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G_j

(40,366 posts)
Mon Sep 4, 2017, 05:52 PM Sep 2017

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Three Days in the Swamp of Fox News' 'Trumpman Show'

https://apple.news/AQtSygRZHQ2WvW2Nlvw649w

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Three Days in the Swamp of Fox News' 'Trumpman Show' - The Hollywood Reporter


-snip-


When "media maketh the man," the result is someone whose perception of the world is manipulated by the media he chooses, causing him to act impulsively, with limited knowledge, and often with destructive results. Trump has made no secret that his most trusted source of media information is Fox News programming — particularly Fox and Friends, which, because of the president’s loyalty to the show, The New York Times called "the most powerful TV show in America." Therefore, I decided to immerse myself for three days in various Fox News shows to better understand how their influence maketh the president. After three days of watching Fox and Friends, Hannity, America’s News Headquarters, The Five, Fox Report, The Greg Gutfeld Show, MediaBuzz and others, I did better understand Trump's obsession with Fox News — and why his dependency on it is so dangerous for the country.

Fox News shows and Trump are in sync when they both complain about "mainstream media" and "fake news." The reason they both continue to use the phrase "mainstream media" is because it promotes their desired image as brazen outsiders who are marginalized by the brainwashed hordes because they speak the truth that other news outlets don’t dare. Yet, Fox News is the opposite of an outsider. As of Aug. 17, 2017, Sean Hannity had the No. 1 show in cable news primetime and Fox News was the top cable news channel. It doesn't get more mainstream than that. And let's remember that ratings translate into millions of dollars in profits. If the president disparages news outlets that simply report facts that expose discrepancies in his statements, yet promotes the network that consistently praises him, and they profit from that promotion, that’s a quid pro quo business relationship. Nothing is more mainstream than a news organization lavishly endorsed by the president of the United States. Other countries — like China, Russia, and North Korea — call that state-run news.

The alarm Trump and Fox raise about "fake news" is legitimate. This public debate over the accuracy of news outlets may be the most important issue the country faces. The survival of democracy depends on its citizens receiving clear, un-spun facts in order to make informed decisions about the future of the country. Americans have always been proud of their defense of the First Amendment rights of a free press because without it, Americans would — like the people of China, Russia, and North Korea — receive only news that supported and praised the government. Then our choices would be a façade — no choice at all.

But what if the president only received news that supported and praised him? How would he know what all the people think or what they want him to do? He wouldn't. He would only know what his friends want and then act on that.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Three Days in the Swamp of Fox News' 'Trumpman Show' (Original Post) G_j Sep 2017 OP
Kareem underpants Sep 2017 #1
the news outlets should sue Trump Angry Dragon Sep 2017 #2
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