My dear President.
Thank you for taking on FOX News. You thumped their “Fair and Balanced” and “We Report, You Decide” nonsense, calling out their ideological agenda and the beneficiaries of their propaganda.
Your opening salvo about FOX’s “point of view” was a good, solid bunt. Next time, now that you’ve proven you can hit (back), consider swinging for the fence.
Because "having an agenda" is the least of FOX News' many sins.
The fact is, lots of political and current-event programs have an ideological slant (though only FOX News overtly denies it has one).
Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz and Keith Olbermann have obvious ideological principles and they don’t hold them back, even (or especially) when it means pounding on political allies.
Even Amy Goodman, arguably the gutsiest, fairest reporter alive, makes her principles and “slant” clear by the questions she asks, and the topics she covers. It could be argued that the quest for “balance” that characterizes, say, much of CNN, actually detracts from hard facts and solid journalism. The Overton Window has been jacked so far to the right that now political discussions find themselves giving voice to absolutely rank positions in the interest of “parity.” There just isn’t always a reasonable “other side” to all claims and reports. Further, the line between "straight reporting" and opinion commentary is commonly and increasingly blurry.
That said, the ideological CONTENT behind said reporting and commentary is certainly worth making explicit--whenever possible--for those to whom it isn't perfectly obvious.
No one should doubt that FOX News' agenda is all about defending deregulation (still), obscene CEO pay, the Shock Doctrine, imperialism, racism, sexism and heterosexism, bad science, and the notion that the poor, brown, and working class don’t deserve jobs, decent pay, health care or a place to live.
And it's not just ideology, because FOX News is in the business of protecting and running interference for SPECIFIC politicians, corporations, and interests, no matter what harm they do, on what scale. This is why the ethics, rules, and law-abiding they demand from opponents don’t apply to those they serve (e.g., where's the Fox News outrage at this contractor?). This is why they sign on with fake-grassroots lobbying groups and promote fake-grassroots causes rather than critically reporting on them.
As bad as all this is, and as much as the above should disqualify FOX as any kind of reputable media outlet, there's one point that out-stinks the rest.
It should always be the first and last thing said about them.
FOX NEWS MAKES SHIT UP. CONSTANTLY. CYNICALLY. Because they believe reality is not what’s happening, but what they can get under-informed undermenchen to believe.
Keith, Rachel, Ed, Thom Hartmann.. not even someone as bombastic as Randi Rhodes does this. Progressive media figures may be strident at times, but they don't make shit up. FOX News is, as the good Rep. Grayson would put it, “a lie factory.” They freaking went to COURT to defend their “right” to deliberately deceive their audiences (on a public health matter in that case, no less).
Unlike the other arguments, this one ISN'T partisan. It ISN'T ideological. It's something that people on the right should feel outraged about, both because their brand is being tarnished, and because FOX is treating them like idiots who won't bother to check facts.
This is the motherlode of the many reasons why FOX News has no credibility, and should not be dignified with an interview, an appearance, or special press access. Anywhere. Anytime.
Mr. President, feel free to point this out. Whenever possible.