What is Fox News' motive?

[Oeditpus Rex]

Why are they so firmly in bed with the Wregime?

Can it be as simple as ratings, since they know most of the sheeple will watch them exclusively? Or is there more to it?

[shenmue]

1. Evil. Total, pure evil.

And money. Don't forget money.

:evilgrin:

[KitchenWitch]

2. Well when the dictatorship officially begins

Fox will be rewarded by being THE sole source of propaganda.

[SeattleGirl]

3. "If I only had a brain"

I think that pretty much 'splains it, OR.

[In_The_Wind]

4. Money and power.

The news media tells unthinking population how to view current events.

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. But what 'power'?

All teevee networks and stations live and die by ratings, because on them depends their ad revenue. If ratings are down, the amount of power is down — and that's a fleeting power, anyway, as what goes up will always go down.

I think it's got to be more than that. Perhaps they were granted... I dunno, something by the GOP/PNAC/BFEE. Or Murdoch was.

Are they really the "unofficially official" Ministry of Propaganda? And even if they are, what's in that for them, other than the perception of power?

[reyd reid reed]

7. They think that they'll be the emissaries of that power...

...and gain some of it by osmosis or something. What they're missing is the pubic's tendency to turn on the messenger when the message is bad. And it is bad, it's just that the sheep ain't seen it yet...they've got their heads buried too deep.

Eventually they'll get what's comin' to 'em. Then the advertisers'll jump ship like a bunch of rats. Then they're gonna sink like a stone.

A flaming stone.

Which is better than they deserve.

[Oeditpus Rex]

9. I suppose Murdoch might have the illusion

that he's the heir to some political throne, but then, I can't imagine why he'd care, since he's richer than all of 'em already.

Maybe it's Ailes. Maybe he's been promised some position or something.

[reyd reid reed]

10. It's not the riches...

You're right...he's got that. It's the power he wants. Power trumps everything to some people. It becomes the be-all and end-all.

Just the idea gives me the heebie-jeebies.

:scared:

[In_The_Wind]

8. The more sensational the news presentation, the greater viewing audience.

The power is in the ratings. We all know higher ratings brings in more advertising money, bigger salaries. Fox news is greedy and will attempt to manipulate thought with yellow journalism.

[Karmakaze]

13. I don't think that is true any more....

What matters is not how many viewers (although that is still important) but what those viewers will be told. For example I used to watch CNN a lot via satellite TV here in NZ, and I still watch Fox News on free to air TV sometimes for a laugh, and the number of ads I see from major corporations that arent selling a product that TV advertising will help is quite high.

For example GE doesnt sell product to consumers, so why buy advertising on CNN? Well, I see it like a political donation - you give the donation to the party you think will carry out policies most favourable to you. Same thing with many advertising dollars. They are given to networks that push the pro-corporate line, and are written off as advertising expenses, but they are really no more than bribes.

Don't push the spin that these corporations want, and they will take their dollars away, simple as that. It doesn't matter how many viewers a network has - it could have 50% of the total audience but without that money they will soon go under, so they don't publish anything that will piss off the "sponsors".

So the real variable that networks live and die by nowadays is NOT ratings, but content. Pro-corporate and rolling in dough, or anti-corporate and approaching bankruptcy. It's a simple choice and the viewers are an afterthought.

[LynnTheDem]

6. Two words;

Rupert Murdoch.

[billyskank]

11. Rupert Murdoch thinks the right wing is good for business

If he changed his mind and decided that backing the Dems would be better for his profits, you can be sure Fox News would swing with such a speed as to make your eyes boggle.

Be sure, it isn't ideology. It's pure business calculation.

[thefloyd]

12. Starts with arrogance

My grandfather's theory on "Fox News" types. First arrogance and money rules the psyche. Second, power over people lots of people. Last.....Power to kill and control

[ScreamingMeemie]

14. Nepotism.

:hi:

[DFW]

15. Roger Ailes

He's a veteran of the Nixon Dirty Tricks team, is proud of his resumé.

He was once asked about Fox's distorting of news,and his reply was, "we have
an agenda." It's not like they are trying to hide their goals. Maybe nowadays
they are trying to put some makeup on the raw edges with slogans like "fair
and balanced," but they don't make much of a effort to pretend to be either.

Rupert Murdoch has always been a promoter of the far right, and the only real
question to pose now is whether he does this because he thinks it will bring
him more money (not likely, given his past), or because he has discovered a
way to promote his political agenda and convince the masses to throw money at
him for doing it. Money follows power, power seeks money. Murdoch saw where
a right wing agenda would get him the most power, and that was in the United
State, not Australia. Bush, Cheney & Co. follow Fox not only because it tells them
what they want to hear, but also because it tells them what their money base
has on their minds. Rove is probably smart enough to check other media outlets, as
he is the one who has to keep an eye on reality in order to circumvent it.

[ObaMania]

16. If I'm not mistaken..

.. FAUX was created during the Clinton Presidency. The RW hated him so much that it was their way to broadcast their hate to people who would listen--and pick up a few sympathizers along the way. Thus setting the stage for the horror we endure today.

.. conversely, a Liberal magnate could do the Murdock thing (Soros?) and create a Liberal leaning channel now. I won't hold my breath though.

[MiniMe]

17. When Cheney comes out and says that the TV must be tuned to Fox News...

That is your answer.

[mwb970]

18. You'd think their ratings would be dropping....

as people abandon the chimp every day. But are they? I did hear that O'Liely is down a bit.

Liberal confessional: I actually like watching Fox News from 6 to 7 PM on Saturday. At 6 it's The Beltway Boys with the incredible always-wrong Fred Barnes (many good laughs) and Mort Kondracke's half-hearted attempts to rope Fred back into the corral. At 6:30 is Fox News Watch, my single favorite regular news show aside from Countdown.

I can't stand Bill or Sean (or John, or the other John) so I don't watch much Fox, but I wouldn't miss this hour on Saturday.

[MichaelHarris]

19. Fox News is like American Idol to the president

and he's the only contestant

[madokie]

20. Show me the money, follow the money trail, I would but I'm a little

challenged in that.

[baby_mouse]

21. Planned economics.

i.e., They plan the consumption rather than the distribution of goods. Total control over demand and supply to maximise profits.

The purest of pure evil. Nothing less.

[Ufomammut]

22. FOX also serves as a red herring...

It convinces people that since they're the right wing cheerleaders, the other remaining mainline outlets will be more "objective" and truthful.
Which is absolute bullshit.

[Rocknrule]

23. Getting into Bush's pants

That has been their ultimate goal especially after seeing him in the flight suit. They just can't resist such a hung president.