The Fox Effect

Using leaked internal emails and Roger Ailes’ own writings, including a never-before-seen private letter, there has never been a more compelling summation of Fox’s dangerous and destructive role in our democracy.

Based on the meticulous research of the news watchdog organization Media Matters for America, David Brock and Ari Rabin-Havt show how Fox News, under its president Roger Ailes, changed from a right-leaning news network into a partisan advocate for the Republican Party.

“The Fox Effect” follows the career of Ailes from his early work as a television producer and media consultant for Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush. Consequently, when he was hired in 1996 as the president of Rupert Murdoch’s flagship conservative cable news network, Ailes had little journalism experience, but brought to the job the mindset of a political operative. As Brock and Rabin-Havt demonstrate through numerous examples, Ailes used his extraordinary power and influence to spread a partisan political agenda that is at odds with long-established, widely held standards of fairness and objectivity in news reporting.

Featuring transcripts of leaked audio and memos from Fox News reporters and executives, “The Fox Effect “is a damning indictment of how the network’s news coverage and commentators have biased reporting, drummed up marginal stories, and even consciously manipulated established facts in their efforts to attack the Obama administration.

Click here to get your copy of The Fox Effect!

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Fox News - Our viewers will believe anything

FoxNewsBoycott.com previously pointed out Bill O’Reilly’s use of propaganda techniques. Now, Dr. Cynthia Boaz at Truthout.org has doubled that list and have provided evidence of the techniques used by Fox News.

1. Panic Mongering. This goes one step beyond simple fear mongering. With panic mongering, there is never a break from the fear. The idea is to terrify and terrorize the audience during every waking moment. From Muslims to swine flu to recession to homosexuals to immigrants to the rapture itself, the belief over at Fox seems to be that if your fight-or-flight reflexes aren’t activated, you aren’t alive. This of course raises the question: why terrorize your own audience? Because it is the fastest way to bypasses the rational brain. In other words, when people are afraid, they don’t think rationally. And when they can’t think rationally, they’ll believe anything.
2. Character Assassination/Ad Hominem. Fox does not like to waste time debating the idea. Instead, they prefer a quicker route to dispensing with their opponents: go after the person’s credibility, motives, intelligence, character, or, if necessary, sanity. No category of character assassination is off the table and no offense is beneath them. Fox and like-minded media figures also use ad hominem attacks not just against individuals, but entire categories of people in an effort to discredit the ideas of every person who is seen to fall into that category, e.g. “liberals,” “hippies,” “progressives” etc. This form of argument – if it can be called that – leaves no room for genuine debate over ideas, so by definition, it is undemocratic. Not to mention just plain crass.
3. Projection/Flipping. This one is frustrating for the viewer who is trying to actually follow the argument. It involves taking whatever underhanded tactic you’re using and then accusing your opponent of doing it to you first. We see this frequently in the immigration discussion, where anti-racists are accused of racism, or in the climate change debate, where those who argue for human causes of the phenomenon are accused of not having science or facts on their side. It’s often called upon when the media host finds themselves on the ropes in the debate.
4. Rewriting History. This is another way of saying that propagandists make the facts fit their worldview. The Downing Street Memos on the Iraq war were a classic example of this on a massive scale, but it happens daily and over smaller issues as well. A recent case in point is Palin’s mangling of the Paul Revere ride, which Fox reporters have bent over backward to validate. Why lie about the historical facts, even when they can be demonstrated to be false? Well, because dogmatic minds actually find it easier to reject reality than to update their viewpoints. They will literally rewrite history if it serves their interests. And they’ll often speak with such authority that the casual viewer will be tempted to question what they knew as fact.
5. Scapegoating/Othering. This works best when people feel insecure or scared. It’s technically a form of both fear mongering and diversion, but it is so pervasive that it deserves its own category. The simple idea is that if you can find a group to blame for social or economic problems, you can then go on to a) justify violence/dehumanization of them, and b) subvert responsibility for any harm that may befall them as a result.
6. Conflating Violence With Power and Opposition to Violence With Weakness. This is more of what I’d call a “meta-frame” (a deeply held belief) than a media technique, but it is manifested in the ways news is reported constantly. For example, terms like “show of strength” are often used to describe acts of repression, such as those by the Iranian regime against the protesters in the summer of 2009. There are several concerning consequences of this form of conflation. First, it has the potential to make people feel falsely emboldened by shows of force – it can turn wars into sporting events. Secondly, especially in the context of American politics, displays of violence – whether manifested in war or debates about the Second Amendment – are seen as noble and (in an especially surreal irony) moral. Violence become synonymous with power, patriotism and piety.
7. Bullying. This is a favorite technique of several Fox commentators. That it continues to be employed demonstrates that it seems to have some efficacy. Bullying and yelling works best on people who come to the conversation with a lack of confidence, either in themselves or their grasp of the subject being discussed. The bully exploits this lack of confidence by berating the guest into submission or compliance. Often, less self-possessed people will feel shame and anxiety when being berated and the quickest way to end the immediate discomfort is to cede authority to the bully. The bully is then able to interpret that as a “win.”
8. Confusion. As with the preceding technique, this one works best on an audience that is less confident and self-possessed. The idea is to deliberately confuse the argument, but insist that the logic is airtight and imply that anyone who disagrees is either too dumb or too fanatical to follow along. Less independent minds will interpret the confusion technique as a form of sophisticated thinking, thereby giving the user’s claims veracity in the viewer’s mind.
9. Populism. This is especially popular in election years. The speakers identifies themselves as one of “the people” and the target of their ire as an enemy of the people. The opponent is always “elitist” or a “bureaucrat” or a “government insider” or some other category that is not the people. The idea is to make the opponent harder to relate to and harder to empathize with. It often goes hand in hand with scapegoating. A common logical fallacy with populism bias when used by the right is that accused “elitists” are almost always liberals – a category of political actors who, by definition, advocate for non-elite groups.
10. Invoking the Christian God. This is similar to othering and populism. With morality politics, the idea is to declare yourself and your allies as patriots, Christians and “real Americans” (those are inseparable categories in this line of thinking) and anyone who challenges them as not. Basically, God loves Fox and Republicans and America. And hates taxes and anyone who doesn’t love those other three things. Because the speaker has been benedicted by God to speak on behalf of all Americans, any challenge is perceived as immoral. It’s a cheap and easy technique used by all totalitarian entities from states to cults.
11. Saturation. There are three components to effective saturation: being repetitive, being ubiquitous and being consistent. The message must be repeated cover and over, it must be everywhere and it must be shared across commentators: e.g. “Saddam has WMD.” Veracity and hard data have no relationship to the efficacy of saturation. There is a psychological effect of being exposed to the same message over and over, regardless of whether it’s true or if it even makes sense, e.g., “Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States.” If something is said enough times, by enough people, many will come to accept it as truth. Another example is Fox’s own slogan of “Fair and Balanced.”
12. Disparaging Education. There is an emerging and disturbing lack of reverence for education and intellectualism in many mainstream media discourses. In fact, in some circles (e.g. Fox), higher education is often disparaged as elitist. Having a university credential is perceived by these folks as not a sign of credibility, but of a lack of it. In fact, among some commentators, evidence of intellectual prowess is treated snidely and as anti-American. The disdain for education and other evidence of being trained in critical thinking are direct threats to a hive-mind mentality, which is why they are so viscerally demeaned.
13. Guilt by Association. This is a favorite of Glenn Beck and Andrew Breitbart, both of whom have used it to decimate the careers and lives of many good people. Here’s how it works: if your cousin’s college roommate’s uncle’s ex-wife attended a dinner party back in 1984 with Gorbachev’s niece’s ex-boyfriend’s sister, then you, by extension are a communist set on destroying America. Period.
14. Diversion. This is where, when on the ropes, the media commentator suddenly takes the debate in a weird but predictable direction to avoid accountability. This is the point in the discussion where most Fox anchors start comparing the opponent to Saul Alinsky or invoking ACORN or Media Matters, in a desperate attempt to win through guilt by association. Or they’ll talk about wanting to focus on “moving forward,” as though by analyzing the current state of things or God forbid, how we got to this state of things, you have no regard for the future. Any attempt to bring the discussion back to the issue at hand will likely be called deflection, an ironic use of the technique of projection/flipping.

 

It’s an amazing, if not depressing, look at our society’s perception of news, politics and each other, manipulated by the marketing machine that is News Corp, parent company of Fox News. Many, if not all, of these techniques can be found employed by those working for any number of Rupert Murdoch’s properties around the world. Additionally, we’ve seen every one of these techniques used by Fox News fanboys defending Fox News, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, etc. Now that this list is being shared, be sure to keep an eye out for these propaganda techniques and be ready to call the fanboys out.

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Media Matters for America has released the following list exemplifying Fox News’ transition from a mere conservative “news” outlet to a complete right-wing political organization.

• Fox News personalities set goals to “get rid” of administration officials, “take the administration down.”
• Fox News led the charge against Van Jones and was widely credited for his resignation.
• Fox News repeatedly and falsely accused Kevin Jennings of unlawfully failing to report “statutory rape.”
• Hannity, in particular, crusaded against Jennings and has declared, “I want him fired.”
• Beck repeatedly targeted NEA’s Yosi Sergant; Sergant was reassigned, then resigned.
• Fox News figures advanced falsehoods about Cass Sunstein, including that he supports “forced sterilizations” and mandatory organ donations.
• Fox News figures falsely claimed John Holdren supported “forced abortions” and forced sterilization.
• Hannity repeatedly advanced dubious claim that Harold Koh supported the use of Sharia law in U.S. courts.
• Fox News targeted Anita Dunn over remarks about Mao Zedong.
• Beck launched 9-12 Project, which he said spurred “millions” to get “involved” in protests, including 9-12 march on Washington.
• Fox News relentlessly promoted 9-12 protest.
• Fox News heavily promoted April 15 tea parties.
• Fox News aired over 100 commercial promotions and over 20 segments in less than two weeks.
• Fox News’ coverage boosted protests, pushed other outlets to cover.
• Fox promoted anti-health care reform disruptions of town halls.
• Fox News’ town hall coverage amplified opponents of health care reform, ignored supporters.
• Bachmann: “[W]e began this on Sean Hannity’s show.”
• Hannity aired video from much larger 9-12 rally while discussing Bachmann’s rally.
• In 2008, Morris asked Fox viewers to “give funds to GOPTrust.com” without noting his apparent financial ties to the organization.
• After asking Fox News viewers for donations, Morris boasted about raising $2.5 million for ads against health care reform.
• Huckabee sends viewers to his PAC — which pays his daughter’s salary and supports Republican politicians –under the guise of signing a petition.
• Huck PAC asks “balancecutsave.com” petition signers to help remove Democratic health care proponents from office and campaign for conservative candidates.
• Fox News led charge against ACORN.
• O’Reilly: ACORN story “driven by Fox News almost entirely.”
• Republicans thanked Fox News for its ACORN advocacy.
• Hannity repeatedly pushed claim that Endangered Species Act protections are responsible for farmers’ hardship.
• Hannity reportedly persuaded to do show by Republican congressman.
• Hannity advocacy praised, seized on by Republicans.
• Fox News devoted round-the-clock coverage to Gingrich’s anti-Obama advocacy.
• Gingrich frequently promotes falsehoods, engages in advocacy on Fox News.

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Renowned film critic Robert Ebert, who has previously mocked Bill O’Reilly, addresses O’Reilly’s behavior, which, Ebert says, is like a “schoolyard bully.”

EBERT: When his guests disagree with him, he shouts at them, calls them liars, talks over them, and behaves like a schoolyard bully… I am more concerned about the danger he and others like him represent to a civil and peaceful society. He sets a harmful example of acceptable public behavior.

Ebert provides numerous examples and cites the Indiana University study that showed O’Reilly’s use of propaganda. He even compares O’Reilly to talk show host Jerry Springer, who is, at least, honest about “selling his soul” for higher ratings.

Perhaps the most important conclusion that Ebert addresses is that Bill O’Reilly is preaching to the choir, yet needlessly and dangerously raising the bar by shouting, using anger to express opinions, and having the general effect of communicating “there’s unfinished business to be done, and its up to them to do it.”

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Based on a 2007 article from Indiana University School of Journalism:

Starting where the Institute for Propaganda Analysis left off in 1930, Indiana University professors Mike Conway and Maria Elizabeth used a system of coding speech that analyzes the use of propaganda in determining whether or not Bill O’Reilly uses propaganda instead of merely “providing facts,” as he claims.

The following are the seven elements of propaganda previously identified by the IPA:

• name calling
• glittering generalities
• transfer
• testimonial
• plain folks
• card stacking
• band wagon

Bill O’Reilly is guilty of using all seven elements and was found to have called people names 8.88 times per minute. It also showed a pattern of using references to Americans, the U.S. Military and the Bush Administration as victims.

Conway stated that the point of the study was to get past the partisan labeling, but he has still been branded as a liberal based on the results of the study.

A related study, according to Conway, shows that only 11% of surveyed journalists think of Bill O’Reilly as “very close” or “somewhat close” to a journalist.

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