When Fox News first arrived on the scene, it was a breath of fresh air. In a news world filled with biases, blandness and outright support of a left-wing agenda, we finally had something “Fair and Balanced”. Fox News was not a conservative network; it presented views from all sides of the aisle, letting the viewer make his own opinion. That was all we ever wanted and we were happy. Now, however, as we have become a bit spoiled by having our new and improved news service I want something a little more: Responsibility.

Fox News may still present a neutral political point of view but it has descended into a sensationalism mindset that makes our other news choices pale in comparison. It seems the tactics of “Big Fox”, the network that brings us some of the most raunchy programing on TV, and News Crops' overseas ventures have begun to find their way into our beloved Fox News. The list has been eating away at me for a while and now I feel I must express my dissatisfaction with the product you are presenting.

The first thing that began getting on my nerves was actually one of the segments that originally brought me to Fox News, the morning show “Fox and Friends”. Aptly named, because they act like a bunch of friends getting together to shoot the bull. The news is just an afterthought. I cannot count how many times I have sat through a discussion of Brian Kilmeade's hair or Steve Doocy's kids. I have a limited amount of time in the morning, I wish to learn as much of the news as I can during that time. Watching Doocy and Kilmeade “re-enact” a phone call (this really happened) between two principals in a news story does not strike me as an efficient use of time.

The next item has slowly grated on my nerves as well. Fox News has purposely set out to hire anchorettes who's delivery of the news is over-the-top. These ladies are then trained in a manner designed to make even mundane news seem vital and thus hook the viewer. For reference see Laurie Dhue and Uma Pemmaraju. Breathy, wild eyed Mrs. Pemmaraju delivers the news with each breath sounding like she is in shock. It is almost comical. But it is hard to say this is on purpose, it could be her natural manner; I have never seen her do anything else. Laurie Dhue on the other hand we have seen in other settings on Fox News where she seems, for lack of a better word, normal. However, when she is delivering the news, moisture glistens off her collagen injected lips; the microphone captures every tiniest in- or exhale; she is caught leaning forward as if spilling state secrets and the camera focuses in on nothing but her face. She could be reading the scores of last night's little league game but it sounds like North Korea just set off another nuclear test.

The sensationalism does not end with the manor of the anchorettes, however, the producers get in on the show as well. They do so with that little banner at the bottom of the screen, whereupon they put up big red letters that read “Fox News Alert”. This is a very good attention getting device, and quite reasonable if used in a limited fashion. The aforementioned N. Korean nuclear test would do. A change in venue for Michael Jackson's court trial would not. You, Fox News, have been using this “News Alert” far too often. When I turn on a 24 hour news channel and I see “News Alert” I expect something big to be going on; Michael Jackson's trial does not count.

Speaking of the Michael Jackson trial, exactly how did you guys become so obsessed with our legal system? I understand that Jackson or O.J. or Anna Nichole or whomever may rate celebrity status and that their going to jail should make a news story. But that is a far cry from following every single detail of the trial (with Fox News Alerts, no less). Greta Van Susteren's show “On the Record” is even worse. On this show they haggle over the minutest detail. Then they try to guess what the next steps in each case will/should/might be. It sounds more like a sports show than something fit for a News Channel or a serious show devoted to our legal system. This is the legalese gossip hour.

I am not exactly sure how camera-lawyer Van Susteren parleyed her commentary on the O.J. trial into her own show on Fox News. I am also not exactly sure why Fox News decided to hire Geraldo Rivera. But in a short time span Fox News put two personalities, who's careers have been built on sensationalism, on the payroll. This does not speak well for the judgment of the upper echelons at Fox News.

The breaking point for me came on Friday the second of March. I get up early, so I try to catch the re-run of “Your World with Neil Cavuto” (defiantly the best show you have on Fox News) from the day before. This morning, however, the show was preempted for a “Fox News Alert” (replete with big red letters at the bottom of the screen). Now we have established that there is a right and a wrong way to use these Alerts, which one was this? I will report and let you decide. In place of my normal program, Fox News was in the Bahamas showing a pre-dawn image of the Baptist Church where gold-digging stripper Anna Nichole Smith would finally be laid to rest later that day. I will give you a moment to think on proper use of the “Fox News Alert”. Preempting Cavuto for the drugged out quasi-prostitute went way over the line, however. I immediately switched to Head Line News and have not been back.

So, in tota, what we have here is a war in Afganistan, a war in Iraq, a war in the Senate about those two wars, potential wars in North Korea, Iran and China. We have stock markets skyrocketing upward and plunging back down, housing market booms and busts. We have a presidential campaign ramping up and we have the likes of Brit Hume, Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, John Gibson et al to tell us about it. But instead we are treated to Laurie Dhue breathlessly telling us about Britney Spears and Greta Van Susteren covering every little detail of the “Battle of the Johns” for Anna Nichole's baby.

Now, granted, when I gave up and turned over to Head Line News, I had to endure being called a “neo-con” because I watch “24” - but I can handle that. Thanks to Fox News I have learned how to read the bias in a news story and pull the truth out of it. And I can assure you my news-per-minute ratio is a lot higher at Head Line News than listening to the dueling hair pieces on “Fox and Friends”. I will take a slanted news story over Fair and Balanced pap any day.