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Monday, September 28, 2009

Fox News = The Devil?

The press is supposed to be the fourth branch of government, there to protect the citizens from corruption in their elected officials by acting as the watchdogs of the government. Fox News has consistently done just the opposite by pandering to the very corruption that they are supposed to help prevent.

It's a sad day indeed when I feel I can get better, more unbiased news from the BBC or Comedy Central than I can from a major American news network.

The really sad part is that so many Americans still watch this channel. My own parents, self-described liberals who I have never known to vote Republican, watch Fox News under the mistaken impression that it is actually news. At least Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert make no pretenses that they are actually reporting the real news. Sure, they can seem biased, but they are on a Comedy network. It's their job. The job of the "good" people over at Fox News, however, is to report unbiased, fact-based news, giving equal airing to both sides of any issue. It is their responsibility to leave personal opinions out of the equation, to work outside the bounds of prejudice, and to give the people an accurate depiction of what is going on in the world. A news network should not employ spin doctors, and should not bow down to the whims of our leaders.

And now they've gone too far. By using yellow journalism and shady tactics, they are attempting to actually influence the outcome of a major election. This is unacceptable. I sincerely wish that Fox News would answer this call to action in a positive way. I hold out little hope, though. In which case, it is time they be brought to task on this serious grievance against the American people, be they black or white, male or female, Christian, Muslim,or Jew. Because this goes beyond race. It goes straight to the heart of that for which America, my America, stands.

Below is a detailed account from ColorOfChange.org of Fox News's latest underhanded smear campaign. Please take the time to read it, and if you agree, to add your name to the letter and to inform anyone who cares about preserving the things that make this country so great.

Dear Friends,

Right now, Fox News is trying to paint Barack Obama as foreign, un-American, suspicious, and scary. They're trying to send Americans the message that our country's first viable Black candidate for President is not "one of us."

I've joined on to ColorOfChange.org's campaign to push back on Fox, publicly demanding they stop their race-baiting and fear mongering. If that doesn't work, then we'll go to their advertisers and the FCC. I wanted to invite you to sign on as well. It takes only a moment:

http://www.colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=1579-599037

Here's what happened recently:

After Senator Obama won the nomination, he and his wife gave each other a "pound" in front of the cameras. Fox anchor E.D. Hill called the act of celebration a "terrorist fist jab." Then last week, a Fox News on-screen graphic referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama"--slang used to describe the unmarried mother of a man's child. It was a clear attempt to associate the Obamas with negative cultural stereotypes about Black people, an insult not only to Michelle Obama but to women and Black people everywhere.

After each of the incidents mentioned, Fox issued some form of weak apology. But what does it mean when you slap someone in the face, apologize the next day, then slap them again on the third? It means the apology is meaningless.

These aren't one-time incidents--they're part of a pattern that continues no matter how often Fox is forced to apologize. Fox has a clear record of attacking and undermining Black institutions, Black leaders, and Black people in general.

If we don't push back now, we will see more of the same from now until November. Please join me in helping to bring an end to Fox's behavior.

http://www.colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=1579-599037

Thanks.

Until next time,

Clay

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