Was this really news? Fox News attacks Mr. Rogers

[Drtooth]

Well I thought it was wrong no matter what news reported it.

For anyone to attack a dead children's entertainer for the shall we say "shortcomings" of america's youth is just lame.

It's so funny they think kids in Japan work harder due to them not watching shows like Mr. Rogers. When in fact, it's just how their culture is. I mean let's face it, overall people in Japan are known for working harder than Americans. What I mean is though we, Americans, do care about grades, we're way more relax about our kid bringing home a "B" or in some cases even a "C."

Listen... the reason why kids do terribly in schools is because schools aren't really all that good in our country anyway. A lot of the funding for schools is unevenly spread and I've always had a problem with the whole learn through mindless repetition and forcing kids to read books thing either. I remember having a science class in High School where I loved the part about learning new things and watching experiments, but had nothing but problems doing the formula. You learn more through fun than you do from flatly reading books and repeating the knowledge through not so fun tests.

Secondly, if you knew Japanese programming like I do, their preschool kids are exposed to stuff even weirder and wackier than Mr. Rogers. Anpanman that stars a super hero with an edible head of bread and the 1970's Kure Kure Octopus which words completely fail me to talk about. And yes, hard working is part of the culture. There's a sinister side of it that lead to a LOT of trouble in tyhe 80's and 90's (which I won't go into)... but there IS a lot of stress trying to get the best grades at these schools.

Thirdly, I'm not attacking Fox News for one segment... just an overall wave of bad behavior and attacking ANYTHING that dares make fun of them.

Fox News used to balance the equation of predominantly liberal reporting with their rabidly conservative slant, but not any more. All news these days is sensationalistic garbage, but none as much as Fox News. They stir the pot to reap profits. They're the bullies of the playground picking on minorities and fearing anyone with a different viewpoint by giving them the "progressive" label. Other cable news stations can say some outlandish things, but Fox News is downright toxic.

Well said. So far they've whined about how Sesame Street is an evil Left wing brainwashing conspiracy because they made a joke 2 years ago about them... you know, when Bush was still in office, and he had like a 5% approval rating. They attacked Law and Order because they made a reference to the fact that the minus minded speak of their squawking heads leads to racism and hatred of "illegal immigrants" (going as far as to call the producer an ultra-leftist... seriously, I remember an Ann Coulter type character winning a case and being made almost the hero of an episode). And now this.

Of course, I might as well also add that someone is calling Thomas the Tank Engine a tool of the GOP because of some stupid reason I can't remember (I think something about punishing individuality). I find that bullocks as well. But here's the difference. That was made by a crazy minus minded ultra-leftist making false claims. Those were by minus minded crazy ultra-rightists who are paid to say those things and rile up people. The left can say crazy, destructive crap, but the thing is, no one is willing to listen. When the right says the same stuff, it plays to a frighting amount of people. And some of those people react BADLY. I'd make fun of an ultra-leftist news organization for doing the same things, if they weren't left up to worthless blogs and small indie news papers.

 

[frogboy4]

Okay, but, you are attacking the entire Fox News channel in general. This was just a stupid mistake by the people at Fox and Friends. If you want to criticize someone, criticize the people who made the claim. The rest of Fox News had nothing to do with this.

You might agree with the channel's "infotainment" point of view, but this Mr. Rogers segment is part of a pattern that is indicative of all of their programming.

Just because some might agree with many of this cable news bully's biased talking points doesn't mean the presentation is fair or balanced. They cherry-picked this news item and unanimously agreed with it with no opposing viewpoint! How the frog is that news?

It is a notorious fact that Fox News has agenda-setting memos that steer every program to a hit list of topics to discuss from a particular viewpoint. Public television is likely one of those items on their hit list. They've beat up on PBS countless times. That’s what makes this a bad deed by this “news” channel.

Many channels expose their bias here and there, but Fox makes a meal of it. It’s fine to enjoy it, but there really is no defending their toxic tactics. I used to find their absurd point of view humourous until realizing that people actually believe it and it negatively affects real people. A lot of these people are minorities that programs like Sesame Street were created for. Don't they have enough to worry about?

 

[Bannanasketch]

Okay all,

I've been trying to stop this debate but if you want to keep it going then fine! I'm game for a little friendly debate! I hope I don't offend anyone! Here goes:

You keep bringing up that Fox News is a bully channel and that it is biased and not fair and balanced. Well, thanks because conservatives feel the same way about your liberal leaning News stations. Most news and media these days are becoming more liberal and more biased than ever. And you have a problem with Fox News giving the conservative side to the news? The only way to be fair and balanced is to have both sides of the news. Your liberal media and news is the liberal side. Fox News is the conservative view. Maybe Fox News by itself is not balanced but if you look at the overall picture Fox News makes it fair and balanced. It's the opposing side that's continuing the arguement. I mean, just read this thread. You members of the opposing side are the ones that want to keep whining about this even though I want keep trying to stop this debate.

Now, I'm sorry if I have offended anybody. Just remember, we are all muppet fans and we are all in fan community that shouldn't argue over things like this. But it's already started. So friends what do you have to say?

 

[frogboy4]

Okay all,

I've been trying to stop this debate but if you want to keep it going then fine! I'm game for a little friendly debate! I hope I don't offend anyone! Here goes:

You keep bringing up that Fox News is a bully channel and that it is biased and not fair and balanced. Well, thanks because conservatives feel the same way about your liberal leaning News stations. Most news and media these days are becoming more liberal and more biased than ever. And you have a problem with Fox News giving the conservative side to the news? The only way to be fair and balanced is to have both sides of the news. Your liberal media and news is the liberal side. Fox News is the conservative view. Maybe Fox News by itself is not balanced but if you look at the overall picture Fox News makes it fair and balanced. It's the opposing side that's continuing the arguement. I mean, just read this thread. You members of the opposing side are the ones that want to keep whining about this even though I want keep trying to stop this debate.

Now, I'm sorry if I have offended anybody. Just remember, we are all muppet fans and we are all in fan community that shouldn't argue over things like this. But it's already started. So friends what do you have to say?

I'll repeat: Fox News used to balance the equation of predominantly liberal reporting with their rabidly conservative slant, but not any more. All news these days is sensationalistic garbage, but none as much as Fox News. They stir the pot to reap profits. They're the bullies of the playground picking on minorities and fearing anyone with a different viewpoint by giving them the "progressive" label. Other cable news stations can say some outlandish things, but Fox News is downright toxic.

All news channels fail no matter what the content, but Fox has been caught time and again diving to deeper depths of murkiness in their ethics practices. It's not about just about content - it's their practices that are objectionable. I'd say that even if I agreed with their point of view. I used to watch a lot of that channel in particular. Now I prefer to read my news.

You're a conservative so it doesn't bother you. It bothers me either way.

 

[Bannanasketch]

I'll repeat: Fox News used to balance the equation of predominantly liberal reporting with their rabidly conservative slant, but not any more. All news these days is sensationalistic garbage, but none as much as Fox News. They stir the pot to reap profits. They're the bullies of the playground picking on minorities and fearing anyone with a different viewpoint by giving them the "progressive" label. Other cable news stations can say some outlandish things, but Fox News is downright toxic.

All news channels fail no matter what the content, but Fox has been caught time and again diving to deeper depths of murkiness in their ethics practices. It's not about just about content - it's their practices that are objectionable. I'd say that even if I agreed with their point of view. I used to watch a lot of that channel in particular. Now I prefer to read my news.

You're a conservative so it doesn't bother you. It bothers me either way.

Okay, now I see what your trying to say. You think all news stations are garbage. But none as much as Fx News. Now tell me why you think that. Why is Fox News so bad?

 

[frogboy4]

Okay, now I see what your trying to say. You think all news stations are garbage. But none as much as Fx News. Now tell me why you think that. Why is Fox News so bad?

That's quite a can of worms. If they didn't have so many watchdogs on them they'd be even worse.

The news business has an inherent liberal media viewpoint. For some reason, many of the same characteristics that attract people to become reporters are also found in Democrats. That's a truth I can admit.

Hannity recently ran obviously false and misleading footage that didn't prompt and admission or apology until the Daily Show uncovered it. They then quickly swept it under the carpet. This happens a lot more than reported and clips are usually deleted from their site and re-runs without notation if they feel caught. It's a problem.

There's also ED Hill's non-apology apology for her notorious "terrorist fist jab" descriptor about Obama's "high-five" fist bump with his wife at a public event. The channel continuously posed inappropriate questions about Obama's heritage and ethnicity in an effort to paint him as scarily un-American to the middle-class white community.

I've mentioned the Fox Talking Points memos that were exposed in several reports a long while ago. Their staff gets regular internal memos that set an agenda (terminology, stories to cover and slants to give them) for each work day. Different commentators all day long will use the same exact phrasing and buzz-words to describe a news item. The way the term "progressive" is thrown around, one would think they eat babies!

Search You Tube. All this information is out there, but nobody cares because the people actually watching Fox News (aside from comedians at the Daily Show and Media Matters) are conservatives who are just having their point of view reaffirmed. If you are curious, check it out. I'm typing this from one of my three jobs, otherwise I'd let the OCD take over and provide a long list of links.

Whether you're talking Fox News or MSNBC, they're all one just one opinion show after another with brief news-like bumpers in between. I'll admit to enjoying MSNBC's Chris Mathews now and again, but his affection for the democratic party clouds his judgment in a way that makes him difficult to watch these days. CNN is a snore-fest that doesn't seem to cover that much in a way that wouldn't be more intriguing or in-depth if read in a newspaper.

I actually tend to watch a little more Fox News than other channels because they present it in a very entertaining format, but it does make me want to hurl things at my television every 10 minutes.

My main objection to the Mr. Rogers' coverage is this:
A - Fox cherry-picked a news item
B - They discussed opinions with very few facts to ground them
C - Fox didn't have a counter view-point
D - Fox paints all PBS coverage in a negative light

I suppose the other objection I have is that the more liberally biased networks try to cater to a diverse viewership (and fail miserably) while Fox News is based in one brand of religious conservatism that makes people fear what they do not understand by using underhanded and false methods. To me it's about people, not politics. In my viewership of Fox, they treat people poorly for profit.

That's the skinny of it and it is an informed opinion based in actually watching the network on a regular basis for many years (until very recently).

 

[RedPiggy]

As someone whose family watches Fox News religiously, so to speak, lemme give my impressions: it used to be watchable. Now, it's like Gaston and the Mob Song 24/7.

 

[Bannanasketch]

I'm leaving this debate for tonight. If we want to continue tommorow, okay then. Thank you and Good night.

 

[RedPiggy]

LOL! I'd much rather read the paper (maybe it's an age thing, as newspapers are how I learned to read before kindergarten ) or the internet (because of the varied perspectives, something you can't really get in paper or TV).

If I couldn't have newspaper or internet, I'm afraid nowadays I'd have to turn to old-school network news (though it seems they're trying to compete with the big cable guys sometimes, but it's not as bad IMHO) or The Daily Show, LOL.

News channels rarely have actual news. Heck, Newsie probably has more journalistic integrity.

You know what is a major snore fest, though? CSPAN and its relatives. Watching our government half show up for work, if they do at all, and spend HOURS doing nothing but babbling instead of getting things done is enough to make one either go to sleep or swear off TV altogether.

And for those who don't know me very well, I am socially liberal-moderate while fiscally conservative-moderate. I believe that if one has to resort to fear-mongering to make a point, conservative or liberal, then the point might very well be worthless or the opposite of what should be done.

 

[Kiki]

Oh, for the love of Pete...

What scares me is that there are actually people who agree with Bill O'Reilly.

I second that! O_O