Roger Ailes’ Secret Nixon-Era Blueprint for Fox News

[Political Junky]

Roger Ailes' Secret Nixon-Era Blueprint for Fox News

Republican media strategist Roger Ailes launched Fox News Channel in 1996, ostensibly as a "fair and balanced" counterpoint to what he regarded as the liberal establishment media. But according to a remarkable document buried deep within the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, the intellectual forerunner for Fox News was a nakedly partisan 1970 plot by Ailes and other Nixon aides to circumvent the "prejudices of network news" and deliver "pro-administration" stories to heartland television viewers.
The memo—called, simply enough, "A Plan For Putting the GOP on TV News"— is included in a 318-page cache of documents detailing Ailes' work for both the Nixon and George H.W. Bush administrations that we obtained from the Nixon and Bush presidential libraries. Through his firms REA Productions and Ailes Communications, Inc., Ailes served as paid consultant to both presidents in the 1970s and 1990s, offering detailed and shrewd advice ranging from what ties to wear to how to keep the pressure up on Saddam Hussein in the run-up to the first Gulf War.
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[Steelplate]

Yeah.... I saw that too. Interesting.

But truthfully... not illegal or particularly scandalous. Just interesting.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Do Progressives understand the meaning of the First Amendment?

 

[NYcarbineer]

Maybe the wingnuts here will finally get it through their heads that when I use the term 'rightwing propaganda machine' as I regularly do,

I know what I'm talking about.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Do Progressives understand the meaning of the First Amendment?

Yes, exposing the machinations of Ailes and Foxnews is an exercise in free speech.

 

[Steelplate]

Exactly carbineer.

Personally... I don't give a shit... more and more people are seeing what Fox News is. More and more people can see the stonewalling for what it is.

Ohio just repealed their Beloved Tea Party Governor's Attack on Collective Bargaining, Wisconsin is ready to run Their Tea Party Governor out on a rail, Christy's in trouble in NJ and on and on...

The American People are generally not stupid and can see with their own two eyes what's going on. Are they happy with Obama? No... but much of that angst is because they feel he needs to grow a set and play hardball with the GOP like they do with him.

 

[American Horse]

Why shouldn't there be a right wing presentation of political thought in the media to counter the same thing from the left? And what is this sinister implication of "secret?" Are right wingers required oby law to spill their business plans any more than the left? If we could all be honest enough to accept the fact that all issues actually have two, or more sides, then, the public could make intelligent choices, instead of being led like sheep to be sheared.

 

[Steelplate]

There should be. Like I said... I have no problem with it.

The only problem I have is FOX News' diatribe that they are the only worthy news outlet. the rest is "Lame Stream Media"

That's bullshit. MSNBC is the same thing as FOX, except a polar opposite. Most Networks and CNN are fairly middle of the road. They lean a little left here and a little right there.

In fact... there's only ONE show I watch on MSNBC... and that's Dylan Ratigan.... and he's just a little left of Center and he has a very good bead on the economy and the problems with Big business AND government.

 

[Political Junky]

Why shouldn't there be a right wing presentation of political thought in the media to counter the same thing from the left? And what is this sinister implication of "secret?" Are right wingers required oby law to spill their business plans any more than the left? If we could all be honest enough to accept the fact that all issues actually have two, or more sides, then, the public could make intelligent choices, instead of being led like sheep to be sheared.

Nothing wrong at all. The memo just proves that Fox was never meant to be fair and balanced.

 

[WillowTree]

Why shouldn't there be a right wing presentation of political thought in the media to counter the same thing from the left? And what is this sinister implication of "secret?" Are right wingers required oby law to spill their business plans any more than the left? If we could all be honest enough to accept the fact that all issues actually have two, or more sides, then, the public could make intelligent choices, instead of being led like sheep to be sheared.

Nothing wrong at all. The memo just proves that Fox was never meant to be fair and balanced.

funny that, cause in reality it is. they show both points of view on a regular basis.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Thank God there's an alternative to American Pravda.

 

[Steelplate]

Why shouldn't there be a right wing presentation of political thought in the media to counter the same thing from the left? And what is this sinister implication of "secret?" Are right wingers required oby law to spill their business plans any more than the left? If we could all be honest enough to accept the fact that all issues actually have two, or more sides, then, the public could make intelligent choices, instead of being led like sheep to be sheared.

Nothing wrong at all. The memo just proves that Fox was never meant to be fair and balanced.

funny that, cause in reality it is. they show both points of view on a regular basis.

So does MSNBC... they bring people like Pat Buchanan and other Conservatives to speak for their side. But that's not what FOX tells you, is it?

BTW... They don't do it all that regularly and usually the "other point of view" is usually two or three Conservatives ganging up on the one Liberal... usually browbeating them with half truths and trick questions until the person gives up...then declare victory.... Kind of like in here.

 

[American Horse]

Ohio just repealed their Beloved Tea Party Governor's Attack on Collective Bargaining, Wisconsin is ready to run Their Tea Party Governor out on a rail, Christy's in trouble in NJ and on and on...

The American People are generally not stupid [...]

Could you provide some hard news sources for those assertions?
I'll agree with you that "the American people are generally not stupid". Hopefully they are generally better informed than you are. Its the Republican governors who are leading the way in the national economy. Texas has been the source of 30 pct of all new US jobs since the beginning of the recession. The one Dem exception is NY gov Cuomo, and he's performing more like an R than a D, except in the social issue of gay marriage.

"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's monumental achievement this week in passing a bill to reform his state's public-employee benefits is a prime example. As Gov. Christie said Friday, underfunded pension and health-care obligations are 'the core problems of government spending in the country.' "

"In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker plans to sign a budget this weekend that will turn a $3.6 billion deficit into a projected $300 million surplus. Already, the business community has responded favorably. In six months, 25,000 private-sector jobs have been created and 88% of the state's business leaders say the state is headed in the right direction."

"In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich is on the verge of passing his Jobs Budget, which would close an $8 billion budget deficit while preserving an income tax cut for all Ohioans."

Bob McDonnell: GOP Governors Are Showing the Way - WSJ.com

 

[Steelplate]

Ohio just repealed their Beloved Tea Party Governor's Attack on Collective Bargaining, Wisconsin is ready to run Their Tea Party Governor out on a rail, Christy's in trouble in NJ and on and on...

The American People are generally not stupid [...]

Could you provide some hard news sources for those assertions?
I'll agree with you that "the American people are generally not stupid". Hopefully they are generally better informed than you are. The governors who are leading the way. The one Dem exception is NY gov Cuomo, and he's performing more like an R than a D, except in the social issue of gay marriage.

"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's monumental achievement this week in passing a bill to reform his state's public-employee benefits is a prime example. As Gov. Christie said Friday, underfunded pension and health-care obligations are 'the core problems of government spending in the country.' "

"In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker plans to sign a budget this weekend that will turn a $3.6 billion deficit into a projected $300 million surplus. Already, the business community has responded favorably. In six months, 25,000 private-sector jobs have been created and 88% of the state's business leaders say the state is headed in the right direction."

"In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich is on the verge of passing his Jobs Budget, which would close an $8 billion budget deficit while preserving an income tax cut for all Ohioans."



Bob McDonnell: GOP Governors Are Showing the Way - WSJ.com

Ok... I was mistaken. I only caught a blurb about it on CNN last night when I was half asleep. 1.3M Ohio residents signed a petition to have it on the ballot... My bad.

Btw, that Kasich Jobs budget... is that the one that uses a company called JobsOhio?

 

[Google]

I was recently reading 'Prime Time Propaganda', and among the many shows dissected in the book was the show Cheers. I haven't ever seen an episode, I am 26, so when I saw it on the other night I turned it on for the very last moments of the show. It starts with the short-haired, unattractive woman yelling out the nameless members of the bar as she yells that she is indeed having her 4th child and no she isn't married and yes she is fine with it.

My point here is if you believe that the political right has any propaganda that can rival that utter dominance the left wields over all forms of media: television, movies, music--all that shape culture, then you are a very dumb person.

 

[whitehall]

Are you kidding? Are lefties so desperate that they still want to dig up poor old Dick Nixon? I kid you not, when Clinton was in trouble somebody found "shocking Nixon tapes" to distract attention from the pervert in the white house. What was the mainstream media like during the Nixon years? Alleged "imvestigative reporters" Karl Marx Bernstein, the son of card carrying communists and his "duh" sidekick Bob Woodward hatched a scheme where they would reveal fake information from an undisclosed "informant" to undermine an administration. Think about it, Karl and Woodie were free to write fiction and pin it on a republican president. Fake outrage was the news of the day even though LBJ was guilty of the same cheap black bag tricks as Tricky Dick. The difference was that the mainstream media was totally in the pocket of liberal democrats and there was no attempt at being "fair and balanced". The identitty of the alleged "informant" was not revealed for 30 years until he died and could not answer questions.

 

[Steelplate]

I was recently reading 'Prime Time Propaganda', and among the many shows dissected in the book was the show Cheers. I haven't ever seen an episode, I am 26, so when I saw it on the other night I turned it on for the very last moments of the show. It starts with the short-haired, unattractive woman yelling out the nameless members of the bar as she yells that she is indeed having her 4th child and no she isn't married and yes she is fine with it.

My point here is if you believe that the political right has any propaganda that can rival that utter dominance the left wields over all forms of media: television, movies, music--all that shape culture, then you are a very dumb person.

Television, movies, etc? gimme a break. Those things are dictated by profitability. The demand dictates the content. Something you ought to be all for.

 

[American Horse]

Ohio just repealed their Beloved Tea Party Governor's Attack on Collective Bargaining, Wisconsin is ready to run Their Tea Party Governor out on a rail, Christy's in trouble in NJ and on and on...

The American People are generally not stupid [...]

Could you provide some hard news sources for those assertions?
I'll agree with you that "the American people are generally not stupid". Hopefully they are generally better informed than you are. The governors who are leading the way. The one Dem exception is NY gov Cuomo, and he's performing more like an R than a D, except in the social issue of gay marriage.

"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's monumental achievement this week in passing a bill to reform his state's public-employee benefits is a prime example. As Gov. Christie said Friday, underfunded pension and health-care obligations are 'the core problems of government spending in the country.' "

"In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker plans to sign a budget this weekend that will turn a $3.6 billion deficit into a projected $300 million surplus. Already, the business community has responded favorably. In six months, 25,000 private-sector jobs have been created and 88% of the state's business leaders say the state is headed in the right direction."

"In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich is on the verge of passing his Jobs Budget, which would close an $8 billion budget deficit while preserving an income tax cut for all Ohioans."



Bob McDonnell: GOP Governors Are Showing the Way - WSJ.com

Ok... I was mistaken. I only caught a blurb about it on CNN last night when I was half asleep. 1.3M Ohio residents signed a petition to have it on the ballot... My bad.

Btw, that Kasich Jobs budget... is that the one that uses a company called JobsOhio?

I think JobsOhio will be maintained except that kasich will not be able to have direct power over it, and there's a question about the state financing the operation for the not for profit organization that will direct the economic development programs that have been administered "poorly I'm the past" according go Kasich. Although the bill was passed along party lines in the house, alll but two Dem Senators voted for the bill which created it.

bizjournals mobile: Cincinnati: Budget amendments strip Kasich of JobsOhio power

 

[Sherry]

Boofuckinhoo....what a bunch of titty babies.

 

[Google]

I was recently reading 'Prime Time Propaganda', and among the many shows dissected in the book was the show Cheers. I haven't ever seen an episode, I am 26, so when I saw it on the other night I turned it on for the very last moments of the show. It starts with the short-haired, unattractive woman yelling out the nameless members of the bar as she yells that she is indeed having her 4th child and no she isn't married and yes she is fine with it.

My point here is if you believe that the political right has any propaganda that can rival that utter dominance the left wields over all forms of media: television, movies, music--all that shape culture, then you are a very dumb person.

Television, movies, etc? gimme a break. Those things are dictated by profitability. The demand dictates the content. Something you ought to be all for.

Propaganda: noun information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.


Again and again it has been proven, and fairly well documented, the left has incredible influence of television, the most influential form of media and the most conducive to spreading information or ideas.

I want to honestly ask you a question: if you had to label prime time television as being conservative or liberal what would you choose? Which political side, right or left, is shaping our culture and society through propaganda?