President Clinton is calling out the psychological tactics that are being used by Fox News to polarize and divide the American people.
Video:
CLINTON: And I worry about that and I worry that — I use to worry that CNN was going to do – lose too many viewers because …
MORGAN: I’m not in favor of that , Mr. President, we are …
CLINTON: No, no, let me — let me …
MORGAN: … storming ahead.
CLINTON: Obviously, — yes you’re doing better but — you’re more entertaining now which is good. But, but, but you became more entertaining without becoming more extreme which is important. I mean — it’s because people are wired when they see all this conflict to get in to their fray so that — and you know what it takes, you got to have 800,000 viewers in a cable show to breakeven, and if you get more than that your profits go up.
So, the good news about the media today is that we have more sources of information than ever before; the bad news is we are all of us prone only to go to the places we agree with. So, MSNBC has — has grown because they have …
MORGAN: We don’t mention that in — I’m sorry it’s a …
CLINTON: And Fox News had this big base and I know it’s very carefully done psychologically and substantively. And we just — everything is serving to polarize the country. The problem is if you look around the world, the places where people worked together, they’re doing well. The places where people fight all the time, they’re not doing very well. It’s not rocket science, so why would you keep doing something that doesn’t work? Because even in a Democracy, people constantly vote for that which they claim to hate.
So, here is one new test, the next test which would have a big impact on changing America, if we could get the voter turn out in midterm elections, the next one is in 2014 to equal the voter turn out in presidential elections we would at least stop having two different Americas vote in off years. And that would create a clear signal that Americans want us to build a dynamic vital center. And they don’t get that signal now; you can just cast the politicians if they think they are voting in a way that will be rewarded, that the public has to send a different set of signals. And I believe we can do that.
President Clinton slightly mentioned MSNBC, but let’s face it. The real problem is Fox News. MSNBC has a small audience compared to Fox News, and more importantly, MSNBC has no power within the Democratic Party. Fox News’ opposition to Ted Cruz’s fake filibuster highlighted the fact that Fox is part of the Republican Party. Fox News does the bidding of the Republican Party. Fox News is more important to the Republican Party in terms of messaging than Rush Limbaugh or any talk radio host. Fox has given the GOP a direct pipeline with which to directly influence 2-3 million Republicans a day.
The psychological element that President Clinton mentioned revolves around the conditioning tactics that Fox uses to keep their audience only watching their channel. Fox News has brainwashed their viewers into believing that the the only truth in media can be found on their network. Fox routinely exploits the Republican myth of liberal media bias, and their message is that no other non-conservative outlet can be trusted. The idea behind the propaganda is that if it isn’t Fox or FNC approved, it is lying to their viewers.
It is a self reinforcing cycle. Fox News puts out the Republican message, when is the fed back to Republican elected officials through Fox News viewers. This is the bubble effect that causes the belief among Republicans that the country hates President Obama as much as they do. It is also the fuel behind the House Republicans refusing to do anything but repeal Obamacare.
Political polarization is worse than it has ever been in part because of Fox News, and their business model. President Clinton was correct. The country will never be able to work together unless we all can agree on problems and facts. As long as polarization is lucrative, don’t expect the corporate media to encourage bipartisanship anytime soon. However, one of the vital steps that will have to occur before the country can grow as one is that people will have to turn off Fox News.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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