Yeah, I think it's okay for reporters to have an opinion. I also think it's okay for celebrities, athletes, and everyone to have an opinion, and also be outspoken about it.
What I don't think is okay, is to be a news network whose motto is 'fair and balanced', when day after day, they are clearly just attacking the Democrats without ever going after Republicans. This is only MO, but I don't even think many of the newsanchors really believe what they're saying. That's what's so sad, they're parroting the opinions of their superiors. Of course, people like Sean Hannity's job security is dependent on whether R's get elected or not, so in that sense, I think it becomes their opinion.

really? i get the impression you really just want to say they're being mean to obama.

as for your public enlightenment towards foxnews maybe you should read TheBig3KilledMyRainDog's comment again. just because YOU want to believe in the ideal of truth in advertising / media doesn't mean i have to.

No, if I'd wanted to do that, I would have just called it 'FoxNews is being mean to Obama'. I was using the Obama smears as an example to show exacty how biased they are. I didn't used to watch FoxNews, but I listen to it on Sirius. Ha, I'm a realist rather than an optimist. I guess if I wanted to believe in the ideal of truth in advertising, I would find a way to believe all of their drivel. Whereas, if I was a realist, I would see a bunch of clearly false accusations flying around and cry 'outrage', whereas if they were actually fair and balanced, I might not even notice them.
Actually, I never would have cared about them, but other people have made it such a cultural phenomenon,(yes, with the movie Outfoxed, but more so the millions of viewers who make it the most watched news network in the world) and now I'm just commenting on what I see/hear from them.

why?

Probably because I'm concerned about a society that seems to have such an interest in this channel, and believe it or not, many people revere it. Doesn't that concern you at all? I mean, grant it you can't change other people's opinions. But doesn't it concern you that you're living in a society with many brainless twats who can be so easily manipulated? I think it would be dangerous to think that it can't effect you. I often think many people are much too cavalier when it comes to the issue of politics. You probably think it doesn't affect you. Well, George Bush was elected president, and that has affected you if you live in the U.S.A., and beyond that, if we are the most powerful nation in the world, then we owe it to other countries to be better informed for the next election, because it has affected them, too

people should be free to be as dumb as they please.

Right, everyone would be free to be as dumb as they please. I think we all have a capability to learn and grow, but what bothers me is the people who hold fast to a certain belief system. I think some people vote against what they know to be right many times, and it's just because they're afraid to be seen as different within a certain group of people.
Studies have been done on this, where people in a classroom have been afraid to speak up about an answer that they knew to be true, but different than what most of the people were answering. Later, when interviewed after the class, they had admitted that they knew the right answer, but answered incorrectly intentionally just not to be seen as different.
And next, you're probably going to tell me that people have the right to be as conformist as they please, right?

lol...your vote isn't exactly publically available information.

Link?

Well they do.

so they should conform to your ideals instead?

Could it be what they are voting on/against actually are their beliefs? If you're super-conservative, you're going to vote as such, not because it's cool to be a conservative..