Are Newsmax, OANN, and Fox Media threats to American Democracy?

[Minister of Truth]

Most of the information presented by Fox OAN and Newsmax pretends to be news but is opinion. Opinion that appeals to a segment of society that already agrees. Opinionated presentation targets divisive issues rather than reporting or analysis. It is an internal political correctness that sees news or politics through an agreed upon lenses that is often anti-democratic, anti-science, and even anti-intelligence. These media sources pretend to be conservative they are not. They conserve nothing, they posture, dismiss, and divide.

It is an irony that Fox has become worse in an attempt to keep OAN and Newsmax at bay. Viewers are money. Modern American so called Conservative media now vies for the ridiculous if it feeds a bias, a hate, or criticizes. Add to this the death of local media along with the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine, Citizen's United, and the goose is cooked. Dark Money now rules.

Add online media sources that appear in searches and news feeds. Many of these are dark money supported sites pretending to be news when they are agitprop. Political power and corporate power do not like democracy. Democracy too often muddies the water, a citizen sees the world differently than a government bureaucrat or a profit seeking corporate officer. How does that corporation control democracy, it controls the information media presents and it targets information based on the social profiles of its viewers, often white and rural. Dog whistles dominate.

Democratic government is the favorite bogeyman of autocratic government. Lesser players in this game of deception include Breitbart, Townhall, and a host of sites that can be found in Internet searches - questionable sources are covered in links below. Online trolls have also proliferated in online social media. Some even gravitate to conspiracy sites or ideas of secession. This divisiveness takes many forms such as private schools, religious separation, and isolated rural community settings. Public education is too democratic, too open. How for instance could a pandemic become something other than a pandemic. Gaslighting from Fox ET AL have created a world of doubt. America leads the world in Covid-19 deaths, misinformation has consequences.

So how do we understand the topic question when media is opinion, distortion, dog whistles, targeted, oppositional, using loaded words, words meant as pejorative or audience specific? Content without thought, words like 'cancel' 'woke' 'leftist' 'liberal' 'socialist' 'border' 'trans' 'guns' etcetera. What do they really mean outside the club? Their appeal is to tribe, to emotion, not content or analysis. Misinformation and distortion weaken a nation's political conversation. Ask always who benefits, what is its purpose, and is the information news or opinion. Seek sources that explain without always pointing fingers.

Daniel Pipes wrote. "First, democracy is more than holding elections; it requires the development of civil society, meaning such complex and counter intuitive institutions as the rule of law, an independent judiciary, multiple political parties, minority rights, voluntary associations, freedom of expression, movement, and assembly. Democracy is a learned habit, not an instinctive one, that requires deep attitudinal changes such as a culture of restraint, a commonality of values, a respect for differences of view, the concept of loyal opposition, and a sense of civic responsibility."

'The Five Biggest Threats Our Democracy Faces'

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-wo...emocracy-faces

And the SCOTUS threat:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/20...mp-republicans

Information Sources to check:

https://iffy.news/
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/fake-news/
http://politics.flackcheck.org/patterns-of-deception/

One online news site I recommend: https://www.theguardian.com/us


"Let us wage a moral and political war against the billionaires and corporate leaders, on Wall Street and elsewhere, whose policies and greed are destroying the middle class of America." Bernie Sanders

Yes, ban them all.

[RB 60]

Those are all good things. If it was up to me, kids would be in school a quarter or semester at a time with two weeks off in between. They could do 2-3 days at school and the remainder telecommuting. More education for less cost. Class rooms would be full 5 days a week with alternating kids; less kids per class. Teachers work full time with the same two week breaks.

Still, the American public needs to up its education game if they hope to compete in an increasingly technical world. Buggy Whips and riveting cars by hand aren't returning except for custom shops.

Whatever they do, it needs changed for the better. Kids need to at least come out of HS being able to count change if the cash register breaks.
We pay for the first 13 years of a kid's education, they should have learned enough to get a start if they don't go to college. If they do, let them pay for it, win a scholarship or have wealthy parents. And if they borrowed, pay it back.

There's actually good money in both, but yeah, that's besides the point. To echo Jack, automation is taking over. Those things do break or wear out, learning how to repair them is profitable.

[RB 60]

Wasn't Trump in charge before January 20th, about four months ago? Does it really seem that long ago?

Why do you think the militias are giving Trump a pass on betraying them following 1/6?

Trump is no longer president. He lost. The damn Penguins lost in the 2nd. overtime tonight. It sucks, but that's reality. Tomorrow's another day. I'll do what I do.

Militias? What militias? Betraying who?

[Doc Dutch]

Trump is no longer president. He lost. The damn Penguins lost in the 2nd. overtime tonight. It sucks, but that's reality. Tomorrow's another day. I'll do what I do.

Militias? What militias? Betraying who?

Trump throwing the militias under the bus for their actions on 1/6.

You don't think they'd retaliate for the betrayal in some manner?

[RB 60]

Trump throwing the militias under the bus for their actions on 1/6.

You don't think they'd retaliate for the betrayal in some manner?

Throwing what militia under the bus? That was one unorganized riot of unarmed activists. Far less destructive than BLM's riots (plural).

Retaliate? Against what? Against who? How? Hopefully come 2022, Americans will see what the left is doing.

You can save the annoying gifs if you want an adult discussion.

[Doc Dutch]

Throwing what militia under the bus? That was one unorganized riot of unarmed activists. Far less destructive than BLM's riots (plural).

Retaliate? Against what? Against who? How? Hopefully come 2022, Americans will see what the left is doing.

You can save the annoying gifs if you want an adult discussion.

The militia teams going into Congress seemed to have a plan. Do you think their actions and intent should be investigated? Or should it be swept under a rug to protect those who staged the event?

This relates to the OP since the RW news media has been playing up the militias and Trump all summer and fall leading to the election:

...Gaslighting from Fox ET AL have created a world of doubt. America leads the world in Covid-19 deaths, misinformation has consequences.

So how do we understand the topic question when media is opinion, distortion, dog whistles, targeted, oppositional, using loaded words, words meant as pejorative or audience specific? Content without thought, words like 'cancel' 'woke' 'leftist' 'liberal' 'socialist' 'border' 'trans' 'guns' etcetera. What do they really mean outside the club? Their appeal is to tribe, to emotion, not content or analysis. Misinformation and distortion weaken a nation's political conversation. Ask always who benefit

Daniel Pipes wrote. "First, democracy is more than holding elections; it requires the development of civil society, meaning such complex and counter intuitive institutions as the rule of law, an independent judiciary, multiple political parties, minority rights, voluntary associations, freedom of expression, movement, and assembly. Democracy is a learned habit, not an instinctive one, that requires deep attitudinal changes such as a culture of restraint, a commonality of values, a respect for differences of view, the concept of loyal opposition, and a sense of civic responsibility."

'The Five Biggest Threats Our Democracy Faces'

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-wo...emocracy-faces

And the SCOTUS threat:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/20...mp-republicans

Information Sources to check:

https://iffy.news/
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/fake-news/
http://politics.flackcheck.org/patterns-of-deception/

[Poor Richard Saunders]

I see little difference between Trump news and legacy news, both are manufacturing consent. The problem with crypto-fascism is they want us to believe authority has been consecrated. No psychology can be the correct authority for me. I like Jung but it was Freud who helped me better understand myself -- yet Freud was wrong about everything.

You said we need to question our own positions but we don't need authority for that.

A convoluted way of thinking there, goat. If you don't need authority then how do you know how to read, write and do math? We all learned from authorities at one point or another.

There is no way to question your position if you can't compare your position to various authorities on the subject. Otherwise you are simply pissing into the wind to see which way it is blowing. And even then you are relying on an authority that told you what wind is.

[goat]

A convoluted way of thinking there, goat. If you don't need authority then how do you know how to read, write and do math? We all learned from authorities at one point or another.

There is no way to question your position if you can't compare your position to various authorities on the subject. Otherwise you are simply pissing into the wind to see which way it is blowing. And even then you are relying on an authority that told you what wind is.

We have a different perception of environmental stimuli. Where you see education, I see programming. If more people were willing to stand up to the system, we wouldn't be in the situation we find ourselves in today. You either believe your culture is superior or the only culture there is. I'm here to challenge that archaic assertion.

[Concart]

I'm on jury duty this week. During jury selection, it was clear that both sets of attorneys decided to weed out the Trumpers.

'Where do you get your news' - Fox News was a common answer. None of those individuals was seated on the jury.
'Do you have any bumper stickers or other stickers on your car, and what do they say' - Four Trump bumper stickers, non seated.

Attorneys absolutely do not want a fucking Trump retard sitting on the jury. Too funny.

[RB 60]

I'm on jury duty this week. During jury selection, it was clear that both sets of attorneys decided to weed out the Trumpers.

'Where do you get your news' - Fox News was a common answer. None of those individuals was seated on the jury.
'Do you have any bumper stickers or other stickers on your car, and what do they say' - Four Trump bumper stickers, non seated.

Attorneys absolutely do not want a fucking Trump retard sitting on the jury. Too funny.

I don't believe a word of it.

[Concart]

I don't believe a word of it.

I don't give a fuck. Anything else you want to discuss?

[Poor Richard Saunders]

We have a different perception of environmental stimuli. Where you see education, I see programming. If more people were willing to stand up to the system, we wouldn't be in the situation we find ourselves in today. You either believe your culture is superior or the only culture there is. I'm here to challenge that archaic assertion.

Of course education is programming. You were programmed how to read and how to write. The question is whether your education programmed you how to think critically. If we didn't get some education/programming we wouldn't be able to communicate. We would all still be hunter/gatherers struggling to survive without education/programming. Education is not in and of itself bad. Authorities on subjects are not in and of themselves bad. To attack them as always being that is not critical thinking. It isn't really thinking at all.

[goat]

Of course education is programming. You were programmed how to read and how to write. The question is whether your education programmed you how to think critically. If we didn't get some education/programming we wouldn't be able to communicate. We would all still be hunter/gatherers struggling to survive without education/programming. Education is not in and of itself bad. Authorities on subjects are not in and of themselves bad. To attack them as always being that is not critical thinking. It isn't really thinking at all.

You're dependent on government for every aspect of your life. God forbid the power went out for 3 days and you had to go without MSNBC telling you what to think. Authority made sure you would never see the big picture. Your education didn't teach you how to survive a systemic breakdown. You probably think a garden is something with flowers that your landscaper takes care of. At least Q knows how to dress a deer.

[Doc Dutch]

I don't believe a word of it.

Not a lawyer but I fail to see how that's legal. OTOH, if the case involved politics, it would be legitimate to rule out any diehard fans such as Hillary or Trump voters whose bias may influence their judgment.

Joke: What's the biggest difference between Hillary and Trump?
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.
.
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Hillary didn't piss off the militias so much they put out a contract on her oldest kid.

[Poor Richard Saunders]

I see you don't want to discuss the topic but just want to resort to proving you know nothing about me by assigning attributes to me that you somehow think are demeaning. Does this mean you think your culture is superior? Didn't you describe that as being an archaic position? You are wrong in everything you attributed to me.


I don't rely on the media to tell me much of anything other then what sources I should be checking. No news source ever gives anyone the full picture. When it comes to the OAN, Newsmax and FOX, they give less of a true picture than the NY Times, the Washington Post and Public Radio. I am curious as to what sources you use to find out what is going on in the world. The problem is that critical thinking requires that people find reliable sources that give them the most complete picture. MSNBC isn't far from OAN, Newsmax and Fox when it comes to providing information and I spend less time watching them than I do Fox which I don't waste my time with.