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O'Reilly acknowledges Fox News is a "traditional right-leaning network"

November 03, 2009 8:51 pm ET

From the November 3 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

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    • Author by juliajayne1 (November 03, 2009 9:05 pm ET)
      7  
      Having a persecution complex must be a requirement to work at Fox News. Oy.
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    • Author by News Corpse (November 03, 2009 9:06 pm ET)
      5  
      In addition to admitting that Fox is a "traditional right-leaning network," he also confessed that being on such a network means that "you will never, ever be liked again by anyone."

      Wow! In the space of 42 seconds O'Reilly said two things that are true.
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    • Author by mookie von zipper (November 03, 2009 10:25 pm ET)
        5
      i'm sure he refers to the punditry as opposed to the reportage and it's hardly the first time he or anyone else at fox has acknowledged this... and it's not news to viewers who can tell the difference between page 1 and the editorial page... the day that olbermann or maddow admit that msnbc is left-leaning would be newsworthy...

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      • Author by IRONY 101 (November 03, 2009 10:29 pm ET)
        4  
        "...and it's not news to viewers who can tell the difference between page 1 and the editorial page..."

        Not in my experience with FOX viewers. They regard the lies and lunacy of Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck as absolute gospel truth. You may know the difference between reportage and punditry but the average FOX viewer obviously doesn't. Otherwise, how can you explain FOX's loyal following...because they like the news coverage? Ha...! Yea, right...
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        • Author by mookie von zipper (November 03, 2009 11:24 pm ET)
            7
          i understand fox's top rated shows are opinion shows... but bret baier is a newscast... his numbers are roughly equal with olbermann and maddow combined, both opinion shows...

          as for the "average fox viewer"?... i suspect you're privy to some demographics that support your low opinion of him/her, complete with the standard descriptions of chewing tobacco and nascar... i also suspect this average fox viewer has heard beck, hannity and o'reilly on many occasions state that they are conservatives... the fact that during the course of their broadcast olbermann or maddow won't admit to being liberal says a lot about the low opinion they have of their own audience...

          and finally, this fox viewer of yours who can't tell the difference between punditry and reportage, put obama in office, by virtue of the fact that more dems watch fox than cnn and msnbc combined... if what you say is true, then what does this say about his supporters?...

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          • Author by DellDolly (November 04, 2009 3:00 am ET)
            1  
            Actually, we are familiar with the average FoxNews viewer - the ones who are most likely to believe that Saddam and 9/11 were linked, or that we found WMD's in Iraq, for example, out of all consumers of news information surveyed!

            And we have seen the multiple arguments that it is we liberals who don't understand the difference between the opinion shows and the news shows, or that we unfairly attack the opinion shows and hold them to the same standards are their news shows, or that we don't use the same standards to go after MSNBC.

            But none of them are true. MSNBC's journalists don't lie about stuff like FoxNews does. Their opinion journalists don't distort, mislead and omit relevant data like those on FoxNews do.

            Your accusations are baseless.
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          • Author by blk-in-alabam (November 04, 2009 7:09 am ET)
               
            Republican party media have been told by their lawyers to say they are conservative media.This is weak cover for the many federal election laws they violate.Republican party media needs to admit that they are republican party media.
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          • Author by bintx (November 04, 2009 9:47 am ET)
               
            Rachel Maddow is quite upfront about being liberal.

            The reason more "dems" watch Fox than CNN and MSNBC combined is because in most cable outlets, CNN and FOX are the only two choices. MSNBC is not available in most basic cable packages.

            Your arguments are lame, mookie.

            Oh, and I'm not a liberal and am a former Fox News watcher. When they became the propaganda arm of the decidedly non-conservative Bush Administration and then the decidedly non-conservative Republican Party and started pushing the phony conservatism of Beck, O'Reilly and Hannity . . . I turned them off. More thinking people should do the same.
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      • Author by bintx (November 04, 2009 9:43 am ET)
           
        Fox has admitted that of its 24 hour day, only the hours between 9-4 are what they would call "news." However, if you watch Fox during the day, it is littered with more opinion than news, even on Baier's show. The problem is that it has been my experience, even on this site, that most Fox viewers are NOT able to tell the difference between news and opinion.

        I'm not sure why you are bringing Olbermann and Maddow into this discussion. Whether they are left-leaning or not has nothing to do with the issue at hand. Fox describes itself as a "Fair and Balanced NEWS" network which it quite obviously IS NOT. At least they are finally owning up to their ridiculously obscene bias.
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    • Author by IRONY 101 (November 03, 2009 10:26 pm ET)
      4  
      What exactly is "traditional" about the right wing lunacy of Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity? That may be traditional on FOX...but not in the real world.

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      • Author by juliajayne1 (November 04, 2009 12:53 am ET)
        3  
        Traditionally idiotic maybe? I dunno. I guess it makes sense to the eejit on stilts and his band of rude dogs.
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    • Author by teabaggers ♥ [wing]NUTS (November 03, 2009 10:51 pm ET)
      2  
      dude, make up your mind. youve always claimed that your channel's primetime lineup is fair and down the middle, and now its traditionally leaning to the right? whatever you say... id love for you to keep admitting that.
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      • Author by mookie von zipper (November 03, 2009 11:28 pm ET)
          7
        "fair and balanced" doesn't mean having to be a moderate... it's means reporting facts during newscasts and hearing opposing views on opinion shows...

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        • Author by fairliberal (November 03, 2009 11:59 pm ET)
            9
          They forget that regardless of the "lean " of Fox, they actually present opposing views, and with the exception of Beck almost always have liberal or democratic representation on the opinion shows. When they can find any who are willing to actually discuss the issues, that is. There are some, say what you like about Barney Frank, he is always willing to come on and "duke it out". It's too bad the Obama administration is not brave enough. If Fox is lying it would be simple enough to come on and refute them. Instead they go on other netwoks that are more sympathetic to them and level charges against Fox. How courageous.

          "Change we can believe in"

          I did see Olbermann talk to a righty once. But it was when he was on ESPN and he was talking to a right handed pitcher.
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          • Author by bintx (November 04, 2009 9:52 am ET)
            1  
            No, fairliberal, they don't have "fair and balanced" discussions. They have the host inviting people to come on with opposing viewpoints and then, when that person with the opposing viewpoint tries to talk, the host or his sidekick talks over them or shouts them down and calls it the "No Spin Zone." O'Reilly's one of the biggest spinners on Fox.

            Your loyalty to Fox is rather bizarre, you know. It is a TELEVISION network, that's all. Try watching REAL entertainment for a change. You'll be a happier person.
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            • Author by MickD (November 04, 2009 9:55 am ET)
                 
              I find Fox viewers to be very sensitive about their viewership, as if it is a badge of honor. Hey FL, they're corporate whores. Cheer all you want.
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              • Author by mookie von zipper (November 04, 2009 9:33 pm ET)
                   
                news corp is not the only corporate media whore, take your pick: ge, disney, viacom, time/warner, sony, hearst...

                i get my news from an independent source: the onion...

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              • Author by mookie von zipper (November 04, 2009 9:34 pm ET)
                   
                news corp is not the only corporate media whore, take your pick: ge, disney, viacom, time/warner, sony, hearst...

                i get my news from an independent source: the onion...

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          • Author by teabaggers ♥ [wing]NUTS (November 04, 2009 8:37 pm ET)
               
            They forget that regardless of the "lean " of Fox


            why do you have lean in quotes? as if they dont really lean to the right?

            It's too bad the Obama administration is not brave enough.


            not brave enough? obama and his administration have been on fox news a number of times. did you forget obama's interview with oreilly? or the one, i believe during the primaries, with major garrett or some anchor on fox. just because its not as much as the unprecedented access that the bush white house had during the last 8 years, you wingnuts go crazy.

            If Fox is lying it would be simple enough to come on and refute them.


            why should obama give fox news the satisfaction and come on refuting facts? thats what the entire interview would be... just crosstalk and attempting to muddy anything the president says.

            "Change we can believe in"


            you know what is one kind of "change" i can believe in? fox news not having a president it drools over, and instead just attacking him because of their far-right agenda which further solidifies their lack of credibility.
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        • Author by DellDolly (November 04, 2009 3:04 am ET)
          2  
          But they don't report facts only during their broadcast. They promote partisan events, which fair and balanced news organizations don't do. They use 'questions' to smear the left - not a fair and balanced thing to do.

          MMFA has documented many events where misleading information has bled over into the news from the opinion shows.

          And too often, FoxNews didn't acknowledge their right-leaning tendencies! You're just not being honest.
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        • Author by teabaggers ♥ [wing]NUTS (November 04, 2009 8:24 pm ET)
             
          it's means reporting facts during newscasts


          get back to me when they finally manage to do that.
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          • Author by mookie von zipper (November 04, 2009 8:59 pm ET)
               
            ok, i will... wait for it... there, they did it...

            glad i could help...

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            • Author by teabaggers ♥ [wing]NUTS (November 04, 2009 11:38 pm ET)
                 
              so bill oreilly stating that fox news is a "traditional right-leaning network" is "reporting facts during newscasts"? when did oreilly graduate from opinion and actually start reporting? he had a better chance of doing that on inside edition.
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              • Author by mookie von zipper (November 05, 2009 9:18 am ET)
                   
                you must be replying to someone else, as i've never characterized o'reilly as a reporter or news anchor, nor do i consider the "o'reilly factor" to be a newscast...

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    • Author by jbraskin4786 (November 03, 2009 11:12 pm ET)
      1  
      Honesty for once over there.
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    • Author by Sharpe (November 04, 2009 1:58 am ET)
         
      O'rielly could be describing the obama administration right now if you switch liberal and right and switch Fox and Obama's staff - you join obama's staff and immediately become a target - Van Jones, Sebelius, Jennings, Solis, Emanuelle, Sunstein, Holdren. All democrats in the executive branch and some specifically in the cabinet. But they never target paulson or geitner - god forbid.
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      • Author by christopher howard (November 04, 2009 7:02 am ET)
        1  
        "Beck found this out when he came over from CNN."

        O'Reilly, I disliked Beck when he worked for the supposedly liberal CNN.
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    • Author by bintx (November 04, 2009 9:35 am ET)
      1  
      Actually, NO . . . there is nothing "traditional" about the crap that Fox shovels. It may be heavily loaded toward the current definition of the "right," but traditional, it ain't.
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    • Author by robyn20094113 (November 04, 2009 1:12 pm ET)
         
      Bill O'Reilly, talks out of both sides of his mouth, at the same time....."We are the fair and balanced network" "We are a traditional right-leaning network"
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