Fox News host Andrea Tantaros discussed her career as a media expert and national political commentator with a full audience Wednesday night. Students from all different backgrounds and political views gathered at the auditorium in the Life Sciences Complex for the controversial lecture.

Tantaros said she wanted to speak at Syracuse University due to its prominence and the quality of its graduates. She has spoken at numerous colleges around the country and carries the same message to each of them: Students need to be informed and critical of the media around them.

Zach Weiss, member of the SU College Republicans, invited Tantaros not only to encourage students to be a part of the Republican Party, but to give students an opportunity to become politically engaged around campus.

During the presentation, Tantaros talked about the bias that exists in her profession. She mentioned instances where she has seen bias in the media going back to her career as a campaign consultant.

‘Bias in the media is running rampant, more so than ever before,’ she said.

Tantaros also spoke about a number of issues occurring in the United States today, such as the Occupy Wall Street movement. She said she believes the Occupy movement is filled with a lot of people complaining and breaking laws. Many people taking part in the movement have been accused of rape, defacing private property and camping out illegally in Central Park at night, she said.

Hannah Simon, a sophomore magazine journalism major, said Tantaros is ‘out of touch’ when it comes to the Occupy movement. Simon said she believes Tantaros has no grasp on what’s actually happening during the protests.

Yet Tantaros argued that being called ‘out of touch’ is a false statement because she said she has talked to several New Yorkers throughout her years as a journalist. Growing up with a father who was a poor immigrant in America, Tantaros said she knows how to overcome economic struggles and finds it difficult to sympathize with the Occupy protestors.

James Ward, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, agreed with Tantaros’ statements. He said Tantaros brings a lot of good information to the table about how the media actually works and that she preaches ‘diversity of thought,’ something that he believes could benefit journalism students.

Feminism was also a major topic of discussion. Tantaros spoke about how women in this country are starting to date men who are less accomplished than they are and how the female race is eclipsing the male race in terms of jobs and level of income.

A student strongly spoke out against Tantaros on this issue as well and said that she was ‘out of her league’ regarding the topic. Tantaros responded by saying she has been in the workforce, has done research on the topic and has seen it happen in a number of cases.

Said Tantaros: ‘When you enter the workforce, call me in 10 years and tell me what you see.’

nrcardon@syr.edu

Published on December 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Nick: nrcardon@syr.edu