In the short period I watched Fox News, mainly after 9/11, my impression of Fox news wasn't just one of right-wing bias, but I saw some very striking instances of unprofessional remarks and behaviour  from some of the journalists (not the putative "experts" they had on or political commentators, but actual on-set journalists and anchorpersons.)

It's been a while, and we don't have the channel now, so I have had no opportunity to re-examine that impression, but that's why I have little respect for Fox News.

Bias is in how the news are interpreted, but there are standards of objectivity, journalistic integrity, balanced reporting etc that should come first and that when properly followed go a long way towards mitigating whatever bias might be found. I found that lacking in Fox News when I watched it, and I gather that many others have reacted the same way.

I do not (or rather did not) find that same problem in CNN. But then again, it's been a while since I watched CNN, too.

Knut:

How soon after 9/11 did you watch Fox News?  Not saying you are wrong or making an excuse (since I have no dog in the race) just curious because if it was in the months after 9/11 I can forgive some journalistic shortcomings, and at that time Foxnews was the only cable news outlet headquartered out of New York City. 

Just got this link from FARK - haven't watched any yet, but should be a good resource.

http://www.archive.org/details/sept_11_tv_archive

It's an archive for all media on and up to a few days after 9/11

"How soon after 9/11 did you watch Fox News?  Not saying you are wrong or making an excuse (since I have no dog in the race) just curious because if it was in the months after 9/11 I can forgive some journalistic shortcomings, and at that time Foxnews was the only cable news outlet headquartered out of New York City.  "

Some of it was as late as the early days of the Iraq war. But as I can't provide specific examples, I'm not comfortable making too bold a claim as to the facts.

That doesn't work, Keith, as FOX is not just vaguely right leaning.

And looking back over the last few days of posts, I don't see anyone here saying that it's natural for anyone to support anyone in the way you're suggesting. 

What's going on is that the effect of FOX is being down-played by making shifting blame - I get the logic of not smelling your own stink, but I will not believe that CNN is some wing of the Democratic party - they are vaguely leftist from an editorial POV, but there they were, salivating over Clinton's sex scandals, and there they were rah-rah rooting a war that many of us (Obama included) knew was a bad idea from the get-go, and there they were not questioning the President untill the public opinion had shifted and it was ok for them to ask, and even still, they're not.

Olberman is a good lefty, Maddows is, Jon Steward and Steven Colbert over on the Comedy Channel are - I can clearly see their bias, and it is FOX sized.  But I don't see an all-around left wing media network the likes of FOX news.  The Air America Radio station was the radio equivilent, but nothing on TV exists.

"...but I will not believe that CNN is some wing of the Democratic party..."

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It's probably more accurate to say FOX swings Republican, not conservative.  They're a symbiotic part of the party's apparatus.  And that comes from Murdoch being in bed with that party.  If the power shift were strong enough, and the advantage present, I could truly see him making a flippy-flop.  it'd be a fascinating media case study, so I keep dreaming...