What this all comes down to is respect. FoxNews wants it, but appears to have no clue on how to get it. All they seemingly know how to do is to bully, intimidate, shout down, or gag those who disagree with them, and these baseless lawsuits and threats are making what is already a bad, seemingly systemic problem within their organization that much worse.
If FoxNews needs a good example of how to earn respect, all they need to do is look at The Simpsons, a show that started out as a national scandal and has become an international treasure. They did it by being consistantly good, funny, smart, and relevant. They didn't talk down to their audience. Their depiction of the world around them in all its ludicrous banality has always been dead-on, and yet they stayed above it all on some level, while still not becoming elitist. Everyone's a potential target, and because of that, The Simpsons really does come off as "fair and balanced".
As for Fox News, you have to wonder whether they'll ever learn these lessons. Perhaps FoxNews is destined to become this nation's longest running joke...
