OK, let me see if I understand the point of this article. Peter Black...likes Fox News? Wow. How the heck did this get nominated for 'Best Blogs'?

I think this guy has been to the Alan Ramsey school of opinion-writing. You know, phone in a whole lot of other people's opinions and collect your pay cheque? Hey, maybe Ramsey was a blogger before his time!

Look, hey, I have an opinion. And wouldn't you know it, on the internet there are some other opinions that are THE SAME as mine! See? Here they are! Is that convincing or what!?

Riveting stuff.

Hey, I have, uh, a website, and now it's got a blog attached too cause that's like, really all Web 2.0 and stuff, and my friends and my mum all say it's really fun and interesting and colourful too. Do you think Fox will give me screeds and screeds of free advertising if I give them screeds and screeds of free advertising first?

<silence>

Peter, can you post a few other people's opinions of Everybody Loves Raymond? I'd really like to know.

I'm not sure how anyone can defend FoxNews with a straight face. Sure, they've created a revolutionary format that sucks in viewers, which was indeed an achievement, but any news station whos viewers know less facts about whats going on than people who dont even watch the news, well, its not really doing its job. I dont think. Actually. As a matter of fact.

These paragraphs were written by the same person who wrote the essay referred to in my comment on Kurlansky.
It sums up fox so called "news" perfectly.

"The human world has become a kind of insane sporting event, at which people threaten one another and carry on in an insane manner--something like the gladiatorial contests in ancient Rome. It is madness. And TV (especially fox "news"--my comment)) also plays to that insanity.
The human world of nowtime is a lunatic asylum, a soap opera of psychotics. That absurd soap opera actually controls the destiny and experience of the total world of human beings---and that collective world psychosis is, in its root-disposition totally indifferent to human life, and to the world altogether.

As a result, human society is becoming progressively more and more aggravated, and fundamentally dissociated from Reality Itself-- leading to an absurd and insane life of competitive conflict for the totality of humankind. And that life of competitive conflict (egged on by fox "news"-- my comment) has already negatively affected even the natural systems of the Earth---and is causing, and would continue to cause terrible suffering everywhere".

This essay is also in effect a critique of the mind-set that fox-"news" creates and panders to.

1. www.dabase.net/popdisgu.htm

Fact: Watchers of Fox News are measurably less well-informed than watchers of other news sources. Most STILL think there is a connection between September 11 and Iraq.

Fact: Watchers of Fox News are typically less well-educated than watchers of other news sources.

Please note, these are not my findings. I am, however, happy to repeat them at every opportunity.

"but any news station whos viewers know less facts about whats going on than people who dont even watch the news, well, its not really doing its job."

spedocrat, call me cynical but its probably doing its job perfectly.

The movie ran through me
The glamour subdue me
The tabloid untie me
I'm empty please fill me
Mister anchor assure me
That Baghdad is burning
Your voice it is so soothing
That cunning mantra of killing
I need you my witness
To dress this up so bloodless
To numb me and purge me now
Of thoughts of blaming you
Yes the car is our wheelchair
My witness your coughing
Oily silence mocks the legless
Ones who travel now in coffins
On the corner
The jury's sleepless
We found your weakness
And it's right outside our door
Now testify

Now testify
It's right outside our door
Now testify
Yes testify
It's right outside our door

With precision you feed me
My witness I'm hungry
Your temple it calms me
So I can carry on
My slaving sweating the skin right off my bones
On a bed of fire I'm choking on the smoke that fills my home
The wrecking ball rushing
Witness your blushing
The pipeline is gushing
While here we lie in tombs
While on the corner
The jury's sleepless
We found your weakness
And it's right outside your door
Now testify
Yeah testify
It's right outside our door
Now testify
Now testify
It's right outside our door

Mass graves for the pump and the price is set
Mass graves for the pump and the price is set
Mass graves for the pump and the price is set
Mass graves for the pump and the price is set

Who controls the past now controls the future
Who controls the present now controls the past
Who controls the past now controls the future
Who controls the present now?

Now testify
Testify
It's right outside our door
Now testify
Testify
It's right outside our door