Opinion: Fox News Lies in the Journalistic Gutter

Matthew Trevithick
Fox News: Here's a Nice Hot Cuppa Misinformation!

You can't expect much in terms of journalistic integrity when it comes to Fox News, I mean they are Fox News after all. Journalistic integrity is a term never before heard, nor understood, by anybody who walks within the walls of its Manhattan headquarters. Since its creation in 1996, the network has been known for its conservative bias, and its denial of said bias; though anybody that graduated elementary school could tell you that Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Bill Orally (sorry, that's O'Reilly) have never been fair nor balanced, as much as the station touted so. During the Bush administration, the network periodically accepted, and read on-air, right-wing talking points from both the White House [1], and the right-wing fringe organization the Media Research Center, run by the near-delusional Brent Bozell [2], showing that when it came to real hard hitting news, the station was being spoon fed propaganda, which it inevitably regurgitated to its viewers.

News Corp. - owners of Fox News and numerous other journalistic institutions like the New York Post and, unfortunately, the Wall Street Journal to name a few - is headed by Rupert Murdoch, a global media powerhouse, famous in the name of turning once honest and well noted publications, into tabloid rags you later find littered amongst the trash on a subway platform. A prime example, the Wall Street Journal; the voice of business America and Wall Street, had in 2007, its owners and publishers (the Dow Jones company) acquired by Murdoch's media conglomerate. It still is highly touted as a newspaper of record, but little nuggets of conservative bias have been popping up here and there since [3][4].

It's obvious that Fox News and its counterparts along the News Corp. ladder, have, in short, never been those to stick to the facts, but instead rely on (as Stephen Colbert would say truthiness: truth that comes from the gut [5].) Their use of political talking points and more, opinion/rambling based journalism, have in recent times caused them to lose the reputation as a fact-based news station, if they ever had that reputation to begin with. The cable channel has frequently come under fire for controversial remarks made by its presenters, and pundits (a simple YouTube search yields numerous clips that can be used as examples.) So it's not to ones surprise that one of their hosts may, and will, say something so offensive and over the line, that a even a whole country is left demanding an apology. Because that is just what happened.

During Fox News Channel's 3AM "comedy-talk show" 'Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld,' Gutfeld made crass remarks about Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie's recent comment that the military (Canadian Forces) may need a year to recover after Canada's mission in Afghanistan ends in 2011. "Meaning, the Canadian military wants to take a breather to do some yoga, paint landscapes, run on the beach in gorgeous white Capri pants," he said. Fellow panelist and comedian Doug Benson piped in "I didn't even know they were in the war ... I thought that's where you go if you don't want to fight. Go chill in Canada." [6] They continued to mock the RCMP, and noted that since we 'didn't have an army', if the US ever pondered the idea of invading a western country, now would be the time to do it.

Greg Gutfeld is the former editor of the UK edition of the mens magazine "MAXIM" as well as "Stuff." Watching previous episodes of the show on the programs website, also noting the time it airs, its safe to say that the program doesn't have a large amount of viewers on the Fox News lineup. Unfortunatly it is still watched by 390,000 viewers, on average, according to Neilsen. Defense Minister Peter MacKay appeared on CTV Newsnet early Monday, saying "It's crass, it's insensitive, it's in fact disgusting given the timing where Canada is just receiving back four fallen heroes here at CFB Trenton," [7] noting that the comment came just days before news broke that 4 more Canadian soldiers had died in Afghanistan. Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli, Cpl. Tyler Crooks, Trooper Jack Bouthillier, and Trooper Corey Joseph Hayes, were killed in two separate IED blasts on Friday, injuring another five soldiers, bringing the total count of Canadian soldiers killed to 116. [8] Its curious to wonder just how many viewers see the show as either a 'satirical commentary' or 'hard hitting opinion,' but it should be noted that the show is not meant to be taken as a serious news or opinion show, thankfully.

Because of the remark, Gutfeld has since apologized: "The March 17th episode of Red Eye included a segment discussing Canada's plan for a 'synchronized break,' which was in no way an attempt to make light of troop efforts ... However, I realize that my words may have been misunderstood. It was not my intent to disrespect the brave men, women and families of the Canadian military, and for that I apologize." [9]

This is an opinion piece.

Sources:
1 - ThinkProgress.org
2 - Media Matters for America
3 - ThinkProgress.org
4 - The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC - Mar. 20, 2009)
5 - Merriam Webster Online
6/9 - CBC News (Same article)
7 - CTV News
8 - CBC News

Facebook Changes Again, 94% Hate It.

Matthew Trevithick
I Love You Just the Way You are Baby!

Oh it was only yesterday, when Facebook decided to change the websites appearance. The hullabaloo, the anger, the resulting Facebook groups all devoted to changing the website back to the way it was, its like it was all a dream.

Facebook has been one to change its looks. Between the time I joined, and today, the website has 'revamped' itself a total of 4 times, including the change they unveiled a week ago.

The new Facebook is one that screams similarity to the popular website Twitter, the mini-blogging site, that gives you 140 characters to answer the question, "What are you doing?" A note of similarity, is Facebook's new status question "What's on your mind?" No doubt that similarity was intentional.

According to a third-party application available on the Facebook website, that asks users to rate the new home page / profile redesign with either a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down," it was found that 94% of the nearly 800,000 voters, voted with a "thumbs down."[1] Never has there been such a bad backlash against a Facebook redesign. Even the one that sparked a plethora of "Change Facebook Back!" groups was still eventually accepted. Most of the people who voted, left a comment alongside, usually centered around "I was just getting used to the other Facebook!"

Some are saying that the voting system is rigged, because the only people who would add the application in the first place, would be people who are highly opinionated about the redesign. But unfortunately for Zuckerberg (the man behind the behemoth) it shows just how users will respond, when your best intentions, should have just been intentions to begin with.

What a Rush of Idiocy

Matthew Trevithick
Just a quick rant..

If the idea of having 13.5 million people listen to your incoherent ramblings on a weekly basis sounds daunting, then there is one man you should ask for advice. Every week, in his underground Florida studio, where no common logic can find him, he sits in front of his golden microphone, and talks to one of the largest groups of radio listeners in America. Who is this man? I'm talking about Rush Limbaugh.

It seems evident that the loudest voice in America, is – as it also appears, the loudest voice in the Republican party – is Rush Limbaugh, not only because he has been the talking head that has stirred up controversy for so long, but because now he thinks he is leading the GOP. The idea of Rush leading has already garnered a resignation request on the current head of the GOP, Michael Steele, by Ada Fisher, North Carolina's national committeewoman, on the basis of Steele ‘eroding confidence in the GOP.’

Its no Doubt that Steele has tried some off the wall tactics to get Republicans to look like something other than Republicans, by using such ideas as applying party principles to “urban-surburban hip-hop settings.” But if Steele resigned, who would take his place? Limbaugh, or the guy who created the “Barack the Magic Negro” CD that was passed around as a Christmas gift.

His previous remarks about Michael J. Fox “faking” the shaking that occurs from his Parkinson’s medication, his rant about feminists and that the whole idea of feminism was “… established to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream,” as well as that whole “Barack the Magic Negro” thing (which he played on his show), have never stirred up as much controversy as the one he said in January, amidst a falling economy, lost jobs and the like. “I Hope Obama Fails.”

At a time like this, he wants Obama to fail? Should he be more specific on the basis of, what exactly it is that he wants to fail, the President himself, or liberalism, because if its coming from Rush, you never quite know. Its one thing to want someone to fail, but to want a president to fail, at a time like this, is basically saying you want the country to fail along with him. Should Barack Obama even try and reach out to the Republican side? Every time he does, it seems the Republicans don't even want to bother looking for solutions.

It seems now that comedian Rush Limbaugh probably likes the idea of being the head honcho of the most embarrassing political party in America. The party that in the last eight years, started a war on false pretenses (and with the wrong country), created an education system that did leave children behind, put America in an economic recession, and tortured innocent people alive in a military base in Cuba, to name a few. If he were to run the GOP, his listeners – the white middle-aged, christian conservative demographic – would most likely be so overjoyed that their leader was taking charge, they might as well be shouting “Rush Rush Rush,” till the cow came home. That cow, being Rush Limbaugh.

Scientists Develop New Battery: Charge Cellphone in Seconds

Two researchers have developed battery cells that can charge up in less time than it takes to read the first two sentences of this article. The work could eventually produce ultra-fast power packs for everything from laptop computers to electric vehicles.

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