Ruth Ben-Ghiat is professor of history and Italian studies at New York University. She writes frequently on authoritarianism and Trump for the media.
Posted on 11/06/2017 12:47:01 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
Fox News may be enjoying large audiences right now, partly because of its close relationship with the president, but the network is taking a real risk — both to itself and to our democracy — by peddling falsehoods and making the president's political enemies its own. Given those risks, the network's eagerness to take on a role normally occupied by state media in strongman regimes, up through its current attempts to discredit special prosecutor Robert Mueller's investigation, is surprising.
This disturbing situation, however, has been long in the making. From 2011 onward, Fox News promoted Trump's presidential ambitions and spread Trump's false claims and conspiracy theories, including his "birther" crusade against then-President Barack Obama.
The power Trump grants to Fox News by this strange symbiosis makes the network's response to Mueller's investigation and recent indictments all the more worrisome. Fox News hosts have, in some cases, taken every possible approach to deflect from and deny political and judicial realities that might displease Trump or affect his popularity. Recently, this has included attacking Mueller's integrity and credibility, dismissing the investigation as part of a political "witch hunt," as Hannity put it and depicting Hillary Clinton as the real source of scandal.
Fox News executives can, in response, point to a demand for the news products they offer: Hannity's program outperformed Rachel Maddow's popular, liberal-leaning show in terms of viewers for the month of October, helped by the host's robust tweet game and free advertising by our president. Yet history won't look kindly on journalists or news organizations that make themselves mouthpieces of an increasingly anti-press administration. With the help of Fox News, things may get worse for our democracy before they get better.
And Fox News employees with a conscience might want to find other employment sooner rather than later.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
Ruth Ben-Ghiat is professor of history and Italian studies at New York University. She writes frequently on authoritarianism and Trump for the media.
Being Obama and Hillary’s mouthpiece sure didn’t help the other ones.
Physician, heal thyself.
But the Obama-enthralled media was just fine?
The people relentlessly negative about Trump are harming themselves more than they’re hurting Trump.
No one likes the media’s Debbie Downers.
Pure projection.
..and your knees, Ruth? Bwahahahaha
Note the faith in Robert Mueller.
We have them right where we want them. If my favorite theory, among the many out there, is correct.
The left really hates any opposing viewpoints. It’s not enough that every other major print and television outlet are mouthpieces of the left, they want total and completely control of every narrative.
CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC, Washington Compost, New York Slimes, etc etc being the mouthpiece for the LEFT is risky for democracy
Journalists at NBC have their heads so far up Hillary’s and Democrats azz they can’t see anything else.
[She writes frequently on authoritarianism and Trump for the media]
Translation: Resident Trump bashing mouthpiece.
All “unbiased” of course.
The truth is a bitch, you bi-otch.
New York chattering class twit.
Pffttt!!
When you are up against the likes of Der Sturmer, Izvestia, and Pravda combined, a little change is welcome. people tend to listen to news they want to hear. Want doom and gloom vs. Trump, go to CNN PBS and all the alphabet snowflake channels. Want up lifting news about Trump and the unreported MSM censored news go to Fox or the new OANN.
I laugh at these leftists who are absolutely beside themselves. This is obvious at their constant and aimless lashing out. They hate everything, and everything is a target of their indiscriminant fire, hoping that by strafing they will score some hit somewhere.
Alas, nothing seems to be working. Trump continues to win and Trump continues to enjoy the support of the masses no matter what they do!
This must infuriate them.
Better than nbc being Hillary’s rectum.
I find it staggering that the media and others are STILL trying to push the Trump/Russia conspiracy, even though it has been disproved.
NO INTEL AGENCY EVER EXAMINED THE DNC SERVERS.
See Comey admitting this here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqIY8KvuoJo
Also, the DNC email metadata proves it was LEAKED not HACKED:
https://www.thenation.com/article/a-new-report-raises-big-questions-about-last-years-dnc-hack/
Who could have leaked it?
Seth Rich, who was a ardent Bernie supported felt betrayed and Jullian Assauge of Wikileaks has hinted that he is the source:
http://www.newsweek.com/seth-rich-dnc-staffer-wikileaks-leaked-emails-fbi-610383
He was shot soon after with all his money, watch and credit cards untouched.
See this story:
https://www.thenation.com/article/a-new-report-raises-big-questions-about-last-years-dnc-hack/
So what explains this? Liars gonna lie is the only possible explanation.
Taking ethical or moral instruction from the likes of NBC or any liberal is ludicrous.They forfeited any claim of serious “journalism” when they openly backed Obama and Clinton, absolutely refused to do any serious, objective reporting related to them much less any investigations that might harm their shared narrative. They are suffering for their fraud and projecting their faults on Fox will not help.
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