Yellow Journalism

I don't know anything about the blog "SwashZone", but they wrote a great, well-documented piece about yellow journalism both past and present.

Check it out.

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Fox, why are you doing this to me?

I have been a lukewarm defender of Fox News in the past. Most of their op-ed stuff is pretty biased, but the "news" portion of their broadcast wasn't all that bad and they usually get some fairly bright commentators and panels. They certainly weren't any worse than most of the rest of the MSM. Maybe I have just been getting more crotchety, but I have less tolerance for pundits in general and the commentators on Fox have been getting on my nerves.

O'Reilly is the least annoying, but he still shouts far too much. At least he brings on people that disagree with him. Hannity is a lost cause. His show made some attempt at balance when Colmes was paired with him, but it is completely unwatchable now. Beck never was watchable, nor will he ever be.

As for the contributors, some are good. Judge Andrew Napolitano is sharp and has a good understanding of the Constitution. I don't like Karl Rove, but at least he has the background to discuss politics, campaigning, and DC. Now I find out that they are bringing on Sarah Palin as a contributor. I know I have defended her in the past. I still don't think the media treated her fairly, but I also don't think she has done enough to educate herself on national matters and is content to produce sound bites and populist BS. I think this is a bad move on the part of Fox.

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