Media as Weapon
Reported by Melanie - May 23, 2005
At the end of Your World w/Neil Cavuto today (May 23, 2005), Cavuto read ten viewer emails. All of them pertained to last Saturday's Forbes on Fox and Cavuto on Business, two of the four "business" news shows that compromise Fox's Saturday morning "business block."
I use quotes when using the word business here because the "business news" is scant compared to the propagandizing. For example, last Saturday on Forbes on Fox, one segment was titled, The Liberal Media: Enemy of America and Your Money? Another segment was titled, Stop North Korea's Nukes by Attacking China's Economy.
One of the segments on Cavuto on Business (again, these shows only last 30 minutes) was about putting bombs in space, another was about the "liberal media," and yet another was about the "ownership society" and Social Security. The group of shows are collectively called "The Cost of Freedom," and here is a Fox's recap of them.
Given the controversial nature of the topics discussed, I found it very interesting indeed that eight of the ten* letters Cavuto read today were directed primarily toward the one liberal guest who regularly appears on both shows, Gregg Hymowitz. Another regular guest, Jim Rogers, is a moderate Republican and sometimes misconstrued as a "liberal" by Fox's viewers who are more accustomed to the radical, neo-con version of Republicanism.
Here are the emails:
Re: Forbes on Fox
"From under what rock did you find those squirming, revolting, insignificant Democratic-liberal worms you had on your program today?"
"My Saturday morning routine starts with Forbes on Fox. As your doomsayer liberal financial experts give their twisted spin on the world and market, my adrenaline starts pumping and my workouts are better."
Re: Cavuto on Business
Neil, I know you asked for a kum ba yah moment when Gregg responded to Jim Rogers by saying 'it's not your money,' but Neil, Gregg's comment was absurd. Whose money is it?"
"It's not their money???!!! They really do think we're stupid."
"This is typical of how liberals think...that the government is the owner of everything we earn and we should only get to keep a small portion. Well, I have a message for Gregg - kiss my a**!!!!"
"Neil, never take Gregg off the show. He provides the comic relief. He's better than Leno's monologues."
"Let's have more Herman Cain and less Hymowitz."
"And these lunatics can't figure out why they lose each election..."
Comment: Interesting that Cavuto picked these eight emails out of the hundreds he no-doubt gets. When the occasional Democrat or "liberal" guest appears on Fox, Fox discredits that person and mocks their opinions behind their backs (or even to their face), as it did today with Gregg Hymowitz. Fox doesn't want any of those nasty liberal notions floating around in any of its viewers' heads. On the other hand, Fox cultivates and nourishes the conservative, Republican points of view. Fair and balanced?
* The two letters I did not talk about in this post were about Cavuto's ability (or not) to control his guests.
