Does freedom of speech allow Fox News and their hate mongering right-wing pundits to pollute America’s airwaves with propaganda disguised as news? I have serious doubts that propaganda is legal in any form, however, the government may use it disguised as a ploy to promote “National Security” – but a lie cannot be disguised as truth without committing fraud, and we as a nation should demand truth. However, as it pertains to Fox News and their daily dose of hatred, they cannot claim to be a government entity, and promoting lies and political spin that borders on fraud should be illegal, and in this writer’s opinion, it is detrimental to the public and helps to promote hate and fascism, the obvious goal(s) of the Bush administration and Rupert Murdoch.
We are now faced with the real danger of another war, and heading the charge in attempting to sway public opinion to support another illegal and immoral war is Fox News – and I believe it’s illegal and should be challenged in Federal Court. RAW Story ran this article, and it’s apparent that the march towards war is gaining momentum, and we as Americans must do something to stop the lies and propaganda, demand truth and facts, and allow us to make up our own minds without the incessant opinions of right-wing pundits that border on the absurd:
Media pundits ask: Should the US bomb Iran now?
10/23/2007 @ 8:49 am
Filed by David Edwards and Muriel KaneIn the wake of Vice President Cheney’s saber-rattling statements over the weekend warning Iran of “serious consequences” if it attempts to develop nuclear weapons, the cable news networks have focused heavily on the prospect of imminent war against Iran.
Fox News spoke with military analysts Lt. Col. Bill Cowan and Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney. Both men are members of the Iran Policy Committee, which was founded in 2005 to press for more aggressive action against Iran.
Cowan told Fox that he believes we are heading for war with Iran, though he suggested it might be more effective to support the “positive, forward-leaning political resistance against the regime” — an apparent reference to the terrorist MEK group of which the Iran Policy Committee has been a supporter.McInerney, however, said, “We, in fact, should. There are enough dots out there that we have more than enough rationale to do it.” He claimed that Iranian President Ahmadinejad has killed more than 300 Americans in the last 8 months — a figure which, if correct, would amount to roughly half of all US deaths in Iraq during that period.
Muravchik — who has been a leading exponent of overthrowing the Iranian government since 1993, when he co-founded the Foundation for Democracy in Iran — described Iran as “the biggest international sponsor of terrorism.” He asserted that Iran is “on a mission that starts with hegemony over the Middle East … It sees itself, in a sense, at war with us. … If it gets a nuclear weapon, it will use that as a kind of umbrella with which to push forth its quest for dominance .” MUCH MORE
The above exchange, which you can watch if you follow the above link, is somewhat “fair and balanced” – but that’s the way the Iraq War began, as Fox News also lead the charge back then to raise the specter of war, and were a major contributor in swaying public opinion to invade a country that had nothing to do with 9-11.
Media Matters has one of the best descriptions of Fox News I could find, and as you read their synopsis, it’s easy to see that “Fair and Balanced” cannot be applied to Fox News with a straight-face, and if it isn’t fair (Media Matters has a huge amount of documented falsehoods emanating from Fox News) how do they deserve to entitle their broadcast as “News” when at best, it’s Republican spin and propaganda only disguised as news, and it’s harming our country:
Fox News Channel
Launched in 1996, Fox News has in recent years consistently earned higher viewer ratings than the other cable news networks. It is owned by News Corp., which also owns Fox Broadcasting Co. The media empire of News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch also includes the conservative New York Post and The Weekly Standard. Roger Ailes, the chairman, CEO, and president of Fox News Channel, is a former aide to President Nixon, a consultant to President Reagan, and worked for George H. W. Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign.
Fox News’ programming features numerous on-air personalities who have furthered conservative misinformation, including Bill O’Reilly on The O’Reilly Factor, who labels himself “a traditionalist”; Sean Hannity, who with Alan Colmes co-hosts Hannity & Colmes; and Brit Hume, host of Special Report, which is largely presented as straight news, though Hume injects his conservative perspective into much of the program’s coverage. As a July 2004 Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting study has documented, Special Report regularly features one-on-one interviews with subjects who are conservative far more often than liberal or moderate. The show also includes a discussion panel that often repeats Republican talking points. The morning program Fox & Friends features three hosts with conservative perspectives. Carl Cameron, the network’s chief White House correspondent, and congressional correspondent Brian Wilson have both often presented ostensibly straight news programming with a slant that favors conservatives. Fox’s other daytime programs (The Big Story with John Gibson, Fox News Live, and Your World with Neil Cavuto) and its marquee weekend news show (Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, which also airs on Fox Broadcasting Co. affiliates) also are presented as objective news sources, yet Media Matters for America has compiled substantial research indicating the network’s coverage most often favors the conservative viewpoint and often blatantly misinforms viewers.
Fox’s featured programs (Fox & Friends, The O’Reilly Factor, and Hannity & Colmes) often advance misinformation that furthers the conservative position on an entire slate of issues. Besides the network’s self-identified conservatives, Fox’s “straight news” anchors and reporters continually amplify misinformation that favors the conservative viewpoint and on occasion have even admitted their own conservative perspective. MUCH MORE
The above paragraphs are loaded with links to substantiate what they have written, and I suggest following the link for a better understanding of how Fox is polluting our airwaves.
The danger we face is the segment of the population that count on Fox News to understand politics and world events that affect our nation, and unfortunately, are beguiled into believing they are listening to the truth, and that others with differing opinions are somehow unpatriotic or don’t support our troops, which is a blatant falsehood. As an American that supports our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Rule of Law, I’m getting sick and tired of knowing that a major news network is poisoning a huge swath of our population with hate and propaganda, all of which make it exceptionally hard for Liberals, Progressives, and even Democrats to disseminate truth and facts when we are at a point in history when fascism is rapidly taking-over our country. If there was ever a time the people of the United States were entitled to the truth, it’s now, as we stand on the brink of another war and our country itself is being re-made to resemble Hitler’s Third Reich, all compliments of Bush and Cheney, and the unwavering support of Fox News and their slew of hate spewing right-wing pundits.
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