John Oliver on Fox news: "They only pretend to believe these things on television for money."

[Demovictory9]

HBO's John Oliver dedicated his entire 21-minute show on Sunday night to a deep dive into false information being peddled by Fox News and other conservative media outlets about the coronavirus, and the impacts those falsehoods are having on President Donald Trump and his decision-making.

It's a stunning exposé into, as Oliver puts it, how "the feedback loop between Fox and Trump has run way ahead of the science." (You can -- and should -- watch the whole segment here.)

But there was one thing -- actually one sentence of 11 words -- that really stood out to me in the Oliver segment. And it was this, when he was talking about Fox News' coronavirus coverage:


"They only pretend to believe these things on television for money."

The point Oliver was making was that even as many Fox News anchors were pushing the idea that coronavirus was less virulent than the flu and that it was the product of a hyper-partisan media trying to "get" Trump, the company was warning its employees to stay at home and "reducing the staff footprint at our headquarters in New York."

Why the contrast between what their anchors were pushing and the internal guidance being given to staff? Because, as Oliver rightly notes, Fox News is in the business of selling a certain kind of news to its largely conservative (and very large) viewer base. And that "news" is generally speaking, centered around the idea that the mainstream media is in cahoots with Democrats to screw, frighten and otherwise mistreat the average Joe and Jane out there

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/21/politics/john-oliver-fox-news-coronavirus/index.html

[renate]

1. It's weird how tipping points only become necessary with Republican leadership

Except for the 1970s, when Carter’s malaise speech seemed to have been the tipping point for him (even though in this case he was telling the truth), has a tipping point ever even been needed, let alone occurred, during a Democratic presidency?

I’ll go out on a limb and say no.

At least Trump’s is happening now and not a year after an election like Bush’s Katrina tipping point occurred for Bush.

[misanthrope]

3. There's no bigger tipping point than blunt truth

especially when it involves telling Americans they should stop seeking their self-worth in materialism and the rat race. There's no way a man as smart as James Earl Carter didn't suspect people would recoil from hearing that. Yet, he did it anyway. That's either terribly foolhardy or awfully dedicated to what he thought was the "right thing" to do.

[renate]

5. It was the right and moral thing to do

He said and did the right thing. What an honorable and great human being. His example is one of the many things that make me proud to be a member of his political party.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Here's the video of his show, for those who missed it, one of his best:

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - Coronavirus V
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017578011

[brettdale]

4. That headline sums up FAUX NEWS

"They only pretend to believe these things on television for money"