7 ms·

If we are talking Fox News, I'd say Tucker Carlson's show is pretty good. Bret Baier and Chris Wallace are also decent. Most everyone else is a clown putting on

If we are talking Fox News, I'd say Tucker Carlson's show is pretty good. Bret Baier and Chris Wallace are also decent. Most everyone else is a clown putting on a show for ratings. I won't talk about the liberal-leaning stations because I would imagine you know who's serious and who's a ratings clown, for example, I would imagine you might categorize Rachel Maddow (MSNBC) as a member of the latter. The problem with your assessment here is that "clowning" is not actually a part of journalism. Fact-finding however, is part of journalism. The OP is making the case that people will actively ignore facts they are receiving when they can't parse the information to match up with their world view. They will dismiss facts as things like conspiracy or what you're calling "clowning for ratings" when they don't like what they are hearing. Information dissemination that is based on verifiable facts garnered from multiple independent sources... this is the job of journalists. From what I've seen of Fox News, it does not subscribe to the verifiable facts method of journalism and relies instead upon the echo chamber method of repeating something enough times in attempts to make it seem truthful.

rebootthesystem 10y ago
You are right, of course. Yet it is important to understand that ALL news media is biased and they are all distorting reality to one degree or another. I can't think of a single news show on any TV network that isn't biased, sometimes to a grotesque degree. And I consume news from a wide variety of sources. In the case of Fox News, the three people I highlighted are, today, not in the "clowning for ratings" category to such an extent that listening to what they have to say isn't a total waste of time. I would not compare them, even for a second, to, say, Hannity (on Fox) or Maddow(MSNBC) or Blitzer (CNN). There's a huge difference between these last three, who are there to stimulate their respective echo chambers and the others. Yes, you are right, people will actively ignore facts. Yet, the problem is deeper than that because of how the masses are being "managed" by experts. And it is a losing game...for the masses. In many ways it is no different from the expertise and techniques being used to get people to click on ads online. Given the degree of manipulation we are exposed to today it is important to listen to everyone while avoiding obvious clowns. This should be met with the skepticism necessary to avoid being manipulated, the patience to allow evidence to surface and the research to ensure we don't form conclusions based on manipulation and lies rather than verifiable facts. That, for the masses, is almost impossible. And that's the problem. Because it works, which means the various players will continue to behave as they do and continue to optimize the techniques that produce the desired results: Viewers and Votes.

rebootthesystem 10y ago

You are right, of course. Yet it is important to understand that ALL news media is biased and they are all distorting reality to one degree or another. I can't think of a single news show on any TV network that isn't biased, sometimes to a grotesque degree. And I consume news from a wide variety of sources. In the case of Fox News, the three people I highlighted are, today, not in the "clowning for ratings" category to such an extent that listening to what they have to say isn't a total waste of time. I would not compare them, even for a second, to, say, Hannity (on Fox) or Maddow(MSNBC) or Blitzer (CNN). There's a huge difference between these last three, who are there to stimulate their respective echo chambers and the others. Yes, you are right, people will actively ignore facts. Yet, the problem is deeper than that because of how the masses are being "managed" by experts. And it is a losing game...for the masses. In many ways it is no different from the expertise and techniques being used to get people to click on ads online. Given the degree of manipulation we are exposed to today it is important to listen to everyone while avoiding obvious clowns. This should be met with the skepticism necessary to avoid being manipulated, the patience to allow evidence to surface and the research to ensure we don't form conclusions based on manipulation and lies rather than verifiable facts. That, for the masses, is almost impossible. And that's the problem. Because it works, which means the various players will continue to behave as they do and continue to optimize the techniques that produce the desired results: Viewers and Votes.