I Come Here Now To Praise A Show On Fox News Channel

[Syrinx]

I'm speaking of "Fox News Watch."

Believe it or not, this is a show that actually seems to be "Fair And Balanced."

It airs late on Saturday afternoons with repeats in the wee weekend hours (not surprisingly). But that it airs at all on FNC is very surprising.

I don't know anything about the host Eric Burns, except that he seems to be the epitome of an honest moderator. How he ever scored the gig at Fox is beyond my comprehension, but that is beside the point. It's a good show for wonks who like this sort of thing.

Neal Gabler is, predictably, my favorite panelist on the show, but even Cal Thomas, the reactionary syndicated columnist, seems cool and reasonable under the "moderation" of host Burns.

Gabler is not afraid to criticize Fox, his employer, for its constant right-wing excesses, and surprisingly he hasn't been canned yet.

I'm not saying you should watch Fox News (probably, you shouldn't), but if you happen to go slumming in cable-land, give this show a try.

[thefloyd]

1. Fox News Watch does a good job

I watched every once in a while before I erased Fox from the channel lineup.

[Minnesota Libra]

2. Faux News with anything "Fair and Balanced"?? They probably..............

....haven't got any other neocon/fundie replacement:shrug: for those time slots yet.:eyes: I can't stand Faux News, I'd :puke: before the second segment.:blush:

[Syrinx]

3. Seriously, it's a good show

Even Keith Olbermann touted them somewhere or other, I hear. Let me see if I can google it...

Okay...

"That's right, I put a show from Fox News on my list. This is apparently the program Roger Ailes created to fulfill some legal requirement that his network actually be at least .0005% 'fair and balanced.' A weekly roundtable on media coverage in which the conservatives (Jim Pinkerton and the woefully-hair dyed Cal Thomas) often burst out in liberalism, and the liberals (Neal Gabler and Jane Hall) often finger-wag conservatively. How host Eric Burns can maintain such a program of actual value on a network devoted to reinforcing prejudices and stereotypes, is testament to his integrity as a journalist. Skip the last segment - the viewer e-mails are apparently all from mental patients."

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/msnbc/olbermann_loves_fox_news_watch_28284.asp

[Disturbed]

4. It seems that's the only show on Fox that is...

bearable. I've sampled quite a few and most are RW crap.

[Minnesota Libra]

5. Olbermann likes it???? Maybe I'll make a point of checking it............

....out once or twice and then go from there. Hey, thanks for the review, :hug:now that helped!!!:toast:

[Syrinx]

10. What? You trust Keith more than me?

How can that be? ;)

[Minnesota Libra]

12. That's just plain cute!!!!! I'm...............

.....:rofl: :hug: :rofl: :hug: :rofl:

[mwb970]

6. It's a great show.

My second favorite news show, after Countdown. Amazing that it's on Fox! I especially like Jim Pinkerton, whom I never see anywhere else.

By the way, it is preceded by "The Beltway Boys" (Sunday, 6-6:30), which is fun in a more traditional Foxish way. Fred Barnes sticks up for Bush no matter what and is always wrong about everything, which is amusing (to me). Mort Kondracke is only wrong about half the time and is always trying to get Fred back in the corral.

The two shows together make for the best hour of the week on Fox.

[Syrinx]

8. I remember when Kondracke was a liberal

Nowadays he shines Fred Barnes' shoes. I'm sad Michael J. Fox ever got caught up with him (that parkinsons tv movie).

[ObaMania]

11. What changed my mind about Mort was..

.. when Millie died, it was around the 2000 election and he *seemed* to take no time to mourn. He was back on within days to whore it up with Brit and Special Report.

[ObaMania]

9. I like it too.

'Course I could do without Cal Thomas. The rest of the people do a good job.

On the Beltway Boys.. still the same ol' same ol' from FAUX. Fred and Mort are * whores to the max.

[Neil Lisst]

7. it's one of the best news shows on TV, ironic as that might be

they just about bury it, too

I usually catch it in the wee hours.

[Syrinx]

13. weird, isn't it?

They intentionally bury their best, fairest show. Why do they even bother to make it? I guess to say "hey we make the best show." Even though nobody sees it. Weird, but apparently effective. :(

[Neil Lisst]

15. I'll tell you two they need to bury: Steve Forbes' show and the WSJ show

OMG, Paul Gigot sucks harder on TV than in print.

[Syrinx]

16. I won't argue with you there

Wall Street Journal is probably the best newspaper in America -- if you leave out the Op-Ed section. I don't understand how they can let their credibility be so sullied by the lunatics, like Gigot, on the "opinion" side.

[Neil Lisst]

18. the WSJ show on Fox is virtually unwatchable

Rutner, Cavuto, and Asman all have cackling clowns on, spouting their "Dems suck, free market great, cut more taxes!" message. Those are amusing like watching keystones cops is amusing.

But Gigot? OMG, the guy is B O R I N G.

And his guests are worse.

[tishaLA]

14. I Generally like it, but

they constantly do three things that annoy the shit out of me and make me write emails:

1. They talk about "controversies" about films, which is not really covering the news. And the films they cover are always from Fox studios and they never make a point of saying so. It's an obvious conflict of interest.

2. They address "issues" that have gotten traction in the RW echo chamber and assiduously avoid issues in the progressive blogosphere.

3. The editorial frame of the issues is still Foxified. I remember the furious email I sent to the show during the Alito nomination: in the pre-commercial bumper, the voice-over said, "Will Jersey homeboy Sam Alito...." It made me crazy because it was an intentional effort to humanize someone who, as far as I can tell, is actually anti-human. But it is also one of those things they always do....attempting to narrativize as RWers. Gabler is the only one who really escapes that problem.

[Syrinx]

17. I agree with you

[Syrinx]

20. as I said, I (kind of) agree with you

I was finally getting sleepy, so I wasn't very expansive. (To say the least.)

I do think they frame the issues in a right-wingy kind of way... it is Fox after all. However, the ensuing debate is civil and even-handed. There's not a lot of shouting on the show. And liberal points of view are not only tolerated, but seemingly welcomed. Really weird. :crazy:

[ComerPerro]

19. Here's why I still insist that the show is pathetic, right wing crap

Because it treats right wing bullshit talking points, often based on nothing but conjecture and empty rhetoric, as though they were legitimate arguments and literal fact.

Sorry, but the ravings of a fanatic extremist can not and should not be given the same weight and merit and time as a solid argument.