If anyone ever needed any more evidence that Fox News is not a news organization, but is a political propaganda outfit, it's now out there for all to see--courtesy of a candidate for Senate who is too crazy, stupid or naive to know that you're just not supposed to fess up to this sort of thing. Via Media Matters: Sharron Angle, the Republican nominee who will face Harry Reid for Nevada's Senate seat this November, recently did an interview with (the far more fair and balanced) David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network. Mr. Brody, who, unlike Fox News, actually has journalistic standards, asked Sharron about her avoidance of prominent media outlets and shows, and the perception it was engendering. Here's the exchange:
David Brody: Not to harp on the point but when you're on Fox News or talking to more conservative outlets but maybe not going on "Meet the Press" or a "This Week", those type of news shows, then the perception and the narrative starts to be like you are avoiding those mainstream media outlets.
Sharron Angle: Well, in that audience will they let me say I need $25 dollars from a million people go to Sharron Angle.com send money? Will they let me say that? Will I get a bump on my website and you can watch whenever I go on to a show like that we get an immediate bump. You can see the little spinners. People say 'Oh, I heard that. I am going and I'm going to help Sharron out because they realize this is a national effort and that I need people from all around the nation. They may not be able to vote for me but they can certainly help."
And in this one little segment, the Overton Window on Fox has now shifted. We're no longer debating whether or not Fox News is a conservative propaganda outlet. It has been admitted as such. The question has now become whether it is acceptable for conservative candidates to make a formal and official break from the rest of the media universe and visit exclusively with the aforementioned propaganda machine.
We live in interesting times. The conservative break from reality is a done deal, and the only thing left is to debate whether it's worth it to pay lip service to the rest of us.