The editors of the Wall Street Journal (which is the print
sister publication of the audio-visual network calling itself Fox News) know
how to outdo themselves when it comes to the expression of irony. Here is a
pair – known as the Murdochian twins – giving itself the task of
mouth-attacking America with a bellyful of vitriol; never taking a respite but
replenishing itself and spewing the poison non-stop seven days a week, every
week of the year for six long years already.
You can read the latest irony of ironies on the editorial
page of the Journal; a piece that came under the title: “Putin's Disinformation
Matrix” and the subtitle: “The Kremlin's English-language TV organ offers Britain its
signature blend of propaganda and tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorizing.” It was
published on November 15, 2014. Notice that this work is an attack on Russia ,
disguised as an attack on Putin and the Kremlin. Likewise, you'll have noticed
that the attack on America
always came disguised as an attack on Obama and the White House.
Look what they say about Russia Today (RT) which echoes what
has been said about the Murdochian pair all along: “Welcome to Putin's
disinformation matrix … techniques include mobilizing thousands of online
'trolls,' cultivating sympathetic political cranks abroad, and exploiting
Western freedom of speech and public diplomacy to advance Moscow's illiberal
aims.” Notice how close this is to the following: “Welcome to Murdoch's
disinformation matrix … techniques include mobilizing thousands of Twitter
'trolls,' cultivating crank contributors at home, and exploiting American
freedom of speech and public discourse to advance Murdoch's right wing and
warmongering agenda.”
And like RT which boasts: “its content has received a
billion views, making it one of the most-watched channels,” so does the Foxy
channel of the Murdoch Empire which boasts that its content is attracting more
viewers in America
than any other network. And so, the editors of the Journal go on to explain:
“RT is ideologically promiscuous and 'hybridic.' The channel might feature
far-right Holocaust denier, and the next minute invite a far-left British MP to
discuss Ukraine .”
And that is not much different from what has been said about
the Fox News promiscuous trick of hiring “lapsed” former liberals to attack
Obama and his White House. Sometimes these characters are featured as a pair
echoing each other while agreeing with the host of the show. And sometimes, one
would be pitted against a right wing opposite who will get rescued by the host
when he or she begins to lose the argument.
The parallel between the Putinists and the Murdochians does
not stop here. Look what else the editors of the Wall Street Journal say: “[On]
concepts such as 'democracy,' 'human rights' and 'sovereignty' the Putinists
use them playfully to suggest that not even the West believes them. The point
is rarely to persuade. It is to muddle and confuse.” Which is copycatted by the
Fox News Murdochians who continually mention concepts such as truth telling,
honesty and transparency with regard to Fast-and-Furious, Benghazi and the IRS in such a way as to
muddle the issues and confuse the audiences rather than attain a nobler goal.
And in the same way that the editors of the Journal believe
“RT segments and content are self discrediting, though they will always find
credulous viewers,” the Journal editors must also believe that the content of
the Fox News hate propaganda against America is self-discrediting even
if it is made to look like an attack on Obama and his government. But if it is
true that “vulnerable states on Europe's eastern periphery and the South Caucasus are a different matter,” it must also be
true that in some states of the American Deep South and Mid-West, Murdochian
voices can play an outsize role in tilting public opinion in Mr. Murdoch's way.
And so, the editors of the Journal end their piece with this
advice: “Propaganda is integrated with the Kremlin's model of ambiguous
warfare. Western governments shouldn't overreact to RT's presence. But they
[need to] modernize their public diplomacy to ensure that accurate reporting
stands a chance amid the blizzard of Moscow 's
lies.”
Likewise, hate propaganda is integrated with the Murdochian
model of ambiguous warfare on America .
Obama's government shouldn't overreact to Fox's presence. But the White House
needs to revamp its message to ensure that accurate reporting stands a chance
amid the blizzard of the evil twins: Fox News and Wall Street Journal.