John T. Ryan The launching of an All- News Cable Channel, designed to operate 24-7 calls for plenty of current opinion/interview programing to go along with the hourly or half-hourly News Report. Confusing? Let us try to reason together and examine this issue closer. When is it "News Reporting" and when do we have "News & Commentery"? In order to examine these questions, Let Us Now First Return To Those Eearly Days Of Yesteryear, When..........Yeah, the year was 1964. Little 18 year old punk Jack Ryan had just been released from High School. It was St. Rita High School here on Chicago's Southside that certified this kid with a real Diploma. What to do next? Never having given any thought to future plans and never or higher education. So, naturally, it was to the City College of Chicago, Woodrow Wilson Branch, that I matriculated. So now, education with members of the opposite sex! And there was no rules making attendance compulsory.It was at this time that a true education was coming my way. We had always been told that this is America and we have a God Given Right to Speak, Write, Believe, Vote and Worship in whatever way we choose, as long as we do no harm to our neighbor in the process. Well, I forgot that this was heavily Democratic Chicago, Cook County. The "Liberals" were out in force, pledging to 'help the down-trodden' minorities and bring them freedom and equality. (Notice the patronizing, elitist down talking? It's the tone they used and feel today, even.) Well, one October day that Election Year, we had some substitute for our instructor in English 101. Our regular guy, Mr. "M" was out, so this Lady Teacher brought in some kind of half-fast mimeographed "quiz" paper for us to take as a "study aid." The "Quiz" contained a series of sentences that had some grammatical errors or didn't. The "Student" would select his or hers own proper choice. (Mind you, this BS was being used in a College Level Class!) The thing that reminded me most of our discussion of HANNITY & COLMES is one of the asinine sentences. It read just about lika thisa: "The Tribune's Editorials are Biased."(all the quiz sentences were 'relevant to the '64 Presidential Election Campaign.) We were indeed in this "Peoples' Republic of Chicago" and I had been taught that you don't voice opinions contrary to the (Cook County Democrat)Party Line. But this silly, obviously politically charged slur on the Chicago Tribune's traditional Republican endorsements.But years later it dawned on me, (duh!) ALL EDITORIALS ARE BIASED! By their very natured, they all ready had a certain point of view on whatever subject. This is separate from the News Reporting, which involves the Who, What, How, Where and When of any incident being reported. It's when somebody puts the Why into the story that we have our news "Editorialized", hence slanted, spun or otherwise prostituted for one's political agenda.FOX NEWS CHANNEL boasts the slogan, "We Report, You Decide." As far as we can tell, they do stick to the spirit and letter of their platitude. They do keep the news separate from the Analysis/Commentery programming. The two are like the News and the Op Ed Page in a daily paper.HANNITY & COLMES provides a sterling example of a News/Current Events Commentery program can and does work. Sean Hannity is the Resident Conservative & Alan Colmes is the House Liberal. Their time in questioning a guest is meticulously divided between the two. They constantly rib each other and each others candidates. But they remain civil to all.Time was when our Elected Officials in Government at all levels left the disagreements on the floors of their respective offices or legislative chambers. Outside the Business of the Hallowed Halls, men from both parties, from the Left or the Right, all socialized together. John F. Kennedy and Barry Goldwater were very close personally as well as on the party scene. Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan often did some elbow bending at a certain Alexandria Irish Pub.With the old line "Big 3" networks News Departments now having shown to be less than honest, the whole nation has turned to what has come to be called "alternate" news sources. With the internet, the "Blogosphere" and outlets like FOX NEWS, with the likes of HANNITY & COLMES, have stepped in to fill the void left vacated by the former all-powerful.It can all be summed up with the old, oft quoted proverb: "I May Not Agree with what You Say, But I Will Fight to my Death to Defend Your Right To Say It!"

khazar400 This show is as vile as it gets. Colmes is very weak and was a virtual unknown until, he "sold out" to become Hannity's whipping boy. No self respecting politician of any stripe would appear on Fox; the voice of the growing neo-fascist movement in this country. For the scoop on Hannity and Colmes and Fox and the now almost totally right-wing media in this country; see "Orwell Rolls in his Grave" and "OutFoxed" Rupert Murcoch's War on Journalism. Jefferson said "Eternal vigilance is the price of Democracy". The founding fathers never envisioned the event of the entire communications media and the press falling into the hands of the rich and powerful few. There are no checks and balances for this, as the right wing media continues to stifle true dissent and replace it with faux debate forums such as this. This show is professional wrestling, bull fighting, the Harlem Globetrotters vs. Washington. It ain't news, and the sad sacks it trots out to represent the opposition are not true competitors. Give us Buckley vs. Vidal if you want a real heavyweight title bout. I know, Bill Buckley, hardly seems fair, but despite his uncontrollable twitching he is the best they've got and perhaps the best mind of 8th century.

abrafocus I absolutely love this show. There is none other like it. Sean Hannity is a truth teller, unlike some people I know. I listen to his daily talk show, and I watch his one-hour program.I see so many things on this show, it's shocking that no other news program talks about as well. Why don't they? It's because they are afraid to tell the real truth.There's no reason not to like this show if you are a Conservative. Conservatives do just what their name says: Conserves. Liberals don't do that.Sean Hannity is a great American. If people even bother to watch this show every day as I have, they will soon learn the truth about American values. 10/10.

LCJ7230 Superb hour of debate between 2 individuals (Hannity and Colmes) of opposing philosophical views and their guests. Both hosts are well prepared and each guest is confronted by the host from "the other side". This makes for intelligent,rational, balanced debate and is a tremendous breath of fresh air from the stagnant, rote, left-leaning mainstream media.