The Difference Between FOX News and MSNBC

On the surface it seems obvious. Fox promotes conservatism and the Republicans and MSNBC promotes liberalism and the Democrats. They both cleverly present information that pushes their point of view, spins anything controversial to their side, and ignores what contradicts what they’re trying to promote. It’s a formula. It’s actually the very opposite of how journalism used to work – where the facts were presented in full and the public decided how they felt about it. Today, one side or the other is TELLING you how to feel about it.  

So who can you trust? That’s a rhetorical question because most people will align with whom they already share a mutual philosophy. Most news shows are there just to provide the comfort of conviction. 

I personally switched over to mostly FOX during the pandemic because I felt that they were the only major news station that was willing the question the authoritarian nature of the lockdowns. It wasn’t that they influenced me in any way though. I already had my perspective, it was just that they seemed to have a similar one and were willing to explore it, while MSNBC and CNN were working hard to sell the propaganda.  

This sums up the main difference as to where we are right now. Allow me to provide a comparison. (This may sound like a digression, but stick with me). 

When my Mother was in the last stages of her life she was seriously senile. However, it wasnt as if she was completely loopy 24/7. For example, there would be times when we could have a very pleasant conversation and she’d seem cogent and alert. And then she’d say something like, “So when is Michael coming over?” My brother Michael lives in California, we were in New York. 

I’d try to explain that to her that fact and then she might say “ But it’s Wednesday.”  

It was Saturday. 

Then she’d stare off into the distance and eventually fall asleep. 

Now, if I were to film the first half of the conversation, it would give the impression that she was perfectly fine. That’s what MSNBC does with Joe Biden. They cherry pick the moments where Biden is lucid and avoid where he’s completely confused. 

Now, in all fairness, FOX will play the parts where he’s confused over and over again to exaggerate the point.  

But here’s the thing. Which is more accurate?  

Just because Biden SOMETIMES isn’t that bad doesn't mean it’s an equal comparison. Just because Kamala Harris doesn’t ALWAYS sound like an idiot doesn’t mean she isn’t one. Just like the fact that there were peaceful protests doesn’t change the fact that there were riots. 

So the entire argument is a matter of either accepting the bad, or ignoring it. And if someone chooses to ignore it, there’s really no debate at all. There’s nothing to discuss. They’ll see it as a difference of opinion, where in reality, it’s really a matter of choosing not to have one – because that would require an understanding of the facts and that would prove them wrong.

All in all, I’m fully aware that FOX, like every news outlet today, slants the news. And there are things they promote with which I adamantly disagree. But when it comes to Biden and this administration, you have to take the bad with the good. If you have cancer, saying that you have some healthy cells doesn’t matter. You still have cancer. The bad news really is the more important information. 

And that’s what we have in this country right now. And now is the time to decide – do you cut it out, or do we ignore it and take our chances?