History of Fox News - Essay Example

Fox News COPYRIGHT PAGE Rupert Murdoch and Fox News have revolutionized media and journalism. Murdoch has created a cable news network that utilizes the public's belief in the American Dream to actually sway and, in many ways, dictate public perception. In a world that is predominantly populated with liberal media, Murdoch has found the perfect niche for his network. Despite much criticism and many who validly call the network out for being conservative, when it claims to be bipartisan, Fox News has become the highest rated cable news network in America. It has become virtually the voice of the American government, and this essay attempts undercover why. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE (i) COPYRIHT PAGE (ii) ABSTRACT BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH (iii) DEDICATION (iv) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (v) TABLE OF CONTENTS (vi) CHAPTER 1-2 The(FNC) CHAPTER 3-5 The Controversy CHAPTER 5-8 Murdoch & Ratings CHAPTER 8-9 The Theory Behind Its CHAPTER 10 Exceptions to Bourdieu's Theory I The (FNC) The Fox News Channel (FNC) is available to a little more than 85 million households in the United States, and even more internationally. The network is based in the U.S. and broadcasts primarily out of its studio in New York City. The Fox News Channel is currently the highest rated cable News Channel. Initially founded by the Australian-American mogul Rupert Murdoch in 1996, the FNC has grown to become the most influential cable news network today. Rupert Murdoch initially created the Fox News Network to represent the conservative point of view in America. At the time, in 1996, Murdoch felt that there was a great need for this niche to be filled in media, as at the time the majority of media was predominantly liberal. The network was designed with the intention of grabbing the attention of viewers. The visual presentation the network uses has been very influential in the presentation of news. Colorful and attention grabbing graphics were designed to constantly remain on the screen, as well as textboxes displaying one-liners summarizing the current topics. This was believed to incite the viewer's interests and increase their understanding of any message the network was attempting to relay. Another attention getter designed by the network is the Fox News Alert, it was designed to interrupt regular programming when breaking stories occurred. The news alerts were designed with swooshing graphics that would fill up the screen and a sharp chiming noise. (Fig1, Wikipedia) This is just an example of the aggressive tactics Murdoch used to launch the network. To rush the networks accessibility, Murdoch paid 11$ per subscribers to cable companies to increase the channels distribution. This was a revolutionary This conflict has led to much controversy surrounding the network. The Controversy In a survey done by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, in 2004, the article cited Fox News as the single news outlet that strikes most journalists as taking a particular ideological stance (2006). Corresponding with this, the Democratic National Committee identified Fox News as a rightwing outlet (York, 2006). On CNN's Larry King during a Jan 17, 2007 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, King spoke on his opinion of the Network, They're Republican a brand. They're an extension of the Republican Party with some exceptions, [like] Greta van Susteren. But I don't begrudge them that. [Fox CEO] Roger Ailes is an old friend. They've been nice to me. They've said some very nice things about me. Not [Bill] O'Reilly, but I don't watch him. (King, Jan. 17, 2007). Further criticism of the networks are made in the 2004 documentary, Out foxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism, where the allegations of bias in the network's reporting are looked investigated. In 2007, the MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann renamed the network the Fox Nothing Channel, and then the Fox Noise Channel. Murdoch & Ratings Keith Rupert Murdoch was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11 March 1931. He started off his career in Australia with newspapers, magazines and television, and then expanded his business to the states. He now stands as one of the most powerful forces in satellite television, the internet, and film industry. In 1996, after Roger Ailes left America's Talking (now MSNBC), he hired him to start the FNC. The first line of shows were launched on October 6, 1996. Fox New is currently the highest rated cable news network. It often uses this fact to signify the motive of why its chief competitors CNN and MSNBC might criticize the network. It was reported by the BBC, that the conflict with Iraq has doubled the profits of the Fox News network. They are even cited as having a 300% increase in viewer-ship pertaining to certain coverage. In 2004, the FNC's coverage of the Republican National Convention beat the ratings of all three other competing networks. The Competitive Ranker shown below gives a better interpretation of the rating discrepancies. This chart makes it very apparent that Fox News has cornered the market for cable media communication. They have three shows in the top three; and out of the twelve top rankings, CNN only holds three spots. This is very ironic considering that CNN and MSNBC pride themselves on informing the public, whereas Fox News is being labeled as the network that dictates public opinion. There are many theories behind the popularity of Fox News with the American public. Theory Behind It The secret to why Fox News is so popular can be found in the theories of Pierre Bourdieu. He is a highly acclaimed French sociologist. Born on August 1, of 1930, he recently passed away on January 23, 2002. His views embody the disciplines of many tenets including: philosophy, literary theory, sociology, and anthropology. He is the protagonist of the world of sociological studies, and he opposed and debunked some of the most prevalent antagonisms in the genre. His most popular work is Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. In the 1967 study, he interprets how members of the upper class define taste as an aesthetic. He finds that the public has no genuine representation in democratic societies. Rational Choice Theory is the theory that assume human beings naturally choose a given path dependant on whether it is the best means to achieve their goals. It is a belief in methodological individualism; this meaning it adopts the belief that social situations, and group behavior is solely the result of individual action. Within this theory, corporations and national governments are viewed as individual operators as well. The problem that arises with this theory are the certain assumptions. This theory assumes human beings are aware of certain information, of which they aren't always aware, and it assumes that individuals consistently make mental calculations to determine their next decision. Bourdieu is historically known for his opposition to this theory, based on the fact that he feels human beings operate more based on how they feel toward a given situation or at a given time. In his book, Outline Theory of Practice, Bourdieu analyzes human nature. He points out the human tendency to conform. Doing one's duty as a man means conforming to the social order, and this is a fundamentally a question of respecting rhythms, keeping pace, not falling out of line. 'Don't we all eat the same wheat cake Don't we all get up at the same time These various ways of reasserting solidarity contain an implicit definition of the fundamental virtue of conformity. (Bourdieu, 1977) He later goes on to show that conformities only other opposition is eccentricity, which becomes natural for those intrigued by it irregularity. the opposite of which is the desire to stand apart from others. Working while the others are resting, staying in the house while the others are working in the fields, traveling on deserted roads, wandering round the streets of the village while the others are asleep or at the market - these are all suspicious forms of behavior. The eccentric who does everything differently... (Bourdieu, 1977) In all of Bourdieu's beliefs, his most popular is his assertion that the public does not exist (1984). This concept is addressed in his book, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, in that he feels there is a different of class taste between the ruling class and popular culture. But, within this conflict, there is no public, only a media mediating between the two and a culture to which they often cater to do so. Jon Simons addresses this concept in his essay, Governing the Public: Technologies of Mediation and Popular Culture, when he says, technologies constitute the people as a mediated public. The public is only amenable to representation in the form of an electorate which is an effect of technical organization that can mediate between people at a distance from each other. The key point of this analysis is that the public does not exist prior to or outside of its constitution. (Simons, 2002) His essay evaluates the importance of media technologies within a democracy. Bourdieu feels that in this field of power struggle, the ruling class uses their cultural capital to assert their distinction (1984). This is seen in the way politicians might only use terms or syntax understandable to the elite of society. This separation between popular culture and the elite culture of a society makes it virtually impossible for government officials to ever get the unanimous appeal for which they often aspire. Most political elites view popular cultures' apathy towards politics with great disdain. Even still, they relentlessly attempt to relate to popular culture voters, whom they know will support them. In John Fiske's critique on television, Television Culture he analyzes the nature of what makes popular television. He concludes that the shows that succeed in gaining popularity tend to have many symbols and plot lines containing multiple meanings. He also states that remain within a duality of containment and resistance (1987). This idea basically revolves around the fact that television producers, who are viewed as the upper class and political elite, are expected to produce material that correspond with popular culture. This material that the elite minority culture produces for the popular culture contradicts elitist ideals but allows the status quo to remain intact. This means the political elite can only remain the elite so long as they humor the beliefs and ideals of their less powerful but more dominant counterparts. The rules Fiske establishes for television shows can very easily be applied to the media. They present the media as a tool being used to prey on the wants and needs of different cultures. They do this through the use of the American Dream. Exceptions to Bourdieu's Theory Fox News clearly uses Bourdieu's theory to take advantage of the American people. They acknowledge that public opinion only has representation through the media, so they dictate public opinion and use it to promote the ideals that further their affluence. There are exceptions to Bourdieu's theory. A prime example of liberal citizens standing up and countering Bourdieu's perception of public opinion is the Civil Rights movement in America. It was a much needed, and detrimental, shift in popular culture and eventually governmental law. A more contemporary version of this would be Hurricane Katrina, or 9/11. In her article Al Qaeda, Terrorism, and Military Commissions', Ruth Wedgwood proves that though most American citizens consider terrorism to be a federal and national problem, it is very much a local one. Al Qaeda's published doctrine maintains that there are no innocent civilians in Western society (Wedgwood, pg2) She later goes on to analyze the psychological foundation they use to form their tenet. She says,this tenet leads it to [committing] the gravest of international crime[s] (Wedgwood, pg2). All of these qualities impose a large enough threat to individual human ideals and popular culture that a public arises from a nonentity. We also see this with protests. Here is where the weakness lies in Bourdieu's theory. Despite this, we still see the prevention of certain liberal up risings maintained by systems of control, like racial, sexual and religious prejudice, or even class prejudice through the myth of the American Dream. This is a part of the ideology of the enforced by Fox News. This is an ideal promoted by the Federal Government since the formation of the constitution. Fox News & The Framers The American Dream can be seen promoted continuously throughout Fox News shows. The visual effect of the American flag blowing in the wind during every broadcast is a prime example of this. Where CNN, and MSNBC devote their efforts towards the uncovering of the truth, the FNC's programming uses tools to promote the American Ideal. Along with this ideal is the pursuit of wealth and the underlying praise of capitalism. The very fact that Murdoch paid cable providers to carry his network, and that he engages in Legal battles with Ted Turner over Turner's supposed support of the Democratic party, shows that both the Republicans and Democrats are both recognize the media as a great source of power over the people. But, using the media to maintain the status of the economic elite, and control over the people is a tradition existent in America since its formation. In his essay, The U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, Keith Krawczynksi, convinced that men were motivated primarily by economic self-interest and that class conflict pervaded human events, argues that the Founding Fathers carried out a counterrevolution by creating a reactionary document to protect their interests against popularly controlled state governments that passed cheap paper money legislation, debtor laws, and other measures that favored small farmers and artisans at the expense of wealthy creditors (2003). To prove their case they pointed to the many provisions in the Constitution that checked popular sovereignty: the difficult procedure for adopting amendments, the judicial veto, the election of senators by state legislators, the election of the president by an electoral college, the appointment of Supreme Court justices by the president, and the awesome power conferred to the central government to suppress popular dissent. Thus, the Constitution was equipped with a system of minority checks and vetoes designed to prevent majority rule (Krawczynksi, 2003). There are many myths applied to American history. One of these myths in particular is that the founding fathers were all selfless and priceless politicians who were able to rise above the tyranny of their day to advance the workings of Democratic government. American reverence for the framers and the undisputed worship of the constitution are virtues instilled in all citizens born within this society. The majority of the Founding Fathers were wealthy conservatives who were actually opposed to democracy. Krawczynksi notes that they often referred to it as a mobocracy. This perception resulted in this elitist class constructing laws that would better maintain the control of government in the hands of the wealthy, and prevent the majority from realizing their strength. Krawczynksi further points this out in his essay when he says, the Founding Fathers deliberately designed the new American government to make it difficult for any mass political movement to challenge the political dominance by the traditional ruling elite (2003). He points out that their behavior is justifiable by the fact that these framers were also the main men who risked hide and limb to protect their political standings from the British, and they weren't about to just turn around and hand it over to the public after winning the war. It is Krawczynksi's view that these patriots did not intend to revolutionize democracy and turn an elitist system, based on upper-class leadership, on its heals; their sole intention was to gain independence from Britain in order to get the country out of their pocket. The Patriot elite did not for-see the way the American commoners would view independence from Britain as the time to adopt egalitarianism. Aware that this Constitution would be aggressively opposed by the majority working class, the signing and construction of the deceleration was held in private. The media was used conceal the constitutions true purpose as well as to sway people in its favor. We see this control of the media used daily in news papers, on television and the web, an example of this is the Republican Party's financial collaboration with Fox News. Summary In sum, Fox News has cornered the market in America for news propaganda. It has created a niche for itself where it can easily influence the public. Where other cable new networks, attempt to report the news and be the voice of the people, Fox News pre-structured its programming enough to establish itself as the conservative network. Its appeal can be credited to the fact that it is the sole source of the Republican position in America. In a world where most citizens have lost faith in politicians, most want to be persuaded in a certain direction. Fox News does this exact thing. It is truly the voice of the Republican party, and currently the government. Works Cited April 2005 Competitive Program Ranker (M-F 6a-11p programs) http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/original/ranker_april05.pdf Bourdieu, Pierre. (1984) Distinction, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Krawczynksi, Keith "The U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence." History in Dispute, Vol. 12: The American Revolution, 1763-1789., ed. St. James Press, 2003. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Project for Excellence in Journalism, State of the News Media 2006: An Annual Report on American Journalism http://www.stateofthenewsmedia.org/2006/index.asp Simons, Jon (2000) Ideology, Imagology, and Critical Thought: The Impoverishment of Politics, Journal of Political Ideology, 5(1), 81 103 Wedgwood, Ruth. (2002)"Al Qaeda, Terrorism, and Military Commissions (in Agora: Military Commissions)A." The American Journal of International Law 96.2: 328-337. 18 Dec. 2006. York, Byron, Bill Clinton, fighting the enemy - right-wing bullies, National Review Online, 24 September 2006, accessed 27 September 2006 Read More