 |
"Fox News used the word "hoax" more than 900 times during the first half of 2020, chipping away more truth from America's foundation, precisely at a time when the country was beset by multiple crises and needed honesty and accuracy, compassion and sound science," writes Brian Stelter, chief media correspondent for CNN in his new book, "Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth."
Stelter writes that America hasn't had a functioning CEO since Trump took office.
Instead, Fox News "wingmen fed his worst impulses and helped him deceive the people who voted for him. They encouraged him to perform like a cable news bomb-thrower: to pick fights instead of finding common ground."
Trump performs for TV ratings rather than tangible results and supplies endless content for Fox's talk shows, writes Stelter.
The president who famously said in 2018 "what you are seeing and what you are reading is not what's happening," has suggested that everything could be a hoax."
It's right out of George Orwell's 1984: "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears."
Stelter believes the Trump age is really the hoax age. "Fox viewers came away with the impression that nothing was really knowable. Everything was relative. There were distortions and deceptions in every direction. Up could be down and left could be right and real news could be fake.
'Many people, exhausted by the uncertainty, gave up knowing for sure whether Russia had helped Trump win the 2016 election, or if his administration was doing all it could to end the pandemic."
Having no truth to tell the American people, Trump has pitted people against each other to stir up strife. He has lied over and over again because he gets away with it on Fox, which is his only reality.
The techniques deployed by OJ Simpson's defense team in the "trial of the century" served as a harbinger for those used by Donald Trump... People worry about the politicization of medical science just as much as they fret about another pandemic, according to Edelman Trust Barometer... Book bans aren't restricted to red states as deep blue Illinois, Connecticut and Maryland challenged at least 100 titles in 2023.
The NBA, which promotes legalized gambling 24/7, seems more than hypocritical for banning player for placing bets... Diocese of Brooklyn promises to issue press release the next time one of its priests is charged with sexual abuse... Truth Social aspires to be one of Donald Trump's iconic American brands, just like Trump University or Trump Steaks or Trump Ice Cubes.
Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun puts competition on notice... Macy's throws in the towel as it appoints two directors nominated by its unwanted suitor... The Profile in Wimpery Award goes to the Ford Presidential Foundation for stiffing American hero and former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney.
JPMorgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon's "letter to shareholders" is a must-read for PR people and others interested in fixing America and living up to its potential... Get ready for the PPE shortage when the next pandemic hits... Nixing Netanyahu. Gaza carnage turns US opinion against Israel's prime minister.
Trump Media & Technology Group sees Elon Musk's X as an option for those who want the free expression promised by Truth Social but without Donald Trump, owner of 57.3 percent of TMTG... Chalk one up for "anti-woke warrior" governor Greg Abbott as University of Texas lays off 60 DEI-related staffers... Five percent of Americans see the US as its own worst enemy, according to Gallup.
Have a comment? Send it to 
No comments have been submitted for this story yet.