The Fox Effect by David Brock - Book Report/Review Example

? The Fox Effect Analysis/ Reaction Papers to the book, "The Fox Effect" by David Brock The fox effect is a book authored by David Brock and Ari Rabin-Havt that researches the changes in Fox News. The change in the organization was from a right leaning news network to a network that advocated for the issues of the Republican Party. The changes in the organization are said to have taken place under the leadership of Roger Ailes. By following the career of the president, the book aims to show how the organization has progressively changed in the way that it operates, and in terms of its content. The book aims to show how a right leaning news network can be transformed into one that promotes the Republican Party Agenda. The book claims that the transformation of the news network into a Republican Party propaganda machine began in 2008 when Barrack Obama was elected as the United States president. The two authors are behind the media monitoring watchdog Media Matters. As such, they comprehensively examine the news content that is made available to the American audience and point out the content that may be untrue or biased in the content. The book has the subtitle How Roger Ailes Turned a Network into a Propaganda Machine and has 329 pages. This makes the book a quick read. The book also uses simple language that is easy to understand which makes the book suitable for different audiences. The book is especially recommended for anyone who has an interest in media matters and in getting to know about the fairness and accuracy of the content that is in the channels available for the viewer. The chapters in the book are consistent and remain grounded to the issues that are being explored in the book. The book shows Ailes as be moved from a television producer and media consultant for different presidents. This means that he joined the conservative cable news network under the ownership of Rupert Murdoch, he had little experience as a journalist. He however joined the organization as the president. This was a politically motivated move. This fact led to a situation in which Roger Ailes continued to use his political connections and influence to promote the political agenda in the organization. This went against the standards of fairness and objectivity in terms of content that had already been established at the organization. the book in fact says that ‘Fox, rather is something unprecedented in the United States: a news business that is willing to put politics above all else.’ This goes to show the extent to which the news organization has become a political machine. There are several claims that are made in the book. Key among these claims is that the commentators in the organization are highly biased. The news coverage in the organization has also been claimed to have become biased under the leadership of Roger Ailes. The book also claims that the organization is also responsible for the manipulation of facts and information with the intention of discrediting the Obama administration and pushing the Republican Party Agenda. The book also claims that in the attempt to discredit the Obama administration, the organization constantly drums up marginal stories that reflect badly on the Obama administration. There are also several revelations that are made in the book that may not have been known to the reader before. One surprising revelation made in the book is the fact that Fox news is one of the largest donors to the Republican Party. The organization is said to have donated $1 Million to the party, and is indeed the largest corporate donor that the party has. The channel also offered free promotional spots to the Tea Party Movements in their first events. Fox news is seen to have played a very vital role in the development of the Tea Party Movement. Details are also given about how the news organization has progressively replaced fair and balanced reporting and coverage of issues with partisan coverage and spread of Republican ideals. The content and anchors at Fox makes it impossible for any fair or democratic debate to take place within the organization. The book also asserts that the station does not necessarily come up with lies to fill its content and deliver to the audience. The channel is instead known for giving a forum for different panels to spread falsehoods about issues such as the panel that they had to discuss healthcare during the intense debate on healthcare reforms. The ordinary and uniformed viewer may therefore not immediately recognize the lies and falsehoods within the debate. The channel is also said to have promoted the protestors during the health care debate despite the fact that these protestors did not discuss or protest over any valid issues. The station therefore comes across as one that prefers to have sensationalism and melodrama in their content as opposed to factual and sober discussions (Brock & Rabin-Havt 2012). The station is also known for creating national controversies according to the book. In creating these controversies, the station uses six steps where the conservative activists given a platform by the channel introduce a controversy. The station then gives a lot of airtime to the controversy created and attacks other media outlets for ‘ignoring’ the controversy. This forces the mainstream media to report on the story which then leads to praise for Fox News for having extensively covered the story. Once the required damage has been done, the story and controversy falls apart. The channel has used this technique with success. This has been used to promote bias against the perceived political opposition and promote the Republican Party. To support its claims, the book uses leaked content that includes audio transcripts as well as memos from reporters at the organization. This gives credibility to the claims that are made in the book. The memos show how the presenters were instructed to cover and present certain issues in a way that would be biased. One example shows how the presenters were instructed to avoid the use of the term public option but insist on the use of the term government option as it had a more negative connotation during the national debate on the health care reforms. By providing the supporting documentation and evidence, the book is able to prove that the news organization is an avenue to promote propaganda for the Republican Party. The biggest support for the claims that are made in the book however comes from the content of the Fox Channel that has been quoted to show the extreme bias that is in the coverage of issues by the Fox Team. In their coverage, the team at Fox news does not give the audience the known facts and figures which denies the audience the opportunity to make fair judgments and conclusions (Brock & Rabin-Havt 2012). While the authors of the book acknowledge that Roger Ailes is a gifted producer who insists on high quality of work and work values and ensures that the sets on Fox News are great, the authors also assert that he has used this brilliance to influence the cable television and set a Republican agenda (Brock & Rabin-Havt 2012). The book also goes ahead to show other personality traits that have made it easy for him to push the Republican agenda into the channel. The station does little to hide the bias that is in the content that they deliver to the viewer. The book carries out an investigation of his (Roger Ailes) journalistic career to show his personality and how he successfully managed to create a news network that influences the mass audiences towards the desired direction. From his work as a media consultant for different republican politicians, Roger Ailes recognized the power of the media in influencing people. This led to the creation of the sensational kind of reporting and coverage that is seen at Fox news. Roger Ailes is also shown to have maintained a firm control over the content at Fox News which effectively made the station a platform for the Republican politicians. His racist and homophobic opinions are also shown in the book. He is for example said to have said to George H. W. Bush that he could not wear a short sleeved shirt as that would make him look like a ‘faggot’ (Brock & Rabin-Havt 2012). He is also said to have advised Richard Nixon to give an opportunity to a racist to ask a question on race during the presidential campaigns at town hall. While the book does present facts and proof for their claims, the style and language in which it is written makes the book appear biased. In their attempts to show the bias in the content at Fox news, the authors seem to get carried away, and there is no positive thing that is said about Fox news in the book. By including chapters that says that the news personalities at fox carried out a campaign to have Media Matters investigated for its tax exempt status, the authors make it seem like they have a personal Vendetta against the personalities at Fox News. This causes some considerable damage to the credibility and objectivity of the assertions that are made in the book. The authors then appear to be spreading propaganda against the same organization that they accuse of being partisan and spreading propaganda (Wemple 2012). According to Heilbrunn (2012) the book also fails to put into consideration the context for some of the accusations that are made in the book. The book also fails to recognize any success that has been achieved by Fox News. The two authors therefore appear to be too focused to recognize that the channel has also been successful and fair in some of the programs that it has aired such as the presidential debates. Wemple (2012) suggests that the failure to recognize the positive impact that has Fox News has had is as a result of having concentrated on one particular time frame or segment of the programming at Fox. Despite the criticism that has been directed at the book, it is evident that the book succeeds in its aim which is to show how under the leadership of Roger Ailes the station has transformed into the unofficial mouthpiece for the Republican Party and the Republican Party agendas. The book has also succeeded in showing how Fox News routinely comes up with stories and manipulates the audiences against the Obama administration and the policies of the administration. The authors present a well documented and thorough investigation into the workings and operations o the Fox News organizations and reveals to the audience how the organization has continued to influence public discourse on the important issues that affect the society. by their revelations the authors hope that Fox News will no longer be able to poison or influence public perception of critical issues. References Brock, D. Rabin-Havt, A. (2012) The Fox Effect: How Roger Ailes Turned a Network Into a Propaganda Machine. Random House Incorporated. Heilbrunn, J. (2012). ‘Right Face‘The Fox Effect,’ by David Brock and His Colleagues’ New York Times. Available from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/books/review/the-fox- effect-by-david-brock-and-his-colleagues.html?_r=1. Wemple, E. (2012). ‘Media matters’ ‘Fox Effect’: Fair and balanced? The Washington Post. 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