FORGED in 1996 by baron-tycoon Rupert Murdoch, head of the all-powerful News Corporation, the Fox News Channel has been the country’s most watched cable news network for the past ten years. With slogans such as “Fair & Balanced” and “We Report. You Decide”, this company should be well-known for providing accurate facts, with unbiased and reliable reports. Interestingly enough, in the experience of myself and apparently many others, this is not the case. There are many claims that the company has not only a political bias but is also a force for promoting sensationalism, fear, and even aggression.
When this action project was first described to the class, that we would be asking a large corporation or organization some kind of big question, there were many ideas that came to mind. Out of these thoughts though, one that was just begging for some investigation was finding for myself whether the accusations against Fox News were valid. Being a left-leaning individual, and having personally observed programming I would call both conservatively biased and fear mongering, I knew I would have to go into this with a neutral and clean slate.
My question was going to be aimed at finding if the company admits to any bias, if so what it is, or if not how they defend their claimed impartialness. In addition I would try to get an explanation for the allegations against them of fear and sensationalism, while doing my best not to provoke or accuse.
I began my quest at their website, in pursuit of contact information I could use to get my questions answered. To my dismay, I soon realized that this would be no easy task. Most sites have a “Contact Us” link at the bottom of their webpage, which I found on the site. However, I found that this brought you to the same seemingly oversimplified page as the “FAQ” link. On this page you have 5 options:
- I have comments, questions, or tips for a news story.
- I'm having trouble playing videos online.
- I'm having problems commenting.
- I'm having difficulty with my user account.
- The TV channel's audio or video isn't working.
None of these choices were relevant or provided actual contact information regarding questions about the company. I now decided to resort to the rest of the internet, via Google, to find an actual email or phone number I could use to reach them. Several less-than-reliable sources pointed me to the emails yourcomments@foxnews.com and comments@foxnews.com. And so, I sent my first two emails off to these addresses, beginning with the former. I wrote this email as if I knew nothing of the media world and simply asked if Fox News has any kind of political bias in their reporting. Soon after, I used the latter to point out that it seems to me they carry a conservative predisposition and probed for a defense against the statement. Neither has received a response since being sent 6 days ago.
After giving what I deemed a fair waiting period, I went on the hunt again for a better contact source. From the News Corporation website I was able to find a FOX News Channel phone number (212-301-3000) for their location in NYC. I found this number again on a blog, along with another (212-301-5226) so I thought I’d give them both a try. After an awkward exchange of “Hello?” 5 or 6 times, I explained that I was looking for a department head to which I could ask a few questions. The man on the other end then informed me that I had probably called the wrong extension, and being nervous and all, I apologized and hung up. The other line turned out to be for the business department or something of the sort and so I moved on. On a forum about Ron Paul I found another number apparently for contacting Fox News (888-369-4762) and made a third phone attempt. This led me to a number of different automated options one of which I could “press three” if I had any comments or questions that were not answered on foxnews.com. I jumped on the opportunity and was informed that I might not be able to speak to an actual representative, but if I left a message they would respond when possible. I decided that would have to be acceptable but was then informed that the user’s mailbox was full and no message could be left! Scrolling down on the forum that gave the number, I found a post from 2007 of someone who called the number and came to the same problem. (???)
Later on, with continued searching I found the numbers of Thom Bird, the Fox News Senior Producer (212-301-3250), as well as Ian Rae, Executive VP News (212-301-8552). I called Mr. Bird and unfortunately got only an answering machine (which sounded friendly enough, at least!) so I decided to send him an email. It went as follows:
No response so far, but I have higher hopes for this one than previous attempts. Finally, I tried calling Ian Rae as well but received an automated response that the number was no longer in use. As of now, it seems that I have failed my mission, but perhaps proved another point.
This undertaking is one which was fueled much by my own opinion and bias against FOX News. I’ve seen many examples of them distorting information or making cynical comments towards the political left. As one instance, a few months ago you may remember a story of Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez who fired shots at the White House saying that President Obama is “the anti-Christ”. It was said that investigators asked around the nearby Occupy DC camp if anyone recognized the man. Fox immediately began promoting the incident labeling the man the “Occupy Shooter” while having no known connection. Another simple example I’ve seen is Fox turning a headline such as “Jupiter’s Core May be Liquefying” to “Jupiter is Melting, Scientists Say”. Just a subtle change like that makes a big difference to the reader’s perception. They also pick and chose photos to show different people in different lights, good or bad. Many people have pointed out the obvious biases FOX News has, and I could go on and on with examples, however that’s not being fair in itself. With a little investigating you can also find observable tweaks made by other news sources to fit what political agenda they may seem to have. A good example occurred just last week when NBC edited a phone call in the Zimmerman case – however they at least apologized after being called out. So, with it seeming that everyone has their own way of twisting the story, who can we really trust? The answer’s not easy, but we have to remember to take everything with a grain of salt. Besides that, I have to say that I think FOX News is at the absolute extreme of being unreliable. They’re truly hurtful, especially to their diehard followers who a study showed to be less informed than those who don’t watch news at all.
I would also like to point out that CNN, NPR, and MSNBC, all have user friendly methods of contact for questions which I am currently testing.
With this adventure, it seems that I’ve spilt perhaps too much of my own frustration onto the matter, but I maintain that my investigation shows a bit about the nature of the company. It certainly doesn’t help their case that it’s so difficult to reach them. I will of course post updates here if/when I get any responses so let’s cross our fingers! This project definitely smells of The Grapes of Wrath with its search for the answers to big questions. Not exactly comparable, but it can definitely be related to the plight of the “Okies” and their torment under a powerful but blind beast. Under the foot of distant banks that seem to value livestock over men, each step down the ladder feels helpless. Those at the very bottom ask why it’s like this, and in this project our questions are similar as we probe to investigate the perhaps unreasonable methods of giant corporations and organizations.
EDIT: As of over three weeks since the project, no responses have been heard from FOX News. At the time of the project I also sent a message to NPR and received an answer after 5 days.
EDIT: As of over three weeks since the project, no responses have been heard from FOX News. At the time of the project I also sent a message to NPR and received an answer after 5 days.
