Also, it is important to not underestimate the enormity of the influence wielded by what is effectively Putin's propaganda arm, NewsCorp (FOX, Dow Jones, etc.). It has been incredibly successful in energizing the poorly educated lower third of the economy. It really is a charismatic religious movement at this point. Taking it down is not…
Also, it is important to not underestimate the enormity of the influence wielded by what is effectively Putin's propaganda arm, NewsCorp (FOX, Dow Jones, etc.). It has been incredibly successful in energizing the poorly educated lower third of the economy. It really is a charismatic religious movement at this point. Taking it down is not easy, and these folks have a good reason to fear it. So they faced a choice between doing the right thing or going along with it. They made the wrong choice and it's very late to change their minds.
NewsCorp's media outlets are diverse. They focus on conservative issues and cover them with a conservative bias, but Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal) is actually closer to moderate, while Fox News (TV) output is closer to sensationalist journalism. The WSJ is NOT a religious paper, but it's frustrating to read because their number one values are business efficiency and profit, workers be damned. Fox News does indeed pander to an audience that includes a lot of people that self identify as religious, so they amplified culture-wars issues, because that worked well to engage their viewers. In normal times, they're sort of OK. However, these haven't been normal times, and anti-democratic actors have weaponized Fox News' natural tendency to sensationalize cultural & nationalist hyperbole.
What I'm trying to say is that we need to cut off the "political head" (vote the f**ers out) that have gamed the news media "arms" to inflict harm.
(No, I'm not forgetting that Fox News amplified laws about election fraud and lost a billion dollar lawsuit to Dominion, and am hoping that Smartmatic wins its lawsuit just as spectacularly.)
I don't disagree with your analysis, but the Murdochs lack the basic sense of decency that most media owner families have had. If it makes them money (i.e. sells ads or causes cable companies to carry them as a default option, or news aggregators like Alphabet/Google to include them in their feeds), they will put it on, no matter how much damage to democracy, basic civility it causes, or triggers events that lead to deaths. SO I can't bring myself to deal with them. I was asked just today to accept an invitation from the Wall Street Journal editors to provide some feedback on their Boeing story, for which I have an unusually knowledgeable ability to provide, but I just can't go there. It's a bit like the temptation to visit Denys Davidov's Telegram channel for a little more thorough daily news feed on Ukraine. But gee, Telegram allows all of that repugnant crap on their channels, so I don't go there.
Also, it is important to not underestimate the enormity of the influence wielded by what is effectively Putin's propaganda arm, NewsCorp (FOX, Dow Jones, etc.). It has been incredibly successful in energizing the poorly educated lower third of the economy. It really is a charismatic religious movement at this point. Taking it down is not easy, and these folks have a good reason to fear it. So they faced a choice between doing the right thing or going along with it. They made the wrong choice and it's very late to change their minds.
NewsCorp's media outlets are diverse. They focus on conservative issues and cover them with a conservative bias, but Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal) is actually closer to moderate, while Fox News (TV) output is closer to sensationalist journalism. The WSJ is NOT a religious paper, but it's frustrating to read because their number one values are business efficiency and profit, workers be damned. Fox News does indeed pander to an audience that includes a lot of people that self identify as religious, so they amplified culture-wars issues, because that worked well to engage their viewers. In normal times, they're sort of OK. However, these haven't been normal times, and anti-democratic actors have weaponized Fox News' natural tendency to sensationalize cultural & nationalist hyperbole.
What I'm trying to say is that we need to cut off the "political head" (vote the f**ers out) that have gamed the news media "arms" to inflict harm.
(No, I'm not forgetting that Fox News amplified laws about election fraud and lost a billion dollar lawsuit to Dominion, and am hoping that Smartmatic wins its lawsuit just as spectacularly.)
I don't disagree with your analysis, but the Murdochs lack the basic sense of decency that most media owner families have had. If it makes them money (i.e. sells ads or causes cable companies to carry them as a default option, or news aggregators like Alphabet/Google to include them in their feeds), they will put it on, no matter how much damage to democracy, basic civility it causes, or triggers events that lead to deaths. SO I can't bring myself to deal with them. I was asked just today to accept an invitation from the Wall Street Journal editors to provide some feedback on their Boeing story, for which I have an unusually knowledgeable ability to provide, but I just can't go there. It's a bit like the temptation to visit Denys Davidov's Telegram channel for a little more thorough daily news feed on Ukraine. But gee, Telegram allows all of that repugnant crap on their channels, so I don't go there.
Sadly, you’re right.