"Hi, my name is Julia, I am a Democrat, and I appear on Fox." There are very few Democrats willing to defend Fox News right now. Julia Piscitelli, though, in a blog post at U.S. News and World Report, is bucking the trend. Why? She points out that Fox is the No. 1 cable news station and, "actually put[s] more women on as experts ... than MSNBC or CNN." But that's not the crux of her argument.Take a look:
In a nation with more registered Democrats than Republicans, why is Fox still America's top-rated cable news network? Because America is captivated by conflict. Look at Jon and Kate. Their highest rated episode came aftertheir marital problems went public. Nothing brings home the high ratings like conflict.
What's more entertaining than watching a good old-fashioned debate? Fox figured out that people would rather watch a Republican and Democrat debate an issue than two Republicans and a conservative host all saying the same thing. As a party, talking to ourselves and nodding in agreement makes us lazy and less able to defend our beliefs.
I love going on Fox ... It keeps me on my toes. So don't boycott Fox News. Instead, embrace the challenge of going head-to-head with the opposition. Take your message to your detractors and to the people you are trying to persuade.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.