Disentangling the Cobwebs of Propaganda: A Deeper Look at Fox News
Back in the day, when I was one Shelly Goodman, the headlines on Fox News rang loud and clear like gospels, truth washing over my senses, feeding into my beliefs, and feeding my biases. I quote a few of the headlines I encountered just recently: "Country star donates $500K to hurricane relief," "Biden admin's FEMA 'equity' plan faces backlash," "Trump launches fundraiser to help Hurricane Helene victims" and "Judge rules state’s six-week ‘heartbeat’ abortion law is 'unconstitutional'" among others. I look at these now, not as an ardent believer, but as a skeptic, viewing every word with the lens of my newly embraced Satanist principles, and realize the poison hiding behind the print.
Fox News thrives on what appears to be a clever blend of facts overlaid with their own calculated spin, sensationalism, and divisive rhetoric. What may seem like innocent reporting or voicing an opinion is, in reality, a carefully crafted narrative designed to incite emotions, bias minds and manipulate public opinion towards a far-right Christian-nationalist vision for America.
Take the headline about the country star's donation for instance. It subtly plants the seed in the minds of the unsuspecting audience that wealth and religious piety are synonymous. It carries with it the hidden message that the "good, charitable, and divine" are always on the side of the rich and the mighty.
Shifting to the topic of Biden's FEMA 'equity' plan, the report makes it appear as though caring for the marginalized, maintaining equity, is a weakness, a point for 'backlash'. The choice to mention "backlash" creates a hostile tone, when, in reality, it's essential to acknowledge the systematic disadvantages that certain communities face in times of disaster.
Perhaps the one that unsettles me the most is the news about Trump's charitable acts. As if a mere wave of his philanthropic wand could erase the divisiveness he has sown within the nation or diminish his role in stoking the flames of Christian-nationalist extremism. The pedestal on which Fox News places Trump is alarming, his attempts to paint himself as a savior—even more so. It's a dangerous line to tread, lending credence to the idea of an autocracy veiled under the guise of theocracy.
Lastly, the article regarding the ruling of the six-week ‘heartbeat’ abortion law as 'unconstitutional'. Rather than reporting on the fact that the law is a severe intrusion on women's rights and bodily autonomy, the headline focuses solely on its 'unconstitutionality'. It completely neglects to emphasize the role of extremist Christian views in fostering such laws, feeding the narrative that these laws are only a matter of legality, not morality.
These examples serve as a stark reminder that the Fox News I once believed is far from an unbiased news source. Rather, it appears to be a powerful mouthpiece employed in the service of far-right Christo-fascist propaganda, spreading misrepresentations and skewed facts to build towards an American theocracy that serves the few at the top of the pile, while sweeping the rights of many others—LGBTQ folks, women, immigrants—under the proverbial rug.
These headlines, when dissected, lay bare the nefarious motives behind the rhetoric Fox News employs. They should serve as a warning to all those who consume their content: question, clear your lens of bias, dismantle the propaganda. Only then can we ensure that a vision of the inclusive and diverse society that America truly stands for and should continue to be is protected.