Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The mistake of a “Foxy” Sarah Palin


Gummy Rubbers
Originally uploaded by mdt1960
OK, so I’m not a Fox News fan and I’m certainly not a Sarah Palin fan, but that doesn’t mean I wish eternal damnation for both. And so, I don’t get it.

How does a network that uses the jingle “fair and balanced” believe that bringing Sarah Palin on board is going to give them more credibility in the fair and balanced arena? How do they expect skeptics like me to tune in when they’ve taken another step toward the dark side? Talk about reinforcing stereotypes that have everything to do with Fox News being way right of center—and thus off-balance...

Perhaps what is most saddening is they let Lou Dobbs slip away after he left CNN unexpectedly. Who knows, maybe he’s still on their line, and they simply haven’t reeled him in yet. He’s every bit as big a fish as Palin and much more substantial.

And I’m not as naive as I sound. I understand what this is all about—ratings folks, ratings! But at what cost? Fox News is one step away from becoming the classified television version of a supermarket tabloid magazine like the Globe or National Enquirer—neither one known for their astute journalism ethics/practices.

And if Fox News can’t get Lou Dobbs, perhaps they should look at Oliver North or Ted Nugent and leave Sarah Palin to QVC... which will undoubtedly send sales through the roof.

PS: Do you suppose there is any chance that Sarah Palin will get to return the favor and interview Katie Couric? Perhaps Palin can ambush Couric herself with questions like, “So Katie, what do you read?” At the least, I’d tune in for that!

3 comments:

haiku curmudgeon said...

Agreed DQ. It IS about ratings ... and oh yea, spreading the gospel of the wing nuts on the far out fringe.

Rosen

Scott Feyhl said...

I've pondered the appeal of this "all American" girl from the first debate. At first I felt sorry for her because she was evidently pulled out of a nail salon in Alaska to dress up a tired out McCain. But when she charged out with that charisma thing it was unnerving. I mean she has a smile and twinkle in her eye that seems to say "I'll bet you'd like to get to know me, now wouldn't ya!" I don't really think she will change the atmosphere at Fox much though. I can't wait for those insightful interviews with regular Americans!

Unknown said...

Ratings and the almighty dollar...Fox is not alone in their "balanced and unbiased" reporting, MSNBC, CNN and every local station reports what and when their corporate sponsors dictate. Gone are the days of true news reporters like Chet Huntley, David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite. Guys (sorry ladies) who were hired for their stoic nature to sit in front of a camera and just report everything that happened, not editorialize. Today (again sorry ladies) you need a short skirt, great legs & bosoms and the ability to somewhat read a teleprompter and you can become a news "reporter" whose primary responsibility is to raise the awareness of your network and draw viewers to your sponsors commercials by reporting absolutely anything your stations wants.