The FOX Effect
Background Information
- Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)
Organization devoted to showing Corporate Influence and bias in the American Mainstream Media.
Mark Twain once said "A lie can travel around the world before the truth has time to put on its shoes".
When a lie has an echo chamber to amplify it, it can happen before people have time to open their eyes. Such was probably what happened with the now-disbanded advocacy group ACORN. In the interest of disclosure, I will let you know that I volunteered with an organization that used the Harrisburg, PA ACORN chapter house for a time.
But much of the demise of this group that did so much work both with and for lower-middle and lower-class Americans, especially urban Americans, can be put on the infamous video that FOX News picked up and AM-Radio and other right-wing sources spread. Mainstream media, perhaps afraid that FOX would tag them as the dreaded "Liberal Media" had to follow along, and Congress, fearful of FOX's viewers proceeded to deny ACORN it's funding and allow the group to wither on the vine.
But why did FOX seize on the video? That may have a lot to do with the thought process behind the right-wingers that make up its viewership.
I can imagine the right was stunned when not only a Democrat, but a member of an "outgroup" won the Presidency over a Republican who's "Stay the course" message extended well past the Iraq War?
They could not accept that the American voters had rejected their message of imperialism, corporatism and fundamentalist Christianity. Rather than look at their ideas, they looked for an excuse, and found it in the increased amount of voters, probably mainly concentrated in urban areas. ACORN did a lot of work registering and organizing these types of voters,so a scapegoat was born.
Of course, I still stand by my statement I made when it was revealed that ACORN had to disband; "I bet Bull Connor and George Wallace are asking when someone like Glen Beck was when they needed him". . .
