Wednesday, May 29, 2013

"To be a Fox journalist is a high honor, not a high crime": Roger Ailes' Orwellian Newspeak Comedy Gold Letter to His Employees at Fox News

Every organization has to maintain morale, as well as reproduce its own cultural values and norms. 

I would imagine that SPECTRE, Cobra, the Galactic Empire, and the Decepticons circulate internal memos like the following one sent by Roger Ailes to his underlings at Fox News.

Even by the low standards of the 4th Estate, Fox News is a toxic presence in the public sphere. The network's viewers know less about empirical reality and facts the longer they watch its programming. Fox News has skillfully used the slogan "fair and balanced" as a distraction which legitimates its inaccurate political cheer-leading in the guise of "news reporting." Ailes has even admitted that his "news" operation is a partisan operation and de facto organ of the Tea Party GOP.

Fox News is also a master example of disinformation, and a propaganda machine that would have made Goebbels proud. I imagine that the latter sent similar memos to his employees as well.

In all, Roger Ailes and Fox News would be funny, if their negative impact on American politics was not so negative and damaging.

****

Dear colleagues,

The recent news about the FBI’s seizure of the phone and email records of Fox News employees, including James Rosen, calls into question whether the federal government is meeting its constitutional obligation to preserve and protect a free press in the United States.  We reject the government's efforts to criminalize the pursuit of investigative journalism and falsely characterize a Fox News reporter to a Federal judge as a "co-conspirator" in a crime. I know how concerned you are because so many of you have asked me: why should the government make me afraid to use a work phone or email account to gather news or even call a friend or family member? Well, they shouldn’t have done it. The administration’s attempt to intimidate Fox News and its employees will not succeed and their excuses will stand neither the test of law, the test of decency, nor the test of time. We will not allow a climate of press intimidation, unseen since the McCarthy era, to frighten any of us away from the truth.

I am proud of your tireless effort to report the news over the last 17 years. I stand with you, I support you and I thank you for your reporting with courageous optimism. Too many Americans fought and died to protect our unique American right of press freedom. We can’t and we won’t forget that. To be an American journalist is not only a great responsibility, but also a great honor.  To be a Fox journalist is a high honor, not a high crime.  Even this memo of support will cause some to demonize us and try to find irrelevant things to cause us to waver.  We will not waver.

As Fox News employees, we sometimes are forced to stand alone, but even then when we know we are reporting what is true and what is right, we stand proud and fearless.  Thank you for your hard work and all your efforts.

Sincerely,
Roger Ailes

5 comments:

The Sanity Inspector said...

It's a mistake to rely on any single source of news, that's why I appreciate Google's news aggregator so much.

chauncey devega said...

does google's also tailor news based on one's previous choices? if so, it is reproducing and intensifying the echo chamber effect that so many folks are concerned about.

The Sanity Inspector said...

It does, but I think you can deactivate those settings & just get a raw keyword feed, or unsorted related stories.

Ben Grim said...

"In all, Roger Ailes and Fox News would be funny, if their negative impact on American politics was not so negative and damaging."
Yeah, that would be funny. If the damage they do wasn't so serious. But when it happens to mainstream media. Because the damage they do is more insidious; it's hilarious! Don't laugh too hard though. The dark shadows of repression engulfing your enemies is also engulfing your friends. The bell that tolls for them tolls for thee.

chauncey devega said...

Good to know. I may have to try it then.