Cynthia Meyer, Staff Writer
Ideology: Conservative | Writing From: George Washington University

Liberals scoff at any person who points out the obvious fact that the mainstream media is overwhelmingly biased to the left. And Fox News Channel, through the eyes of a liberal, is nothing but conservative propaganda. Cable news personalities on CNN and MSNBC discredit Fox, pretending that they haven’t been overshadowed by FNC’s success for years on end.

The simple reality is that, especially recently, Fox News has been the only source of quality journalism and reporting in the cable news realm. The billoreillynumbers speak for themselves; Fox is consistently on top. On the evening of Tuesday, September 15, Bill O’Reilly’s viewership was 4,039,000, followed by Hannity, Beck, Greta, Baier, and Shep Smith—all above 2 and 3 million. The closest a rival station came to Fox was MSNBC’s Keith Olberman, at a modest 1.3 million.

So if Fox News is merely a “tool of the right” to feed the fire of the angry conservative conspiracy, then why exactly is it the most watched, most trusted and most successful cable news station?

Because it is genuine alternative media. Other cable news stations like MSNBC and CNN have apparently rejected the notion of the watch-dog media (lap-dog is more their forte these days). Why ask Obama about his plans for Iran when everyone clearly would rather know how his dog Bo enjoys living in the White House? Why bother him with tough questions about the economy or healthcare when the public is much more concerned about how Obama is feeling today? They blatantly and shamelessly express favoritism to the left, and have consequently lost the trust of their viewers. Contrary to what rival stations would like to think, the Fox viewership is by no means limited to a conservative audience—it specifically reaches out to those to are dissatisfied with all other media – conservatives, liberals and independents alike. That is the key to FNC’s success, and that is what guides their reporting.

The role of our media should be to act as a check on the government. But the only cable news outlet to dare challenge the President seems to be Fox.

Where were Fox News Channel’s rival stations during the Van Jones controversy? One of President Obama’s controversial appointed czars came under fire for his radical Marxist views—oh, and this classy remark—while the mainstream media was virtually silent.

Where were its rival stations during the 9/12 March on Washington—the largest protest of Obama’s policies since his election? Or any of the previous Tea Party protests this year, for that matter? They avoid it at all costs, and the little coverage that is given to the Tea Party movement belittles, insults and dismisses its legitimacy.

Where were its rival stations when the ACORN tapes were exposed? This massive left-wing organization had been receiving federal funds to guide clients on how to cheat their taxes and run illegal underage prostitution rings from their own homes. Was this not newsworthy?

Where exactly were Fox News Channel’s rival stations? Why were these stories ignored? Because each one of these stories would have hurt President Obama. His approval ratings are already slipping; any unnecessary negative coverage is avoided at all costs. Would the media have expressed such restraint had one of George W. Bush’s appointees been mixed up in a similar scandal? Would they have ignored such massive grassroots protests under a Republican? If a conservative organization had been exposed for similar crimes as ACORN, would the media have so conveniently overlooked it? Not a chance.

Liberals can unsuccessfully boycott Fox News, claim it has no credibility and dismiss its reporting as too “conservative”, but that certainly will not improve the faults of the mainstream media. The liberal media needs to first master the simple concepts of objectivity and quality reporting before attacking the most trusted cable news station on air.