Outfox the Fox: RESPONSE TO OUTFOXED

Instead of shutting up, why don't we just shut OFF? Robert Greenwalds' award-winning documentary Outfoxed catapulted the right wing conservative bias of the Fox News Corporation to an unprecedented level of mainstream coverage. In the movie viewers are treated to an insurmountable amount of evidence on the malicious and under-handed tactics of Fox News, presented through employees who used to work for the corporation, political and media analysts, and supports much of its claim with direct footage from programming on the network.

The documentary begins by presenting the imbalance of power, the means by which the Fox News Corporation has been able to continually spin the media by chronicling the life of media oligarch, Rupert Murdoch. On a side note, it is interesting to see that even before mainstream television, in hitler's war-torn memoir, Mein Kampf he states that the press is a "machine for mass instruction". Scary stuff.....

With a diversified portfolio, Murdoch is presented in the movie as either the owner or subsidiary owner of many of the world most prominent news agencies (Fox News), social networks, (MySpace) and even has a large stake of the United States largest satellite network.

The film maps out the means by which Fox manipulates the media to purport their conservative right wing bias. Here are a few of the examples taken directly from the film

• Daily Memo: Received by employees of Fox News, instructing them to cover particular aspect of daily events and slanting the news to meet the networks political agenda (such as the Reagan Holy Day). These memos show employees how to skew stories and slant them, and reporters were also explicitly told HOW to cover the stories as well. So much for freedom of the press.
• Commentary Vs. Objectivity: Fox News continually blurs the line between commentary and objectivity, yet ruthlessly declares itself as a fair and balanced news agency.

The question remains........WHY? Why do they choose to skew the media and infringe upon journalstic freedom? The film focuses on Bill O'Reilly, the networks' most popular news anchor and his show, "The O'Reilly Factor", which has continually been the highest rated television news pprogram in the United States. The movie portrays O'Reilly's ruthless attempts to undermine journalistic integrity. Using his tag line (SHUT UP) when he feels that his "guests" have over stayed their visit with their liberal (see: Anti-Fox) views.

With a little bit of research and some critical thought,
the issue and answer seem painstakingly clear....

STOP WATCHING THE FREAKING PROGRAMMING! The only reason Fox News continues to spew this bile day in and out is because people subscribe to it and watch it on a regular basis. News by its definition does not have to be objective, honest or even truthful, nor does journalism necessarily entail that as well. I'm going to play devil's advocate and go on a whim to suggest that these are "ideals" of journalistic integrity and ethics, and that they are mere suggestion to some in the profession and industry. News executives were concerned with one thing: capital. When money is the main focus, (as it is unfortunately for most corporations), it is ultimately up to Murdoch and his executive goons to rake in the dough and continue to find a means to keep ratings up. More money, more power, more influence. I am not suggesting by ANY means that Fox is a credible news source, and it is unfortunate that they abuse their incredible position of power. However, clearly there are absolute morons out there who subscribe religiously to these right winged views and it's gonna take a lot more than taking down Fox News to change the wya they think. O'REILLY WAS A FREAKING REPORTER FOR INSIDE NEWS FOR GOD'S SAKE! AN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS PROGRAM!! It's sade that people take Fox to be anything more than entertainment. O'Reilly is doing his job and he's damn good at it, he knows how to manipulate his viewer based and not only attracts his audiences to his program through his outlandish behavior, but continues to elevate the right winged speaker-box of Fox News CORPORATION

Fox News is the bully in the media playground, and as demonstrated in Outfoxed were the key perpetrators behind the announcement of George Bush Jr's Presidential victory in 2000. I encourage EVERYONE to go online and voice their opinions, to re-assure themselves that there are independent news organizations out there that think outside of profit margins.

The United States is in a critical position right now where extreme measures needs to be taken. until we educate ourselves and educate others (this is KEY!) things will not change. I am happy to hear that much of Obama's proposed stimulus package is going towards helping studants finance their college tuition. Education is the key, and as most of us are in MIT we have an incredible responsibility to demonstrate the hazards of lopsided media coverage to our family and friends. Start here to unerstand how ratings continue to support mainstream propaganda and let us continue to be critical of the world that we all share.......indifference and passivity makes all of us just as guilty as those who take Fox news for face value.

CUT MY MIC.....I'm done...

Gotta give some love to my man John Stewart.....
NO SPIN ZONE? YOU DECIDE!