I was reading the talking points online today for the O'Reilly Factor (the opening segment of the show that introduces the main focus of that night's program) and they were dedicated to recognizing Lt. Michael Murphy, a Navy Seal who sacrificed his life in Afghanistan to help his unit. Lieutenant Murphy's family received the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony today.

According to the talking points, "the story received minimal attention from the liberal press. It ran in the 'Metro' section of The New York Times, for example."

I didn't really find this information too shocking. To be honest, when I read the New York Times, I do not look for nor expect to see stories of this nature. I do not think that this classifies this publication poor or something we should turn our noses down on, but I do think it is a good example to support an assertion made by O'Reilly in his talking points.

He categorized FOX News not as conservative, but prone to adopting a "pro-USA viewpoint." He defines this as giving "our country the benefit of the doubt." Other publications typically categorized as liberal do not take this stance.

Now which one is correct? Will the shift change when our involvement changes in the war against terrorism?

I can't help but think that FOX News will shift toward the more critical viewpoint exercised by such publications as The New York Times. However, I think that in the times that we live in, a FOX News is extremely important.

According to The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly's ratings outnumbered those of MSNBC and CNN in that time slot with over a million to spare. That sheer volume of numbers must tell us that Americans are looking for something in their news, whether it be a pro-American stance or not, and FOX News is providing it.