The right wing propaganda machine, FOX Noise, has been imploding for years. It began when former President of the news division, Roger Ailes, was charged by multiple women at FOX for sexual harassment. At that time FOX had three major personalities and not a single prominent journalist.

Megyn Kelly left the failed network shortly after she joined others in accusing Ailes. Next came Bill O’Reilly who received multiple accusations of sexual harassment and sexual assault which cost FOX millions of dollars. The only member of the ‘big three’ remaining is Sean Hannity whose nose has become a dark shade of brown as he continues to be Trump’s biggest supporter.

Although it comes as no surprise to me, dissension inside of the propaganda machine has moved further into the public eye than I ever expected. Shepard Smith has denounced most of FOX’s on-air personalities.

“They don’t really have rules on the opinion side. They can say whatever they want,” said Smith, a Fox News anchor and host of “Shepard Smith Reporting.” “Some of our opinion programming is there strictly to be entertaining. I get that. I don’t work there. I wouldn’t work there.”

Taking offense to his remarks was Hannity. Admitting that he is not a real ‘journalist’, by defending his opinions, he responded by claiming that he is a legitimate journalist.

Hannity responded in a tweet that he is a journalist and writes “REAL NEWS” (his emphasis). Smith is “clueless about what we do every day,” complained Hannity, adding that “Hannity breaks news daily.” He listed stories he has worked on — such as “abuse” of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — that would likely not change Smith’s opinion.

In 2016 Hannity told the truth. “I’m not a journalist; I’m a talk show host.” That was his explanation after he was criticized for going too easy in an interview on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Also challenging Smith’s truth is Laura Ingraham, a right wing extremist who is known as the ‘female Rush Limbaugh.’

She suggested that Smith is mistaken, calling his comments “inconsiderate” and “inaccurate.” She said people on her program, “Ingraham Angle,” do “real reporting” and “score big interviews.”

The most difficult job at FOX is ‘fact checking’ the many opinions of its personalities. The Truth has never been important; selling advertising is the priority.

FOX is the primary reason our nation’s people are divided to a degree not experienced since the Civil War. Unfortunately lies are accepted more quickly than the truth in our nation.

Millions of Americans choose to believe the lies they hear on FOX. This is our nation’s greatest weakness; uninformed voters. When FOX ends its broadcasts, our nation will move forward once again.

Op-ed by James Turnage

SOURCE

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