I just got this from the True Majority. You liberals will want to sign on and the canservatives can arttack it. Enjoy

Fox News’ Claim To Be “Fair and Balanced” Is Not Only a Lie,
It’s False Advertising
Tell the Federal Trade Commission to Stop Fox from Misleading the Public

It’s bad enough that Fox News serves up biased “news” day after day on program after program. But it’s even worse that Fox advertises its news as “fair and balanced” when numerous studies have proven this wrong.

A group of organizations, including TrueMajority.org and led by MoveOn.org, have devised a clever strategy to spotlight Fox’s deceptive practices. They’ve petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to declare Fox’s “Fair and Balanced” motto false advertising.

Even if we lose our FTC case, this campaign will educate people about Fox, which is arguably the right wing’s most effective propaganda tool. So it’s important to dial up the citizen pressure on the Federal Trade Commission.

If you want to register a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, asking it to declare Fox’s use of the phrase “Fair and Balanced” as false advertising, and you’re a TrueMajority member, just click here:

File My Federal Trade Commission Complaint Against Fox News!

Here's the complaint that we will send to the Federal Trade Commission in your name:

"Fox News claims that its programs are “fair and balanced,” but study after study has shown that they are biased. So it is clearly not in the public’s interest for Fox to be allowed to use the phrase “fair and balanced” to promote its programs. This is false advertising, plain and simple.Though novel, this argument is no different than other cases that the FTC considers regularly. You do not allow companies manufacturing diet pills to advertise that their products will help consumers miraculously lose weight, if this claim is proven wrong. Fox’s claim of “fair and balanced” has been proven wrong, and the ramifications go beyond creating obesity to undermining the proper functioning of our democracy. On behalf of public interest, the FTC should intervene."

Check out this video clip that MoveOn.org put together to show just how fair and balanced Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly is (click on the photo of O’Reilly on the right of the page): http://www.moveon.org/fox/

Click here to read MoveOn's complaint filed before the Federal Trade Commission: http://cdn.moveon.org/content/pdfs/ftc_filing.pdf

Robert Greenwald has produced an excellent exposé of Fox News’ unfair and unbalanced news coverage, and examines the dangers of “ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public’s right to know.” Order it at http://www.outfoxed.org.


Yours for Fair and Balanced Journalism,

Jason Salzman

TrueMajority Communications Guy

I love all this hoopla about fair and balanced journalism, whether it's Fox News or CBS. Whichever side of whatever issue you're on, if you watch any broadcast news program, it's possible to cry unfair.

I don't see any reason why we should expect “fair and balanced” from a television station. Here in Seattle we all know that the P.I. leans left and the Times leans right. All across the country there are papers we know to be of one persuasion or the other.

If I want fair and balanced I watch BBC. They seem to try to stay as impartial as any news outlet I have seen.

All the U.S. national news broadcasts are way too focused on the U.S. It seems as if they don't much care about the rest of the world, unless the U.S. happens to be at war there.

I was recently in Panama. There were riots three nights in a row, some that blolcked the main streets with huge tire fires. I came home and wanted to see how that all turned out. To my surprise there was not a mentojh of it on any our of newscasts.

Is Fox fair and balanced? I think not. This really does not bother me. I think that’s their right. But using a slogan that says they are fair and balanced, seems a bit over the top. Of course, I notice that we all think our views are fair and balanced.

Dave, you are like an ugly French Donahue.

Panneau?

Hey Dave,

In an effort to be "fair and balanced" yourself, you should include a link for PP readers to sign on to a lawsuit that would bar Michael Moore from calling his films "factual documentaries".

When I went through communications, advertising and radio / tv in college I was trained to appeal to the "undereducated majority"....still holds true today.

When I went through WSU's journalism school we were taught that the journalist where to be unbiased and report only the facts. When I got to my major Advertising that is where we learned manipulation. :p There are only a few unbiased reporters today.

And you think ABC, CBS & NBC News are "FAIR & BALANCED!!!!!!!!"

Unlike Fox, they don't make that claim at every commercial break.

At least Fox hired people Geraldo the lib so they at least looked like they where trying. ABC,NBC and specifically CBS should just change their station letters to DNC