"A lie screamed loudly will trump a truth spoken quietly"

For me America is a strange and distant land. For a country so interlinked politically and historically with our own there are many things about the good-ol US of A that I will never understand - American football, thanksgiving, Dog the Bounty Hunter, David Hasselhoff's continuing existence and, most confusingly of all, the popularity of Fox News.

Rupert Murdoch's purveyor of "partisan news" has today been voted the most trustworthy source of information in America by US citizens. In a survey conducted by Public Policy Polling, almost half of respondents said they trusted Fox News, compared to 39 per cent who have confidence in the channel's rival CNN.

However, Fox News is a news channel in name only. Relying on the network as your only source of information is more stupid than thinking Eastenders is a gritty documentary of modern-day London life.

For those who are not aware of Fox News let me educate you. Established by Australian media-mogul Murdoch in 1996 to counter a media that, in his opinion, was dominated by liberals - it has since been accused of bias towards rightwing politicians and causes. Widely described as an extension of the US Republican Party, the rolling news channel has been caught in a succession of controversies, including allegations of distributing propaganda, manipulating photos and executives influencing editorial output.

Fox has removed its coverage so far from objective journalism that it has become a running commentary on news rather than a traditional output for reporting. The two stars of this new type of channel are undoubtedly Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly.

Beck is a manic, doom-prophesying patriot, who - like many Americans - has an almost psychotic fear of socialism. Described by a prominent American journalist as "Satan's mentally-challenged younger brother", Beck is most widely know for his rant earlier this year describing Barack Obama a racist who has a "deep-seated hatred of white people or the white culture". Click here for a montage of his finest moments.

O-Reilly, on the other hand, is even more offensive. The former semi-professional baseball player has hosted The O'Reilly Factor, which is the most watched cable programme in America, since 1996 and has spent the majority of the last decade with his foot permanently in his mouth.

Renowned for his popular catchphrase "Shut up!", O'Reilly is a man who appears to be in a perpetual state of mental constipation, while at the same time suffering from verbal diarrhoea.

Responding to Michelle Obama's comment on her husband's campaign trail early last year that she is finally proud of her country, O'Reilly said: "I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle unless there's evidence that say this is how the woman really feels.

"If that's how she really feels – that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever – then that's legit. We'll track it down."

For more along the same lines, click here

Dean Denham, president of Public Policy Polling, emphasised the implications that the rise of Fox-esque news providers could have on journalism in America

He said: "That people see the network as trustworthy is worrying in terms of the future of reasoned debate in America.

"A lie screamed loudly will trump a truth ¬spoken quietly."

You may be thinking - how does this affect me? Well, Murdoch has already expressed wishes for his UK ventures to become more like Fox. So if in five years time Jim Davidson is calling Gordon Brown a one-eyed, haggis-eating jock whilst anchoring Sky News don't say I didn't warn you.