"Fox News" just ran a story they headlined "Empty Shelves Joe" and put up a photo of empty grocery shelves behind him. One big problem -- the photo is a store in Japan. From 2011. In an area that people were fleeing because it was near a nuclear power plant. Once upon a time, this was the sort of story you'd roll your eyes at from "Fox News" and chalk it up to "Well, that's 'Fox News.'"
But this isn't eye-rolling anymore. This is a fascist, abusive attack on democracy. And one of the tenets of fascism it to attack power sources and make the public distrust the truth. They knew what they were doing. They've done it regularly -- as they say in the courtroom, it's "pattern and practice." Using old photos wrongly to build up Republicans and tear down Democrats. Perhaps most infamously, of the Trump inauguration crowd, show a crowd from a few years earlier, which people were able to identify because of a building not being where it should have been. And even if you're "Fox News," you don't screw up a photo of a local grocery store today with one from a decade earlier in Japan over a story about a nuclear power plant. This is just a case of a "news organization" giving up any pretense of trying to trick you into thinking they're presenting the news and just tossing out the concept of truth. I know this isn't new concept, "Fox News" not caring about the truth. They took it to new levels during the pandemic, helping lay out the red carpet to the mortuary and killing off their viewers with knowing misinformation. They were doing it heavily with the "Big Lie" about how the election was fraudulent -- until they got threatened with a massive lawsuit by one of the companies who make voting machines, and their hosts noticeably backed up. So, no, the idea that "Fox News" lies heavily on behalf of Republicans isn't new. But I think it's become a different matter to the extent that they don't care about the truth. Before it was to their benefit to care about the truth because they wanted to be seen as a News Organization, which therefore let their lies sneak in under the guise of respectability. And the truth and lies blended into one another. But no more. Now if there's truth being reported, that's just an accidental occurrence. What I think happened -- and this is just a guess --- is that once upon a time, "Fox News" had the far-right field all to themselves. So, they could afford to toss in truth now and then, because their audience had nowhere else to go. But now there is OANN and Newsmax. And so, "Fox News" has competition. And OANN and Newsmax are so far to the right that Attila the Hun seems moderate, and truth is an alien concept in both places. Which "Fox News" has to go up against for their far-right audience. And caring about the truth is the first casualty. So, no, blatant lies and manipulation of the truth is no longer eye-rolling for "Fox News." It is very intentional, it is fascist, and it is an attack to undermine democracy. Chris Wallace got out just barely in time to save his credibility and soul.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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