[Rudey]

Sure, but less talk about opinions and surveys and more talks about studies.

-Rudey

Originally posted by DeltAlum
I'm talking about ANY survey -- whether about FOX News, CNN, the price of eggs in Great Britain, whether cigarette smoking is good for cows -- it doesn't matter.

My opinion (important word: opinion) is based on the principals running the network whom I either know fairly well or have at least met. By the way, that goes for other networks, too -- although I don't know that many people at CNN.

I watched part of Brit Hume's show last night. He, at least, has a background in network journalism, and seems to me to at least give the pretense of covering both sides of a story. The outcome was that during the 30 minutes or so that I watched, every single story (except for the hurricane) was Republican based. Even on the story of The President's bad showing in a recent poll, the only interview was with the GOP media advisor who gave the Republican "spin" on the survey. The rest mentioned the Democrats only in passing. I don't know what kind of news day it was overall, but surely Kerry and Edwards did something.

I've also sat on the other side of the one way mirror during focus group surveys, etc and helped craft survey questions. For years, the cigarette industry could "prove" that their product isn't harmful. The drug companies can "prove" their products work by paying for slanted surveys.

As they say, "Figures lie and liers figure."

One final thought. Maybe we're at the point where media won't even give the impression of "fairness." I don't think anyone will agrue that talk radio isn't heavily oriented toward the political right. So, if that's what the public wants, so be it. Those of us who grew up under the so called "Fairness Doctrine" of the Communications Act of 1934, later amended, will just have to learn to deal with the change in paradigm. But let's not be hipocritical about it. If it's OK for radio and FOX to be tilted right, let's stop bitching about other networks being tilted left. It's been that way in newspapers -- who were never controlled by an agency like the FCC -- for many years.

I don't like it, but I'm only one voice and one opinion -- even though highly experienced are reasonably well educated on on the topic.