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Media

Has Fox News veered left?

Feb. 14, 2012 9:32am Eddie Scarry

There’s no doubt that the Fox News you watch today isn’t the Fox News you watched two years ago.

It was a cable channel dominated by its conservative commentators, such as Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Sarah Palin. Those people are still there (except Beck, of course) but Fox has re-branded itself as of late.

Some say the channel is making a shift to the left, or at least away from the right.

From Politico:

The grumblers were picking up on a strategy that has been under way for some time — a “course correction,” as Fox chief Roger Ailes put it last fall — with the network distancing itself from the tea party cheerleading that characterized the first two years of President Barack Obama’s presidency. Lately, Fox has increasingly promoted its straight-news talent in the press and conducted some of the toughest interviews and debates of the Republican primary season. Just last week, it hired the openly gay liberal activist Sally Kohn as a contributor.

All along, Fox watchers warned that it risked alienating conservative true believers as it inched toward the center.

Well, consider them alienated.

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Comments (44)

Newyorker
Posted on February 15, 2012 at 10:57am
Since we became subscribers to GBTV, I find that we don’t watch Fox very much anymore. Friends in the am, just for background noice and Bill O. after RealNews is over. And we seem to constantly be yelling “Wake Up Bill!”

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SANTORUM4PRESIDENT
Posted on February 15, 2012 at 12:21am
I have to say that I have wondered this myself, whether Fox is edging more to the left. It’s still a more conservative channel than any of the other mainstream ones combined, but when I keep seeing more liberals being hired and having a much louder voice than 3 years ago, I’m sorry but that does not seem like a coincidence. The only show I really watched from 2009 to 2011 was Glenn Beck; occasionally I would watch The Factor, but mainly when Glenn was on his show. Now I watch O’Reilly regularly and it’s still not as good as Beck. I can assure that if Glenn was on prime time instead of 5 p.m., his ratings would surpass Mr. Bill, no question. The fact he got in the top three in just one year at Fox proves that. Now about his “replacement” show, The Five? It’s decent I guess, but compared to Glenn’s show? Bullcrap. Just saying. Bob Beckel annoys me, Juan Williams annoys me, and so do many other liberals on that channel. I have a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t JUST the fact that Beck wanted to move on. I would not be surprised if certain people from the network got tired of him and wanted him out, despite the immense ratings. Miss you so much, Glenn. I’m SO thankful I can still listen to your three hour radio program every day. That means a lot! God bless you, sir.

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- JulieEtta
  Posted on February 15, 2012 at 8:18am
  I followed Glenn Beck to his network on the internet…. GBTV.com. I got rid of Dirctv all together. I got a Roku box and I stream GBTV, Netflix, and Many other channels right to my tv. My husband and I love it. If you liked Glenn on Fox, you will love him on his own network, His radio show from 9:00 to 12:00, his tv show from 5:00 to 7:00. A news show call The Real News @ 7:00. A comedy show and even a reality show. Its growing…and great. Check it out…. let Fox lean as far left as it wants…
  
  Report this comment
- SANTORUM4PRESIDENT
  Posted on February 16, 2012 at 3:27pm
  @JULIETTA I wish I could watch his GBTV, but we do not have high-speed internet where we live. We live out in the country and apparently do not get high-speed where we live. I’m not real familiar with it, but maybe once I get into college or something, I can get it. I miss seeing him everyday on the television. Glad you and your husband have it though! Again, at least I still have his radio show to listen to. Plus I sometimes go to youtube and upload portions of his GBTV show from there to watch. And of course there are still his books haha.
  
  Report this comment
markinhawaii
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:51pm
I have my concerns about Fox. They say fair and Balanced it all depends on the subject.

Guess you could watch the clipped **** Rag nag on MBSMBC or that fat guy I saw him the other day. I actually got sick to my stomach listening to him. He don’t breath the same air we do….saying and thinking like that !

Oh Course, this is just my Opinion and with that and $6.00 will get you a cup of Starbucks coffee.

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cidav8r
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 4:36pm
Fox has been going left for a while now. Fox and the History Channel were the last things worth watching on TV for me. They’ve both been ruined and are less than worthless now. I’ve cancelled my cable TV and started reading more. Probably should have done it a long time ago.

Report this comment
- HuckleberryFriend
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 5:10pm
  The history channel… man what a misnomer that one is. Turn on the history channel and what do you see?
  1. People pawning stuff
  2. Folks catching catfish with their hands.
  3. Guys chopping down trees
  4. Stupid conspiracy theories about aliens.
  5. Potential Apocalypse scenarios
  
  At least the stupid alien conspiracy theories are often tangentially related to historical evidence, but the rest IS NOT HISTORY. It is just TERRIBLE.
  
  You Tube Video on similar lines http://youtu.be/utDHcbiOfKY
  
  Report this comment
- ReleaseTheKracken
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 7:02pm
  We also get to see Larry The Cableguy in his underpants !
  
  Report this comment
Sr Newk
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 4:15pm
When Fox let go of the Judge Napolitano, because he brought for questions for the viewers to think about how political parties are similar. The only thing I can figure is he must of hit the establishment pretty close and it was just too close for comfort so they quickly eliminated the problem. The real problem is, Fox has just opened the door to its professionalism and credibility for the truth. The judge raised honest questions; he didn’t slam Fox or anyone in particular. So are we being duped by only considering only two candidates for the Presidency or should we really give it some thought and vote our conscience.

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OnePartyTyranny
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 2:01pm
Fox News has always been a leftist gatekeeper entertainment propaganda conglomerate. Even their allegedly conservative hosts continuously advocate big government, illegal taxation, debased currency and nation building.

There is no conservative television news network. Get a clue folks.

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Machtyn
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 1:49pm
Fox News: Unfair and Imbalanced
Fox News: We Manipulate, You Capitulate

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Machtyn
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 1:47pm
Their move to the far out has been a long progression, starting well before 2010. Just look at how badly they lied about Mitt Romney in 2008. Even now, they don’t have a good word to say about him, they don’t show his truly Conservative CPAC speech, and they have opportunists on that want to divide the Republican, not unite it, on to lie about Romney’s positions.

And it just isn’t Romney. Look at the stories they run. Hyper emotional slants on everything. They’ll reject a story if it doesn’t meet their narrative or command an emotional outrage response. They’ve lost my viewership long ago. They’ve been completely shutoff from my house since Dec. (My wife would watch, but not anymore.)

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- Firebrand
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 1:59pm
  So you’re a Romney supporter I guess? To get this straight, if Fox News isn’t fawning over your desired pick for president, obviously it’s a malicious conspiracy to prevent him from getting elected president. Is that correct?
  
  Report this comment
- Mike Liberation
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 2:13pm
  Its straight-up comedy how anyone can consider Mitt Romney a conservative. When asked what he did to contribute to conservatism, his reply was “I raised a family”. When giving his so-called ‘conservative’ speech at CPAC, he says he is “severely conservative”, a phrase that likely has never been uttered by another human being. He created Romneycare, the precursor to Obamacare. He has voted against gun rights repeatedly. And when asked to prove his pro-gun beliefs, he cites the fact that back as a kid he “hunted varmints”. Really? Who says that – Yosemite Sam? The guy is an automaton created by the establishment because he is malleable and controllable. A well-lubricated weathervane. Wake up – ANYBODY BUT ROMNEY 2012 !!!
  
  Report this comment
- Machtyn
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 2:27pm
  @Firebrand: I would note the report that 72% of on air remarks from all studios about Mitt Romney are negative. Even Newt Gingrich had a positive rating at 52%.
  
  @Mike Liberation: Oh, sure, all you heard was “Severely Conservative” and failed to hear him qualify that remark. Let me get that for you…
  
  “In business, if you’re not fiscally conservative, you’re bankrupt. I spent 25 years balancing budgets, eliminating waste, and keeping as far away from government as was humanly possible. I did things conservatism is designed for – I started new businesses and turned around broken ones. And I am not ashamed to say that I was very successful at it.
  
  I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism.
  
  As governor of Massachusetts, I had the unique experience of defending our conservative principles in the most liberal state in our union.
  
  When I took office, I was facing a $3 billion budget deficit and an economy in a tailspin.
  
  Even with a legislature that was 85% Democrat, I cut taxes 19 times and balanced the budget all four years. I cast over 800 vetoes and cut entire programs. I erased a $3 billion budget shortfall and left office with a $2 billion rainy day fund. If there was a program, an agency, or a department that needed cutting, we cut it. In fact, a commentator once said that I didn’t just go after the sacred cows, I went after the whole herd. And I can’t wait to get my hands on Washington.”
  
  There is much more after that, including his
  
  Report this comment
- Machtyn
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 2:41pm
  @Mike Liberation: Because of just how wrong you are, I have to create a second response.
  
  He created RomneyCare. True, with the help of The Heritage Foundation. Yep, the same place Rush Limbaugh promotes nearly daily. RomneyCare wasn’t a problem in 2008, it is a state solution to a state problem. Romney has repeatedly stated how he will set about the effort to repeal ObamaCare – because it is unconstitutional and the people don’t want it. In MA, the people wanted that solution. As Romney had MassCare written, it was a conservative plan… remember, that 85% liberal legislature and those 800+ vetoes? Yep, he was overturned on a bunch of those.
  
  Romney is Pro-2nd Amendment… (copied from “Conservative Samizdat”)
  “Romney has been accused of supporting gun control and expanding the Assault Weapons ban in Massachusetts. The reality is every year he was governor he worked with the NRA on legislation making small reforms to Massachusetts’ existing draconian gun control laws, considered a step forward for gunowners by the NRA. In 2005, he issued a proclamation declaring May 7 “Right to Bear Arms Day.” Gun Owners Action League, the Massachusetts gun organization, issued these statements about Romney’s record, “During the Romney Administration, no anti-second amendment or anti-sportsmen legislation made its way to the Governor’s desk. Governor Romney did sign five pro-second amendment/pro-sportsmen bills into law.”
  More information about this can be found a
  
  Report this comment
Petunia
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 1:46pm
Yes absolutely Fox has gone left… but so has Glenn Beck. He is supporting the ABR nonsense without doing the basic research into the records that I once expected of him.

Rick Santorum was part of the 2006 Congress that was the beginning of the TEA Party rising up against big spending in Congress. And part and parcel of the over spending Bush did… I thought Beck hated that! Yet Beck would return us to the big spending Bush years?

There is something very wrong happening with all of them. Beck included.

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henryKnox
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 1:37pm
I thought maybe it was just me. I stopped watching fox shortly after Glenn left because it seemed that they were trying to feed me the same propaganda that CNN and MSNBC was trying to feed us. I noticed a hard move to the left from foxnews and I find it offensive.

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- rekindle america
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 1:39pm
  I am with you on this fact!
  
  Report this comment
- ForMyKidsVA
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 2:04pm
  Me too. I used to have the TV on all day and just switched between fox news and fox business while I went about the housework. Once Glenn left, I realized how left fox news was getting and stopped watching. Once I found zerohedge.com, I stopped watching fox business.
  
  I think there are still good people on both channels but they are no longer telling it like it is like they used to. I now get all my news from the Internet and just listen to the regular household silence if I don’t have any GBTV shows to watch. Right now I’m listening to the dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer and the cat scratching in her litter box. The last one reminds me of what I hear when I listen to Obama.
  
  Report this comment
Leslie_Benedict
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 1:32pm
Has FauxNews joined the propaganda-spewing left?
Sadly, YES.
Wake up, America…you can no longer trust ANY network :(

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cemerius
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 12:26pm
As soon as Bill Oreilly got on his knees and almost screamed for Obama to higher him as a “czar” Fox lost me…the ONLY reason I remained was that Glenn was on at 5!! Brett Baier, John Stossel and Neil Cavuuto amongst others have remained true but, the “liberals” have been given a HUGE voice on Fox…….look at the “5 at 5″ and see how Beckle controls them(I have rarely watched this crap because of Beckle)…..fair and balanced maybe the best at it then the rest but Fox is MSM true and through…..

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- Fire Them All
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 12:51pm
  Do what I did, turn them off. I may watch just before I go to bed, but that’s only because the 5 does a good job of putting me to sleep.
  
  Report this comment
- Firebrand
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 2:03pm
  I’m going to make up a proverb to fit this way of thinking:
  
  A man on an island can only walk in a circle.
  
  Report this comment
SLARTIBARTFAST
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 12:22pm
I’m glad I cancelled my cable – what a waste of money, and Fox HAD been all that was left.

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HuckleberryFriend
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 11:10am
Bill O’reilly may be the face of Fox, but Stossel and the Judge have been the only reasons I have been inclined to watch Fox since Glenn left. Apparently Freedom Watch is now gone so Stossel is pretty much it for me. I wonder how long until they cut him too.

People started commenting on this progressive shifting of Fox before Glenn left. Maybe it is just the Overton window, maybe it is something more. As you can see online, all of Murdoch’s media outlets are being hammered by the UK and US governments along with a consistent smear campaign from Media Matters type folks. Maybe they were up to no good, maybe they weren’t but perhaps the political pressure could be the reason behind the erosion on their conservative viewpoint.

I would love to see GBTV, PJTV, Breitbart, Drudge, ReasonTV, MRCTV, Accuracy In Media (AIM) and the like join forces to fill this void being left by Fox. It would be pretty ideal. Make sure they bring Andrew Napolitano, and John Stossel with them too.

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A1955Rosie
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 11:07am
It’s clear there’s been something decided and I find it difficult to watch because it’s leaving me frustrated in what’s left unsaid. That wasn’t like them. Fortunately for me the timing is good because I’ve replaced most of “man TV” to Spiritual TV. Knowledge brings wisdom so I’m keeping GBTV but meat of media will be the Word.

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Atokaite
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 11:01am
Watched the return visit of Glenn last PM.
O Reilly simply ignored his comments, decided they were without basis..
FOX has indeed turned Centrist. I do have to admit, they still have the absolute best BASIC News coverage. The FIVE is about the only program that deals with any social issues of note.
The BLAZE, CNS News, still maintain a coverage on the NET worthy of comment.
For the NET Lurkers. For a good source of the OPPOSITE side, visit with decorum, the Leftist sites.
They give a prediction and predictable insight of the Obama campaign unread elsewhere.
Beware of there mind bending wordage, that will give an instant migrane.
Semper FI

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HarryT
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:52am
Something is going on, I don’t even like watching anymore for all the junk they are broadcasting. They are getting just like the rest, nbc,cbs,cnn

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LilBuddha
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:43am
I like to think that FOXnews at least makes an attempt to be fair and balanced. Once both arguments are presented from both sides, most people with common sense will choose the Conservative point of view. This can be a more powerful strategy than just shoving their view down our throats like MSNBC.

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NotaLemming
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:43am
Russ Spencer of Fox 5 in Atlanta reported in a side note that Roger Ailes of Fox News was making a Course Correction from the Hard Right Stance it had against Obama in the past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GszhIEgJH34

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swimmer1940
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:42am
I wonder how Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly enjoy the odor of Obama’s rear end.

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A Correspondent in Virginia
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:31am
When they cut the Judge of Fox Business, I knew the honeymoon was over.

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Cyberquill
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:15am
The direction the network veers is largely determined by the selection of Fox News soundbites one uses to show whatever kind of veering one wishes to demonstrate.

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Madmadgrandma
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:11am
Until there are more choices, it is Fox and GBTV, followed by BBC, CNN, ABC…

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Madmadgrandma
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:09am
I’ve watched the gradual shift…Until there is another choice it is Fox…

Report this comment
- Petunia
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 1:53pm
  You are like a plasic frog… ask Beck he can show you what I mean.
  
  Report this comment
REVerse
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:04am
FoxNews? Who’s that? :)

I don’t watch news. I listen to news on shortwave and AM broadcast. If it is on TV- forget it. TV is for jobless couch potatoes.

Report this comment
- Wayner
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 10:41am
  Well whoop-te-doo to you Reverse….. And why are there so many jobless couch potatoes? Thanks to the MSM of which Fox is quickly becoming a part of…. the Tea Party is being branded as a bunch of racist bigots which is the exact opposite of the truth…. I was fine with Herman Cain until Fox News contributed to his bringing down.
  
  Report this comment
- Petunia
  Posted on February 14, 2012 at 1:52pm
  Gee Wayner… is that the same TEA Party that was co opted by the disgraced Congressman turned lobbyist Dick Armey… I was TEA party too. But not now. You have become the stereotype of the bigoted non thinking sheeple the left portrayed… If you can follow someone like Armey… you are part of the problem not the solution.
  
  Report this comment

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