Is fox news a licensed news program?

Answer 1

First of all I'd like to say I'm neither Republican, Democrat or christian. Actually, It is the most watched new channel because it's the most accurate news channel. Democrats don't like it because it's the truth. Therefore, I guess it depends on what kinds of news you want. If you want accuracy watch Fox or if you would prefer your news to be sugar coated in favor of Barack Obama watch CNN.

Another perspective:

No. The biased answer above is typical of the average FOX viewer. The broadcaster is ultra-conservative, and has little interest in promoting a "fair and balanced" view of current events. This reality is underscored by the fact that they provide a platform to far-right nut cases like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, and Glen Beck.

While FOX claims to be the most-watched "news" channel (ratings, please), this is completely irrelevant to how valid or legitimate they are as a "news" source. Their political interpretations are propagandist and designed to promote a Republican agenda, not to provide their audience with neutral information.

Yet another perspective:

Yes. FOX News is a legitimate news organization, which should not be interpreted as them being a 'good' news outlet, rather the acknowledgement that they do in fact exist and nothing they (FOX News employees) have done disqualifies them from being considered a News Organization. (True as of Jan. 1st 2011)

This point gets to what I personally think. I do not feel FOX News is a legitimate 'news' channel on the grounds that often (and that's several times a day) self-described journalists draw national attention to stories which either have no cited/reliable source to cross-reference (see: Taliban training Monkey Soldiers) or are complete fabrications (see: Death Panels "some people say"~Niel Cavuto) which, more often than not, are repeatedly brought up for further speculation over the course of weeks until the story becomes pitted with anti-liberal conspiracy theories and further discussions on how it will hurt the Obama Administration/Democrats. Typically these stories are eventually revealed to be utterly false leading to FOX News simply zipping-their-lip on the whole story.

FOX News also promotes a double-standard which makes it very difficult to respect or trust them. During the George Walker Bush administration FOX News made it very clear that when the president makes a decision, whether it's right or wrong, it is our duty as Americans to support him (see: Bill O'Rielly). During the Obama administration FOX News' position on the president shifted to the opposite, that the president is figure to be constantly analyzed for flaws, criticized as a world leader, and as of 2009, compared in one way or another to some historic villain (see: Glenn Beck Program).

Another double-standard in FOX News Tool-belt is their reaction to the news. In February of 2010 there was a massive snow storm on the East Coast of the United States which coated my then home in Virginia with 28 inches. FOX News pundits had a field day making fun of Al Gore and inferring that the storm cell disproves the former next President of the United States documentary on Global Warming An Inconvenient Truth. That summer, cities across the United States experienced three consecutive months of record breaking temperature highs and FOX News didn't say a thing about Global Warming, Al Gore, Climate Change, etc. It would appear that when the world behaves in a way that supports their position, they can't talk about it enough, but when things are not going in their favor, they don't mention it at all.

I am a conservative who understands the need for progress, which is to say I would like to move forward on building a better world, but I'm not gullible enough to believe whatever people tell me. I don't respect FOX News' behavior, but I will defend to the death their right to behave in this way.

Answer 2

Fox News is not a program. It is a Cable Television channel, and it provides its programming to anyone who subscribes to it via cable providers like Comcast or Charter. There are also individual affiliates in local cities, such as Boston's WFXT, channel 25. Individual Fox stations must receive a license for broadcast from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); the Fox News channel's parent company, News Corp., also must follow the rules established by the FCC.