What liberal media? Fox News holds top 10 cable news spots of 2011

http://www.examiner.com/liberal-in-orlando/what-liberal-media-fox-news-holds-top-10-cable-news-spots-of-2011

Robert Sobel, Orlando Liberal Examiner
December 29, 2011

We often hear claims of "liberal media" by those on the far right to describe any news reporting that doesn't hold extreme conservative views. The problem with these claims are that they aren't valid. Whether it's Rush Limbaugh on the radio or Bill O'Reilly on television, the conservative viewpoint grabs the attention of the majority of Americans. Does that mean that the country is shifting further to the right? The answer is simply no. Just like radio shock jock Howard Stern, people watch and listen to conservatives not because they always agree with them, but because they want to see what they will say next.

The ratings are in for the top rated cable news shows of 2011 and Fox News has dominated once again. Bill O'Reilly is at the top of the list with the number one rated cable news show of the year and the replay is listed at number eight. Sean Hannity follows O'Reilly with the number two show followed by Special Report with Bret Baier, Fox Report with Shepard Smith and On the Record with Greta van Susteren to round out the top five. The highest rated show that is not on the Fox News channel is The Rachel Maddow Show at number fourteen, which is followed by The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and The Ed Show.

One can only wonder how a news channel that has been caught exaggerating facts and often making up information could be watched by millions of people. Though Fox News has dominated the cable news rating over the years, their numbers have started to fall. The Fox News ratings for 2011 dipped from previous years while MSNBC shows like Rachel Maddow, The Ed Show and the Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell have seen an increase in ratings.

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