Gabriel Sherman’s New York magazine piece on cable news (10/3/10) has an important insight into the Fox News‘ success:
Fox‘s rightward flanking maneuver, capturing a disenfranchised part of the audience, was only part of its strategy. The news, especially political news, wasn’t something that happened. It was something that you shaped out of the raw data, brought out of the clay of zhlubby, boring politics, reborn with heroes and villains, triumphs and reverses, never-ending story lines—what TV executives call “flow.” And the beauty of it was that the viewers—the voters—were the protagonists, victims of evil Kenyan socialist overlords, or rebels, coming to take the government back. There was none of the on-the-one-hand, on-the-other-hand relativity crossfire that mirrors the journalism-school ideal of objectivity. All the fire went one way. The viewers, on their couches, were flattered as the most important participants, the foot soldiers in Fox‘s army; some of them even voted.
I sense in New York‘s account the traditional corporate media assumption that politics is an activity best left to the professionals—that there’s something untoward about journalists encouraging citizens to take an active role in their nation’s decision-making. That, of course, is exactly what they should be doing. The problem with Fox News is the story that it’s telling is naturally a conspiratorial one: The way to present the corporate powers-that-be that Fox speaks for as being on the same side as the middle class is to invent a conspiratorial elite in league with a sinister underclass that is the enemy of both top and middle. Tides Foundation, meet the New Black Panther Party.
The New York article presents MSNBC as having grasped the essence of Fox‘s model of journalism, while CNN hasn’t gotten it yet. “Fox figured it out that you have to stand for something in cable,” the piece quotes MSNBC president Phil Griffin. But, really, MSNBC doesn’t get it either. If it’s all about “targeting an audience” and “brand is everything,” as various NBC brass say, then why does MSNBC start its day with Morning Joe, hosted by moderate conservative (and former Republican congressmember) Joe Scarborough? Fox puts Fox & Friends in that timeslot to launch the stories that will dominate the channel’s “straight news” and “opinion” shows all day long.
MSNBC doesn’t do that, ultimately, because its owner General Electric doesn’t want it to do that—because the natural storyline for a progressive media outlet is corporate power vs. the rest of us, and in that narrative GE is a major villain. GE would much rather be telling the story that Fox is telling—”We have to be more conservative then they are,” NBC CEO Robert Wright told NBC News chief Neal Shapiro after September 11, New York reports. In fact, MSNBC tried to outflank Fox on the right long before 9/11—and didn’t give up on the idea until it had repeatedly failed. Eventually the cable channel realized that Fox had dibs on the right-wing sector of the audience—but GE‘s corporate interests prevent it from really going after the progressive slice of the pie.
Nice analysis, Jim. It’s always about out-flanking the other guys to the right. Our major media outlets are a horrible embarassment and inimical to democracy.
It’s too bad MSNBC doesn’t target the Progressive audience more than just hosting Ed, Rachel,And Keith’s shows. They get labeled the Left’s equivalent to Fox anyway. They would get Progressives to watch more and GE could be the model for the giant but PROGRESSIVE corporation that cares about people and the environment. Not only do Liberals have a lot of buying power but imagine how attractive a corporation with that kind of reputation would be in an America that loves to buy products from companies they feel have a conscience.
FOX has had great success with a very simple formula.For years the drive by media was slipping left away from average American values. Following a left leaning think speak in print,and most other forms of media. As shown in polling of journalist schools(massively left) turning out the little minds of mush that aped their professors political ideology,we could of been in for a long haul. During the last election that press simply turned a blind eye to who Obama was.But the unfree press was seen as what it was and FOX rose up to challenge what so many people disagreed with .A left leaning media bias.In the lefts aplomb they viewed this as simply educated understanding of the issues.Never seeing their own elitism.
THe alternative media and FOX simply show there is another side to that coin. And America seems to agree.Don’t like it….turn the channelHave you not noticed that Rush and FOX seem to live rent free in Obamas brain?
michael e did you not even read the article? It describes perfectly how FOX represents the corporate interests who have set themselves against the middle class, while purporting to speak for the “little guy.”
You’re not addressing an audience of red staters here, michael– we don’t buy your baloney.
FOX is the perfect example for What’s the Matter with Kansas? since they focus almost exclusively on the far right’s hot button issues of patriotism, terrorism, abortion, more war, and less government, while art the same time being the corporate monster that off-shores jobs, forces wages lower, diminishes government services, increases corporate dominance and makes the rich richer. Keep them focused on the magic trick while you pick their pockets.
That’s right, michael t. A great book; check out, if you haven’t already, Frank’s latest, now in paperback, “The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule.” And, also, if you haven’t already, “The Baffler,” a magazine that Frank co-founded about 17 years ago in Chicago. First-rate writing, but kinda hard to get a hold of lately (they temporarily suspended publishing, but I think it’s going to start up again). Google “The Baffler” and check it out–there is a collection of their best stuff, the name of which escapes me right now.
P.S.: Well, yeah, anitamurie, but the trouble there is that leftists like myself don’t watch too much TV. Perhaps I’m the exception, hopefully. Then again, I already know pretty much what they’re talking about anyway.
I used to think LIberals were guided by a belief that there were no black a white issues.They lived in a world of grey.If this service(FAIR)is any indication- that has all changed.Many of you have become entrenched in your own little hatebox.Tim says “I already know pretty much what they’re talking about anyway”.How limiting to the human spirit.The possibility for greatness.The amazing ability’s in all of us, to change the world for the better.It begins with listening.WE have listened to you.I have listened.And I fear You will soon be transcended and marginalized because lets face it —your hate America first is becoming a real downer.I think we had a president who came in and said “go to sleep,i will take care of you all.My government cares”.Today …well it did not work and people are rolling up their sleeves ready to get back to the work of rebuilding.One stone at a time.They no longer believe government can, or will do the job.There is a saying we in the Tea party believe .Help us.Lead us.Or get out of the way. So guys take your books…your hate books and take it to another room for now.Lots to be done for this amazing nation.We will take it from here.Enjoy your day and all the best,really.
“For years the drive by media was slipping left away from average American values.” Again, the one at the fringes of our community presses the fauxnoise company line, refusing to check out or acnowledge the simple fact that “average american values” are, in general, more liberal (or Progressive) than those presented from on high by the neocon leaders and, for that matter, those supported by the current “middle right” Administration. On topics like abortion, gay rights and “don’t tell”, reduction of the Military and ending forign entanglements, providing true medical industry reform including a Public Option if not Single Payer, improving education and the teaching of fact-based science, changing our energy policy to a cleaner, greener, more sustainable one, reregulation of the financial institutions and runaway corporations shipping middle class jobs off-shore, investing in our infrastructure,the development of a real Consumer Rights Agency and more, the majority, if asked in a clear, non-biased survey, are more progressive than not only the far right, but the current congressional and executive incumbents. Unfortunately most of the profit driven media is more interested in presenting news as a left-right conflict than presenting the facts. It’s just good business and boosts the ratings. That’s what FAIR is basically all about, and they do a very good job of exposing the inaccuracies presented by comission and omission on both sides. When Tim N says he doesn’t watch very much TV and “already know(s) pretty much what they’re talking about anyway” (in regards to MSM TV) I can surmise from his posts and overall command of the facts that this is the result of obtaining his information from gleaning data from less biased and more “in Depth” analyses here on the web and elsewhere. To lead, one must first have a clear idea of where our society came from, and where it has been and is today, and where it should go from here. When the tea readers say they want to take the country back, I’d have to say that the 17th century is not a direction. You’re on the information superhighway. It is complex and there are no easy answers to getting to the future from here. Many terrible mistakes have been made in the past since there was no handbook provided for plotting a course through human development. Only by researching all options with an open mind and letting go the notion that only our ancestors way is the best way can we hope that our mistakes may be less disasterous than many we have had to endure the consequences of. If we can not find a way for all of us to reach the future, there’s a good chance none of us will
BTW, Mikey, knock off the Progressives “HATE” America crap. I don’t think you hate America, and I know for sure that my fellow Progressives don’t hate America. I think you just hate americans who don’t think like you, and I just hate ignorance and intolerance.
nellevad…The country is center right.On some social issues that varies.Rassmmusen has reported more Americans agree with the views of Palin over Obama. America is hugely against Obama care.FAIR NEVER sees any other side than the left. Actually They see both sides.One they mock- one they laud.Tim has no command of facts except a very narrow carping view of America.All his facts must fit that template.I dont think I have ever heard him say what it is or who it is he believes IN.I do not think he sees the greatness that is this country, for all of us…and for the world.And that basically is what you get here.Blame America first.Please forward me all the times Fair and her bloggers have glowed over the exceptionalism that is this country….her people…her history.I will leave open one line for you.I could fill a truckload with the reverse.
Progressivism started in 1913.By 1920 it was abhorred to such a degree by Americans that it was basically dead. Until Hilary brought it back to light in 2007 it existed only as the worm in the apple. Quietly eating away..Soon it will be dealt the knockout blow it so richly deserves.It is not compatible with our constitution.With our history.Americans do not in any way shape or form want a progressive leadership in all that entails.Read the progressive history.Is that the America you see?
Your economic theories have been tried and have failed .(Actually they have never worked in the history of the world.)Obama believes in fundamentally changing America.He has said it many many times.As has michelle my Belle.Do you love your wife….Or do you NEED to fundamentally change her?Does he love his country?He calls her “constitution a mean document that limits government power”.Does he love the constitution that he took his oath on?Tea “leaders”want a return to the constitution.And please dont use the old ruse that is a rag lost in the 1700s.Its brilliance has proved timeless.If progressives mean to change it you will be forced to do so the old fashioned way.In front of the American people and her elected bodies.Not in the dark of night or through a chipping away and weakening of the fundamental building blocks of this country leading to government rule of the people- for the people..Sorry we will have to be firm on that.
Anitamurie. How true and well stated. I’ve always thought that way too. If GE went whole hog in promoting a totally progressive network on MSNBC their audience would probably quickly dwarf that of Fauxnoise. Strong on labor and Made in America. The whole Progressive ajenda. Only problem is that GE is basically your garden variety global corporation and they have to weigh the profitability of one small portion of their global enterprise against the possible harm done to the entire corporate welfair if they do too good a job of awakening the public to the reduction of america to a third world status in order to maximize global profits. Given how little it costs these days to buy and maintain a Broadcast TV station, and the tremendous number of city dwellers without cable, I’d be surprised if it wouldn’t pay handsomly to buy up one in every city where there are currently the big 3 plus PBS, and put 24 hr progressive political news programming on it. Most of Fauxnoise’s cable audience is in small rural towns without competing broadcasting stations and they usually can prevent the cable company from putting MSNBC on against them. That’s how they get their cable retings. Their total viewership is really very small. But they’re very good at presenting the corporate vote-getting message out to their audience. It’s quite simple really. It’s just the old republican Southern strategy only they discovered it works well in all rural areas as well as in the south. Anywhere there is a sufficient audience of bigotted, fundementalist, homophobic gun entheusiasts who will vote against their own self interest to be a part of “their kind of people”. The only problem lately has been that these folk have gotten so riled up that they are starting to bite the hand that’s bleeding them dry. Progressives have a great opportunity to take advantage of this dissention if they can just get out the moderate and progressive vote they did the last time. I honestly think that with the right motovation from our commander-in-chief, we could turn this next election into a rout, after which we could get rid of some of the Corporate Dems. and take our country forward. Blacks, Latinos and independents are the key, and countering the bullcrap arguement that Pres. Obama’s a socialist spending us into oblivion is the message to deliver. But getting our own true full time progressive politics and news channel is, as you pointed out, half of the battle. I have to turn it off when the bad-boyz prison crap takes over.
OK mikey. First of all the reason that FAIR “appears” to point out more innaccuracies and unfairness that benefit the right than the left is that they do. I don’t know your age, but I can recall a time (far far away at this point) when television was new and the news department was not expected to make money and reporters gathered news and presented all of the facts without intentional bias. One could correctly argue that as the country was center-left at the time (when compared with today), that stories were mildly biased toward the Labor side of issues of the workforce. This may have had something to do with the fact that in the 20’s, 30’s and into the 40’s the inequities between labor and management (poverty wages, horrendous hours, child labor, dangerous conditions lack of retirement benefits no health care etc.) resulted in horrific levels of poverty where most laborers worked until they died and, or were a burden on their children. With the industrialization of America and the growing size of companies and corporations came tremendous disparities between the owners and labor (yea, I know, tough grunts. most of them deserved to die in poverty to make the owners rich. They were just lucky to be able to keep working at all, weren’t they). Anyway things got so bad that the people voted in a Government that stepped in an lifted the unseen hand of capitolism that was suffocating the undeserving masses, regulating business, promoting unions and creating the first middle class in the history of the world. The GI bill sent huge throngs of ordinary people to college, and by the 1970’s workers made enough money to send their own kids to college to learn to compete with children of the rich (how unfair). Ordinary people thought they might be able to actually participate in the American Dream. So yea, I suppose the media was biased to the left. We just “thought” it was part of a just and fair America.
After over 40 years of basically conservative dominance in politics, the right still characterizes the media as being “liberal”. They still whine about the liberal slant though the goalpost has been moved so far to the right that the game is now played with the left defending the goal line from their own 15 yard line most of the time. The mantra is never changing. Management good, Labor bad. Until workers are so beat down they no longer believe they should be able to compete for the gold ring. They’ve all been taken. The word Government starts with govern. A governor is a limiter. Good governance limits the excesses of the few from preventing the participation of the governed in the benefits of the society. To believe that government is only there to insure individual liberty and freedome and has no responsibility to insure that individual potential may be achieved is no government “Of The People”. Otherwise we will become nothing but a nation of Royalists, slaves and beggars.
nellevad
Good piece of writing – though I agree with little of it.Your painting of the right is filled with canards.And your hope for the left and your historical understanding of it is well……..A damn fine “bit of painting”. That aside.First last….
The best way- the shortest rout to becoming Royalists,slaves and beggers is through a large powerful Federal government.Sure you can drink Obama’s swill.But how about a hugely empowered Sarah Palin as your president?VP could be Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck or an all girl ticket like- Ann Caulter.Then you would see that the word govern in our case is supposed to mean far less than you believe it does.
But” a governor is a limiter”?”Good governance limits the excess of the few from preventing the participation of the governed in the benefits of the society”?Soft words that could…could i say, hide an iron fist.Im not sure if that sounds as close to our constitution and capitalist system of free markets as it does to the socialist mumbo jumbo and the communist manifesto.
You enumerate failings in our system.History to present.Ok thats a given.But Churchill said it best”.This form of government is the worst form of government.But far better than all others.”
Individual freedoms lead to collective freedom, leads to a government on notice that they are there to do the peoples will.NOT the will of the government TO those they govern.That is rule personified.The constitution will be the line in the sand.I think it will suffice.
We run the risk of being slaves to corporations who don’t seem to have to follow the Constitution/Bill of Rights–which is something they need to be made responsive too. Otherwise it is just a “goddamn piece of paper” as our 43rd President so derisively called it. That and ending corporations’ superior rights over us. Such a travesty must end. Right now our Republic runs on money and who can legally bribe those they need to get whatever they want done. Such a republic becomes a “republic” in name only.
I never thought of Joe (the dead secretary on my desk) Scarborough, (which the corporate press failed to report on,) as “mildly” Conservative. The parameters of what political locations on the spectrum are rendered meaningless. Which is part of the ideological plot to make us confused as they continue to slant our gov’t and with corporate to the Reich every day of every year. So that if you aren’t in their camp you are labeled a “communist” and called “an enemy of the state” constantly. That and also called “mentally ill” and “a danger to society” and you get the idea as to who is being set up for the pogroms to come should they win out and crash the economy again and only they get up.
Michael E
The mere fact that you bring up Rush “Some people were born to be slaves” Limbaugh and the other charlatan Beck excuses you for your absolute ignorance…..Let alone Sarah Palin the quintessential media whore trying to scam easy bucks rom the screwed up system…..
David Miller-Engel. The fact that Michael mentions not only Lushey Limp_balls and Sarah Painlin, but Gloom Beck and Mann Colter says volumes, not only about his ignorance, but the reason for it. All of the above mentioned deraingees have at least two overriding obsessions in common. 1. They all have the ability to pontificate on any subject without the prerequisite of research, other than by way of the usual conspiratorial websites (where President Obama planned the disaster on the Deepwater Horizonto reset our energy policy and institute a socialist, communistic dictatorship, according to Beck, resulting in a terrorist attempt by a fellow deragnee follower). 2. the basis of their Psychopathy rests in their fundamentalist religeous tennants tethered to a paranoid understanding that anyone who disagrees with them is either the antichrist on an aethiest. Mikey once asked why we think he’s a fundamentalist religeious Kook. The company he keeps in his head, for starters. In addition, when I commented here at another Fair Blog about NOVA, and mentioned Natural History, his response was to indicate that evolution was unproven. as proof he trotted out an ages old, long ago settled dispute about whether modern birds are the ancestors of the Dinosaurs or not. He said ” “We know Dinosaurs existed.It is provable.But are they now birds?Maybe yes maybe absolutely no.But a good theory no?” in his usual Cryptic style. What Mikey’s referring to is that when the link was first postulated by Dr. Jacques Gauthier in the 1970’s it drew much criticism from many in the paleontological community. What He fails to understand is that further research by his piers settled the arguement decades ago and the taxonomic classification of birds and their ancestoral relationship to Dinosaurs is without dispute. With one exception. to this day, in fundamental Xtian (They’re no Christians) pamphlets the battle rages on as if it were yesterday that some Kook tried to foist that notion on an ignorant population (80% of whom get it or don’t give a damn anyway). Hence Mikey revealed himself as part of that remaining 20%, another ignorant fundamentalist Flat Earther, and most likely a birther and believer in who knows how many other conspiracies (did Man really go to the moon, Mikey?).
nellevad – 1 & 2 are great.
Has anyone listend to their weekly podcast – Counter Spin? Assigning a bias to FAIR is a bit odd to me. Are they left-leaning? I think of them more as what should appearing and has in some instances due to pressure by FAIR as “Corrections”. Do the stories they research and correct happen to be mostly about corporations or FOX News? Yes since A) they control the media and B) make the most “mistakes”.
michael e – your earliest comment said, “For years the drive by media was slipping left away from average American values. ” On what basis do you make such a claim? Poll after poll has shown that by issue rather than by party brand or some “hot button” talking point -Americans are… Americans. We believe in a safety-net for the poor and elderly. We are willing to pay more for renewable energies. We mostly think immigration is a good thing. These American ideals have been labeled as “left” by the GOP and the mass media. And other polls have consistently shown that the US Senate is way more conservative than the people the country. Very few Americans believe in no abortion for any reason. Do we wish to pay less in taxes? Would you like to by a yatch for a dollar? Of course! But do you want less taxes if it means less care for the sick, poor, elderly? At the expense of schools, hospitals, safety? Given the full question – Americans overwhelming state no time and again.
http://mediamatters.org/press/releases/200706130002
In enters FAIR. How do at least some us know that statements like America is a conservative country are not true? Works by independent sources such as FAIR. And, oddly enough, Christian Science Monitor has always done excellent, thurough reporting.
I found an intersting book. I admit it is a little dense and was a little hard to get through the first few chapters since the case in points were so numerous and see easily refuted and documented, but it was a very enlightening read> What Liberal Media by Eric Alterman.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ULOBTM/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0465001769&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=168C1ZGVD7MK7FMVNGCA
And a video you may find interesting…
david and nellevad
Your pomposity…your elitism….conceit….your belief that you can lay down your edicts of personal attack like that Rush is an idiot…Palin a whore…Beck a religious freak and that they should all be silenced .Or that people should cover their ears to their opinion.You fail to pursuade and so your anger explodes and implodes. You try again the same tricks that won you the last election, and believe it will fool the people again.You just don’t get it.You don’t see it. You are the haters. You have been transcended.Your president soon will be.
Four hours a day Rush hammers our little jello president to the wall.A president who cant rub two words together even WITH his teleprompter fired up.The giant and the pea.
Whoops! looks like Mikey done flew off the tracks! Perhaps we struck an nerve. I didn’t even know he had any. I’m now a pompus concieted elitest for god’s sake. Did I call Rush limpballs an idiot? Palin a whore? Beck a religeous freak? I just looked over my post and discovered that I didn’t actually mention anything about Rush’s intelligence, or Sarah palin’s promiscuity. OK, I did inferr that Beck (and all the rest) are religeous freaks. It was that Damn David Miller-engles that denigrated … Oh wait. He didn’t call Rush an idiot either, and called Sarah a “media” Whore which says nothing about her sexually promiscuity. Guess Mikey made up that stuff on his own, or maybe he knows them personally. I have however, seen the video of Ms. Palin having the devil cast out of her by a South African Voodo Preist which makes her look pretty much like an idiot, and the Katie Kurric (sp?) interview didn’t help boost our confidence on her intellectuality much either. beck
sorry, I hit the wrong button. Beck’s a special case. He’s so twisted that he can persuade mental defectives with a bit less self controll than himself to commit terrorist acts, and that says a lot abut him (none of it good, however). and Rush. Well, he’s just Rush. he’s the drugster head of the whole movement. Republican party and the Tea Party. What a leader! As full of hate for the democratic process as any man alive. Well maybe he has a counterpart in Mann Coulter, and maybe Mike Savage. Hey! Mikey. Are you mike Savage?? You’re just as angry and hate filled.
Michael, there’s been a lot of good info presented on these blogs, both by FAIR and by those commenting here, and lots of links to good info into what’s really happening to America. It really makes sense unless you are on a crusade to make America safe for selfish psychopaths like yourself to plunder and steal, lying and cheating your way to success, misinforming as many as possible for personal gain. Rules are for idiots to play by and for you to sidestep. You are either incredibly stupid and believe everything the Koch brothers have foisted on you in order to try to take all of their money with themselves in their coffins when they die, or you are being paid by them to create Chaos at this particular site as part of their smoke and mirrors wizzard of Ozz play. If it is the former, you are truely a fool, and if it is the latter you are overpaid at any rate and the Koch brothers need to replace you…immediately. If this all seems a bit mean spirited, it is my way of saying that you are judged by the company you keep (or admire), and that says it all.
Wow. Looking back at this months later after Olbermann’s firing, it’s clear you hit the nail on the head with this one. Another clue had to be MSNBC’s brass’s reaction to the political donation ‘scandal’ with Olbermann vs. Fox’s own ‘Who cares if our guys donate to the right? We’re a right-wing network, aren’t we?” mentality. Fox has always been unabashedly conservative, where as MSNBC has always struggled with it’s identity. You’re right, GE is a big part of that. Alas, to be owned by a corporate juggernaut.