OK, so I log onto the computer this morning to get caught up with the news and go to the Yahoo! front page to read some headlines. A video clip about an emergency landing for Gov. Schwarzenegger's plane caught my eye and I clicked to get the 411. The link took me to the requested clip which was 37 seconds long. What happened next really shocked me.
The playlist immediately started running the next clip, entitled "Fish Don't Vote", from FoxNews/Hannity, featuring comedian, Paul Rodriguez. Wow. Way too early for that load of crap, so I click to skip to the next story - "Burriss in Clear, But Won't Discuss Plans," from CBS2Chicago.com. OK, fair enough. Next up, "From Seed to Tree: Unraveling ACORN's Twisted Web," courtesy of Fox News.
After that they featured Glenn Beck, with special guest, Ann Coulter, in a segment titled "Show Some Respect, "discussing Senator Boxer's "dressing down" of Brig. General Walsh. Moving on, we are offered two gems in a row, "GOP Criticizes Dems on Health Care Plans" (AP) and "Republicans Criticize Health Care Plan" (ABC). The last two clips in the rotation were "Moussavi Spokesperson Speaks Out" (ABC) and "Obama: New Consumer Protections 'Essential'" (AP).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but there seems to be a pronounced lean to the right in this line-up. I went back and did a little research and this is what I came up with. Of the nine stories featured (33 minutes and 40 seconds total video), three came directly from Fox programming. Almost three quarters (24 minutes and 51 seconds) were definitely slanted to the right. And that is generous, since I calculated that number putting the Burriss story as "neutral", since he is a Democrat and I feel that we deserve the heat since his scandal happened on our watch.
I'm sorry I don't have links. I was in a hurry this morning and didn't take the time to capture the links.
I would like to contact Yahoo! and let them know that I don't appreciate letting Fox News dominate their content. What do you think?