Well, here's the least surprising media-centric news item ever: John Stossel is leaving ABC for Fox News Channel.
For the uninitiated few, Stossel is a multi-Emmy-winning investigative reporter with an amusing Harry Reems moustache. He calls himself a libertarian -- a designation which these days, unfortunately, is almost exclusively the property of the right -- and has spent the past several years doing his best to debunk man-made global climate change, bolster the notion of the wonders of unfettered greed and the ultimate good of the free market, and assail anyone who complains about the current health care model. His slot on 20/20 has been little more than his own personal Hyde Park-style soapbox ever since his conversion from serious journalist to silly dogmatic populist.
Stossel's been a regular guest on Fox for some time now; he generally appears as an analyst (which at Fox is code for someone who has even less obligation to the truth than the correspondents in the general assignment pool). Given his tendency to egomaniacally showboat, his departure probably isn't much of a loss to ABC. But it does underscore in no uncertain terms just where the business of journalism is heading: Hume, Beck, now Stossel -- they all skew hard to the right and they've all wound up at Fox. At this point, Fox is the bright light on the porch that attracts all the insects. The problem is that what we're witnessing is the homogenization of the news media. It was admittedly inevitable. With so many choices out there, narrowcasting was always the future. But the fewer dissenting opinions at each outlet -- with Fox essentially saying, "If you're a conservative, this is where you belong" -- the viewers, readers, and people simply looking for a well-balanced vision of the world will suffer.
Then again, the battle lines are so clearly drawn these days, with people believing only what they want to believe and refusing to hear any evidence to the contrary, that it probably doesn't make any difference anyway. For God's sake, last night on national television a congressman shouted that the president is a liar (a lie itself, at least insofar as what that congressman was protesting at the time). The damage is done, and we may never reach a point again where this country's various political factions listen to each other without prejudice, let alone treat each other with respect.
The people who like what Stossel has to say are already waiting for him at Fox.
Welcome home, John.
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Roberto Lovato: BastaDobbs Responds to Invite from Lou
As we made our case today at CNN's headquarters for Lou Dobbs to be fired, the producers of Dobbs' show emailed me with an invitation to appear on tonight's show. Here's my response.
So, goodbye John. I could say I'll miss you, but since I stopped watching you so long ago, that would be just rank hypocrisy.
Saying that libertarians "assail anyone who complains about the current health care model" is blatently false. Libertarians continually criticize the current health care system for having too much government involvement. It's true that we disagree with Obama-care, but saying "keep your hands off my health care" is vastly different than saying "keep your hands off the current health care system". Anyone who thinks the current system is a free market system needs to take an economics class.
This is my first time on The Huffington Post, and if this article is what THP considers journalism, it will be my last. You all are welcome to your misinformed echo chamber.
Welcome. The Huffington Post is really quite excellent journalism, not to mention it has a comfortable web design. If you know someone else new like yourself... This is a good website to recommend. As for this particular article, just consider this as a practice round.
That impression of a Fox fan feigning objectivity was dead on, my friend.
All of the hatred and disrespect (as evidenced by your comment) is exactly what he was getting at.
His point is that we can't even respectfully discuss anything anymore.
Your comment was under mine when I responded, and now it is under a different comment altogether.
http://townhall.com/columnists/PatBuchanan/2009/09/11/is_america_coming_apart
But I agree. A liberal is going to go to MSNBC, a conservative to FOX, therefor all they are doing is preaching to the choir. I give MSNBC credit though, they have Morning Joe on, Fox has no anchor of differing views.
Where was the discussion of whether or not Obama backed away from the public option? How about whether he was telling the truth that the plan won't raise the deficit? How about some details regarding this insurance exchange? Will these new regulations drive some health insurers out of the market and force people to find new coverage? Is it a good idea to mandate coverage?
All of those topics are more interesting to me, but someone on the other side made an ass out of himself so that lead!
Now before someone gives me a paragraph on Fox and how horrible they are, I agree with you so you can just keep it to yourself. But I didn't watch them last night, I watched the other guys.
All major news media are guilty of this, and there needs to be a revolution in that industry too.
I can't hardly stand to watch any of the shows on any of the channels anymore.
The only worry that I have is that he stayed with the mundane elites for so long, I do question his judgement.
Regardless, this marks a great moment of hope in the journalistic cancer pervading the mainstream media. I think that too many of these journalists were trained under tenets valid 40 years ago and not reflective of the core issues of today.
I have often said that training for journalists ought to have more math and physics orientation. Stossel I think is an exception to this problem. His interests are quite broad and it shows.
His "science" background has led him to debunk man-made global climate change -- which is contrary to accepted science.
My guess is that you were threatened by him in some form hence the exaggeration.