Why do some people hate Fox News?

Answer 1

Please note, that while the question is specifically about FOX News, it can easily be applied to any network. There are hundreds of examples of news programs on all networks that are biased, one-sided and presented in a manner to deceive or bias the public. Please do not think that Fox News is the only one that does this.

In fairness, loyal viewers of Fox would not agree that they are watching "lies." In fact, they believe the network's slogan-- Fair and Balanced, and see Fox as the only network that tells the truth. Most people who watch FOX News are examples of what sociologists call "confirmation bias" -- they watch it because it confirms or agrees with what they already believe. In a polarized country, Americans are now able through cable news channels, to select only those that reinforce their own beliefs, and the beliefs of Fox News viewers generally are aligned with the conservative Republican point of view.

A number of studies have been done that show how Fox viewers are among the most misinformed on current events; while there are several credible news reporters on the network, Fox News is best known for its political commentators, nearly all of whom provide a one-sided view of issues to viewers who come to the network expecting that view and refusing to listen to any other.

Critics of Fox believe it has done a grave disservice to democracy, by presenting only one side (the Republican side) and stereotyping or demonizing all other points of view. It also seems to some of Fox's critics that its viewers are not interested in being part of a society where people are tolerant and respectful of each other, and where an exchange of ideas can occur. These viewers are also no longer accustomed to news that is objective and does not insult the opposition. When "Either you're with us or against us" is the only philosophy you understand, serious analysis of the issues becomes an impossible challenge.

There was a time when Americans shared a certain set of facts, and the network newscasts made an effort to tell the story with fairness to both sides. But in the cable news world, there are right-wing facts and left-wing facts; your side is 100% correct and the other side is 100% wrong. This only adds to how polarized America has become.

However, one should note that there is no such thing as completely unbiased journalism. The world is rarely black and white and many truths are subjective. All journalists are influenced by their own beliefs and so an impartial view is very rarely achieved. There are some facts which can be commented upon objectively. There are many which can only be commented upon subjectively (which actually challenges the use of "lies" in the question).

At least this way all know what they are getting. If you wish to hear both sides of a story then you still can. There are plenty of media outlets which propagate a left wing agenda. In some ways it can be argued to be beneficial to know that if you are watching Fox you are getting a right wing view. This may well often be preferable to media sources which try a more subtle approach to promoting their own agenda.

EDIT: It might be worth mentioning, that recently a U.S. court ruled in favor of Fox News. The court ruling said that the company is under no obligation to present "factual information". Basically the judge said that if Fox News wants to lie, it can do so legally.

Answer 2

I am sure you must mean why do some people "hate" Fox News. While hate may be too strong a word, Fox has certainly outraged many people who believe it is filled with bias and political disinformation. If an organization calls itself one thing (fair and balanced) and then does the opposite, it can lead to scorn by those that know the truth. In this case, Fox News claims to provide fair and balanced news, and yet has openly donate money to one political party (Republicans) over the other one, while openly slanting all of its commentary to make Republicans look positive, while demonizing anything Democrats say or do.

As a result, Fox has become a lightning rod for both liberals and conservatives-- liberals believe it is spreading lies and Propaganda, while conservatives believe it is the only truthful news network. Fox has thus helped to polarize the country, generating a lot of controversy and anger from its detractors, who believe Fox has made public discourse more hostile and less factual because of the biased news it presents.

Answer 3

Although news channels like Fox claim to be "fair and balanced" they usually aren't. People pick one channel and believe everything they hear on it because they are ignorant or lazy or both. Wise people gather their news from a variety of sources.

Answer 4

I owned a television station once. When we first went on the air we had plans to raise the level of programming with serious discussions of the who, what , were, and why of the shows we ran. A good friend who was also owned a station in a major American market , broke out laughing. He said to me, "great, and who exactly is going to listen to that"? I was offended. He told me the American public simply is not that sophisticated. I recently took my daughters to a children's animated movie. I was surprised to find the place full of adults with popcorn in hand and very few children. Throughout the movie, most clapped and were in near hysteria over the children's jokes., I sat there in stunned disbelief. There's you answer why they listen to Fox News and not NPR.

Answer 5

I don't like it because most of the reporters sensationalize every story, making the news sound like yellow journalism. They are overly dramatic. Not all of the news merits that much drama!