30 Reasons Why Fox News Is Not Legit

For generations in this country, there has been a sort of a gentleman's agreement in terms of what constituted professional behavior among journalists. And there has been a sense of shame when members crossed those lines into unprofessional behavior. Bosses chastened those employees, people were fired, and ethics panels were summarily convened to make certain the transgressions didn't happen again. Fox News, though, has walked away from all of that. And guess what? The rest of the press hasn't said boo.

That's been the sad case for years. (Playing dumb about Fox News' partisan pursuits now qualifies as a Beltway intramural sport.) Indeed, the loophole, or the caveat, to journalism's gentleman's agreement has always been that the guidelines were voluntary and self-policing. There was no governing body, either within journalism or without, that regulated the product. The only collective deterrent from producing bad journalism, aside from rather lax U.S. libel laws, is a collective sense of shame, a shared feeling that making a factual error -- or worse, purposefully pushing false information under the guise of journalism -- was both unprofessional and unacceptable.

But clearly, Fox News does not share that sense of shame, because it's not part of the larger journalism brotherhood. Fox News doesn't feel like rules such as fairness, accuracy, neutrality, and independence apply, which is obvious since Fox News breaks those rules with stunning regularity. In fact, its programming day seems designed to break the traditional rules ad nauseam. That's what it's built to do. And if nothing else, Fox News is ruthlessly efficient.

So, Fox News has altered the game by unchaining itself from the moral groundings of U.S. journalism. And guess what? There is no industry shame being rained down on the outlet. The rest of the press not only doesn't complain, it defends Fox News and even apologizes on its behalf, which is what we've seen unfold for the last two weeks.

Read the entire Media Matters column here.

 

 

Follow Eric Boehlert on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EricBoehlert

Comments

[rich3324]

Mr. Boehlert, a fair and balanced story. Thank you.

[alysheba 3]

You missed the most important point. Even Murdoch admits that Fox does not tell the truth when it is reporting News.

Murdoch of Fox News Admits Manipulating the News for Agenda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00K2pLo8JV5Y)

Fox News Should Issue a Retraction for This Big Lie of a Segment re Valerie Plame
http://www.newshounds.us/2007/03/19/fox_news_should_issue_a_retraction_for_this_big_lie_of_a_segment_re_valerie_plame.php

[truthartbeauty]

Fox news is not news, never has been. If it was really news, at least once Obama would do something right, but it is nothing but a hateful propaganda machine for the right wing extremists and they are getting more insane by the day, but news???? No!

[yankees]

There is only 1 reason why you thing FOX News is not legit - they don't agree with your views. Get a life and some thick skin. I'm not a fan of FOX news but they do have a terrific News Department, not talking Cable here.
When I watch the sheep on the Lame Stream media and read columns like yours I remember the stories of my father and his friends, discussing the atmosphere of Communism and Fascism. Silence the opposition, make fun of them, discredit them and finally shut them away. For those of us who remember the Nixon years and were outraged, tell me the difference.
Can't Happen Here?

[Indon]

See, this is why I think the author should have mirrored the entire post on this site.

There is zero chance you read the whole thing to look at the examples he had of precisely why Fox is not a legitimate news organization.

How pathetic are we as a nation when we have been convinced that people think that cited claims are equivalent to angry shouting? Have we all just gone brain-dead?

[BuckCarson]

I have read the entire article on the media matters and I too think it is angry shouting. I would suggest that the author cut the minor infractions and keep only some real infractions to be credible.

Talk about journalism ethics, do you really believe the tea partiers are paid representatives of corporations? Do you really believe that ACORN doesn't drag voters to the booths for favors rendered? What does that mean in senatorial races like Al Franken's? Where were the "real" journalists?

Do I need to continue?

I thank God for people like Yankees. His opinion reflects that of myself and a rapidly increasing population. I fear that your reaction to us is to think that we are just "ignorant crazies" and that we are to stupid to understand the writings of the likes of Bill Maher. I think that you'd find that there are some pretty smart, innovative, well educated people that embrace conservativism.

Good luck in evaluating the news media. I hope we can all be truthful to *ourselves* as we make choices of what is fact and fiction, for that is the key to making progress.

[swift goat pet for truth]

thanks. I saved the link to my permanent file.
and fanned.

[swift goat pet for truth]

The Right Wing Corporate New Faux defenders (which is to say "All of them") are the same ones who found Colbert's speech at the WH Press dinner "un-funny".

The "Reality has a known Liberal Bias" speech.

What a coincidence.

[liberalOrgonian]

How about some honest reliable news?
It is not about conservative and liberal...
But about reporting truthful accurate info.

[MajorKong]

Pravda had more shame than Fox News.

[Berettasskeeter]

Can you provide a source for that claim?
Semper fi

[AlanMoney]

I think that FOX news is definetly biased towards conservatives, but if you attack it for that then you better attack every major news group out there. Fox is just the only conservative one while the rest are all Liberal. Its just easy to single out FOX because it is the only one that isn't liberal. I can't even believe some of you people, I hope no one defends Obama trying to shut FOX down. Think of it this way, when every station attacked Bush day after day after day, how would you react if he came on the air and said, "man those guys are big meanies, they are not really news stations, we need to shut them down." He would have looked like an idiot that is attacking Freedom of the Press. And that's exactly what I think Obama looks like for his behavior.

[MajorKong]

"Fox is just the only conservative one while the rest are all Liberal."

I wish the others were half as liberal as you think they are.

[oldngrumpy]

You're not from around here, are you? Earth, I mean.

If you are so much into keeping count of your imagined Liberal v. Conservative news then you should be all over getting that Fairness Doctrine passed. By the way, I'm a socialist and I don't want the Fairness Doctrine brought back. It's too much about keeping score and encourages the media to "force" the news slant they report, which is the current complaint against Faux Spews.

If Obama were trying to "shut down" Faux then I would be helping you carry a big sign in front of the White House in protest. You must have been listening to a different President, or having flash backs to Bush. As far as news outlets bashing Bush, they were far too lenient in my opinion. They didn't begin catching on to his lies and crimes until well into his second term. By that time it was apparent that his entire Presidency didn't pass muster for anyone's smell test (except Faux) and they realized they were a Presidential term short of doing their jobs. Bush also "shut down" (by your definition) the most experienced journalist sitting in the briefing room for most of his two terms.

In order to qualify for protection under "freedom of the press" one must become a member of "the press" and that entails certain restraints and responsibilities, plus a dedication to the truth, that Faux Spews has not displayed to date.

[bigeking]

Apparently you do not watch Fox News, but just Hannity or Beck, and even they got on to Bush during his last term. President Bush forgot his Conservative following and turned more liberal. The mainstream news has been headed for the bottom for some years, and they have finally hit bottom. When the leaders of the news stations remember what news is supposed to be, no bias, and dealing with real news items, not junk journalism, then maybe the will come back strong. The news should not take sides, but report the facts. They should not stay away from stories that are unfavorable to a particular side. Do the national news like they do the local news, tell us what is going on in the Federal Government, good or bad. I want to here both sides of a argument, not just a one sided story!

[Rollingballafire]

I would be out protesting if the WH was trying to shut fox down, but they're not.
They're just addressing the lies they tell everyday.
Like I asked before....­The administration sent out a warning about Tokyo Rose, what's the difference in sending out a warning about Fox?
And Bush didn't say anything, he just cut MSNBC out of the WH press pool and avoided them at all costs. People were arrested for having anti Bush t shirts on...want more, it's endless...­...
so no, pointing out that Fox isn't a reputable news agency doesn't really surprise many of us, except the misinformed Fox viewers. The rest of us know better and prefer the truth.

[bigeking]

Obama does not have the b***s to try to shut down any news program or any other form of the press! Comparing Tokyo Rose to Fox news is ludicrous and a very sad attempt at being informed. Look at the pool of reporters at any Obama appearance and see who is attending! The reporters there do not ask him any question that he does not want to be asked, and our great news reporters are afraid to ask him any really hard questions. The very few sort of tough questions I have seen him get, he talks allot and says very little.
Why don't you actually watch Fox News, not Hannity or Beck, but the actual news shows and see if you do not find out more than you probably want to know!

[Berettasskeeter]

Perhaps the controversy is more that noone highlights the "exact" lies that Fox is supposedly producing!? Only using hearsay, and non-credible sources who are complaining.
Semper fi

[swift goat pet for truth]

"Fox is just the only conservative one while the rest are all Liberal."

From my point of view, Faux is Extreme Right Wing, while the rest are all Right Wing.
There is NO major LIBERAL media.
The large outlets are ALL Right Wing Corporate Media.
Of Corporations, by Corporations, for Corporations.

Which of these companies are Liberal: GE, Time Warner, NewsCorp, Viacom.
Hint: NONE, ZERO, NADA.

[liberalOrgonian]

Fox seem to love to report fake news. It has worked for years, why should it change now they have been called out. Surely fake, made up news is good for the whole news industry. Anything can be fabricated, exaggerated, lied about. Maybe the American people don't care what they hear, don't believe any of it anyway. We have been lie to so often, it seems normal. ( rolling my eyes.)
Real news can start their shows with a update of the real news. The fox buster session of the news. Fox gets what it wants, attention for fake news, we can get some truth and everyone can be happy.
Reminds me of the child acting out just so he/she gets Attention, doesn't matter if it is good or bad, just attention.
Now you have our attention, how about a big old temper tantrum..

[bigeking]

You seem a little testy------If you would actually listen and compare stories covered on the different stations, you might have an eye opening experience! It would be nice if all the news stations would actually report what is really going on and not be afraid to go against the present administration, like they did with Bush, the the American people would be better off, and our politicians would not be able to cram legislation through! Our country's future deservers that much, and so do we!

[Scarborian]

FN feeds off the anger it generates so I'm going to stop wasting my time even reading HP posts that relate to it.

[ECB]

#31 - I say it's NOT !

[AirForceBlue]

Seems if the rest of the media defends Fox then the credibility belongs to the rest of the media, certainly not the liberal Media Matters view.

[Indon]

So apparently, reality is decided not through evidence and proof, but through mutual consensus.

Fox can be legitimate news, if we all just clap our hands and believe! Let's just ignore that list of instances which prove us wrong!

[Berettasskeeter]

What proof? The linked article provides no concrete proof, only innuendo and hearsay. Proof is needed, incontrovertible proof.
Semper fi

[Indon]

Please read to the end of the article so that you can notice the link to the rest of the article, which contains a number of citations.

Next time, please read the entire article.

Thank you.

[AirForceBlue]

Citations? Or the left doing routinely what the right does, too? It is all a sham where one hell of a lot of money is gained participating in anything politic. The amount of money circulated from top to bottom is awesome , for example, former President Clinton now gets 200K a speech. Or, a lobbyist has untold funds to spread around to politicians' "reelection fund." Authors, journalists, broadcasters, left publications (Media Matters) & right (NewsMax) sell, plus government itself is a trillion$ business employing hundreds of thousands of very ambitious people to take advantage of the money available.

America's business is government spreading the money around and FoxNews gets its pirates gold, too.

[bigeking]

Indon, if you read the links and did not end up on the floor rolling with laughter, your sense of fairness is missing. The little girl started crying when Obama said he was not taking questions, she stopped when he let her ask questions. The Sotomayor comments were made by every news program and many, I said many of our esteemed politicians, and even I got tired of them. I will not comment on the rest because all of them apply to all the networks! What a shame!!!!!

[GoDems2012]

The other news networks are scared of being accused of being liberally biased. This is why they rush to defend Fox, who doesn't respect them anyway!

[bigeking]

No, they just see the Administration trying to curb the free press. They know they could be the next one to be attacked if they stray from reporting only good things about the Administration. If Obama wants to pick a fight with the press he will loose!

[swift goat pet for truth]

No.
The other news networks are Right Wing Corporate Media.
They are defending EXTREME Right Wing Corporate Media.

[Shammie2000]

30, you only need one, not telling the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth.

[gs-425]

Call out the issues, they're willing to address them one at a time if needed. What's the hold up?

[Scarborian]

If you'd read the whole post, you'd have seen the points listed