Fox news taking a hit

[Hilander]

The French television show Le Petit Journal this week took on Fox & Friends after the show claimed that Paris was like Iraq and Afghanistan because Islamic radicals had taken over parts of the city.

MUST-SEE TV: French show eviscerates ‘credibility of Fox News clowns’ for comparing Paris to Iraq

Since I have never been to France I really can't say who is right. However knowing Fox news I'm sure they at least stretched the truth for shock or news value. They seem to be good at that, not that others aren't.

David Cameron has hit out at an American terrorism expert who referred to Birmingham as a “totally Muslim” city, calling him “a complete idiot”.



The Prime Minister admitted choking on his porridge when hearing the comments made by Steve Emerson on Fox News.


Fox News commentator Steve Emerson is 'clearly a complete idiot,' says David Cameron - Politics - News - London Evening Standard

Once again I've never been to the UK but when will people learn to take what these commentators say with a grain of salt and try to do a little research to see if they are telling the truth. Just because it is what you want to hear or its entertaining doesn't mean its the truth.

Thoughts?

 

[CaptainObvious]

My thoughts:

1) Nolan Peterson didn't say Paris was like Afghanistan, he said there were parts of Paris that these Muslims were congregating in that were like those places. He said this:

“There are basically neighborhoods where French Muslims have coalesced because they can’t find housing or economic opportunity within the major French cities,” he opined. “It was pretty scary. I’ve been to Afghanistan and Iraq and Kashmir, India, and at times, it felt like that, those places in these no-go zones.”

Big difference.

2) Nolan Peterson is an experienced journalist who has covered much of the conflict in the Middle East.

3) Nolan Peterson isn't a Fox News employee. He was on the show to give his opinion. People may not like his opinion, but it's an opinion nonetheless, not a news report.

 

[Dr4gon]

Peterson and Emerson both have a lot of experience with terrorism so yeah. One of the complaints of British citizens is the Muslim hoods and Sharia law. But the UK and France need to look safe because tourism. But theres as many terrorist attacks in France (probaly even more) as there are in the US. And even more than both in the UK. This article has a world map showing numbers of terrorist incidents in the most threatened countries.
2013 Public Report on the Terrorist Threat to Canada

France and the UK needa wake up. They are the 2 most threatened countries in western Europe.

 

[Hilander]

Europe seems to have a lot more citizens that went to the middle east to join ISIS or other terrorists groups than we do. They would do well to keep an eye on them or arrest them for joining these terrorist group. These are the ones that will attack them or us for that matter.

On the news they said, so take this as you will, that in a Muslim neighborhood in England they were yelling at a girl for wearing her skirt too short. If that is so they had no business saying anything because it was none of their business.

 

[dDave]

Europe seems to have a lot more citizens that went to the middle east to join ISIS or other terrorists groups than we do. They would do well to keep an eye on them or arrest them for joining these terrorist group. These are the ones that will attack them or us for that matter.

On the news they said, so take this as you will, that in a Muslim neighborhood in England they were yelling at a girl for wearing her skirt too short. If that is so they had no business saying anything because it was none of their business.

Europe also has a much higher Islamic population than America. The Atlantic Ocean has managed to slow the growth of the Muslim population in America.

At least some governments over in Europe recognize ISIS as a terrorist organization, our American government won't do even that.

That skirt thing is ridiculous. Still, I do recognize that others (such as Christians) might hold one another to a similar standard. Given, most Christians can tolerate a MUCH shorter (though still reasonable) skirt.

 

[Sim]

A few facts:

France has 6 million inhabitants of a Muslim background, on a population of 60 million, that means 10%.

But there is a difference between "Muslim religion" and "ethnic Muslim" (much like there is a difference between "ethnic Jews" and the "Jewish religion" -- even many atheist Jews will say "I'm Jewish"). So even of these 6 million ethnic Muslims in France, ca. two-thirds often said in polls that religion matters few or nothing to them. Like most of France, French Muslims are rather secular too.

Germany has a population of 4 million ethnic Muslims on a population of 80 million, which means they're 5%. But only half of them, ca. 2 million, say that religion is important for them.

What I often see when reading American reports and opinions on that matter, is that these people conflate ethnic Muslims with religious Muslims. They make no difference between problems that do exist with immigrants from Muslim countries for various reasons, and the religion of Islam.

As far as I know, it's true that many French cities have poor quarters where mostly immigrants from Muslim countries are living. It is also true that the crime rate is extremely high there, and that they've partially become "no go zones" for whites.

But this has nothing to do whatsoever with Islam, or with Muslim radicals having taken over these quarters. It's more something like certain black quarters in American cities which too have extremely high crime rates, and which have become "no go areas" for whites.

The problem with these quarters is gang violence, drug abuse, and all kinds of things along these lines. Religion plays no role in that.


But it doesn't take me wonder that FOX News would report it that way. The main demographic FOX is addressing are uneducated, prejudiced and small-minded right-wing Christians who are constantly taught that a good Christian has to hate Islam. They're confirming their prejudices because they know that brings them good ratings and thus money. FOX has never been interested in the truth anyway, it's not a viable source of information, but a mere opinion channel that never cared much about journalistic ethos.

 

[CaptainObvious]

A few facts:

France has 6 million inhabitants of a Muslim background, on a population of 60 million, that means 10%.

But there is a difference between "Muslim religion" and "ethnic Muslim" (much like there is a difference between "ethnic Jews" and the "Jewish religion" -- even many atheist Jews will say "I'm Jewish"). So even of these 6 million ethnic Muslims in France, ca. two-thirds often said in polls that religion matters few or nothing to them. Like most of France, French Muslims are rather secular too.

Germany has a population of 4 million ethnic Muslims on a population of 80 million, which means they're 5%. But only half of them, ca. 2 million, say that religion is important for them.

What I often see when reading American reports and opinions on that matter, is that these people conflate ethnic Muslims with religious Muslims. They make no difference between problems that do exist with immigrants from Muslim countries for various reasons, and the religion of Islam.

As far as I know, it's true that many French cities have poor quarters where mostly immigrants from Muslim countries are living. It is also true that the crime rate is extremely high there, and that they've partially become "no go zones" for whites.

But this has nothing to do whatsoever with Islam, or with Muslim radicals having taken over these quarters. It's more something like certain black quarters in American cities which too have extremely high crime rates, and which have become "no go areas" for whites.

The problem with these quarters is gang violence, drug abuse, and all kinds of things along these lines. Religion plays no role in that.


But it doesn't take me wonder that FOX News would report it that way. The main demographic FOX is addressing are uneducated, prejudiced and small-minded right-wing Christians who are constantly taught that a good Christian has to hate Islam. They're confirming their prejudices because they know that brings them good ratings and thus money. FOX has never been interested in the truth anyway, it's not a viable source of information, but a mere opinion channel that never cared much about journalistic ethos.

I'm sorry but I just have to comment on the irony here. It's rather uneducated to make the comparison, those black parts of towns aren't recruiting individuals to kill people because of cartoons or movies. Those black people aren't demanding Subway remove bacon from their menus, or whatever. I thought I pointed this out in my first post but maybe it went unread. Peterson isn't a Fox News employee, he was on to give his opinion. See, here in the US, we believe in the free exchange of ideas, and defend that even if those ideas run contrary to our own ideas. Which makes this post hilariously ironic.

EDIT: Your analogy is a non sequiter, which again makes the rant about people being uneducated and "taught to hate" extremely ironic as well.

 

[Hilander]

From what I have seen on Fox they tend to pick guests that reflect their own conservative view. I never saw this guest that said this but what I would like to know is if they questioned him on how he knows this. Did they grill him like they would have a guest with liberal views.

If you aren't a conservative they seem to cut you off because they don't want to hear what you have to say. That's been my observation on the rare times I have watched. Maybe I don't agree with what someone has to say but I still would like to hear it without the host trying to talk over them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P74oHhU5MDk&index=30&list=WL

 

[CaptainObvious]

Really? They don't have Bob Beckel, James Carville, Dennis Kucinich, Alan Colmes, Tamara Holder, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, et al, giving their opinions? And when they do they get shut down? But still come back as repeated guests even though they are always shouted down? Actually that sounds like Chris Mathews or Al Sharpton on MSNBC, but I digress.

 

[Hilander]

I wouldn't listen to the likes of Sharpton if you paid me to. I just want any commentator, even if they don't like what is being said, to give people the chance to have their say even if I don't like it.

Edit: I don't like listening to anyone that is too far right or left. They tend not to give the whole story. At least that is the way it seems to me.