The Fox Effect

[desertvixen]

So, instead of using the free time I have today productively (lots of down time due to stupid Army scheduling) - such as packing and tidying- I used it to finish the new book from the crowd at Media Matters, The Fox Effect. It looks at how Fox News has become pretty much a political mouthpiece and some of the consequences from that, and definitely has a few things that tie into various topics we've been discussing here.

1. Characterization of Glenn Beck as a "paranoid-messianic rodeo clown".

2. The concept that it could very well be Fox News viewers who drive the Republican nominee selection process, and that this could have negative effects on the Republican party - also how it's helped keep some of the players in the game by keeping them in the public eye - Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee. There's also a good look at the fundraising side of the house.

3. The power of a lie and how hard they are to kill once it gets into circulation and "everyone" knows it. There's brief touch on the danger of people getting a little too stirred up, but I was disappointed that they didn't touch specifically on Bill O'Reilly and his "will no one rid me of this troublesome priest" type remarks about Dr. Tiller.

[Spider Burps]

A few weeks ago I read in the paper that people who watch Fox News as their only news source are actually less politically/socially aware than people who watch NO news. It totally hurts my brain that they can call blatant lies "news".

[valsa]

1. Characterization of Glenn Beck as a "paranoid-messianic rodeo clown".

I can't help but feel that this is an insult to paranoid-messianic rodeo clowns.

[bananacat]

I've noticed that in most places I work, there is always that one person, usually a man, who just tries to work "politics" into as many conversations as humanly possible. And by that, I mean they like to rant about how liberals suck and are ruining society. And invariably, they watch Fox News. Now, I'm sure that some liberal counterpart exists, but in my experience they are far rarer. It's not just that these men believe messed up things, it's that insist on making a BFD about it every chance they get. So I can definitely believe that watching Fox News correlates with people who lack awareness.

[Kitchen Princess]

I tell ya, I'm getting optimistic that Fox News is losing its appeal. I travel with my business and stay in lots of hotels in small towns in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. There is always a TV in the lobby or the breakfast area. I have noticed that these TVs are less likely to be tuned to Fox News this year than the last couple of years. It makes me very stabby when I just want to have a waffle and there's a TV blaring those morning show morons and I can't escape it. So I'm going to take this as a good sign.