Why Fox News Is Terrible Despite Rupert Murdoch's Rhetoric

Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly at 9:28 AM on June 9, 2009.

Fox News' Neil Cavuto "interviewed" Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch yesterday, and the News Corp. CEO denied that the obvious propaganda network has a partisan slant.

"If we weren't fair and balanced, we wouldn't have the number one network in news -- by a very wide margin. People believe we're fair and balanced, and they love us."

It's interesting how often this comes up, in a variety of contexts. If a movie makes a lot of money, it must be a great film -- if it weren't terrific, it wouldn't have been a blockbuster. If an album goes to the top of the charts, it must be the work of talented musicians -- if there was no real talent, the music wouldn't be a hit.

But this is an absurd way to measure quality. Bad movies make money, awful television shows get huge ratings, and no-talent musicians can churn out hits. In the same vein, confused, hard-core partisan may "love" Fox News, but that in no way reflects quality or professionalism. It's a ridiculous cable news networks, created to serve as an arm of the Republican Party. That Republicans prefer it, "by a very wide margin," tells us nothing about the credibility of the broadcasts.

Murdoch -- who probably knows better, but enjoys playing along -- has it backwards. The Fox News audience doesn't tune in because standards-free media professionals offer "fair and balanced" coverage of the news; viewers tune in precisely because they're looking for a Republican spin on reality, and Fox News delivers.

I can't tell what's more annoying -- the network making a mockery of professional journalism, or the network maintaining the facade that it's a legitimate, objective outlet.

Tagged as: republicans, fox news, murdoch, corporate media, conservative media

Steve Benen is "blogger in chief" of the popular Washington Monthly online blog, Political Animal. His background includes publishing The Carpetbagger Report, and writing for a variety of publications, including Talking Points Memo, The American Prospect, the Huffington Post, and The Guardian. He has also appeared on NPR's "Talk of the Nation," MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show," Air America Radio's "Sam Seder Show," and XM Radio's "POTUS '08."