FOX News, thanks to the brave and tenacious folks over at Dominion, is more vulnerable than it has been in years. We should do everything we can at the moment to weaken its ability to pump out poisonous propaganda into our great nation.
In the last two weekends, I posted diaries focused on the same issue. (March 12 and March 4) Why post again?
Because: Repetition is good. Repetition is good. On the left, we often expect people to learn things the first time, and so we politely don’t repeat things. But other people learn differently, or people may have never gotten the message. Repetition has a way of turning things into truths.
The information is also being refined and expanded. So: what have you done and what else can we do to kick FOX News when it’s down?
What have you done personally? Just want to report on what I have personally done. I am writing this blog. I have contacted my representatives to complain about FOX News. As I am an expat in Europe, I can’t do anything about cable, etc.
There’s evidence that the scandal is hurting FOX News. Now, we’re all leery about polling these days, but here’s some analysis from Steve Benen at the Maddow Blog, based on a Quinnipiac poll.
The latest national poll from Quinnipiac University suggests the controversy has had an effect on the network’s standing.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65 percent) think Fox News should be held accountable after Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged in a deposition that a number of the network’s hosts spread false information about the 2020 presidential election being stolen from Donald Trump, while 26 percent think Fox News should not be held accountable.
According to the results, 93% of Democrats agreed that the network should be held accountable, and 67% of self-identified independents agreed. Not surprisingly, there was a partisan gap — GOP voters are bound to be more sympathetic toward an outlet aligned with GOP politics — but Quinnipiac nevertheless found that 41% of Republicans also believe that Fox News should be held accountable.
Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac polling analyst, noted in an analysis of the data, “Still highly rated, but leaking loyalty? Fox should pay for some of its hosts endorsing false claims about the 2020 election, say a large majority of Americans, and its most loyal viewers aren’t exactly thrilled with the network’s conduct.”
Also, when FOX News is switched off, people do recover, at least to a degree. Now, they may protest — during the Daily Kos outage last week, I experienced withdrawal symptoms myself — but the pain will be temporary for many, and then they will feel and think much better.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
➡️Visit this website, Unfoxmycablebox. From their website:
Pay for cable or satellite TV? You’re subsidizing Fox News whether you watch it or not.
Your cable or satellite TV provider pays a subscriber fee to carry Fox News. That cost is passed directly on to YOU.
Every network charges cable and satellite providers a small fee per subscriber; the one for Fox News is extraordinarily high. A typical household pays Fox News almost $2 per month—about $20 per year— via their cable or satellite provider, regardless of whether they actually watch the channel.
In 2023, a wave of big contracts between Fox News and TV providers for subscriber fees are set to expire. These contracts make up a major source of Fox News’ subscriber fee revenue. If we want to stop paying the "Fox fee," now is the time to act.
➡️Complain to your cable company. If you have a cable subscription that makes you pay for FOX News, then complain to them now. Tell them you don’t want to pay for a media outlet that lies all the time. Here’s some suggested text:
I’m writing to you to let you know I don’t want to have any of the money I pay you go to FOX News, which is lying to the American public. I expect you to reduce my bill by $X.
Even if you don’t have cable for your TV pleasure, but you use a cable company for your internet, you can let them know you’re not pleased if they’re supporting FOX.
➡️ Contact government. If you feel as if that’s not enough, then contact those who have influence on the contract. Contact your governor, contact your mayor, contact your senators and your representatives.
The House, with the Rs in charge, will not help, but the Senate could. Demand hearings, especially the lies exposed by Dominion. Also, some R senators are not pleased by those lies these days. They hate tRump with a passion.
Suggested text:
Dear Senator:
FOX News is pumping poisonous propaganda into the public. Lies should not be tolerated.
➡️ Write letters to the editor talking about how we’re being forced to subsidize lies that hurt us. Let other people know. Tell them on FB, Twitter, Instagram.
➡️ Afraid no one reads your stuff? Then freewayblog (thanks, freewayblogger)
➡️ Complain to the FCC (thanks, dadadata)
You should contact the FCC if you have complaints or questions about the following issues:
Suggested text:
Dear FCC:
I strongly object to being forced to subsidize FOX News via my cable subscription. They are pumping propaganda for the Republican party. I want my bill to be reduced by these fees.
Also, if you could get them off the airwaves altogether, that would be great.
➡️Do you have connections in the military?
The Pentagon should pull the plug on FOX news. (Mike Lofgren, Jen Senko) At least as recently as a year ago, FOX News was the most popular cable news on the military. From the article:
There is a whole library of information about how Fox News influences mom and dad to become rabid right wingers. This is hardly surprising, because Republican operative Roger Ailes teamed up with media baron Rupert Murdoch for the specific purpose of a purported "news" channel to hype Republicans and malign Democrats.
Less is known about how the network propagates incitement to sedition and refusal to follow lawful orders to members of the military, the very persons charged with upholding the Constitution and national security. And the Pentagon is abetting it.
As to the seriousness of the problem, a former Marine has told the authors: "Right-wing society has captured the military . . . If you walk the Pentagon halls there will be not one TV tuned to anything but Fox." Another source told us that at their Air Force facility, Fox News is always blaring in common spaces during duty hours. Far from always being a service member's choice, the situation is often as at an airport lounge, where everyone is subjected to it like it or not.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has spoken of the need to prevent political extremism in the military. Indeed, the high percentage of service members and veterans among the Capitol rioters is alarming.
How do we get it out of the military? VoteVets has tried, without success, but there seems to be more opportunity now.
It may not be easy. There is the first amendment. Many of the people in the military really like FOX News.
On the other hand, people do recover, at least somewhat, when no longer exposed to the toxic propaganda.
➡️ Go after advertisers (thanks for the reminder, Progressive Muse)
Fox News gets way too much money from cable fees, but it also gets bucks from advertisers. Boycott their advertisers.
Sometimes advertisers are unaware of where their ads are going, as they work through third parties who place their commercials. But one place is tracking this: “The group is called Check My Ads and they have been profiled by media like NPR and Fast Company” (Progressive Muse). You may find helpful information there.
➡️ Turn off the station (thanks Wolvie)
Apparently, there’s something called “TVBGone” — a sort of remote that allows you to turn off the station in public places. I have never used this, and it does seem kind of rude. Maybe some military personnel should get this...
➡️Use the divisions between FOX and tRUmp. This is attacking FOX from the right, or rather from the crazy, but it is one way to weaken them. If you are speaking to tRump lovers who love FOX, let them know that the hosts all hate him.
Even if your FOX-loving acquaintances refuse to believe you, the message sinks in.
👢 Let’s kick FOX “News” when it’s down, so it stops being an existential threat.
➡️Do you have other ideas? Please post them down below.
➡️Have you already done something? Please, tell us your story!
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linker crow who wants to save birdkind from extinction, and sequels, Scavengers of Mind and the brand-new Familiars of the Flock (They’re really good! They’re really cheap! Buy and review or rate positively! And Hunters is also available on Audible!) Other stories, based on Jane Austen novels — including a new one for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet’s Advice to Young Ladies — and others on Greek mythology, can be found here. All titles are available through Kindle Unlimited, but I only get paid if you turn the pages.
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