The schism at Fox News between real reporting and deplorable propaganda was never more vivid than last Wednesday. On full display was the divide that afflicts the right more broadly--that between decent, honest political discourse and coverage on one hand, and on the other the debased rhetoric and un-American bilge that has drowned out rational voices on the right.
First, we saw advertisers--just as they did once Bill O'Reilly's alleged serial harassment of women came to light--showing nervousness about buying time on Sean Hannity's program after his despicable dive into conspiracy-mongering surrounding the tragic death of Seth Rich.
Meanwhile, real reporters at Fox documented the shocking incident involving GOP Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte's alleged attack on Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs.
So there you have the divide--a reckless provocateur dumbing down the debate so as to help an unfit president survive controversy (by following non-news stories and constant attacks on the president's critics) vs. solid, honest reporting of an incident that just happens to depict the right wing's increasingly unhinged approach to the media. (When the president got into office inciting violence at rallies and inspiring the crowd to verbally abuse reporters, and then continues to verbally abuse the press, one cannot be surprised when other Republican politicians take it one step further.)
When frequent Fox guest Laura Ingraham took to Twitter to declare that "Politicians always need to keep their cool. But what would most Montana men do if 'body slammed' for no reason by another man?" she reminded us how thuggish, anti-democratic (small "d") and just plain mean much of the right-wing commentary has become. The reverence for violent, crude displays of masculinity stemming from talk radio and other angry voices on the right suggests why President Donald Trump's bad behavior and misogyny only endear him to some.
Will Fox continue to be the refuge of entertainers who go to war daily with a free and independent media (presumably the legitimate Fox reporters included) and peddle non-news? Or will it be a real news operation that includes reasoned, fact-based commentary and reporting?
Having polluted the right with a daily diet of pro-Trump, anti-immigrant and non-factual invective, Fox now may experience the consequences of its own intellectual rot. At some point, viewers (and advertisers) may reject propaganda and recoil against mean-spirited monologues. If the Murdoch sons want to turn the page on the controversies and scandals of the past year or so, a good place to start would be to dump stars who root against the free press and to enforce minimal standards of journalism.
Editorial on 05/27/2017