Not if you are aware that Fox News’s news broadcasts provide only a conservative perspective on current events, and that the evening shows (such as O’Reilly, Hannity, etc.) are opinion and analysis (often with an agenda), but not news. However, if you truly want “fair and balanced” news, you should be watching a variety of news sources — conservative, liberal, moderate, international, etc. — and synthesize them all to form your own perspective of current events. I tend to go to web sites much more than watch TV but I’ll spend a couple of minutes watching CNN, MSNBC, and Fox. I’ll spend more time looking at what they think is important, at least important based on how they display it on their webpage. I hit aggregate sites like Google News and Yahoo which give a smattering of stories from all fronts. I read Breitbart but not Drudge. I also hit the usual suspects – CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC – and to get a foreign view, the BBC, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Le Figaro, and Le Monde. I have a subscriptions to the NYT, my only paid news outlet, and I check out USA Today. As for what is balanced or fair, it depends both on one’s viewpoint as well as the particular story.
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