Days of Change

Day 350 – Doin’ it All for My Rating

Robert Gibberish fired the latest salvo in the battle of Jackass vs. Fox News. It seems that Rupert Murdoch started Fox News to make money. Furthermore, he wants the ratings for the network to increase. The White House has no such qualms, however, when Jackass takes a break from his break to suck that money from businesses to get desperately needed funds for Democrats running in 2010.

Now, socialist Anita Dunn may not like the concept of making money, given her admiration for butchering Communist Mao Tse Tung. However, even television networks are in business to make money. Most of the other news outlets are failing, but they plan to make their money in Washington graft (like the money GE is getting) in exchange for favorable coverage.
Of course, the most virulent and least credible complaint is that Fox News is not a “real” news network, just an arm of the Republican Party. Even Fox News people have said that some of the content of the network is opinion. The reality is that is not even the point.

For example, if I were a “commentator” and I said that the president sucks ass, I could be called a liar by nitpicky Kool Aiders if I didn’t have a picture of Jackass kissing an ass. I’m not saying I have that pic. Then again, if I were a commentator who showed the ACORN videos every night, there is NOTHING untrue about that. Is it biased? Not necessarily, it’s just a matter of emphasis.

The truth of Fox News, while questioned, is not really in dispute. If it were, Glenn Beck has a big red phone for them to call. No, this is about another thing Anita Dunn praised. The Obama campaign made a concerted effort to keep the media on the campaign rhetoric and not the facts they didn’t want you to see. Now, this wasn’t extremely hard in the end. Thrills up the leg and conflating the president with America itself has made criticism of him verboten in most of the media.

So, when you find nothing but sand you seek out water. When the media and the White House are sharing talking points, you go to the network that says something different. When you give the people what they seek, you get ratings. When the people in power don’t like the truth, they lie about you. They’re getting pretty good at it now.