While I’m waiting for the blocking of youtube in the country i am in to resolve, i wanted to bring up something that really bothers me ...This is the Fox news network ( This below image is so true!).
After spending some time in the US recently i decided to switch on the TV and watch some of the local news. Up came Fox and i was drawn into the sleek, fast paced, alarmist and short attention spanned world of fox that dishes out right-wing propaganda (under the guise of news) in such an art form that its like they have become the McDonald’s of news reporting!
Fox has got the average non-thinking American by the hook - the use of the nationalistic red and blue flag colors, use of words like "Americas newsroom", 'fear updates' with the constant the terrorist alerts, no-brainer episodes like fox extra (talking about things like "doga" -
yoga for dogs!) and commentators like arrogant Bill O'Reilly, (who according to fox is the voice of the 'common man' ) - All form the right components to appeal to the short attention spans of the average viewer - who by no co-incidence are the voting majority of the nation.
Fox's messages are so well crafted as news you could say the network has become as manipulative as state run media. Fear campaigns run at the core of Fox's news and grab the viewers attention by creating an alarmist reaction. According to the
Outfoxed documentary there are even teams of collaborators from psychologists to writers who work to craft their 'news' to ensure it provokes just the right 'emotive' response on many political & opinion based topics.
It only takes a few minutes after listing to fox that you can tell they are essentially a voice for the Republican Party and everything conservative. I couldn’t believe how many times in a hour I heard commentary about the democrats doing something wrong or how President Obama apparently is losing popularity or even how bad the New York times is (Fox dislikes the Times paper cause Murdoch can't buy it!) . It’s a disgrace this isn’t news - its an opinion.
You know the saying - If people hear a lie long enough they begin to believe it, well with Mr Murdoch’s Media network broadcasting his message 24/7 (via numerous TV networks and hundreds of newspapers) it shows you know who really is in power in the US. Its actually quite scary to think that with basically with one word Mr. Murdoch can make or break a government in time - with his hundreds of reporters and writers weaving his right wing ideas as news.
I can assure you there is nothing "fair and balanced" about Fox News (it's really - 'Fear & Imbalanced') and when you hear them repeat this slogan like some mantra, you are right to be suspicious about the reasons for their defensiveness .
Ohh and I'll leave you with this definition to ponder - (unlike Fox I know that my readers have brains):
Propaganda: Propaganda is a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed toimpartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience.
So lets use our brains more people cause if we do - organizations like Fox News might not be needed!