Whether we like to admit it or not, most of our political arguments–between family, and friends, and co-workers–are informed by the corporate media, thus they are often misguided from the get go. What do I mean by the corporate media? I mean five companies: ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and Fox. All systematically feed viewers a distorted version of reality. Fox, for one, blatantly airs right wing propaganda. They have zero credibility in my camp. Sadly, my camp is a bit lonely at present. In these troubled times, the crowds gather round the flag. That’s where the ad revenue is; hence, it is also where the news is.
The scary thing is, we think we have a free press in this country. That’s what we were taught in school. So we are not busy looking for the manipulations and distortions in the stories we are fed. And we are not even thinking about the stories left uncovered. Add to this insanity, The Fox Effect, whereby ABC and the others try to out Fox Fox. Thanks to Rupert Murdoch’s sensational success, we have not one, but five news corporations trying to out do one another with patridiotic symbolism and p.r.-style “news” coverage.
If you doubt that news organizations are engaged in underhanded deceptions, please consider the most intriguing part of the documentary film, OutFoxed, where we learn about freelance political operative, I mean journalist, John Ellis–Dubya’s first cousin and the man responsible for calling the election* on Fox News. If you’re wondering who put this man in place to make such a call (at 2:16 am, no less), you can thank Fox News president Roger Ailes, a man in lock step with Karl Rove, for that service to the nation.
*Reports have John Ellis on a conference call with both George Bush and Jeb Bush, just prior to the historic decision he made on behalf of the Bush family and Fox News.