It's called the Fox News Channel, and they claim to present news that is "fair and balanced." That has never fooled anyone who didn't want to be fooled, or who was so blinded by their own biases that they wouldn't know fair and balanced from a corkscrew.
But now it is simply ludicrous.
Look who gets their microphone: Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Karl Rove, Sarah Palin. Please tell us exactly who it is that balances off this quartet.
Hannity and Palin openly endorse political candidates. Karl Rove makes no secret of the fact that he is busy raising $50 million for the GOP campaign. And Glenn Beck's unrelenting anti-Obama rants go beyond politics and into personal defamation.
Now, Sarah Palin has virtually announced that Fox is the mouthpiece for conservative politicians. Her advice to newly nominated Christine O'Donnell: "Speak through Fox News."
Sean Hannity questioned O'Donnell about going on other new outlets: "[W]hy have you decided to subject yourself to the -- what I would argue probably biased, tough questions and obviously the advancement of some of the attacks against you?"
Not that we didn't know this already. The appalling thing is that they no longer feel they need to try to disguise it. It's now official: Fox News Channel is the mouthpiece for conservatives who don't want you to hear anything but their message.
Given their ratings -- they make it entertaining enough and stir up passions enough to ensure a mass audience; add in the GOP friendly deregulation of campaign cash from corporations, and the future for liberal/progressive government looks bleak.
Ralph
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Another bit of evidence: Fox has a PAC that makes donations to political conservative candidates.
ReplyDeleteFoxNews is sponsoring a debate between Missouri senatorial candidates Roy Blount (R) and Robin Carnahan (D). They have donated $10,000 to Bount's campaign chest and none to Carnahan.
ReplyDeleteOK -- so much for Palin's advice to Christine O'Donnell to "speak through Fox news."
ReplyDeleteO'Donnell, faced with a torrent of past video clips of her making outrageous statements, including that she dabbled in witchcraft in the past, is apparently running away from even the friendly media, a la a Sharron Angle in Nevada.
O'Donnell has canceled her scheduled appearances on Sunday morning -- not only on possibly difficult Meet the Press but also on Fox News, which should be her cup of tea.
With such damaging stuff to answer for, even friendly FoxNews might prove a difficult spot.
The problem is, none of this stuff seems to be 'damaging' evidence for people who vote for her. Of Angle, who I believe is just about even in her race, or Paul, who is now ahead, right?
ReplyDeleteWe are dealing with an electorate that doesn't care about ideas, positions, statements, behavior. They are voting without any basis other than the vague term 'outsider'.
As a friend mentioned to me yesterday, the Scottish poet Alex Grant, who is also a student of history, "People thought Hitler was a joke at first, too."
richard
That last line is chilling, Richard -- but oh so true and scary.
ReplyDelete