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|NEXT STORY »

OPINION

Stossel: Yeah, I'm Biased. So?

Every reporter is, latest Fox hire opines

By Kevin Spak| Posted Sep 25, 09 3:56 PM CDT|

(Newser) – When John Stossel announced he was leaving ABC for Fox News, many complained he was “biased.” His response? “Every reporter has political beliefs,” he writes for Reason Online. “The difference is that I am upfront about mine.” For example, most media outlets call President Obama’s plan to overhaul health care “reform.” But the dictionary definition of “reform” is “improvement.” They’re already declaring the effort a success.

Stossel is a libertarian, and yes, it affects his reporting. “It prompts me to ask questions that others don’t ask,” he says. He rejects the title “conservative” because “the interventionist state has been the status quo for generations.” He notes that he doesn’t agree with most of his new co-workers on issues like immigration, nation building, or the war on drugs, but “I think they’ll tolerate me.”

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

ABC News correspondent John Stossel attends the Focus Features and Loreal premiere of 'Scoop' at the Museum of Modern Art July 26, 2006 in New York City. (Getty Images)

In this Oct. 5, 2007 file photo, ABC News correspondent John Stossel addresses the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

ABC News correspondent John Stossel attends the Focus Features and Loreal premiere of 'Scoop' at the Museum of Modern Art July 26, 2006 in New York City. (Getty Images)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Some of my colleagues who write about business know nothing about economics. Many are comically hostile to profit—they dismiss it as "greed" (although they bargain for the highest salaries possible). - John Stossel

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

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50 comments

VIEWING:

Fondue
Sep 25, 09 4:14 PM CDT

So now you are not credible. Reply

-7

IN RESPONSE:

Reader60610265
Sep 25, 09 4:20 PM CDT

Nobody ever is with you ,unless they totally agree with your point of view. Hocky puck.

IN RESPONSE:

dontlikeyou
Sep 25, 09 4:34 PM CDT

He's honest. Your heroes in the government media lie and pretend to be non-biased. They are scum of the earth, just like the idiots who believe they are not biased.

-2

IN RESPONSE:

Unaffiliated
Sep 25, 09 5:44 PM CDT

I could agree with you more, dontlikeyou, if you weren't so nasty about those YOU don't agree with.

IN RESPONSE:

Forderon
Sep 25, 09 6:04 PM CDT

Apparently Stossel, a reporter, forgot that reporters are supposed to be impartial regardless of their partiality. Being "up front" about it just outs him as not credible. Boy, the definition of journalism sure has changed.

+12

IN RESPONSE:

osu1067
Sep 25, 09 6:28 PM CDT

@Forederon: Truth be told, I'd rather have a reporter be up front about being biased instead of reporting under the pretense of impartiality. To me, a reporter who is honest has more integrity and credibility than someone who pretends to live by some journalistic standard that no reporter today can live up to. (I'm sorry for being cynical, but name one person in journalism that you honestly believe is unbiased. At least Stossel can bring himself to admit it.)

+13

IN RESPONSE:

Unaffiliated
Sep 25, 09 6:34 PM CDT

I think it's a bit refreshing that he acknowledges his bias, but I do wish he wouldn't let it guide his "reporting" as much as it seems to. No journalist can be impartial, despite her best efforts. Even if she reports "just the facts", by the simple act of choosing which facts make the cut and which facts don't, she inserts her own bias into the story. That doesn't take away from the usefulness of the story, but it certainly gives the story a shade that would be a different color when reported by another reporter. If those in the media were more up front about their biases, it would help me to read (or in a rare case, watch) their articles with an understanding of their perspective.

IN RESPONSE:

shonangreg
Sep 25, 09 7:05 PM CDT

Arguing about FOX News being biased is like arguing about whether Jeffrey Dahmer was a nicer guy than his neighbors. FOX News lies -- outright. CNN is biased -- this way AND that. MSNBC also. They do hold their journalists to standards of accuracy, though. FOX News only cares about the "market's" reaction to the stunts its Reporter-Actors pull on screen.

IN RESPONSE:

newzjunkie
Sep 25, 09 7:20 PM CDT

Working in a newsroom for 30 years you see that all journalists or reporters are biased. They also feel their opinion on their story is the right one. Maybe 40 years ago they were unbiased, but that is not the case anymore. It's just that most journalists are so good at writing they can bury their opinions so well, readers don't even know they're reading a very biased piece. Stossel at least admits it up front, as do others on Fox news, if any of you fox haters actually watched it. It just cracks me up that so many think MSNBC or others are not biased. They really have you fooled.

IN RESPONSE:

cornelison
Sep 25, 09 8:51 PM CDT

Hey, dontlikeyou. MSNBC's evening schedule is brought to us from a liberal point of view. They don't pretend to be unbiased. I'm a liber, I'm proud of it & I consider liberalism to be mainstream. Call me a "bleeding heart" but at least some of us have one.

-2

| 0 minutes ago

easterner
Sep 25, 09 4:14 PM CDT

Memo from the office of Rupert Murdoch,..Stossel ...YOU will do what you are told and LIKE IT. ooooxxxx Reply

-4

| 0 minutes ago

ianakamel
Sep 25, 09 4:14 PM CDT

“The difference is that I am upfront about mine.” For example, most media outlets call President Obama’s plan to overhaul health care “reform.” But the dictionary definition of “reform” is “improvement.” They’re already declaring the effort a success. " Yeah that's not pulling at straws... Fox News, champion of birther movement, has never referred to it as health care reform. No, Never... Reply

-1

IN RESPONSE:

I_hate_to_say
Sep 25, 09 7:15 PM CDT

It seerns biased Stossel is declaring that no irnprovernent is needed in a healthcare systern that is the rnost expensive and inefficient on the planet, with outcornes that are poorer than rnost, and leaves tens of rnillions uninsured.

-1

| 0 minutes ago

DETERMINED6
Sep 25, 09 4:18 PM CDT

I like John may not agree with everything he says but he is honest and upfront and not nasty about it he is willing to listen to others point of view we need more like him although FOX I believe has a good varity of different points with the different host and personalities.Love to have one channel with other opinions different then mine but I respect theirs because they respect mine and each others on the show.CIVILITY FOR A CHANGE.THANK GOD. Reply

+10

| 0 minutes ago

polstroad
Sep 25, 09 4:21 PM CDT

I have no quarrel with him. I don't get news or certainly ideas via Fox, but if media refers to "reform" they simply mean that any number of bills, ideas, amendments etc are being offered to make better a system that so many considered seriously flawed. No one in the mediahas declared it a success since nothing has as yet been passed. ...and ah, the easy label Libertarian, which means he is above it all till he votes, at which time he will dolubtless vote GOP. Reply

-1

| 0 minutes ago

pj4311
Sep 25, 09 4:31 PM CDT

Many complained he was “biased.” What they really mean: he is biased the wrong way. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

dontlikeyou
Sep 25, 09 4:36 PM CDT

Perfectly said.

IN RESPONSE:

rajanKazhmin
Sep 25, 09 5:47 PM CDT

perfectly sad.

| 0 minutes ago

Enoughie
Sep 25, 09 5:03 PM CDT

A Libertarian view on Fox would definitely be very refreshing. Maybe if he could replace Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity (or both), Fox may actually turn into a respectable news channel. Reply

-4

IN RESPONSE:

lindamae
Sep 26, 09 2:17 AM CDT

There's a difference between being an anchor for the nightly news (where the bias is most noticeable) to being the host of a "features" show based upon the news. The first should be fair and unbiased. The second is allowed to be biased in its coverage of the issues - somewhat. The MSM is horrible and finally a report has just come out to say most of us recognize it. Beck and the rest are honest in their shows. What I miss about the MSM is the inclusion of all the facts which surround an issue. They lie by omission. What I like about Beck et al is the inclusion of facts to support their opinions. That they use video clips to support their opinions make me more likely to trust them. I love NewsBusters which monitors coverage of issues by the media. Anyone who wants proof of the lack of journalistic integrity or the MSM need only go to this site. John will do well. I still have the video clip of his Global Warming is a hoax show - with guests who are scientists who debunked Gore's ideas. One would think the issue would have enticed some reporter to do an in depth study and report it. Oh, I forget, many did but no one them were on the MSM.

| 0 minutes ago

Toon
Sep 25, 09 5:22 PM CDT

These days most Libertarians are fiscal conservatives who want to disown their past support of Bush. Reply

-4

IN RESPONSE:

rajanKazhmin
Sep 25, 09 5:48 PM CDT

I can understand libertarians point of view. It's the bible thumping moral crusading conservatives I can't stand.

IN RESPONSE:

Toon
Sep 25, 09 10:47 PM CDT

What's your opinion of supposed Libertarians who support many of the same policies as the conservative 'Christians?' Know folks like Ron Paul who say they are Libertarian but are only socially liberal where it directly benefits themselves.

-2

IN RESPONSE:

Wills
Sep 26, 09 2:09 PM CDT

Toon its all part of the political spectrum. What do I say about democrats who do the same thing, or republicans that have liberal social policies. Party affiliations are at best a rough guide. If someone calls themselves a libertarian, I know they probably share a lot in common with me. But if they're a moralizing bible thumper, I judge them the same as any other party

| 0 minutes ago

LogicAppeal
Sep 25, 09 5:36 PM CDT

Hasn't he heard that dictionaries are not to be used in this land of the living constitution and Obamaspeak? Personally, I'm just glad Obama saved the news about dictionaries until after his speech to encourage school children. It might have made for quite the mixed message. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

GlennH
Sep 25, 09 6:55 PM CDT

Stossel doesn't understand the difference between "unbiased" and "impartial" and is apparently proud that that makes him an incompetent journalist. He'll fit in perfectly at Faux News. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

cornelison
Sep 25, 09 8:45 PM CDT

I have yet to figure out how a country run by libertarians would thrive. They don't seem to like govt. - period. We've already seen what deregulation did to financial market.

| 0 minutes ago

thejoint00
Sep 25, 09 8:26 PM CDT

I'm sad to see stossel come to fox news. he was an ambassedor in a place that where his restrictions were able to expose incoherent rhetoric for what it was, in a way that made people think for themselves and actually search out the facts. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

cornelison
Sep 25, 09 8:40 PM CDT

Back in the 80's I watched him on 20/20. He never seemed to make any sense to me. Reply

-5

IN RESPONSE:

NewserScooter
Sep 26, 09 12:01 AM CDT

Well thats not surprising is it? He had one of the few prime time segments not aimed for the lowest common denominator.

| 0 minutes ago

yoeydude
Sep 25, 09 9:10 PM CDT

stossel lost credibility a decade ago ,... all he is missing , are a pair of over sized shos and a red rubber nose Reply

-7

IN RESPONSE:

yoeydude
Sep 27, 09 3:03 AM CDT

liberal journalists are usually journalists first , they like to show how smart they are , like hey , look at all the facts I found ,..... conservative journalists are always conservative first , that is the god they serve , so every story must be made to look positively on that viewpoint , or they must seek to devalue any other competing viewpoint

| 0 minutes ago

MarkFL
Sep 25, 09 9:50 PM CDT

If you are biased, you are not a journalist. He will fit in at Fox where it is all commentary and only news headlines on the hour. The real journalists tell the tough stories regardless of the consequences or preconceived notions. The right complains that the media is liberal because real journalists would never bury a story because it might offend their readers or intentionally dehumanize the subject of a story. Are there liberal and conservative media? Yes. Much liberal media is a response to conservative media. The "mainstream media" has a definite bias but it is not liberal or conservative, it is corporate bias, sensationalist bias, and power bias. The media will always tend to trust government sources, interview and quote white men more often, protect the corporate interests that sponsor the programing and cover news that is titillating instead of informative. This is not a liberal media. Reply

-1

IN RESPONSE:

osu1067
Sep 25, 09 10:32 PM CDT

your comment is biased

IN RESPONSE:

Toon
Sep 25, 09 10:50 PM CDT

Well it is well known that facts have a liberal bias.

IN RESPONSE:

Jayster999
Sep 25, 09 11:22 PM CDT

That is idiotic. All journalists are biased. Stossel is extremely rare: a successful, libertarian/conservative in a business that is nearly always slanted to the left. The problem is, you people are the left are so used to being spoon-fed pro-socialist, anti-religious, anti-American B.S., that anything else sours your stomachs--especially if it is the plain truth.

IN RESPONSE:

NewserScooter
Sep 26, 09 12:03 AM CDT

They also vote liberal 90% of the time, according to Columbia U. School of Journalism.

| 0 minutes ago

Rembrandt_Q_Einstein
Sep 25, 09 10:49 PM CDT

One more time... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrX9Ca7LSyQ Reply

-2

IN RESPONSE:

Jayster999
Sep 26, 09 8:17 AM CDT

What is this supposed to prove--besides that you are moronic and hateful?

IN RESPONSE:

Rembrandt_Q_Einstein
Sep 26, 09 11:48 AM CDT

It's supposed to prove how funny it is to see John Stossel get smacked upside the head. Mission Accomplished. I'd also like to compliment you and you little gang of racist KKKonservatrolls and Paultards in getting it together and giving me all these thumbs down. Yeah, that will teach me.

IN RESPONSE:

Jayster999
Sep 26, 09 12:19 PM CDT

Yeah, it's a laugh riot. I think you're the one who needs a smack on the head. On the left side of course, so that maybe you'd lean at least a little to the right once in a while.

-2

IN RESPONSE:

yoeydude
Sep 26, 09 10:17 PM CDT

hey , when your ignurt , and po , you can be bitter ,......... jay sucks tbags dick while takin dawgdick from behind , so they are a team , just remember what your Uncle Al said , The Tyranny of the Ignoramuses is Insurmountable and Assured For All Time

-1

| 0 minutes ago

chas_m
Sep 26, 09 6:30 AM CDT

He'd make a very fine COMMENTATOR, but he was -- and will be -- a terrible JOURNALIST. Maybe Faux will take him the route they did with Geraldo (ie they don't let him pretend to be a reporter anymore). Reply

| 0 minutes ago

fiestygirl
Sep 26, 09 9:35 AM CDT

You've got to be kidding me. A reporter with a political opinion AND he is honest enough to admit it affects his reporting? What is journalism coming to? I have to say that at least he has more credibility then some of those in the drive by media who continue to create the news and influence our politics for their own gain. I sure do hate reading between the lines. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

redwood105
Sep 26, 09 10:23 AM CDT

Stossel has been a right-wing flake for quite some time, and has now made it official by jjoining the right-wing propagandists at Fakes News. The rest of us know how to leave our opinions at the door; there is nothing more to journalism than sticking to the facts. About the only use for Fox is that it is the journalistic equivalent of zoning: just like the tabloids, Fox is where journalists who have decided to surrender their credibility for money go to die. Reply

-2

| 0 minutes ago

glassa
Sep 26, 09 11:01 AM CDT

"Being "up front" about it just outs him as not credible" At least he's up front about it instead of pretending to be something else, like the rest of the reporters in the media. Reporters are supposed to be impartial? Yes, but what world are you living in where that actually happens? Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Wills
Sep 26, 09 2:15 PM CDT

I'm basically with him. I'd much rather there be more shows like the daily show and whatever the hell Stossel does where the host is upfront about their bias. People who say journalists can't be biased must never have read a newspaper editorial. It's still worth trying to be objective, as newspapers like the Christian Science Monitor show, despite the fact that all people will have at least some bias. It's just that I don't like my biased reporting mixed with my objective reporting. I don't know if Fox still uses "fair and balanced", but I'm pretty sure they don't admit to having an extreme conservative bias. It's good Stossel is being honest, but it doesn't mean much to me unless his network follows suit Reply

| 0 minutes ago

DarkFrancis
Sep 26, 09 4:18 PM CDT

At least he's not bullshitting anyone. Once the lame pretence of impartiality disappears from journalism (so-called) then things will be mildly better. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

ronimaca
Sep 26, 09 11:13 PM CDT

he is an a hole and he belongs on fox with the rest of the a holes Reply

| 0 minutes ago

radnip
Sep 27, 09 11:47 PM CDT

Heh. They barely tolerate each other, but they'll tolerate him. Good luck. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

View all 50 comments »

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