Yes, Newsmax’s Ronald Kessler really wrote this:
“Fox lies” has become a favorite mantra of the left, yet there is a reason Fox News blows away the other cable networks in ratings and is more trusted as a news source than any other television network.
The new Fox News show “The Five,” which replaced Glenn Beck at 5 p.m. on weekdays, provides an example.
How so? Kessler offers:
While four of them are conservatives, the liberal in the group — Bob Beckel — usually winds up with at least a quarter of the air time.
So, because the token liberal uses up slightly more than his alloted time (which Kessler offers no statistics to back up) but is still far outweighed by his conservative counterparts is evidence that Fox News is to be trusted?
Kessler goes on to write:
One reason for the stunning finding is Fox News’ rule that in any political discussion, both Democrats and Republicans must be represented. In interviewing Republicans, anchors constantly play devil’s advocate and confront them with Democrats’ rebuttals. Similarly, Newsmax runs both conservative and liberal views and now has 7.7 million unique visitors a month.
If there really is a “rule” that “both Democrats and Republicans must be represented,” it’s one that the channel repeatedly ignores. And far from playing devil’s advocate, Fox anchors regularly advocate for Republican positions.
Also, is Kessler really suggested that Newsmax is fair and balanced becuase it “runs both conservative and liberal views”? Oh, please. Newsmax is indisputably a right-wing site, as demonstrated most prominently by Kessler’s sycophantic advocacy for Donald Trump. Newsmax “news” reporters are biased as well — hello, David Patten! And where is the balance to Newsmax’s anti-Obama hatred so embedded into its corporate DNA that it builds promotions around it?
If he can’t see the inherent bias in “The Five,” no wonder he thinks Newsmax is balanced.