Let's face it. Fox News isn't a news source, per se. It's a network that is, by design, set up to propagate a specific political view point, that of the American political right wing. Fox is neither fair nor balanced, and oftentimes "facts" conveyed on the network are demonstrably false. Yet fans of the network swear by it as the only source for news that they trust. The following is an analysis of Fox's tactics of manipulation and the defenses employed by their viewers.
First, it is important to assume that the average Fox News viewer is intelligent, capable of reasoning, and is rational. Many are well educated and successful in their respective comminutes. So, what is it that allows them to be blinded from the obvious reality that Fox News manipulates them, and in some cases out and out lies to them?
Us vs. Them
There are many levels of conditioning involved. The most prominent one employed by Fox is the "us vs. them" mentality. Although Fox News is very much a part of the mainstream media, being owned and operated by News Corp. and having the largest market share of cable news, Fox positions itself as an outsider and paints the rest of the mainstream media is evil and biased.
Cleverly, this position insulates Fox from and criticism in the mind of their viewers. If, for example, CNN runs a story that refutes all or part of a Fox News report, it's irrelevant because that's the "Communist News Network." If NPR, The New York Times, Washington Post, or any other reputable news agency contradicts a story run by Fox, it's incredulous because they're liberal and socialist. The "other" news outlets have a supposed agenda which instantly makes them illegitimate.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/On-the-Neuroticism-of-Fox-by-Rev-Robert-Vincig-100802-581.html
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