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November
2004
By
Keston Huntington
How
Fox News may be the most dangerous
deliverer
of propaganda
since World War II,
How
they single handedly won
George
Bush a re-election
&
Where
are they leading the
American
people now?
Fox
News has enjoyed tremendous success since September 11 th. As of November 2004 they celebrate the highest ratings and most viewed
News Program on network television today. But are they in
a fact, a News organization? Lets face it, commentators are
not News Reporters. Very few of Fox News programs are hosted
by actual news reporters and you are more likely to find
a needle in a haystack than find a host on Fox News who
isn't a dominant, vocal, far right Republican. Fox News
in reality is a news "spin" organization, of sorts. They mislead
Americans by throwing legitimate news into the mix and overly
dramatize issues with that right wing flair. They distort
and insinuate opinions as factual, all the while using the
new found American patriotism and fear in the American people,
Fox found its opening and they have scored big.
When the Associated Press publishes an article titled "Bush authorized leaking of classified documents", Fox's spin on the situation, keep in mind they barely mention,
then downplay any of these big news events that indicate
Bush is anything but a hero, but when they do, their
declaration will read more like... "Bush has right to
declassified documents". It is really quite funny to follow.
How
do they do it? How have they become #1?
They
are colorful! Easy on the eyes, for one. In the days of
the September 11th tragedy, Fox revamped its image and
found such tremendous success in their design that they
kept that new American image. The design set is modern, with
vibrant colors with an attractive digital image of an American
Flag waving in the wind in the upper left hand side of their
screen. What American after September 11th, isn’t going
to love that? While CNN and MSNBC deliver a more bland design
sets, much less appealing, Fox portrays itself as the news
station for “ America ”.
However,
the true and most powerful tool of Fox News and the critical
component of their agenda is the dominant energy and passion
of their right wing hosts. Of their prime time line up,
each and every host is an overtly opinionated extreme conservative
Republican, with one exception, the meek and meager Alan
Colmes. Colmes is strategically set in a debate forum
opposite the overtly dominant bully, Sean Hannity. Alan Colmes is
no match to his Republican adversary. He is obliterated
and portrayed as the village idiot who doesn't care about protecting
America. He has no smirk on has face, he even slouches
quietly while his microphone is set to a lower volume level,
giving Hannity "the patriotic hero" the upper hand.
While
CNN and MSNBC has older, bland and monotone hosts who are
much less colorful or opinionated, Fox relishes in its popularity
of the likes of Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity who are fun
to watch, they rant and rave, they dominate and bully, they
are angry, outraged and they spark emotions in the good
American people using fear. They often make referrals to Christian
morals (Good versus Evil) in citing their conservative opinions.
Fox is even launching its own Faith based Network, "Fox
Faith". What good Christian wouldn't buy that? You cannot say
these men have monotone voices, you cannot say they are
low key and you cannot say they are not passionate. And
they commentate all in the name of “Protecting America”. They portray themselves as the champions of American values, all the while they endorse any issue having to do with taking away Civil Rights in the name of protection against terrorism. AKA Republican control. What American who has
bought into the infective Fox propaganda would not enjoy
watching the angry hosts beat and bully their more liberal
guests with zeal?
Fair
and Balanced?
What
is incredibly ironic is Fox’s motto “Fair and Balanced”
as well as O’Reilly’s program “The No Spin Zone” because
nothing could be farther from the truth. This News (?) Network
is far from Fair and Balanced
and any person with intelligent reasoning would be able
to clearly identify that there is a serious agenda here,
a slow methodical brainwashing of sorts. But then again
with the reiteration and reiteration of “Protecting America”
it is easy to see how good Americans would buy into the
Fox fear propaganda. Fox has mastered the theory that “Power
lies in the control of the mass mind” which
was a motto Adolph Hitler employed using mass communication
available at the time of World War II. Adolph Hitler used
fear and faith just as Fox News does today. It is true that there
is power in words; the power of suggestion is how Fox has
manipulated the American people.
Interestingly,
the Associated Press itself has exposed Fox’s deliberate
bias and spin. In July 2001 they reported that of Fox’s
Brit Hume’s Daily program 50 of his 56 guests were conservative
Republican with only 6 Democratic guests, while FAIR (Fairness
& Accuracy in Reporting) cited that Fox News portrayal
of being Fair and Balanced as misleading and “Media consumer
fraud” and Cameron Peterson of CNS News explains that Fox’s
wild popularity can be attributed to their dramatic approach
to their opinions of the facts, “If you make
everything seem like a scandal, a huge deal when it is not,
then you frighten people into listening to you”.
Now lets be honest here, at best case scenario George W.
Bush has made enormous detrimental mistakes, is a complete idiot,
a moron, grandiose, stubborn and vain. But on the other end of the
spectrum, the worst case scenario he is a liar, manipulator,
murderer and an opportunist. The best case scenario is very
clear, what is unclear is the worst case scenario. So what
happened? Fox News. That is what happened.
Fox
News downplayed and belittled the mistakes made by George
W. There were no WMD’s and with Fox’s flair of turning the
reasons for war from WMD's to a "9/11 war on terrorism" was
extremely successful in confusing normal good Americans. For that enormous
mistake made by George W, costing now over a thousand of
American soldiers lives, creating a land
of opportunity and power for Terrorists (our real enemy)
Fox new has turned the war into something else. No
other NEWS program mixes the truths of why America was led
into war. Like the Spin of a tacky defense attorney Fox changed
the focus of the facts. At the same time Fox played and
replayed the horrifyingly outrageous Swift Boat ads, over
and over again and reporting the ads had become the major
topic of the election and that the ads had become a major
media topic. Meanwhile FOX solely was the dominant media
avenue focusing on the ads. CNN and MSNBC did not cover
the SBV ads nearly as much attention as the Fox News spin
doctors. All the while completely discounting George W’s
murky military record. If Colmes or any Democratic guest
brought this to light they were scandalized, demolished,
spoken over and portrayed as against the President therefore
unpatriotic and against American soldiers.
Fox
News executives (all staunch conservative Republicans) deny
any bias in their reporting methods, but cite ALL other
News stations as being left wing. Sound familiar? Switching
the facts to another direction?
It’s
not surprising, considering the Bush administration and its
involvement with Corporate America. It is well known that
Fox is owned by the staunch Republican Conservative Robert
Murdoch and a nephew of George W’s is a big wig at the station.
It is not surprise that Fox News jumps the gun on announcing
anything that can put the President in a positive light
whether it be in the elections or any staged patriotic stance.
Where
is Fox leading the American people now after they have won
the election of George W?
To
begin with Fox has already begun its crusade of tearing
down and ridicule against their most hated Democratic character,
Hillary Clinton. But there most outrageous and ambitious
crusade is nothing short of the complete annihilation of
the entire Democratic Party. Yes, as shocking as it may
sound, that is what they are suggesting. Since the Election
2004 results have been in, repeatedly, over and over again
Fox’s zestful hosts are discussing how the Democratic Party
is now at a position of demise. Again the hosts are reporting
their opinions as if they are news worthy facts even though
perhaps 50% of the American population as Democratic.
Will
the American people believe it? You bet. Fox News may absolutely
be capable of bringing the Democratic Party to its knees
and the Fox News brainwashing power should never be underestimated.
It is hard today to think that in our civilized society
of common sense of intelligence we would go back to a time
of Geneva Convention violations, a possible overturn of
Roe vs. Wade and a Constitutional Amendment to deny equal
rights and to segregate a group of American people.
What
the Democrats MUST do to save themselves from being a casualty
of the
Fox
News agenda!
Balance
the playing field!
CNN
and MSNBC are not the tilt stations that Americas so desperately
need to get educated on the fallacies and Propaganda of
Fox News.
If
the Democratic leaders that be, were smart, they would get
one or more of their billionaire friends like Murdoch to
buy and begin programming what would truly be a More
Fair and More Balanced news station. They
would be able to provide the right wing spin that Fox News’s
Robert Murdoch accuses CNN & MSNBC of having, so that
there is a true balance. It would have an appealing colorful
appearance and have powerful passionate and vocal hosts,
perhaps Michael Moore (who was one of O’Reilly’s Democratic
guests whom actually got the best of the bully host).
It
is fair to say that the Bush Administration is Fascist and
they may impede the Democratic Party from creating its own
network. Our beloved American philosophy “freedom of speech”
seems to be null in void in George W’s and Fox News’s new
America . An America which is now going back in time when
discrimination and division once was consider Christian
and Proper.
