Fox News Analyst Calls it a Day, Cites Shame in Evolution of Network into ‘Propaganda Machine’

Over the last decade, Ralph Peters has been riding shotgun by making cameos on Fox News and the Fox Business Network. He has vast experience in the military after having spent more than 2 decades in the army with a specialization on Russian intelligence.

Perhaps, therein lies the bone of contention. Why? Fox News has largely come under fire by multiple people thanks to its handling of the investigation on Russian meddling in the elections.

Robert Mueller, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, from 2001 to 2013 has recently come under the radar. This is because of the current probe he’s been running on Russia’s interference in American elections. His effort has been able to gain both admirers and critics. Most notably, he featured as runners-up as Time’s Person of the Year 2017 shortlist.

His Take

By distancing himself from the Network, he made it known that he was against the Trump-Fox News cohort playing out in public.

Likewise, Ralph Peters public spat with Fox News has drawn in an equal amount of bashing and praise. Having established himself as a trusted household name on matters economics thanks to the network, it’s wise to say that not many saw this coming.

Ralph Peters particularly expressed his dismay at Fox News coverage of President Trump. He alluded to the network’s biases and took issue with the common thematic arc in the prime time hosts’ rhetoric. In his parting address, he was clearly frustrated in the degeneration of the network from a trusted source of conservative voices to a mere propaganda machine. He further on labeled the Trump administration as being destructive and ethically ruinous.

Given Peters background in the military, he was clearly incensed by the behavior of Fox News’s primetime anchors to “dismiss facts and empirical reality to launch profoundly dishonest assaults on the F.B.I., the Justice Department, the courts, the intelligence community (in which I served) and, not least, a model public servant, and a genuine war hero such as Robert Mueller.”

Fox Network

For a while now, the Fox News has had an edge over their contemporaries in the TV and print news industry

A key contributor to their success has been their long-held understanding of the way the TV industry works. By focusing on demographics, they’ve successfully been able to draw in more people to watch their shows year in-year out.

While other networks like ESPN, CNN, and MSNBC focus on things like personalities, production values, and entertainment value, Fox News seems to have stumbled on the Achilles heel of content viewership.

 Old men are the most reliable conservative audiences in any age group. It is also popular among people who didn’t get to college and those aged over 70. Retired people spend up to 50 hours a week watching television.

Fox News has been running point on all newsworthy conservative matters for a couple of years now. Thus,  it’s no surprise to discover that in the last 3 general election cycles, those aged 65 and above voted for a GOP presidential candidate by a mean of 9% points.

Given that this demographic features as its main audience, one can visibly gain a comprehension of the politics of economics at play here. By siding with Trump, Fox News intelligently caters to a specific niche of its demography and in return, gains greater traction amongst aging Americans.

The Future

While this strategy seems to be an incredibly efficient one, one could also argue to the contrary. Over the next decade, it is expected that there will be a 40% rise in Americans aged 75 and above.

On the other hand, the younger generation seems less interested in subscribing to conservative notions. In fact, the younger generations seem less interested in subscribing to cable.

Most young people rely on the internet to provide them with feeds about happenings all around the world. While the internet is a spectacular resource, it is also prone to hints of bias. This is greatly due to the way it has been structured to operate. The prevalence of ‘Fake News’ becoming trending stories is quite high. This itself should be worrying for anyone (media stations included) interested in championing truth.

Going forward, more legislation on the internet needs to be put in place. The legislation should be clear on the terms of content sharing and the kind of access websites have over information. For entrepreneurs, such solid laws will provide a great place for business to thrive. Clear outlines on what can be shared and advertised will also greatly help patents. We can all learn a thing or two from the recent Fox News happenings.