The Religious ‘Right’ and Fox News Fiction

It has become a common-place to hear testimonials to the Fox News (aka Fiction) Network from Christians of the Religious Right. They will make clear that it is the only news they follow because, they will say, it is unbiased (meaning, it tells the news as they wish it to be), in distinction to all other news providers which are run by godless liberals.

This trust in Fox is bemusing. Clearly none of these family-values, high morality believers has asked themselves the question as to what interest Fox has in their support, and what Christians actually get in return.

Has anyone asked who Rupert Murdoch is? And what might be behind his control of major networks in every English-speaking country, and newspapers in every major city? And his efforts to reduce the competition? Or, how much his influence on heads of state, who woo him, matters for Christian concerns?

In the UK, his empire is currently attacking the BBC’s public funding support. Free-market ideologists in the US may have no trouble with this, but then, you have become used to 20 minutes of commercials in every hour. The BBC continues to show its lack of bias in reporting by virtue of the unhappiness with every government with its reporting. Murdoch’s newspaper has begun a campaign for the Conservatives already. As they say on Fox: 'Fair and balanced'.

Right wing Christians are deluded if they think the Fox Network cares ‘beans’ about them beyond their money, and readiness to vote the way they recommend.

As for support for Evangelical values? The Editor monitors a wide variety of news websites, including Fox. One UK paper (The Daily Mail) outdoes Fox in confusing entertainment with news. Here are the headlines from the last couple days of logging on to ‘Fox Breaking News’:

Simpsons' Playboy Pictorial: Marge is naked in Playboy, and FOX News.com has learned Hef may be courting even more cartoon cuties (link)

14 Baseball-Loving Ladies: Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio, and famous women haven't stopped since. Here are 13 more celebs who love their ballplayers... (link). (Don’t miss the cover photos.)

Pastor Benny Hinn: Charlatan or Man of God? (link) What? An exposè? No. But, great concluding soundbite! (No place for lofty theologians on Fox. Guess Rupert won't be phoning me.)

Praising Unnatural Beauty: Contestants show off breast implants, nose jobs and face lifts as Miss Plastic Hungary 2009 promotes benefits of all things fake (link) Most uplifting! (Any Christian TV hostesses included?)

Ah, yes. Fox is clearly targeting the Evangelicals!

[‘Test the spirits to see whether they are from God’, 1 John 4:1]

I get amused at those who proclaim that Fox provides the only unbiased viewpoint. As with all things carried to the extreme, CNN proponents claim the same thing. I’d rather not listen to either one exclusively, but mostly I try to avoid Fox news at all times. I certainly don’t want them representing MY point of view. We still watch network news because we don’t take cable.
Becky (Email) (URL) - 02 11 09 - 20:53

This is clearly a ridiculous and sweeping generalization of Americans- coming from someone who hasn’t lived there in how long? Do you even vote in the elections, anywhere, to make your voice heard in a way that actually affects the outcome of an election? To call conservative, christian Americans ‘deluded’ and to take cheap shots at Fox by calling them ‘fiction’- really….come one….. I’ve heard you wax poetic about maintaining unity among Christians and how the “us v. them” debate is tearing us all apart and has been for a long time, however it doesn’t look like you’re doing much of anything to help it at all, by the looks of this. Maybe take your own advice at the end there and test your own spirit as well- I think you like to point out where someone else is going wrong, but don’t like to take a look at yourself very often. Come to think of it- I think that verse is used just a bit out of context…..
SFOS - 22 04 10 - 17:52


  
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