‘News’ Divides Americans While Boosting Ad Revenue

“America is a business, not a country.” This is a line from a movie that is all too true in 2022. So, when I tell you that what you are seeing and hearing on broadcast news is filled with lies, half-truths, and conspiracy theories for the sole purpose of increasing advertising revenue, you will understand that you are part of the biggest con game in history.

Producers on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, and even CNN carefully analyze the mood of the American voter and prioritize their stories based on those which will be most viewed by the general public. They need not be entirely true. The only factor is “how many viewers will watch with great interest?” Sensationalism sells advertising.

Therefore, the value of each story is based on a single factor: “what ‘facts’ do the people want to hear, and how can the truth, real or alternative, be mixed into those stories?” Simply stated, it is another situation where profits become more important than people and therefore the truth.

The illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine is being distorted by the Official Russian News Agency. How is this different from what is happening in America today? The once respected and trusted “fourth estate,” protected by the First Amendment, no longer exists for the most part.

The RAND Corporation is an independent, nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. A study by RAND revealed voters who are inclined to vote for Republicans are more likely to trust fake news broadcasts such as Fox, Newsmax, and even far, far-right broadcasts and blogs like Alex Jones and Q’Anon than progressives.

I understand this. As an Independent, I accept nothing without facts or at the very least multiple stories based on volumes of circumstantial evidence. RAND discovered that right-wing voters accept unsubstantiated “facts” if they are aligned with things they want to believe. What they want to hear.

Here are some of the most alarming fake news stories over the last few years.

• “Donald Trump sent his own plane to transport 200 stranded marines”
• “FBI director received millions from Clinton Foundation, his brother’s law firm does Clinton’s taxes”
• “Pope Francis shocks world, endorses Donald Trump for president”
• “Evidence Surfaces That the FBI Planned and Executed January 6 Capitol Riot”
• “Obama Signs Executive Order Banning the Pledge of Allegiance in Schools Nationwide”
• “Bill and Hillary Clinton Were Reported to Be Using a Pizza Restaurant as a Front for a Pedophile Sex Ring.”

These are just a small sampling of the most outrageous fake news stories since 2017.

None of these were generated by progressive politicians or Americans who support the Constitution signed into law in 1789. None of these were created by Americans who oppose violence in America.

Freedom is not free, and that should include freedom of speech. The right-wing continues to stretch the meaning of the First Amendment. Social media continues to offer extremists a platform to tell their lies and brainwash the weak-minded.

There is a limit to “free speech.” Blatant lies destroy brain cells and weaken our nation. The truth always rises to the light of day, but before it does a single lie can cause more harm than a nuclear missile. This is America in the 21st century.

One entire party lies without shame, and their lies have divided our nation’s people for decades and will continue until those anti-Americans lose their earthly bonds. This is the greatest damage caused by “the Trump effect.”

Supporting Trump is supporting fascism and the treasonous acts by his cult. America remains under attack by Trump and the Trump/Russo-American Party.

“I learn everything I need to know from television.” This is a direct quote from the old, white, obese man who pretended to be the President of the United States for four long years. His sentiment is shared by tens of millions of our nation’s people. This is sad and proves that we are the least informed people in the world.

Television is not referred to as the “boob tube” without reason.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

Cornell University: Fake News, Propaganda, and Disinformation: Learning to Critically Evaluate Media Sources: What Is Fake News?; by Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Fast Company: RAND finds that Republicans swallow fake news more than Democrats; by Mark Sullivan
Valencia College: Fake News: Separating Truth From Fiction: 4. Fake News Examples

Featured Image Courtesy of Andy Piper’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Chris Yarzab’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License