Well, that depends whether you even consider the "Fair and Balanced" reporting at Fox News to be journalism. Although they are by and large the number one rated Cable News channel, it seems unfair to the institution of journalism to lump this Rupert Murdoch money-making machine in with legitimate news groups, but if they make the claim, shouldn't they be held responsible?While the verdict is still out whether Fox's competitors are guilty of the same crime, it is undeniable that Fox News is the poster-child of sensationalized partisan punditry parading around as a credible source of news. As the GOP's soapbox for preachers of conservative talking points which reinforce corporate control of politics, Murdoch's minions are cashing in by substituting entertainment and indoctrination for a necessary component of any functional democracy - accessible, objective information that promotes civic participation and engagement.
The premise of their seemingly simple scheme is that people are more inclined to watch like-minded individuals speaking subjectively about relevant issues (aka Fox News) than a seemingly cold and heartless machine with a funky accent talking about some complex investigation about an unfamiliar and sometimes convoluted issue (aka BBC). To accomplish goal, Fox saturates its content with opinionated sensationalists that stir up interest by providing provocative programing.
Since there's nothing more provocative than a hustla and his ho receiving advice from an Obama-affiliated community advocacy group about how to smuggle twelve-year-old Mexican girls over the border and into the sex-trade, this juicy smear dominated Fox's headlines last September. The brain-child behind this piece, James O'Keefe, reportedly posed as a pimp accompanied by a prostitute and wore a hidden camera to record his conversations with ACORN employees. Despite the fact that these clips have been proven to be distortions of the truth (Rachel Maddow's critique is a must-see), it fit perfectly with the Fox News agenda and received weeks of coverage. By connecting hot-bed topics of prostitution and illegal immigration with an NGO that endorsed Obama through the lens of a young up-and-comer with the conservasphere, Fox vilified Obama, convinced enough congressmen to cut tax-payer funds for ACORN, spawned a new conservative personality, stimulated rage against socialism, and showed numerous, prolonged shots of O'Keefe's accomplice's exposed lower back. What a Home Run for the ratings! Too bad the story was a deceptive and fraudulent fabrication.And in case you're wondering what O'Keefe is up to now, he's currently a hero of the Tea Party movement and facing charges for allegedly attempting to wiretap Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu's phone system.
This sort of biased, entertainment news promotes group think by reinforcing commonly held beliefs and failing to create any sort of balanced discourse needed for stimulating active citizen participation. When you also factor in that their stories need not pass any criteria for integrity, the American people are being cheated out of an essential public service. This destroys public trust of the news industry as a whole, impeding the potential progress of genuine journalistic watch dogs who provide American's with checks against corruption and other important information.
So why does this happen?
For the GOP - representatives of Corporate America, Fox News is their base of operations and connection to their constituents. Since they represent conservative values, Fox News has an incredible amount of influence of elections. If they are able to get higher ratings, it might be inferred that the Republican Party is strengthened and more likely to get better election results.
More Republicans = Less Regulation + Lower Taxes = Bigger CEO Compensation packages. Its easy to see why Corporate America wants Fox News to be successful.
And obviously in the spirit of Capitalism, since Fox News is a part of the publicly traded News Corp., they must pursue the bottom line at all cost. Even if that entails jeopardizing the quality of the product, they will continue to sell it since the consumer is buying it and will continue to do so in the predictable future. News Corp. is not held responsible for the destructive consequences of its action in the same way that MTV is not accountable for the commercialization of music or the ramifications of popularizing reality TV. Since these externalities are costs that are silently passed on to someone else, they can largely get away with it.
Even if someone like Rachel Maddow routinely discredits the organization, Fox News has created such strong brand loyalties that some short-hair, tree-hugging, socialist, liberal lady spewing her filthy message of equality or justice won't really affect Fox's ratings.
The last group, but certainly not the least, to get a piece of the news-for-profit pie are the pundits themselves. Arguably Fox's best entertainer, Glenn Beck truly has a comprehensive grasp of Fox's formula for success. Despite little substance, Beck has earned the trust of his loyal followers through emotional pleas and a chalk board. This reverence returns serious dividends in the range of $32 million a year for Beck. Not a bad paycheck for a former top40 radio disk jockey, making Beck the Ryan Seacrest of politics. All of this would be perfectly acceptable if being a news organization did not imply a certain level of integrity and accountability. I have no problem with Fox as a source of entertainment. If people tune into Beck for the same reasons I watch Stephen Colbert's nightly news satires, his antics wouldn't bother me, but by posing as a source for "fair and balanced" reporting, it must accept the increased expectations of integrity and ethics that come with being a news group. But when comedians on fake news channels have more journalistic integrity through their spoofs than the actual providers of news, America suffers. Just like in business, when ethics becomes an afterthought, corruption takes control and the American people are the victims.
P.S. I wonder if Murdoch would be willing to put Colbert on Fox News...
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