How Fox News Is Supercharging the Coronavirus Protests

[pecosbob]

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/04/how-fox-news-is-supercharging-the-coronavirus-protests/

In 2009, the right-wing network helped build the tea party movement. It’s happening again.

In recent days, thousands of people have protested against coronavirus lockdowns in states across the country. The demonstrators—often wearing MAGA gear and directing their ire at Democratic governors—still represent a small minority; polls show that most Americans are actually worried the shutdowns will be ended too soon. But according to Matt Gertz, that could change quickly. Gertz, a senior fellow at the liberal group Media Matters for America, points out that Fox News has thrown its full weight behind the protests and that Donald Trump has followed the right-wing network’s lead. “Once you have Fox News and President Trump championing these protests for a while,” Gertz predicts, “you’ll see polarization kick in, I think, and Republicans begin to support them in larger numbers.”

Between April 13 and April 19, Fox devoted a whopping 4 hours and 23 minutes—across 69 separate segments—to covering the protests, a Media Matters report found. All this is eerily reminiscent of 2009, when Fox helped turn the nascent tea party movement into a powerful anti-Obama political force by relentlessly promoting its rallies. (Disclosure: I worked with Gertz at Media Matters back then.) On Monday, I spoke with Gertz about Fox’s coverage of the anti-social distancing demonstrations, its impact on Trump, and the striking similarities to what happened a decade ago. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

I have run out of expletives...

[Zoonart]

1. TURN.OFF.THE.CAMERAS.

N/T

[guillaumeb]

2. The right always needs an enemy.

But the Tea Party arose with Obama, a black man, as President.

This whole movement is designed to deflect any blame from Trump, and onto the Governors.

[Iliyah]

3. And they are lying about Sweden as well. . . .

Sweden's approach is not working, and the other surrounding countries approach "stay at home" is.

[mitch96]

11. They are playing with funny numbers..

Last nite Rachel was talking about Sweden and their increase in cases and deaths. If you go to CoronavirusWorld meter it shows Finland is the nordic country with the most cases and deaths.
My problem is truth in reporting what is what. If you don't test, you don't have numbers. So low reporting shows low numbers, right? If Finland is reporting true numbers and other countries are under reporting the other countries look better... The way I see it is there is no level playing field for reporting the numbers..
China revised its counting methods and all off a sudden they have TWICE the deaths than reported before..
Frustrating....
m

[Newest Reality]

4. Pravda

That's always been their underlying purpose. Labeling a propaganda outlet for the RW, (and others) is what did the trick.

If you need some insane rabble rousing, you can pick from a handful of propaganda tools that are designed to influence and CONTROL, (freedumb anyone?) certain, low-information factions in this society. If those factions were not so extremely and embarrassingly gullible, Fox and Rush and the rest would not be so popular, influential and raking in the spoils.

There should be freedom of speech, I grant that to anyone. However, that does not assure that the speech won't be pure, well-crafted, customized propaganda. The only fix for that would be a well informed, vigilant populace. There is no real use in chastising or insulting that portion of our society. They are telling us something important about our system itself.

I yearn for the day when you had an opposition party that was relevant to your own and, no matter how you disagreed, both sides could make some sense in a rational way when they argued. These mental munchkins are like an invasion of challenged, subordinate worker aliens that escaped from their collective.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Lot of "liberate" footage is meant to make these events look big. Here's what the protest in Ohio

Link to tweet

Joshua Potash
@JoshuaPotash

A lot of the “liberate” footage is meant to make these events look big.Here’s what the protest in Ohio today really looks like.

[pecosbob]

6. Nice

we need to pan the camera back a bit...

[dalton99a]

7. +1

[The Magistrate]

9. Exactly, Sir --- These Are Penny-Packets, And Will Remain So

The number of people willing to take an unnecessary risk for no material gain is, and will remain, vanishingly small.

[liberalmuse]

8. Governors should sue Fox Noose

Especially if there is a spike in a couple weeks.

[FirstLight]

12. I wish...

Maybe the hospitals that are affected can join together and file a class action suit?

stupid selfish people

[Windy City Charlie]

10. Won't be long

Won't be much longer and Fox and the RW outlets will start making up "facts" about how there's more people dying from the economic shutdown than from the virus itself, in order to support these paid protests.

Also, I'm sure Fox will embellish these protests. Have 30 to 50 protesters at a location, but will be told there's thousands there.