American business supports fox propaganda with its advertising dollars. If fox is to punished, confronting these companies and calling out their CEO’s ’resulting in the withdrawal of advertising will hurt them far more than a billion dollar civil judgement. Find these supporters of the new authoritarianism here: https://dropfox.com/advertisers/
Let’s not forget Rush Limbaugh’s ignoble contribution to the vile disinformation campaign now led by Fox. Thank you Ruth for this article ! Incredible to think that Murdoch would trade our Democracy for profits he doesn’t need !!!
Capitalism seems to be antithetical to democracy. You will notice that our CIA was not installing democracy in the nations it was interferring with. Mostly it was installing neoliberal economics with authoritarian politics.
-Its not the system of capitalism per se that's antithetical to democracy. Its how the wealth is redistributed. Look at the era of 1933-1980 vs. 1980 to the present.
FMR Justice Louis Brandeis once said "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."
Since the birth of neoliberal economics, circa 1979, it's hard to call what we have, capitalism. In the book, "The Myth of Capitalism" it is suggest that what we have is not capitalism at all. The advent of neoliberal economics here, signalled the end of any egalitarian capitalism that we once had. I probably should have said, neoliberal economics seems to be antithetical to democracy.
Taiwan still has capitalism from what I saw when I was there. We could learn from their model.
Yes! Brandeis. Unregulated business. Greed. Power. Hubris. Oligarchy. What gave us the opioid crisis? What poisoned race relations? The mortgage crisis? A gun violence epidemic? A shrinking middle class? The climate crisis? And now an epistemology crisis, birthed from unregulated, unrestrained mass communications. Lies, propaganda, radicalization. Destruction. Each crisis is the fault of a few that create suffering for many. There are no easy answers. Democracy is the best there is. History rhymes. Capitalism must be regulated. New technology in mass communications should not get a free pass. We can build an iron dome missile defense, but we leave our hearts and minds exposed to foreign and domestic forces of division & hate that poison our relations and destabilizes our democracy. Hopefully it’s not to late to fix our Oligarchy problem.
We're living through a moment in history of obscene levels of greed and inequality. Concentrated oligarchic power and corruption are responsible for all the ills you mention above. History suggests there is hope. We came out of the 1890s and the turn of the century led by T.R. who busted the trusts, the malefactors of greed and led us into an era of progressive reforms. Then after the laissez faire roaring 20s ended with the great depression, we did it again. FDR ushered in another era of progressive reforms that leveled the playing field.
In 2023, we're living through a time more gilded than the gilded age or the era of the unregulated capitalism of the roaring twenties. A powerful oligarchic minority of billionaires is blocking change and needed reforms in a variety of ways in order to cement minority rule. Voter suppression, gerrymandering, massive political bribery through dark money, unlimited campaign pac contributions etc., alongside a massive and extensive media ecosystem of propaganda. And winning the electoral college but losing the popular vote seven out of the last eight times has given them a corrupt majority of extremists on the supreme court.
I think we're in a time when the old is dying and the new cannot be born; now is the time of monsters. A.Gramsci
Our problem with oligarchs and oligopolies has a correlation to NAZI Germany and its cartel economic system. They also had powerful oligopolies just like we do. I believe that our oligarchs strive to have a quasi-fascist state here, where business has great power. I believe they want something similar to what we set up in Chile under Pinochet, when Milton Friedman and James Buchanan went down there to construct a businsess paradise. They seem to want our nation to be run by the Mont Pelerin Society. Ayn Rand would be so proud.
Ruth's article reminds me of an exchange I heard recently on C-SPAN2's coverage of a hearing to fill an open seat on the Federal Communication Commission. The nominee was Gigi Sohn, who is an outspoken woman married to a woman. She has been nominated before and, each time, the vote was deadlocked. The junior senator from Alaska, Don Sullivan, roared at her, quoting her words which denounced Fox News as "a propaganda network." Other Republicans echoed Sullivan. Trying to shame her for her truth. The joke is on them, as these latest sad and infuriating revelations about Fox emerge. Gigi Sohn is a kick-ass woman. I hope she gets the seat.
No difference than Russia’s (Putin’s) Channel One and Rossiya 1. Oligarchs working for the boss; and, the flow of money and power that cements their loyalty.
Firstly, Congratulations on your appointment at The Univesity of Hawaii! I had great respect for Sen. Inouye and I think the university made a very wise decision. I hope the event will be made available at some point for all to view. Secondly, you "nailed it!" with respect to Murdoch and Fox. I fear howver, there are forces that will prevent any remedies to correct the weaknesses in our media model. Thank you for your patriotism and for acting on your sense of civic duty. I'd put you in the category of a "national treasure."
How about calling Wisconsin voters who lean democratic and helping them make informed decisions about electing a Democrat to the Wisconsin Supreme Court? There is one opening. It is listed as “non-partisan”. There are 2 Democrats and 2 Republicans vying for the seat. .Wisconsin is a key State to bring back to the Democrats.
Is this any different than the public admission by Les Moonves (disgraced exec from CBS) that Trump was bad for the country but great for ratings? If this is being said out in the open we can only imagine what is being said behind closed doors and covered by NDA's signed by eager journalists who thought they signed up to work with a network that had at least a smidgen of integrity. Fox may be one of the worst and should be exposed but look at the model CNN is embracing now. Getting facts is harder because as Heather McGhee said the other day when she was on with Jon Stewart, we "can only know what we are told" and legit journalism is getting hard to find.
Right on! Great points made and the demise of investigative journalism has been concerning me for years. Citizens really have to start looking at subscriptions as a way, if not a duty, to protect it. It goes against our desire to bargain shop, but it’s no lie that “you get what you pay for.”
Its hard to imagine how serious Murdoch really was when floated the idea that Ingraham, Carlson, Sean Hannity, and other top hosts trusted by the Fox audience should appear together on television in Nov. 2020 and state clearly that Joe Biden had won the election. Given the FNC's history of outright lying and stirring up hate and division for profit and ratings should we have at all been surprised they never went through with it? I mean the idea that FN would ever do the right thing or the moral thing and stand up for truth and democracy would always be a bridge too far. This would have to be in a movie script or something that could only have ever happened in an alternative universe, I'm afraid.
P.S. Congrats Ruth on your engagement news, may it bring you great happiness and for your appointment to the Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair of Democratic Ideals at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Wow!
After reading this essay on FOX, I can't help but remember the rampant outsourcing of our manufacturing to cheaper labor markets. It was all done in the name of profit margins and at the expense of domestic jobs. It was a major contributor to the destruction of our middle class. FOX, it seems has the same mindset of profit over nation, as our corporations did many years ago. This is the dark side of capitalism; or should I say neoliberal economics. A system with no conscience.
This is the dark side of the Murdoch family. They are like the Koch family: focused on money and also dysfunctional as human beings. These are the new Robber Baron class. We are no more than bugs to them. The only way to defeat them is through the power of a Federal Government and State Governments not in their clutches..The Federal government, for all its faults, and at this time, does intend to move our democratic republic forward to be of. by, and for “The People”. This is why the oligarchs work so hard to destroy governmental and democratic institution legitimacy. FDR was able to deal with Oligarchs better from top down than we can today because he has a supermajority in Congress. I think, too, times are different. Might be more complicated, but there are actions we can take: The ballot box is still important. You can still contact your representatives.
Exciting news about your residency! Congratulations!
Time will tell if News Corp, Murdoch and the rest survive these revelations. Justice would be served if they are severely sanctioned for their deception, greed and hollowing out of our system of government.
So many congratulations on attaining the Hawaii chair. That is excellent news!
On a personal note, and I am sure that Ivery many who are already on there would feel the same, but please, please, please do consider opening an account on Spoutible. Joy-Ann Reid came joined this week and Profs Melissa Murray and Leah Litman are there too - and hoping for more. I am sure that you would find a very engaged and appreciative bunch. Thank you!!
Thank you Ruth; Unfortunately, this is as you say regrettably not a surprise. Fox News is an exemplar of just how craven the Right has become. We had a similar example during the Pandemic: Fox News required on-site vaccinations while spewing anti-vaccination diatribes on air. In both cases, they actually feared their audience, the monster they created but can no longer control. I too am saddened by their choice. Possibly, Dominion can continue to bring this to light. We will have to see.
Can we attend your lecture via zoom? If so, will you send the registration link?
I don't know if it will be taped, but will find out!
And we pay Fox thru our cable fees, even if we never watch.
😡😡😡😡😡😡😡 This fact disgusts me!
Yes. me, too.Thinking of writing to cable provider. intolerable
American business supports fox propaganda with its advertising dollars. If fox is to punished, confronting these companies and calling out their CEO’s ’resulting in the withdrawal of advertising will hurt them far more than a billion dollar civil judgement. Find these supporters of the new authoritarianism here: https://dropfox.com/advertisers/
Thank you for that info, Ja,mes
Let’s not forget Rush Limbaugh’s ignoble contribution to the vile disinformation campaign now led by Fox. Thank you Ruth for this article ! Incredible to think that Murdoch would trade our Democracy for profits he doesn’t need !!!
Capitalism is no insurance policy for Democracy.
Capitalism seems to be antithetical to democracy. You will notice that our CIA was not installing democracy in the nations it was interferring with. Mostly it was installing neoliberal economics with authoritarian politics.
-Its not the system of capitalism per se that's antithetical to democracy. Its how the wealth is redistributed. Look at the era of 1933-1980 vs. 1980 to the present.
FMR Justice Louis Brandeis once said "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."
Since the birth of neoliberal economics, circa 1979, it's hard to call what we have, capitalism. In the book, "The Myth of Capitalism" it is suggest that what we have is not capitalism at all. The advent of neoliberal economics here, signalled the end of any egalitarian capitalism that we once had. I probably should have said, neoliberal economics seems to be antithetical to democracy.
Taiwan still has capitalism from what I saw when I was there. We could learn from their model.
Yes! Brandeis. Unregulated business. Greed. Power. Hubris. Oligarchy. What gave us the opioid crisis? What poisoned race relations? The mortgage crisis? A gun violence epidemic? A shrinking middle class? The climate crisis? And now an epistemology crisis, birthed from unregulated, unrestrained mass communications. Lies, propaganda, radicalization. Destruction. Each crisis is the fault of a few that create suffering for many. There are no easy answers. Democracy is the best there is. History rhymes. Capitalism must be regulated. New technology in mass communications should not get a free pass. We can build an iron dome missile defense, but we leave our hearts and minds exposed to foreign and domestic forces of division & hate that poison our relations and destabilizes our democracy. Hopefully it’s not to late to fix our Oligarchy problem.
We're living through a moment in history of obscene levels of greed and inequality. Concentrated oligarchic power and corruption are responsible for all the ills you mention above. History suggests there is hope. We came out of the 1890s and the turn of the century led by T.R. who busted the trusts, the malefactors of greed and led us into an era of progressive reforms. Then after the laissez faire roaring 20s ended with the great depression, we did it again. FDR ushered in another era of progressive reforms that leveled the playing field.
In 2023, we're living through a time more gilded than the gilded age or the era of the unregulated capitalism of the roaring twenties. A powerful oligarchic minority of billionaires is blocking change and needed reforms in a variety of ways in order to cement minority rule. Voter suppression, gerrymandering, massive political bribery through dark money, unlimited campaign pac contributions etc., alongside a massive and extensive media ecosystem of propaganda. And winning the electoral college but losing the popular vote seven out of the last eight times has given them a corrupt majority of extremists on the supreme court.
I think we're in a time when the old is dying and the new cannot be born; now is the time of monsters. A.Gramsci
Our problem with oligarchs and oligopolies has a correlation to NAZI Germany and its cartel economic system. They also had powerful oligopolies just like we do. I believe that our oligarchs strive to have a quasi-fascist state here, where business has great power. I believe they want something similar to what we set up in Chile under Pinochet, when Milton Friedman and James Buchanan went down there to construct a businsess paradise. They seem to want our nation to be run by the Mont Pelerin Society. Ayn Rand would be so proud.
Ruth's article reminds me of an exchange I heard recently on C-SPAN2's coverage of a hearing to fill an open seat on the Federal Communication Commission. The nominee was Gigi Sohn, who is an outspoken woman married to a woman. She has been nominated before and, each time, the vote was deadlocked. The junior senator from Alaska, Don Sullivan, roared at her, quoting her words which denounced Fox News as "a propaganda network." Other Republicans echoed Sullivan. Trying to shame her for her truth. The joke is on them, as these latest sad and infuriating revelations about Fox emerge. Gigi Sohn is a kick-ass woman. I hope she gets the seat.
No difference than Russia’s (Putin’s) Channel One and Rossiya 1. Oligarchs working for the boss; and, the flow of money and power that cements their loyalty.
Congratulations on the chair in Hawaii. Fox may be in big trouble. Have fun while you're there.
Firstly, Congratulations on your appointment at The Univesity of Hawaii! I had great respect for Sen. Inouye and I think the university made a very wise decision. I hope the event will be made available at some point for all to view. Secondly, you "nailed it!" with respect to Murdoch and Fox. I fear howver, there are forces that will prevent any remedies to correct the weaknesses in our media model. Thank you for your patriotism and for acting on your sense of civic duty. I'd put you in the category of a "national treasure."
Thank you, Jude
You're Welcome!
How about calling Wisconsin voters who lean democratic and helping them make informed decisions about electing a Democrat to the Wisconsin Supreme Court? There is one opening. It is listed as “non-partisan”. There are 2 Democrats and 2 Republicans vying for the seat. .Wisconsin is a key State to bring back to the Democrats.
Dems Abroad and Wis Dems will be calling them in the runup to the primary this week! Let’s get this done!!
Is this any different than the public admission by Les Moonves (disgraced exec from CBS) that Trump was bad for the country but great for ratings? If this is being said out in the open we can only imagine what is being said behind closed doors and covered by NDA's signed by eager journalists who thought they signed up to work with a network that had at least a smidgen of integrity. Fox may be one of the worst and should be exposed but look at the model CNN is embracing now. Getting facts is harder because as Heather McGhee said the other day when she was on with Jon Stewart, we "can only know what we are told" and legit journalism is getting hard to find.
Right on! Great points made and the demise of investigative journalism has been concerning me for years. Citizens really have to start looking at subscriptions as a way, if not a duty, to protect it. It goes against our desire to bargain shop, but it’s no lie that “you get what you pay for.”
#subscribe2survive
You are so right.
Its hard to imagine how serious Murdoch really was when floated the idea that Ingraham, Carlson, Sean Hannity, and other top hosts trusted by the Fox audience should appear together on television in Nov. 2020 and state clearly that Joe Biden had won the election. Given the FNC's history of outright lying and stirring up hate and division for profit and ratings should we have at all been surprised they never went through with it? I mean the idea that FN would ever do the right thing or the moral thing and stand up for truth and democracy would always be a bridge too far. This would have to be in a movie script or something that could only have ever happened in an alternative universe, I'm afraid.
P.S. Congrats Ruth on your engagement news, may it bring you great happiness and for your appointment to the Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair of Democratic Ideals at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Wow!
Thank you Gary!
After reading this essay on FOX, I can't help but remember the rampant outsourcing of our manufacturing to cheaper labor markets. It was all done in the name of profit margins and at the expense of domestic jobs. It was a major contributor to the destruction of our middle class. FOX, it seems has the same mindset of profit over nation, as our corporations did many years ago. This is the dark side of capitalism; or should I say neoliberal economics. A system with no conscience.
This is the dark side of the Murdoch family. They are like the Koch family: focused on money and also dysfunctional as human beings. These are the new Robber Baron class. We are no more than bugs to them. The only way to defeat them is through the power of a Federal Government and State Governments not in their clutches..The Federal government, for all its faults, and at this time, does intend to move our democratic republic forward to be of. by, and for “The People”. This is why the oligarchs work so hard to destroy governmental and democratic institution legitimacy. FDR was able to deal with Oligarchs better from top down than we can today because he has a supermajority in Congress. I think, too, times are different. Might be more complicated, but there are actions we can take: The ballot box is still important. You can still contact your representatives.
Exciting news about your residency! Congratulations!
Time will tell if News Corp, Murdoch and the rest survive these revelations. Justice would be served if they are severely sanctioned for their deception, greed and hollowing out of our system of government.
Thank you Diana!
Hawaii should be fun. If possible take a side trip to the island of Kauai. They have a wonderful canyon.
Any hope of getting Fox/Murdoch silenced? It’s pure propaganda!
Didn’t there used to be FEC guidelines?
I’m aware of the 1st amendment, but Fox has gone too far. They should not be called News; Fox Farce, Fox Lies anything but news.
You are going to love Hawaii! Congratulations! Hawaii will love you!
Aloha 🌴
So many congratulations on attaining the Hawaii chair. That is excellent news!
On a personal note, and I am sure that Ivery many who are already on there would feel the same, but please, please, please do consider opening an account on Spoutible. Joy-Ann Reid came joined this week and Profs Melissa Murray and Leah Litman are there too - and hoping for more. I am sure that you would find a very engaged and appreciative bunch. Thank you!!
Thank you Ruth; Unfortunately, this is as you say regrettably not a surprise. Fox News is an exemplar of just how craven the Right has become. We had a similar example during the Pandemic: Fox News required on-site vaccinations while spewing anti-vaccination diatribes on air. In both cases, they actually feared their audience, the monster they created but can no longer control. I too am saddened by their choice. Possibly, Dominion can continue to bring this to light. We will have to see.
Yes, FOX is similar to Dr. Frankenstein and his monster creation.