Jim Dandy:  You are missing the point.  The study wasn't concerning how the media was reporting the negative or positive of the individual campaigns.   The study looked at how the media presented it's reports.  Of all the stories MSNBC ran about Obama, only 14 were negative.  But 73% were negative regarding McCain.  The independent report focused on the flavor of the reporting.  The question they answered had to do with the slant of the media coverage.  MSNBC slanted their coverage in favor of Obama and against McCain.  Some of those knuckleheads on MSNBC even dug into Joe the Plumber's past, his tax records, etc, just to discredit him.  That is NOT the job of a news organization.  They weren't reporting the news, they were making it. 

This report is quite comprehensive and you can read if for yourself online.  I'm citing facts from their report.  You're using hypotheticals and opinion.  The bottom line is this:  Fox news is recognized by the majority of American viewers as a higher quality news organization than any other, cable or network.  The  ratings show that.  People know they can depend on Fox to deliver information from all perspectives.  This election coverage has been a good example of their excellence.  You will routinely see Fox have equal representation from both parties and they give them equal time.  Looking at the Fox news program as a whole, it's easy to see that, just as this study I cite reflects, they are indeed fair and balanced.    OTOH, watching MSNBC would give the viewer a slanted view that favored Obama.  NBC is nearly as bad but MSNBC is by far the worse.   The data makes it clear and with all due respect, contrary opinions do nothing to change the facts.