Can media, any media, be completely unbiased? Once again, media is a human product, therefore imperfect, including the Times of Wayne County. Here is some more news for you. As a watcher, reader, listener, we humans are also very imperfect, therefore biased by our very nature. Sure, we can pretend not to be biased, racist, opinionated beyond belief, but again, we are only human.
Then there are the extremes/extremists. White nationalists, far right and left factions, Nazis, KKK members and way too many militia idiots somehow tip the scales past normal.
Then there are those groups, elected officials, and companies willing to take a position to not only benefit their political positions, but for the almighty dollar.
FOX News is one of those companies/ideologies that moves beyond common sense and common decency. Fox is owned by media giants Rupert Murdoch and family. Rupey, as I like to refer him, through his growing media company News Corp, rules the roost in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and in the U.S. He has packaged his impact and rhetoric worldwide.
The Wall Street Journal, New York Post and a host of TV, cable and movie outlets have unquestionably given Murdoch influence and questionable ‘king making’ abilities. Without Murdoch, Trump would still be a TV/property hack.
With power comes great responsibility, but Murdoch seems alwaysto be looking at the bottom line.
Boosting Trump’s false claim of a rigged November vote, FOX News quasi news/quasi entertainment mouthpieces rallied Trump supporters to Washington on January 6th. Polls suggest the majority of Republican stalwarts still believe the lies perpetrated by Murdoch’s media.
Now, it has really crossed the line once again.
FOX’s lead crap purveyor, Tucker Carlson’s show, is rabid with rhetoric and pure lies and has once again become dangerous. A ratings winner with diehard Trumpers, Murdoch and his money/ratings moochers have done nothing to reel in Carlson, referring to it as a ‘entertainment over news production.
After the guilty, guilty, guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin, Carlson, his guests and others on Fox News (Greg Gutfeld, for example) had commentary that questioned the fairness of the verdict and whether it could be trusted. Such irresponsible and damaging comments should be exposed.
Poynter Report’s Tom Jones wrote: “This is mostly about Carlson, who just hours after Tuesday’s verdict seemingly had a meltdown on his highly rated prime-time show. His opening commentary included this question: “Can we trust the way this decision was made?” Then he interviewed frequent Fox News guest Candace Owens, who said, “No one can say this was a fair trial.” Carlson went on to say “nobody has more faith in the system after this.”
The problem is that Trumpers need reassurance that their twisted far right stories and continued lies still have a home, a voice. That is where the ratings turn into money for a lie known as FOX News.
Jones added: “Wednesday’s show was more of the same with Carlson suggesting that the Chauvin verdict was a result of mob intimidation. Again, Carlson was more concerned with protests than a Black man dying at the hands (or knee) of police. And then Carlson tried to scare viewers that protesters standing up for civil rights have been emboldened and that could lead to a more violent America.”
Politico’s Jack Shafer writes, “Given the commercial value Carlson provides Fox, no advertiser boycott or denunciations from high places will dislodge his show from the network. As long as he maintains his audience (his show is consistently one of the most-watched on cable) and avoids the sort of legal trouble that destroyed Bill O’Reilly’s reputation, Carlson is all but cancel-proof.”
Shafer adds, “‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ remains integral to the Fox formula because the sensationalist views the show serves — populist, race-baiting, nativist, anti-immigrant — slipstream neatly behind those of Fox owner Rupert Murdoch. This is not to suggest that Murdoch endorses everything Carlson says any more than he endorses every tact his British tabloids take. But Rupey adores ballyhoo and the lurid smell of burning garbage. And he loves to outrage those he considers his elitist foes. As long as the 90-year-old Murdoch lives, you can be sure there will be a space for Carlson — or someone exactly like him — in the Fox parking lot.”
Yes, all media shows some sort of bias in one way or another, but FOX News has raised it to an all-time high/low.
