what is the real importance of Fox news in america?

[danyboy27]

Really, what is the real impact fox news have on the general population in america?

There plenty of news channel in the U.S but none rival in its reactionary content fox news.

is this channel really ''converting'' the american people to right wing libertarian craps or is it marginal?

[Ztrain]

entertainment for conservative assholes...not much else:)

[Red Commissar]

Fox News was influential in the following ways

Before the creation of Fox Channel Americans had the three major broadcasting networks (CBS, NBC, ABC), and CNN. For the most part these guys bounced around the center and would follow cues from the government as necessary. However to some segments of the American populace they seemed to be too "liberal" in nature, and businessmen picked upon this.

Fox Channel's first success was being able to cut into the broadcasting network that ABC, NBC, and CBS once dominated. This was a hard thing in itself and Fox was able to do it, getting the reputation of being that "little engine that could", so to speak, though the nature of it being constructed was the usual business dealings.

When it launched its news wing, it took cues from what it got from the public and what were common complaints about the dominant chains. Accordingly, along with Rupert Murdoch's own biases, and the news was done in such a fashion to appeal to this right-wing national-populist types. And more importantly, it adopted a different style of delivering news.

Coming off the heels of the right-wing surge in the 90s from the 80s, this was successful. Fox News quickly took the top rank among its cable competitors and would remain there for some time. Other channels began to adapt their format to what Fox had shown to be a successful business model, and in time all news channels began to change themselves to the newstainment routine, to better compete with Fox News.

That's one- it displayed a format, a pretty crude one if you ask me, that all major news stations use now. The way the newscasters talk and present stories, the short video clips and sound bytes, and favoring news pundits over interviews and an all-around degradation from professional news reporting.

Secondly Fox News, like any other news channel, is worked into the fabric of the civil society. It is displaying and showing what the values of the ruling class is, or at least values that can be turned against its rivals in the political scene, and to this end it has been successful.

[Peace on Earth]

Fox is responsible for many of the misinformed opinions of conservatives. In the run-up to the Iraq war, many citizens weren't aware of even basic truths regarding the war. It routinely pimps conservative Christian ideology as though it is the sole truth and skews facts to fit their agenda. It's dangerous because many people don't recognize the bias inherent in the organization.

[MortyMingledon]

I recommend the documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism by Robert Greenwald for further understanding of the FOX phenomenon, and the resulting FOX-effect, which, as described by Red Comissar, is pushing the mainstream American media into the FOX-model. The documentary is a little outdated (from 2004), and so its focus is on the Bush-Kerry race, but the main themes are still very relevant.

[Adil3tr]

To be honest, I think it has the highest ratings because people don;t like the dumbed down mainstream media, so they eat up this conservative crap. If Democracy Now was aired instead of CNN, I think the opposite would be happening.
Plus Imagine
REVLEFT: The TV Show, What a Bunch of Random Communists Think

[Salmonella]

Really, what is the real impact fox news have on the general population in america?

There plenty of news channel in the U.S but none rival in its reactionary content fox news.

is this channel really ''converting'' the american people to right wing libertarian craps or is it marginal?

Are you joking? FOX is a propaganda-machine!

[danyboy27]

Are you joking? FOX is a propaganda-machine!

i dont question that, i am just wondering how effective they are into brainwashing peoples.

[Proletarian Ultra]

Really, what is the real impact fox news have on the general population in america?

There plenty of news channel in the U.S but none rival in its reactionary content fox news.

is this channel really ''converting'' the american people to right wing libertarian craps or is it marginal?

You really can't appreciate it til you've seen it up close. Srsly. Get a cheap plane ticket to Missouri or some shit and watch people watching it in public. It's amazing. Chances are they'll have it on in the airport so you won't even need to go back through security again.

[BuddhaInBabylon]

For sure.
A comrade of mine eloquently observed of the phenomenon that is FOXnews : "The ignorant have found a voice" in Glenn Beck and the rest of his reactionary cohorts.

[RadioRaheem84]

I really think there was a conscious effort by Rupert Murdoch and other right wingers to tilt the political discourse in the States to the right. Murdoch himself admits to this much as he stated several times that he wanted to bring "balance" to the airwaves.

FOX News is fast becoming the premier station of choice for many businesses where ever I go. It's on in restaurants, universities, banks, etc.

The channel has cleverly mixed pure entertainment with News punditry. They've made the news exciting with their fiery brand of right wing populism.

[Os Cangaceiros]

It's influence is a little bit overstated.

Most people don't regularly watch the news. Glenn Beck's program only draws in about 2-3 million people at any given time, and that's a high mark. FOX News bragging about how it's the top rated news channel is like a dwarf bragging about how he's taller than all of the other dwarfs. It's mostly preaching to the choir as far as it's influence over Americans is concerned...I highly doubt that it has any real swaying power over people who are not already inclined to agree with the positions of the commentators that it features, and so far I haven't seen anyone on this site prove that it has.

It's influence on news format is a bit larger, though. Although one could argue that the whole "liberal pundit vs. conservative pundit smackdown" format has existed for a fairly long time before FOX News came into existence, notably with "Crossfire".

[RadioRaheem84]

It's influence on news format is a bit larger, though. Although one could argue that the whole "liberal pundit vs. conservative pundit smackdown" format has existed for a fairly long time before FOX News came into existence, notably with "Crossfire".

I think this was the point I was trying to make. It's impact on leading the competition is making other news organizations seek out the right in order win favor.

For instance, it's almost normal now to have Washington Times columnists on supposedly non-ideological channels like PBS. I remember seeing Monica Crowley and that propagandist for the Weekly Standard, Stephan Hayes, on two desperate occasions on a popular supposedly liberal new show. I was floored, I had never really seen that. Most of the time it would've been pointed out that the person was from said "conservative" paper, but now they just mention the paper and not it's ideology.

Fox has helped move the direction of political discourse in this country to the right.

[Stephen Colbert]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aEk864YrKw

terrible news. damn good television.

The most disingenuous news station on the planet. there cannot be words to describe the sinister motives of this horrid institution

FOX NEWS. WE DISTORT. YOU COMPLY

Also: very funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpVTUdfcEMg&feature=related

[Jimmie Higgins]

i dont question that, i am just wondering how effective they are into brainwashing peoples.Not very in my opinion.

What they are good at is rallying the already polarized troops. Their advantage was zeroing in on widespread discontentment with the news-media and rallying the right-wing segment of that sentiment. If someone is vaugely anti-immigrant, then FOX's (or Lou Dobbs') myths and hysterical bigotry will cement the anti-immigrant sentiment and give it urgency.

It's the whole reason that "preaching to the choir" is actually very effective and why the right is so much more focused and organized than the left.

[Who?]

REVLEFT: The TV Show, What a Bunch of Random Communists Think

I think we need a better tagline.

[TwoSevensClash]

Fox News as others have said is mainly tabloid and right wing pundits. It is more entertaining then most news outlets. So people watch it for that. Then you have all the right wing propaganda between the tabloid stories. After awhile of hearing the same thing over again it brainwashes the you.Its like the two minutes of hate from 1984. It constantly blast propaganda about how the left is evil and states that only it is on your side defending you from oppression. Also they claim to hate the mainstream media but since there number one along with other right wing media groups wouldn't that make them the mainstream media?

[Stephen Colbert]

Fox News as others have said is mainly tabloid and right wing pundits. It is more entertaining then most news outlets. So people watch it for that. Then you have all the right wing propaganda between the tabloid stories. After awhile of hearing the same thing over again it brainwashes the you.Its like the two minutes of hate from 1984. It constantly blast propaganda about how the left is evil and states that only it is on your side defending you from oppression. Also they claim to hate the mainstream media but since there number one along with other right wing media groups wouldn't that make them the mainstream media?

No. The spin stops here, because they are definitely looking out for you.