American politics and the media tend to have a relationship like oil and water, yet they go hand-in-hand with one another.
All news viewers can agree that media should cover this president and every president with a fair and balanced agenda. It is sad to say there is bias in the news and in ourselves. If the news were to cover politics without a biased agenda, people would not be at one another’s throats because of their choice of news. Sadly friends, relatives and even media personalities are attacking one another because of the news they watch and their political ideology.
This happens on many occasions to me. I have debated family, friends and even coworkers. It is sad to be arguing such a topic, but it happens. Even members of the media we try to trust to deliver the news are continually attacking one another behind the camera and their desk. Lately these attacks have been to draw ratings. In the latest cable news rating compiled by Robert Seidman of tvbythenumbers.com, Fox News Channel was number 1 in daytime and in prime time. This was from April 4 to 10. These ratings have been consistent.
In recent activity of the ongoing wars between the cable news networks, CNN anchor Rick Sanchez accused FNC’s Glenn Beck of inciting violence after a recent string of murders in the United States. Bill O’Reilly has also been accused of inciting violence, but this claim came from his bitter 8 p.m. rival Keith Olbermann. Olbermann proudly names O’Reilly as the “Worst Person in the World” during this segment. O’Reilly appears on this list on a daily basis.
O’Reilly has triumphed with his show on Fox and he is sure to remind viewers of this. During the 8 p.m. time slot he has an average of 2 million more viewers than second place Campell Brown on CNN during this time slot. Many viewers want to feel comfortable about who they are watching. This is the main reason for certain viewership. People look for someone who shares their ideas and political philosophy.
Leaving our comfort zone is something Americans are not comfortable doing. When it comes to politics, Americans have had a hard time listening to other points of view. The news media is so large and so sufficient to what we want to hear that it comes as easy as the click of a mouse. In the past the news came just from the evening news. Now it is so broad and so custom made that we only hear what we want to hear.
– Christopher Nigro
