Fox News coming to Canada

desertjedi · Post by **desertjedi** » 2004-11-18 04:09pm

Looks like our northern brothers will have a choice in watching Fox news or not.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... int/Front/

Fox News coming to Canada

By OLIVER MOORE
Globe and Mail Update

UPDATED AT 1:01 PM EST Thursday, Nov 18, 2004

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Canadians will soon have access to the "Fair and Balanced" broadcasts of Rupert Murdoch's Fox News.

In a decision released Thursday, the CRTC argued that "there is substantial demand in Canada for Fox News." It will be available to digital subscribers as early as next year.

Rejecting complaints about the station's "alleged ... ideological slant" the CRTC decided against imposing any extra conditions on Fox News.

The CRTC said that it had received 531 statements supporting Fox and only 82 opposed. But, to what extent the station's admittedly conservative views will be welcomed in Canada remains to be seen.

Critics say that, far from being as "Fair and Balanced" as their slogan declares, the station is essentially a house organ for the Bush White House. Pointing to statistics which show that many more Fox viewers believe that Iraqis used weapons of mass destruction against invading U.S. forces, that the world backed the invasion and that Saddam Hussein was intimately connected to the terrorist attacks of September 2001, they argue that Fox is a source of misinformation more than news.

The station's commentators make no apologies for their views, arguing that they are a leavening influence in a media landscape dominated by "liberals" and other evils. Even Cable News Network, well to the right of most Canadian media, has been derided for not being hard line enough. Top Fox commentator Bill O'Reilly has dismissed The Globe and Mail as "a far-left newspaper."

The National Citizens Coalition welcomed Thursday's decision.

"Free speech ... also means having the right to hear other points of view," NCC vice-president Gerry Nicholls said. "The more voices and the more points of view Canadians hear the better."

Launched eight years ago by an adviser to several former Republican presidents of the United States, Fox News is built around high-profile commentators who have become media celebrities. It claims to have 80 million subscribers.

The Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association asked in April for permission to carry Fox News to Canadians with digital cable, satellite or wireless television service.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2004-11-18 04:38pm

desertjedi wrote:Canadians will soon have access to the "Fair and Balanced" broadcasts of Rupert Murdoch's Fox News.

I laugh any time I hear that. Anybody that has to call themselves "fair and balanced" rather than showing so with their reporting means that they have little confidence in their reporting to stand alone without a catchy slogan to fool the sheep.

Brian

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-11-18 05:20pm

I can't wait. First Al-Jazeera and now FoxNews. I can get both sides propaganda now!

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-11-18 06:38pm

Well, if they let in Al-Jazeera, they have to let in FOXNews in order to be "fair and balanced", even if FOXNews itself is neither.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-11-18 06:40pm

Darth Wong wrote:Well, if they let in Al-Jazeera, they have to let in FOXNews in order to be "fair and balanced", even if FOXNews itself is neither.

Good point. Why let either in? Neither of them are "fair or balanced".

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2004-11-18 06:44pm

At least Al-Jazeera does call itself "fair and balanced." And that it isn't a western viewpoint gives it some value as we see how the rest of the world sees the west.

Okay, I admit it. I just don't like FOX..

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-11-18 09:25pm

FOX would be OK if it was not fraudulent. Truth in advertising would mandate that every program be prefaced by a warning saying "This broadcast does reflect the viewpoint of the network's management, rather than being impartial or legitimately journalistic".

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2004-11-18 10:19pm

Why would Canadians even care? Don't you people have news networks dealing with your own local and national issues?

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2004-11-18 10:24pm

Wicked Pilot wrote:Why would Canadians even care? Don't you people have news networks dealing with your own local and national issues?

Sure, it's just that we want more entertainment every now and then: Besides, we need something as a counterbalance to the CBC

.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2004-11-18 10:32pm

Ma Deuce wrote:Sure, it's just that we want more entertainment every now and then: Besides, we need something as a counterbalance to the CBC .

What do you mean you need more entertainment, don't you guys have porno shows on broadcast channels?
And while I'm not famailiar with this CBC you're talking about, it would have to be one seriously liberal son of a bitch to counterbalance FOX News.

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2004-11-18 10:59pm

What do you mean you need more entertainment, don't you guys have porno shows on broadcast channels?

Well like most people, we like our entertainment to come in as many flavors as possible

.

And while I'm not famailiar with this CBC you're talking about, it would have to be one seriously liberal son of a bitch to counterbalance FOX News.

Well, CBC (the government-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) is pretty left-wing, but honestly I doubt they're as far left as FOX is right...

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2004-11-18 11:31pm

The CBC may be fuzzy left, but it is honest which puts it miles ahead of FOX.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2004-11-19 01:10am

Gee, now you Canucks get to have your daily dose of fascist agitprop just like your American cousins south of the border.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-11-19 01:13am

Someone should check to see if FOXNews runs afoul of our hazardous toxic material labeling laws.

White Cat · Post by **White Cat** » 2004-11-19 01:16am

Cpl Kendall wrote:Good point. Why let either in? Neither of them are "fair or balanced".

Well, there's the whole "free country" thing we should probably be striving for...

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-11-19 01:20am

White Cat wrote:
Cpl Kendall wrote:Good point. Why let either in? Neither of them are "fair or balanced".
Well, there's the whole "free country" thing we should probably be striving for...

There's also the "truth in advertising" principle ...

Post by **Dalton** » 2004-11-19 04:27am

Darth Wong wrote:There's also the "truth in advertising" principle ...

That's when the lawyers come in and begin arguing semantics, right?

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2004-11-19 06:28am

Dalton wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:There's also the "truth in advertising" principle ...
That's when the lawyers come in and begin arguing semantics, right?

Remember Fox have got away with a lot of shit because legally in the US lying in a news show is a first ammendment right...they even had a whistleblower case against them overturned on the grounds that what they were doing with fradulent content wasnt illegal.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-11-19 10:58am

Dalton wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:There's also the "truth in advertising" principle ...
That's when the lawyers come in and begin arguing semantics, right?

Yes, and I'm sure the FOX Ministry of Truth has more than its fair share of lawyers.

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