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John Stossel Moves to Fox

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D'kian

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I've been a fan of Stossel's since the late 80s when he did consumer reports on ABC. He always struck me as a reasonable and honest man. In time he stopped doing consumer reports and began to look at other things, like government regulations. He applied the same techniques and standards he did to shoddy goods and deceptive business practices to the works of government, which meant he got to expose what government programs, regulations and such actually accomplish.

To be sure he's not an Objectivist, although he probably has been influenced by Objectivism. he calls himself a libertarian, but he has a healthy cocern for individual rights and liberty. Overall he is a positive influence on society at large, and he has a respectably big audience.

Recently he's announced he'll be moving to the Fox News Channel and leae ABC. That's his business and his choice, naturally, but at first I thought it was too bad. I reasoned the usual ABC audience needed to hear his ideas more. Then I read his latest column in which he talks briefly about his move. This caught my attention:

In my new job, I want to dig into the meaning of the words "liberty" and "limited government." For many years, through Republican and Democratic administrations, we have been losing something vital in America: the commitment to individual liberty and the understanding that as government grows, liberty shrinks.

That's great. FNC is the favorite mainstream media source of news for Republicans and conservatives. And they need to be informed their party also has eroded liberty and individual rights. So good for him, and for us.

The full column can be found here

He asks readers to help him shape his new show. If you ahve any ideas of topics or questions he should be tackling, leave a comment on his column.

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Honestly, I can't say I'm happy about this because every time people move to Fox it seems like their intellectual character gets decimated. Observe Glenn Beck. He was good on HLN. Then he goes on Fox and becomes Captain Mass Emotional Hysterical Paranoia and becomes the laughing stock of the left.

I don't want the same then to happen to Stossel.

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  • 2 months later...

It is good that he is moving away from a leftist media outlet like ABC to a right-wing one like Fox, which, in spite of its Republican stranglehold, respects property rights more than the rest of the leftist MSM. He has exposed the anti-capitalist practices of many government programs etc. He'll now have a bigger audience and a supportive corporation like Fox to help him. :thumbsup:

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Yuck. His attitude and the people he quotes don't give me much hope for that show on Atlas at all. He agrees that she's "dogmatic" and that it's better to argue for capitalism's ability to make the lives of others better rather than focusing on individual rights. I'm guessing he will interview the standard handful of Libertarians who admit Rand influenced them, then fall all over themselves to insult her.

Edit: I left this comment on his article:

I'm disappointed in your apparent attitude toward Rand. It's so fashionable to qualify any sympathy for her by making obligatory digs on her.

Acting on principle isn't dogmatism. For years she insisted that collectivism was evil and would lead to death and misery at a time when most considered socialism and communism a noble experiment. Decades later she was proven right. Rand deserves to be recognized for sticking to her rational principles.

Edited by IchorFigure
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Baby steps, people. Baby steps. I would think the best way to move forward would be to have people at least thinking in terms of how capitalism benefits them. It's a very minor step from there to thinking, "Well, hey! Things which benefit my long-term life and happiness are good!"

Stossel rocks. Given that Fox kills everyone in the ratings, while ABC and the rest of the network hacks put on their knee-pads for Obama, having a bigger audience can't be a bad thing.

Edited by JeffS
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According to Judge Napolitano, Yaron will be talking to Stossel about his special. So there is some hope.

There was a report on HBL from an Objectivist who was at the taping of the special on Tuesday. Apparently it started off with an interview with John Allison, and there was a panel discussion with Yaron Brook, Brad Thompson and Allison, with audience Q&A. Later they had Nick Gillespie, who is the editor-in-chief of Reason.tv and Reason.com. He's more of a libertarian. But it certainly seems like a number of quality Objectivists were representing. I suppose editing could turn it into a hatchet job, but I'm cautiously optimistic. At least Stossel was talking to some of the right people.

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Is it possible that someone could record this first show and put it up or otherwise find out how we can go about getting it on the net? If he does Atlas Shrugged I would really like tos end it to some friends and have for myself. I've always liked John Stossel.

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So bad news guys, looks like todays episode is on Climate Change instead...I am hoping that means he will do Atlas Shrugged for his second one. That would be my guess because he was having trouble deciding which one to do and most comments on blogs about this were suggested he do Atlas Shrugged.

http://stossel.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2009/...-8pm-et-5pm-pt/

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So bad news guys, looks like todays episode is on Climate Change instead...I am hoping that means he will do Atlas Shrugged for his second one. That would be my guess because he was having trouble deciding which one to do and most comments on blogs about this were suggested he do Atlas Shrugged.

http://stossel.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2009/...-8pm-et-5pm-pt/

It may have been an issue of timeliness. I'm sure he will do the AS show as well.

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It may have been an issue of timeliness. I'm sure he will do the AS show as well.

My understanding is that the AS show has been filmed and is 'in the can' -- the only question is the airdate. It's not likely they're going to go to the bother of shooting the episode and then never air it. It's sort of a moot point for me anyhow since my cable provider apparently doesn't carry the Fox Business Network.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=10&author_id=61

This guy makes a habit of debunking everything John Stossel has said

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=19&media_outlet_id=19

Has anyone ever tried to rebut this?

Correct me if I'm wrong but is the oldest article on that site from 2002? If so Mr. Stossel has repeatedly acknowledged that he was on the wrong side of the argument just a few years ago. Don't quote me on the exact amount but he has even cited 10 Emmy's awarded to him in those years for reporting against "big business"(the wrong side). IMO he is one of the better reporters to watch, however his premise is incomplete at times which has led to one or two contradictions that I've witnessed.

Does anyone know what his political affiliation is. Based on his show I can't imagine that he is an Objectivist(philosophically) because of where he seems to get "stalled" at times.

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