Why Fox News Is Un-American
That Rupert Murdoch may tilt the news rightward more for commercial than ideological reasons is beside the point. What matters is the way that Fox's model has invaded the bloodstream of the American media. By showing that ideologically distorted news can drive ratings, Ailes has provoked his rivals at CNN and MSNBC to develop a variety of populist and ideological takes on the news. In this way, Fox hasn't just corrupted its own coverage. Its example has ... Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala - via Jay Rosen, MuckRack, Nicholas Kristof, Newsweek, Memeorandum
There used to be a 'fairness' doctrine forradio and tv , abandoned in some deregulatory era. This allowed the polarization we see now. However, in the past a lot of smaller town media were very conservative and focussed on flashy but inconsequential items. In urban areas there was more balance. So I'm not sure about the statement of distinctiveness of American media. Independent, yes, but very partisan much of the time..