![]() It is therefore the aim of this thesis to take a closer look at the particularities of Fox News and to examine the nature of its political bias. The fact that it is at the same time one of the most controversial news outlets in the country makes it a subject well worthy of investigation. The following statements are only a few examples of such accusations made by prominent public figures and organizations: CNN founder Ted Turner, for example, called Fox News a “propaganda voice” 1 for the Bush administration former New York Times executive editor Howell Raines observes that “or the first time since the yellow journalism of a century ago, the United States has a major news organization devoted to the promotion of one political party” 2 Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy concluded that “fter all, Fox News is nothing more than a 24/7 political ad for the GOP,” the media watchdog organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) states that “ith the ascendance of Fox News Channel, we now have a national conservative TV network in addition to the established centrist outlets,” 3 and even conservative columnist and Fox News contributor Jonah Goldberg admits that “ does lean to the right, primarily in its opinion programming but also in its story selection and elsewhere.” 4 To many people it seems common knowledge that Fox is not the fair and balanced network it purports to be.Īs today’s most watched news network in the United States, Fox News has got a considerable potential to shape public opinion. Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News Channel has been accused innumerable times of violating journalistic values and presenting a very conservative perspective of the news. ![]() The public, unable to verify most of the information for themselves, face the dilemma of deciding whom to believe. More interested in the profits that can be made from entertaining and pleasing consumers than in providing objective information for an informed citizenry, many media outlets offer distinct foci, perspectives and versions of the news, sometimes to the point of contradicting each other. With the amalgamation of politics and economy and the rise of huge corporations controlling essential parts of the media market, the face of the news has changed visibly over the last decades. It is due to this supervisory function as a political watchdog that the media is often referred to as “the fourth branch” of government. In modern democratic states it is the role of the media, particularly the news media, to provide the citizens with the kind of secure knowledge of reality that forms the basis of democratic processes. ![]() One of the most important premises for a functioning democracy, however, is a well-informed public with the ability to take the decisions that best serve its ends. Yet, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain reliable information, to know which sources are trustworthy. Never has information been so abundant, profuse and easily accessible as in our age of mass media and globalization. 2 The Heuristic-Systematic Model of PersuasionĢ.2 Variables Influencing Information Processingģ Falling for the Fox: Persuasive Cues in Fox News Reportingģ.1 The Credibility Heuristic: “Experts (and Fox) Can Be Trusted”ģ.2 The Likeability Heuristic: “People I Like Have Correct Opinions”ģ.3 The Numeracity Heuristic: “Consensus Implies Correctness”ģ.4 The Familiarity Heuristic: “It Must Be True Because I’ve Heard It Before”ģ.5 Emotion as a Heuristic Cue: “How Do I Feel About It?”
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