In comments in several Diaries and Front News many have stated that "Fox News viewers already drunk the Koolaid", or disparaging remarks about Fox News viewers. I'm not discussing here the argument that having Fox host a primary debate is lending that network legitimacy. That's another discussion. Here I want to focus in the argument that a Democratic Primary Debate hosted at Fox is useless.
I must confess that my skin crawls when I hear/read disparaging remarks of people as a group and "branding" based on personal choices painted with a broad brush. I don't think that this kind of generalizations advance the understanding of issues or the political discussion, much the less the advancing of our ideas to those outside the already "converted."
Hard data does not seem to corroborate the notion that those that view Fox News are an homogeneous group, or that there are no independents or democrats watching that network. The latest figures that I was able to find --and I admit, I did not devoted too much time to the research, is from 2004. In their analysis of the "State of the Media" for 2005, Project for Excellence in Journalism shows the following chart:
Percentage of Party Members Watching Specific Cable News Channels
  | Democrats | Republicans | Independents |
CNN | 28% | 19% | 22% |
Fox News | 21% | 35% | 22% |
MSNBC | 12% | 10% | 12% |
the source of the study is "News Audiences Increasingly Politicized," from June 6, 2004 done by The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.
Now, looking at those numbers, if we want to paint all the viewers of Fox News as people that will not change their mind whatever our candidates can say in response of Fox biased questions, then I think that we are becoming a very elitist group. Again, look at the numbers, 21% of the viewers are democrats, 22% independents. Even if we think that in the last years the number of Democrats and independents watching Fox News decreased, we are still talking of a huge audience!
Then, the question goes back to how we can advance our ideas, how we can use the media, all the media to reach the public that we normally don't reach. I think that the facts, as shown in the above table make very clear that there is an audience at Fox News that we can reach. Furthermore, I will advance (as a Populist Progressive I am,) that we must reach that audience if we want to expand a real progressive movement. Go to any bar or restaurant with one of their tvs showing news, and there is a big chance that it will be showing Fox News. Talk with people that are not already "converted" (but that are not repugblicans,) and check how many watch Fox News. Your will be surprised!
Finally, to touch at least laterally the only argument that I consider appropriate about having the debate in Fox (the idea that it could legitimize Fox News as a real news outlet) I really think that could have been addressed by the candidates themselves in the oppening arguments!
Yes, we won the debate battle against Fox, but I wondering if we lost more than we gained.
Peace with Justice
¡Sí se puede!
Marcos