Analysis Of Fox News Channel{www.foxnews.com}

Fox News Channel (FNC), also referred to as Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel 

owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation. As of April 2009, the channel is available to 102 million households in the United States and to viewers internationally, broadcasting primarily from its New York studios.

The channel was created by Australian-American media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who hired former NBC executive Roger Ailes as the founding CEO. The channel was launched on October 7, 1996 to 17 million cable subscribers. The channel grew in the late 1990s and 2000s to become the dominant cable news network in the United States. In 2010, the network's programs took the top 10 spots for most-watched cable news programs in the 25–54 demographic and the top 12 spots among total cable news programs viewers. Critics have asserted that Fox News Channel promotes conservative political positions and biased reporting. Commentators, news anchors, and reporters at Fox News Channel have responded that news reporting and political commentary operate independently of each other and deny any bias in the news reporting.

HOMEPAGE, AESTHETICS{COLOUR COMBINATION, LAYOUT AND DESIGN}

Introduced in December 1995, the Fox News website features the latest coverage, including columns from FNC's assorted television, radio, and online personalities. Video clips are also available on both Foxnews.com and Foxbusiness.com. Fox News does not dominate its biggest rivals CNN and MSNBC online like it does in television; at the end of August 2010, Foxnews.com was averaging an estimated 24 million unique visitors per month, versus 47 million for MSNBC.com and 48 million for CNN.com.

In September 2008, FNC joined other channels by introducing a live streaming segment to its website called The Strategy Room, designed to appeal to older viewers. It airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and takes the form of an informal discussion, with running commentary on the news. Regular discussion programs include Business Hour, News With a View, and God Talk Hours.

In March 2009, The Fox Nation was launched as a website intended to encourage readers to post and comment on the news. Fox News Mobile is a part of the FNC website that is dedicated to streaming news clips that are formatted for video enabled mobile phones.

Layout of FoxNews

Light blue background; quite basic and simple.

Contains links to information on ‘Candidates’, an ‘Interactive Map’, and an ‘Election Tracker’.

In the ‘Candidates’ section of the website, McCain is given a greater profile; his profile includes detailed description of his time in the American Army and is generally very flaterring; Obama’s profile is strangely placed at the bottom of the page and is limited in terms of information.

‘Election Tracker’: offers opportunity to study the different ‘election races’ in separate states – need to register and create a log on to FoxNews.

FoxNews claims to be ‘America’s Election Headquarters’

Has a ‘U Report’ section – allows members of the general public to report on their own news, provided they have information related with the election.

 

 

REVIEWS AND CONCLUSION

The Internet has engendered a considerable level of debate in political discourse ever since its emergence as a tool in everyday life. With low voter turnout and civic participation in decline, much of the debate has come to focus on the Internet’s ability to provide avenues for political participation and civic engagement. It is palpable that the Internet has become a mechanism to disclose political views and opinions in the aim to encourage civic interest in presidential elections. Fox News has presented itself as America’s election headquarters. This is a persuasive means to attract more online viewers, which will consequently increase support for the Republican Party. A particularly interesting feature of FoxNews.com was one of the stories listed in the ‘most popular’ section. It titled ‘Polls show Obama’s support growing among white voters’. This has glaring racial connotations projecting the strong inherent racist nature of white America. FoxNews.com by publishing this story is emphasizing the clear racial distinction between the two presidential candidates.

By reporting stories with underlying racial comments, FoxNews.com is potentially strengthening racist republican sentiments. In essence the article states, that because Obama is of black American decent his votes received by white Americans is quite unique, reinforcing the popular racist climate of America. We can see that in this political environment, politicians, political commentators, democrats and the public at large have reformed the Internet, by their innovative means to politically engage citizens and re-energise participatory democracy. The two online media sites both demonstrate an interactive nature, user-friendly interface and dominating, patriotic presence which encourages citizens to ‘virtually’ participate in their democracies. Ultimately it is palpable that the power of the Internet has enhanced political means of persuasion, where ordinary citizens are not only being passive consumers of campaign rhetoric, but are being swallowed by the manipulative, fragmented, and indoctrinating online media sources.