Well Above Average is a blog that I have followed for years. While this blogger isn’t blogging as regularly as she used to, she does find time to post about events and issues that she finds relevant. I heard that she has recently posted and I am excerpting the post here on this blog. It’s interesting her points and even the data she cites are – when thoughtfully read- do make sense. If you want to see the entire post, please visit http://www.wellaboveaverage.com/2017/05/
@#$% Fox News
The existence of Fox News has long been an annoyance–sort of like a pebble in one’s shoe. Unfortunately, the collective ignorance fostered by the “news” network has had catastrophic results: the election of the colossally incompetent Trump.
Trump represents the essence of Fox News and its demographic: racist, sexist, willfully ignorant and xenophobic. For me, this has taken Fox News from mere annoyance to malignant toxicity.
Most people realize that Fox News is a mouthpiece for the Republican party: the channel was created by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who hired former Republican Party media consultant Roger Ailes as its founding CEO. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Fox News having a conservative bias, but its reporting goes well beyond the purely partisan. Fox News cultivates irrational zealotry in its audience.
Long before Trump derided legitimate news sources exposing his many failings and misdeeds as “FAKE NEWS,” Fox News was referred to as “Faux News.” Politifact rates 59% of Fox News statements as Mostly False, False or Pants on Fire. In addition to being thoroughly biased, Fox has a long history of promoting conspiracy theories and other assorted bullshit. And it’s not just that Fox is promulgating false information, studies have shown that Fox News viewers are less informed on current events than those who don’t follow news at all. According to a study by PRRI and the Brookings Institute:
“It is not possible from this data to offer a precise solution to the chicken-and-egg question — whether the more important fact is that those with very conservative views are already attracted to Fox or whether Fox turns its viewers into conservatives. What is clear is that conservative are drawn to Fox, and that Fox may, in turn, reinforce and perhaps harden conservative views.”
So much for “fair and balanced.”
Fox News viewers might point to the inclusion of liberal commentators to support this opportunistic tagline, but let’s face it: the liberals are included as a sideshow attraction or sacrificial punching bags for the conservative majority. And while we’re talking about “fair and balanced,” here are some other things to keep in mind:
-If your news program promotes the notion that it’s necessary to use the words “radical Islamic terrorism” as some sort of patriotic purity test, it’s not “fair and balanced.” There’s a reason George W. Bush never used that phrase in post-9/11 speeches. The words of a president are important and carry more weight than some blithering commentator. The wrong words can cause fluctuations in the stock market or negative impact foreign relationships. Contrast Obama’s measured statements with the Twitter troll now at the helm.
-If your news program incites the belief that there’s a “War on Christmas,” it’s not “fair and balanced.” Secular entities opting for inclusiveness during a season where over a dozen holidays are celebrated are not engaging in a war on Christmas. Starbucks opting for a plain red cup devoid of snowflakes or snowmen is not an example of a war on Christmas. It is, however, an example of conservative snowflakes and their butt-hurt feelings whining over something completely ridiculous. Fox News invented the war on Christmas. It doesn’t exist in the real world.
- If your news program has convinced you that the proper response to “Black Lives Matter” is a knee-jerk parroting of “All Live Matter!” like a perfect little “Ditto-head,” then it’s not fair and balance. “Black Lives Matter” does not mean “ONLY Black Live Matter,” it means “Black Lives Matter, TOO.” The fact that Fox wants you to be more outraged over a football player kneeling in protest during the National Anthem prior to a FOOTBALL GAME than the epidemic of black people shot by police shows how cravenly racist the channel is. Of the 354 people shot by police to-date in 2017, 90 have been black. That’s over 25% for a race that only makes up 13% of the population. Protesting is not anti-American. This country was founded by protesters (remember the Boston Tea Party?) which is why it’s the height of hypocrisy for Fox News viewers to feel the need to “boycott the NFL” over Kaepernick’s protest while retaining the right to stage their own revolt.
There is much more to the rest of this post. Please take a moment to read it completely here: http://www.wellaboveaverage.com/2017/05/
I would like to thank WellAboveAverage.com for allowing me to feature this post on my blog.
And now, a word from our sponsors… (just kidding!)
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
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