Bloomburg has an article, posted today, How Steve Bannon Rescued Roy Moore’s Campaign Against All Odds. Basically, Bannon used Breitbart News as a political front to 1) get Sean Hannity to back off Hannity's initial negative approach to the pedophilia charges against Moore, and 2) get local media in Alabama to swallow and regurgitate Bannon's counternarrative, designed to destroy the credibility of Moore's accusers.
Bannon worked to create a counter-narrative that ultimately would change many Republicans’ perception of the scandal. A former filmmaker, he’s long been captivated by the propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl, the Nazi filmmaker, and the Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein for their power to shape public sentiment.
And,
Through his staff at Breitbart News, his talk radio show, and his allies in politics and media -- Hannity among them -- Bannon has worked harder than perhaps anyone else to sow doubt about the accusations against Moore and to push the claim that his accusers are lying. In doing so, he’s illustrated the growing power of conservative media to shape the perceptions of Republican voters, something that may keep Alabama’s Senate seat in Republican hands when polls open on Tuesday.
Bannon understands the power of talk radio to shape listener's opinions and beliefs, and he is eager to harness that power. Of course, television is important also, but Bannon and other conservatives have some concerns: "Fox News has gotten more liberal,” according to Dean Young, Moore’s chief political strategist.
I will just interject here that Rupert Murdoch and Fox News should have been subjected, minimally, to the same scrutiny and harassment RT is now. Murdoch is a British subject. It is not so much a question of "is Murdoch a covert British agent?" Rather, what must be questioned is how much does Murdoch think like a subject of a monarchy, as compared to a citizen of a democratic republic? Does Murdoch truly believe, in his bones, in government of, for, and by the people? Or is he more comfortable with a society and economy that is ordered hierarchically by power and wealth? Some people may point out that Murdoch now has U.S. citizenship. So what? So did Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jackson, and every other Confederate elite. It didn't stop them from trying to destroy the country using violence and force.
Or, look at Bannon now. There is not doubt that he is a U.S. citizen. But what has being wealthy done to his political sensibilities? Does he believe in government of, for, and by the people? If so, why does he believe he must use the totalitarian misinformation tactics and techniques of the Nazi, Riefenstahl, and the Soviet Communist, Eisenstein, to shape peoples opinions and beliefs?
With Fox News faltering in the eyes of conservatives, the wingnuts have found a new, rapidly growing network: One America Network. The Moore campaign leaders tell it, OAN treats them "fairly."
OK, so, who owns One America Network? I'm sure that there is some dirt somewhere on OAN. For now, my brief search of the tubez came up with an interesting Washington Post article dated July 5, 2017: An inside look at One America News, the insurgent TV network taking ‘pro-Trump’ to new heights.
OAN is owned by Herring Networks Inc., which was founded by Robert Herring Sr., who made a fortune printing circuit boards. This is ironic: without the government's programs and projects from World War Two, which supported and promoted the creation of transistors, computers, semiconductors, and the Internet, Herring would not have had anything to print circuit boards for. Just last week, I posted a timeline of this history over at Real Economics: HAWB 1940s-1950s Timeline of computer development shows crucial role of government.
Herring is a prime example of the danger to a democratic republic created by allowing the rich to buy and use a megaphone in the marketplace of ideas. From the WaPo article:
....since its inception in 2013, and especially since Trump began his march to the White House, One America’s owner, Robert Herring Sr., a millionaire who made his money printing circuit boards, has directed his channel to push Trump’s candidacy, scuttle stories about police shootings, encourage antiabortion stories, minimize coverage of Russian aggression, and steer away from the new president’s troubles....
Just stop thinking or even hoping that there will ever be a chance of convincing conservatives and libertarians to stop thinking, believing, and acting as they do. According to the Washington Post article,
In a volatile TV news landscape where the longtime ratings leader, Fox News, is suffering through a period of internal turmoil, One America has tried to elbow itself into the big leagues, publicly wooing former Fox star Bill O’Reilly to join OAN. Although O’Reilly didn’t take the bait and the channel is available in only about 30 million homes, a far cry from Fox News’s 90 million, One America is growing — in viewer numbers, in influence in Republican circles, and as a potential alternative for conservatives and libertarians who believe Fox’s commitment to a right-wing perspective is weakening.