Gee, there might be a larger cultural problem inside Fox News?
November 12, 2009 10:43 am ET by Eric Boehlert
The Hannity Video Fiasco raises an awful lot of interesting questions, none of which Hannity answered last night when he confirmed his program had "screwed up" when it inserted video clip of the much larger Sept. 12, D.C. Tea Party rally crowd, for a story on the much smaller anti-health care rally last week in D.C. (See Jon Stewart's take-down below.)
The journalism questions in play remain obvious: Who did pulled the misleading video clips from the archives, who inserted them in the wrong story, and which producers OKed it? What Hannity and nobody else at Fox News will discuss is, how did this happen? And what steps will Fox News take to make sure it never happens again?
That's what news organizations usually do when embarrassing episodes like this crop up. But since Fox News doesn't really function as a news outlet any more, I sort of doubt that kind of introspection will take place.
But still, it seems telling that there exists a culture inside Fox News where staffers think it's OK to insert wildly misleading videotape into a primetime program. Just like it seemed telling that during the actual Tea Party coverage back on Sept. 12, one producer thought it was OK to cheer on the crowd prior to a news report; to treat the partisan Tea Party crowd as if it were an in-studio Fox News one.
My point is that these two embarrassing episodes seem to highlight what Media Matters has been stressing all year, which is that Fox News no longer even pretends to follow the traditional guidelines of journalism. And there seems to be a culture within Fox News where everyday staffers have decided there are no rules left. That they don't actually work for a "news" organization.
FOX Propaganda has been very hard at work earning it's name, and distinguishing itself from legitimate news sources. Witness the outrage, the umbrage, the screeching when the White House pointed out this simple fact that most of us already knew! It's the anger that any believer has when they're accused of heresy, but there is an interesting thing to take note of.
A true believer, a fervent and wholly devoted servant to a cause as just as they believe theirs to be, would not get angry. Why? Because that level of belief is beyond the reach of the opinions of others. It's why the Disciples, most of whom came to violent and bloody ends at the hands of their peers, didn't protest, even when crucified upside down as Peter was.
No. The reason there was so much poutrage at FOX when their status as a propaganda machine was detailed is because they are, in fact, not true believers. They do it for a paycheck. They lie back on the bed for Mr. Murdoch, heels in the air, and think of dollar signs. There is a word for that profession, but it escapes me at the moment...
At least MSNBC is honest about what the network is, as their tag line/promos indicate: "We're talking politics."
Notice that it's not "We're reporting politics" or "We're reporting the news." They tell you right up front that they're an analysis network, and that they assume you're getting the factual events of the day somewhere else.
Fox calls itself Fox News. They're still pretending they're carrying on in the tradition of Cronkite/Reynolds/Brokaw.
In fact, it's more outrageous, as the second lie is more calculated than the first.
Another point regarding Hannity's correction; Yesterday, on the item here, some posters questioned Sean's mention of the Daily Show writers, wondering if he was trying to jab Stewart for having writers. I saw it as yet another dog whistle to the Fox Fan, letting them know that people are watching, even librul comedy writers, so they must be doing something right.
It's a key component of propaganda, the zombie-groupthink, appeal to popularity theme that runs on emotion and overrides reality to the true cult member.
Fox "news" may make passing remarks about their credibility, never mind how untrue this has been proven, but they're much louder about their popularity. Of course, they exaggerate this as well by not including broadcast networks in their ratings comparisons, and comparing themselves to actual news programs.
Look at the Fox Fans who post here. They can have a Fox "mistake" (lie) documented on video right in front of their faces, and will respond by telling everybody that a lot of people watch Fox. Sometimes in all caps with exclamation points.
A cult depends on members reassuring one another. It's what runs ideas like "Real Americans" and "Moral Majority". It's why Hannity felt the need to try to slip in the video of larger crowds to comfort his wingnut fringe audience, and why it "pained" him to admit that he was caught lying, and why he had to thank the Daily Show writers, and Stewart, for watching.
He was wrong, but people were watching. To the Fox audience, that's better than being right.
NOT GONNA HAPPEN IN A MILLION YEARS
That would expose their complicity with Fuchs Noose in duping the public.
Like they watch it because they admire him, or gain insight from him, or agree with him....
They watch him to get material with which to mock him later.