Edward's $400 haircut against a $150K shopping spree is fine. The Keating 5 scandal in light of the current economic meltdown and its roots is far more relevant than "some old washed up terrorist". I can go on and on about how the right faction of the business party is so hypocritical and hateful they are too blind to admit it.

[smag]

Are you kidding? McCain never gets negative publicity? Is MSNBC, Huffington and KOS your only source of information? Come out of your green cave. Every thing that you mentioned has been a daily subject on the New ForK times and the “Murder Capital of the World’s" the Chicago Rib and the Northern Mexico’s La Times. Of course by the time you have someone read this to you they will probably be out of circulation.

[ILikeH00ters]

CNN and FOX had never talked about Alaskan Independence Party (AIP). CNN may have flashed on the screen once or twice about AIP but that's it. It was MSNBC's Olbermann and Rachel madow who talked about AIP in detail. Ironically, it was comedy central's John Stewart Show that actually went to Alaska to investigate about the AIP. You have to see that episode to know how much AIP hates America. Sarah and Todd were members of that group until 2006. For the life of me, I can't tell why MSM kept quit on this AIP issue but blasted pictures of William Ayers, Rev. Wright and now Khalid. Sean Hannity led each of his shows with Ayers and Wright for months and months.

[wijg]

Even though these two networks are biased, there's only one reality. One is telling the truth while the other isn't. This country wouldn't have spawned MSNBC if it weren't for FAUX. FAUX is NOT "fair and balanced," and has done much to damage this country with their lies, and NOT reporting on the most important stories of the last 8 years. I would like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow to leave their personal opinions at the door, but I won't condemn them while FAUX is doing the same. The only way to counter FAUX's lies is with the truth, and if the truth ends up having a liberal bias, so be it.

NO on 8!!

[relevancematters]

I don't think Keith and Rachel ever try to pass their personal opinions off as fact. And anybody who's watching (and admittedly, we do have the brains to sort it out) knows how to recognize fact and opinion. The problem is, the viewers at Fox don't know the difference, and Fox, in its capacity as mouthpiece for the Republicans, openly capitalizes on that.

[smag]

relevancematters: KIETH OLBERMANN?? The man is a lunatic with foot in mouth disease. That's why the network took him off as anchor in Political Night Coverage and put David Gregory on. This fact was reported on this Huff Post site. Where do you get your information?

[smag]

Why not cite some lies and we can debate them. But you guys don't like debating facts on record.

[SuzyQ08]

You really have no idea what you're saying.

[darthdarcy]

Fox News is the product of the Ministry of Propaganda for The Bilderberg Group, New World Order, and Republican Corporate Military Alliance...

[jcandrsn]

now I know I left that tin foil hat around here somewhere...

[darthdarcy]

http://www.fdrs.org/bilderberg_group.html

Try and learn a little something before you start insulting those who are a bit more well informed..

[TN]

Fox is a bunch of distorted truth. Keith and Rachael are factual. People that choose to watch Fox can't handle the truth.

[Geezer52]

And can't, or don't want, to understand or comprehend it without people like Hannity and O'Reilly telling them how to.

[dktshb]

Keep it up MSNBC and Huffington Post we need you!


No on Pop 8 California!

[TrooAmerican]

Yeah. The reality is:

MSNBC backs up everything they say and all their opinions with FACT, Documentation, Research, Video, Audio, and Quotations Not taken out of context but in FULL context.

Fixd News instead in a diametrically opposite alternate reality, just makes stuff up on purpose, lies outright, refuses to do research, refuses to use legal documentation, takes all quotes out of context, makes more stuff up, and generally resembles the tabloids that discuss alien babies, but are instead discussion truly important topics, and pretend they are serious while checking off their list of Agenda Action items after each broadcast.

[Softnsweet]

I agree

[popartusa]

i also agree...Fox apeal is to the emotional knee jerk easily lead gullible types who lack the ability or the desire to think something through...

[jenrose]

Wow CNN is getting the drift and reporting more informative the last few weeks. KO my new hero and you are crazy and right. Thanks for the passion it is within most people today.

[Ironquill]

I think there are two reaalities but I wouldn't throw CNN in as an afterthought--"they've maintained a tradtional approach". I know in my case I turned to Huffpost about August or so because I was disgusted by CNN's hand's off approach to Sarah Palin. I think to this day, there has not been one penetrating interview or analysis in the absolute about the AIP or her Radical Pentacostalism, to name a few. Brown's rant, "Free Sarah Palin" only served to frame the debate in a trivial way.
My take on CNN is that they don't want to offend Fox type viewers and as such have really turned off viewers like myself. Brown might be on the right track, but has the wrong intellect.
For me MSNBC filled the vacuum which CNN created by trying to be FOX LITE.
I think that It was specifically this election which, because of the inability of everyone else to focus on the outrageous nomination of Sarah Palin, that gave MSNBC the opening to become a major factor. Obviously, Maddow was the happy accident in all of this. Now the reality of cable news has changed, and I predict that CNN will upgrade to folks with, well, more challenging intellects.

[Mattie]

it shows what a joke these people are, and how sad that people can't form their own opinions. Big talking heads like O'Reilly and Olbermann tell the masses how to think.. The people who watch them don't seem capable of finding real journalists, getting the facts, and forming their own opinions.

Olbermann did a big rant about big oil, and Cheney, but he never once mentioned that OBAMA voted for the Cheney Energy bill, something in my mind no true Democrat would ever do. He's ranted against the destruction on our constitution by the Bush administration, but not a word when Obama voted for FISA,again, something that is against the principles of the party I used to belong to.

I can't even begin to list the hypocrisies on FOX, I would never consider watching anything on that network, the times I've tried while channel surfing have made me LOL. The point is Olbermann is no different than the people on FOX, he just comes at it from the opposite side, conveniently leaving out key facts when it doesn't fit his message.

[cbat]

If the networks disgust you so much, why do you even watch them. ? The difference between MSNBC and Fox is the sublte racist spin that Fox has. I saw a tape of Fox news 'Fox attacks Black America", I could not believe what I was hearing from a national network. Go to Media Matters, a media watchdog group.

[jimme]

Try doing some work and look deeper into what you write. He voted on the energy bill once it included other aspects,such as money for alternative fuel research. Try another angle because your shooting blanks with that arguement. Pretty lame.

[Softnsweet]

Mattie, You better go on Fact Check and research the information about Obama signing the energy bill. I hate when people don't research and type just about anything.

[Prophesy]

This is exactly how my preferences evolved, and I agree with this post completely.

[trinidadgirl]

Keith and Rachel have 'fire in the belly' for reporting. It is so refreshing to hear these two people report with facts, research and truth. I find myself laughing aplenty out aloud with Keith. God, he is funny, although I just wish he wouldn't bring O'Reilly into his orbit..
As a matter of fact, I now find CNN weak and trite and lacking depth, after watching Olbermann and Maddow and sometimes Chris Matthews. I couldn't stomach Fox after a while and never watch it any more, because I couldn't take their 24/7 mindless chatter and biases and I just knew I was more intelligent than all their anchors put together,

[cnick]

Keep it up Keith, you may be saving the country!!!!!!!

[Gina322]

Amen

[Mattie]

you mean with his support of Obama, who voted for FISA and the Cheney Energy bill. I feel safer, no I feel like we've been conned.

[Prophesy]

Your lack of research is appaling. You ARE the weakest link. Goodbye!

[cbat]

And you feel safer with who, MCCAIN, give me a freaking break. Try doing some research, please before it is too late.

[cbat]

Conned into what per se? In case you have not noticed it , Bush has already conned us, remember the war, economy, etc. Stop it your, ignorance is showing.

[Softnsweet]

Mattie go to fact check or stop posting half truths. I agree about the FISA bill but you are wrong on energy. Now go back to a McCain site and write that crap.

[blueskybigstar]

If he didn't vote for FISA, they would have staged another event to scare the bejeezus out of everybody and then would have blamed it on Obama for not supporting their bill. That is how bad this administration is.