Peopled by unabashed right-wing nut jobs, Faux News made it their effort to pump right-wing John Birch Society style lies into the America bloodstream, promote extreme Republican candidates, attack the Clinton Presidency and foster conservative conspriacy theories.
Many positions taken by Faux News hosts and Republicans would be abandoned or be reversed 180 degrees when W(orst Potus Ever) replaced Bill Clinton as President.
In the 1990's, Republicans and Faux News were skeptical of American involvement in Kosovo (Yugoslavia Civil War) and claimed President Clinton was "wagging the dog" in entering a war to avoid his scandal plagued Presidency. Here are a couple of the egregious examples,
"You can support the troops but not the president." – Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX)By just a couple years later, Faux News and the Republican Party had completely reversed their so-called strongly held positions and was cheerleading multiple Wars, claiming anyone who said anything against War or against the President was a traitor and allied with Terrorists.
"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?" –Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99
"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." – Governor at the time George W. Bush
Besides hunting after President Clinton, and helping Republicans steal the 2000 election, the most important victory by Faux News was in bullying other major media outlets into covering bullshit false conservative conspriacy's, treating these right-wing lies as though there might be true, and adopting the Both Sides Do It mantra which still holds sway today.
In the parlance of sports this is known as 'Working the refs',
Of course, all the while this was happening, powerful men at Faux News had engaged in a decades long campaign of sexual harassment and assault. Now, sadly for right-wing media empire it's not just one woman coming forward.
When Breitbart News "reporter" Michelle Fields was manhandled by Trump's Campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, the fascist right-wing internet sprung into action to silence her and defend Lewandowski. Faux News, not surprisingly, led the charge.
In the case of the allegations against Roger Ailes, Bill O'Reilly, former Republican Senator Scott Brown, Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade and others, two dozen women have come forward with clear cut evidence of an culture of sexual misconduct, abuse and criminal assault. These complainants include several of the most promienent women at Faux.
So, the first weapon of the right-wing on-line community, slandering and smearing the individual victim, was rendered impotent.
But, Faux News has faithfully kept to Ronnie Raygun's commandment, Thou Shall Not Say Anything Bad about a Republican, and thus we hear nothing because IOKIYAR is the Prime Directive of Faux News and Conservatives.
So, dutifully the on-line conservative internet is ignoring the severe and pervasive culture of criminal sexual harassment which permeates all of Faux News.
However, Gretchen Carlson a long-time purveyor of conservative propaganda, apparently has over a year's worth of secretly gathered audio/video surveillance of Ailes egregious abuse. This, leads to a particular right-wing refrain, when a conservative darling is captured being a criminal with undercover video surveillance
For instance, when the awful truth about the child sexual assaults perpetrated by of Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert came to light via a blackmail scheme, conservatives were of course, more concerned about the FBI "trampling" Hastert's rights and snooping in his private financial matters as well as being extra angry at the victim's dastardly crime of blackmailing a Republican.
Carlson's video shows Ailes was engaged in a textbook example of "quid pro quo" sexual harassment. Meaning he was requesting/demanding sexual favors in exchange for Carlson's career advancement and continued employment. Additionally, the few details which have emerged show Faux News was the quintessential "Hostile Work Environment",
It was common knowledge at Fox that Ailes frequently made inappropriate comments to women in private meetings and asked them to twirl around so he could examine their figures; and there were persistent rumors that Ailes propositioned female employees for sexual favors. The culture of fear at Fox was such that no one would dare come forward.Of course, none of this matters to the right-wing internet. Because what right-wing toxic talk radio began, and Faux News advanced, has been reached its' full potential by conservatives on-line.
Conservatives have an internet entire edifice built up to tell them lies to make themselves fell better in the guise of news and click-bait articles designed to keept them in a turgid state of rage. And Conservative Rage is directed against the Left, Liberals, and the Democratic Party. Yes, other groups or incidents receive conservative ire on a daily basis but, most often it is brought back around to how the left caused, created, or facilitated whatever has right-wingers in a lather.
Thus, conservatives, who don't believe in rape accusations unless made against a muslim, black person, or Bill Clinton and don't care about sexual pecadillos unless the person is an elected Democrat This incident will thus never don't care about the pervasive and hostile criminal sexual atmosphere at Faux News.
They will never address it, let alone spend decades rehasing the same issues or complaints. Anything which upsets the established order of right-wing supremacy is to be ignored. Conservative thought, as it is, and right-wing ideology can never fail it can only be failed and anything which might make conseravtism fail is to be declared anathema and cosigned to the holy fires of on-line right-wing rage.
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The so-called "Fairness Doctrine", in which the government censored anything it didn't consider to be fair, was incompatible with the First Amendment.
Fox News isn't the only thing that flourished: MSNBC did also, as has NPR talk radio.
I never watch Fox News. Most of the news sources I consume on radio or television (more often left of center than not) would be censored and silenced if the "Fairness Doctrine" returned.
Yeah, Rush Limbaugh would be gone too, replaced by Mantovani on AM Radio again. I detest Rush Limbaugh myself, but I would prefer to be in a country where he is allowed to say anything he wanted, instead of a country where Uncle Sam silenced him with such a kick in the throat.
At the time the "Fairness Doctrine" censorship, an eloquent Democratic Party liberal and statesman, put it best:
"The fairness doctrine chilled as much dialogue and debate as it encouraged. If I ran a radio or TV station, I might avoid a controversial point in order to avoid entanglement with government. The F.C.C. has compiled more than 60 reported instances of broadcasters' quashing programming on such topics as the nuclear arms race, religious cults and municipal salaries for fear of triggering fairness doctrine obligations.
The constitutionality question ought to be left to the courts. But as policy, the doctrine is unwise.
Precisely because radio and TV have become our principal sources of news and information, we should accord broadcasters the utmost freedom in order to insure a truly free press." - Mario Cuomo
Let everyone speak out, regardless of whether or not a censor thinks it is "Fair". If it existed today, you might well face persecution from the authorities for expressing your views on this blog.
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