Posted on 04/25/2017 9:05:07 PM PDT by OneVike
How the mighty have fallen!”
The biblical lament has particular relevance this week, as Bill O’Reilly—trusted by millions of Americans every weeknight since 1996 on his “spin-stopping” Fox News program The O’Reilly Factor—will not return to the network following an exposé of alleged sexual harassment incidents over the past decade.
The announcement follows other high-profile departures from the nation’s top cable news network in recent months. Notably, prime-time anchor Megyn Kelly will soon debut as a news commentator for NBC News—following her lead role in last summer’s resignation by Fox News president and founder Roger Ailes, who was forced out by sexual misconduct charges similar to those facing O’Reilly.
It’s a confusing moment for many Americans. Without doubt, loyal viewers of Fox News played an outsized role in the historic election of President Donald Trump. Many are now evaluating his administration’s first 100 days, enumerating what accomplishments to trumpet in defense of their electoral choice while grappling with the former reality TV star’s limitations as a statesman.
Without O’Reilly to “look out for the folks” (as he often stated was his driving factor), the 24/7 fair and balanced coverage suddenly seems less reliable to help cable TV viewers in this evaluative process. What will the network’s future hold? The answer will surely take cues from its past, including the unprecedented events of 2016.
The easy route for conservatives would be to dismiss the upheaval at Fox News—long anchored by O’Reilly, perched atop the ratings behemoth—as another mainstream media plot, a coordinated effort to take down what many on the right consider the only “truth serum” in news media. That perspective has factual elements, but it’s not the entire story.
Those who welcome even some of how Fox News has changed the national media landscape should think critically about recent events and what knowledgeable critics are saying. In the Unresolved Problem segment tonight, here are five reasons why trust in Fox News has eroded over the past year.
1. Cozy Relationship with Trump Campaign Bordering on Promotion
Back in 2011, Fox and Friends began an unusual feature for a morning variety show— every week, New York real estate mogul Donald Trump would call-in and banter with hosts regarding the news of the day. As reported by New York magazine, this segment came about as a favor from Roger Ailes to Trump.
Fast forward to spring 2016, when the Republican field was still large. Coverage of Senators Cruz and Rubio was drowned out on Fox News and its competition, while unpredictable yet camera-ready candidate Trump seemed to get wall-to-wall attention.
During frequent on-air interviews, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity offered Trump friendly deference delivered with a collegial tone. “Why are we successful? What’s the reason? Part of the reason is people like me,” Hannity said in an interview last October with the New York Times, questioned about his support of Trump. “This is the spice! We’re getting back to the spicy part of the network, the one that pays the bills.”
The eventful, at times bumpy, relationship between Fox News and Donald Trump in recent years is too lengthy to fully recount here. But its climax is unmistakable, when President Trump became leader of the free world roughly 100 days ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at Christian Headline News ...
From both directions.
Revelation 3:10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
Yep. I stopped right there too.
“He is there to look befuddled and keep his comments t minimum like Bolling did”
Befuddled is a word that will never be used for Waters. He is anything but. He lays back in the weeds and then comes out with an incisive zinger. Jesse is no milquetoast.
To whom?
The author is an obvious libtard, no matter what his faux “conservative” credentials might be. Juan Williams a “centrist liberal”??? Ridiculous.
Neither is Boling but he obeys that earpiece, seen it many times when they shut him down for picking on Juan or Geraldo.
That was the comment I left on the site for the author if the article.
I agree, the future does not belong to us sadly. I mean the future of this planet. Ours is with the Lord, the Planets is with Satan. One day the Lord will have His day.
Yes I agree. She was doing well only because most listen to FOX, and BO and her were the only prime time ones with watching when compared to the other networks. After she left, Tucker was blowing her numbers out of the water. Something I expect Tucker to do to the hour BO had.
Yes, and when I ask her what she likes about it, she tells me she likes Gutfeld. She watches his show on the weekend.
Great analysis.
Thanks
Yes, he was more anti-conservative for his first 10 years or so, it wasn’t until after Obama was President for about 5 years that he started changing his tune and started waking up a bit.
Then he slowly began his attacks on the left until he was hitting them consistently hard that they went after him.
Had he left Obama alone they would have been fine, but going after their boy, pissed them off, and they took him out.
I don’t think he ever believed they would turn on him.
Bump
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