The question often heard is how did we get to where we are today? Why are people prone to brainwashing, believing lies and conspiracy theories? How could a sitting president walk freely after inciting an insurrection and then be able to run for the same seat again? These are just a few of many things that leave us scratching our heads.
One answer is the news media. The first thing people might think of is Fox News and its enterprising mission to spread a far-right, conservative message. Its viewers devour the rants from its editorial opinion segments while ignoring facts that don’t fit their narrative. Fox News did not start until 1996, but the idea was not necessarily new. In 1970, Richard Nixon stated that he and his supporters needed “our own news.” One that would lead “a brutal, vicious attack on the opposition.” It is no secret that Fox News creator, Rupert Murdoch, used his money and influence, with the help of Roger Ailes, to start Fox as Republican-centered alternative to CNN.
Where you get your news is a huge influencer. A documentary by Director Jen Senko, The Brainwashing of My Dad, illustrates how her father, a WWII vet, changed from a life-long, nonpolitical Democrat to an angry, right-wing fanatic after falling prey to the right-wing media machine. It’s well worth the watch, with a happy ending.
On the opposite side, news sources such as CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post are being criticized by frustrated progressives who are seeing a shift away from persistent messaging needed to defend the threat to democracy. A very recent article by Presswatchers.com shared remarks at the Reuters Memorial Lecture on March 4, 2024 by A.G. Sulzberger, NYT publisher, wherein he defends his strategy as journalistic independence. His description of this concept assumes a willingness to follow facts, to engage empathetically, and “an insistence on reflecting the world as it is, not as you wish it to be.”
Despite how Sulzberger’s definition might sound, Press Watchers points out that, practically speaking, editors and reporters of the NYT are being discouraged to "warn people too forcefully about the possible end to democracy.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” We are now standing in a time of challenge and controversy. Will you help? We need content creators who are not afraid to share the message. Please follow us and/or join us in our mission.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/17/business/fox-news-dominion-lies/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/oct/25/fox-news-watching-what-i-learned
The Brainwashing of My Dad: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3771626/
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/journalistic-independence-in-a-time-of-division/