What I Learned Watching Fox News This Week

by | Aug 3, 2021 | Commentary, News

Fox News has recently been campaigning egregious right-wing talking points—from claims that “critical race theory” seeks to punish white people to encouraging the flouting of vaccines and public health practices even while the deadly Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads. As the U.S.’s most watched cable news organization, the network has a staggering ability to disseminate dangerous misinformation.

Jeff Cohen, founder of FAIR and founding director of PCIM, offers five lessons, plus five corollaries, that Fox would have you take from its broadcasts:

1) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is more to blame for the Jan. 6 riot than former President Donald Trump.

2) Unlike Trump, President Joe Biden has been thoroughly incompetent and inconsistent in handling COVID.

2a) Unlike abortion, it should be a matter of personal choice whether to get vaccinated or wear a mask—and government COVID mandates are worse than seat belt mandates.

2b) If the government goes door-to-door offering vaccinations, it may be about grabbing your guns.

3) Racism is a minor part of U.S. history, but teachers are constantly propagandizing our kids about it.

3a) The main victims of racism in our country are white.

3b) “Critical race theory”—which Fox News apparently didn’t know about until recently—is ubiquitous today in public schools that are now teaching “Reading, ’riting and racism (against whites).” 

3c) Unspoken but implied: German schools that thoroughly teach about the Third Reich are propagandizing German youth to hate their country.

4) Violent crime in our country—far worse than other industrialized countries—has nothing to do with gun laws/availability and everything to do with Black Lives Matter and liberal politicians.

5) While the “illegal invasion” at our Southern border threatens our country’s future, climate change and record heat/drought/wildfires aren’t worth mentioning.

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