Fox News isn’t even pretending anymore. Their pretense of journalism has been shattered by Fox News’s decision to stand formally behind war coverage liar Bill O’Reilly.
So far, no less than eight former colleagues of O’Reilly have stated that the top rated host on cable news is not telling the truth about his experiences as a war correspondent, but Fox News released a statement that stood behind their man, “Fox News Chairman and C.E.O. Roger Ailes and all senior management are in full support of Bill O’Reilly.” In other words, Fox isn’t going to punish O’Reilly for the same sort of distortions that got NBC’s Brian Williams suspended without pay for six months.
The one-sentence statement issued by Fox News did something more than stand with O’Reilly. The statement was also a declaration that Fox News isn’t interested in facts, truth or journalism. There are journalists who work at Fox News, but their work at the network is shaped by an overriding ideological agenda.
At Fox News, the agenda of advocating for conservatives and the Republican Party always comes first. FNC has played a major role in polarizing the news audience. Sure, they have a few paid contributors from the left, but these folks are tokens that are there provide a foil for Fox News’s conservative stars.
For decades, Fox News has pulled off the nifty trick of selling truth and balance while preaching the exact opposite with their programming. Other media outlets are terrified of Fox News and Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire, which is why they play along with the ruse the Fox News is a journalistic entity.
Fox News faced none of the concerns that confronted NBC News in the Brian Williams situation. Fox isn’t interested in journalism. They aren’t interested in news. Fox doesn’t have to care about credibility because they have none. Fox has managed to brainwash a small segment of the population by telling them what they want to hear that their network is the source for “real truth” in the media.
The decision to ignore fact and reality is the way business is done at Fox News, but their support of O’Reilly demonstrates that Fox isn’t even trying to fool the non-believers into thinking that they are a news network.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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