The "Thinking" Person's News Channel: FOX???
Michael Tomasky
Monday November 19, 2007
The Guardian
Britons may be familiar with Rupert Murdoch, but I don't think the UK has a beast quite like the American Fox News Channel. Celebrating its 11th year on the air, Fox is a breathtaking institution. It is a lock, stock and barrel servant of the Republican party, devoted first and foremost to electing Republicans and defeating Democrats; it's even run by a man, Roger Ailes, who helped elect Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George Bush senior to the presidency. And yet, because it minimally adheres to certain superficial conventions, it can masquerade as a "news" outfit and enjoy all the rights that accrue to that.
And so, for a decade and more, Fox has got away with an amazing thing: it can call itself a "straight" news channel even while everyone knows it's not. It's a great little racket. Every so often, a Toto comes along and tugs at the curtain - earlier this year, for instance, the Democratic presidential aspirants agreed that they would not participate in any debates hosted by Fox because there was no point in getting up there and being asked questions merely for the purpose of providing footage that the eventual Republican nominee could use against them. But these moments have been rare.
Anyone with half a brain--ditto-heads need not apply--could tell from the start that FOX News was anything but news.
They started out as nothing more than a glitzy, made for TV version of the "National Enguirer." And from there, it's been a steady descent in a battle to the bottom of the sewer, competing with CNN to see which one could report on finding the biggest turd.
That prize goes to FOX, for helping find and polish one of the biggest and smelliest turds in recent memory: The presidency of GW Bush.
