Investigate the right-wing media?

Just as the 111th Congress limps into session, media bias seems to have become an even graver threat to democracy than we thought.

There are some lone nuts out there with extremist views who say ugly, hateful things in public, and Fox News is actively attempting to ascribe their views to our side. Anyone who knows me knows I don't have such views, but that doesn't stop the Fox liars.

I'm not 100% sure that the hateful, bigoted statement being hyped by Faux News wasn't made by someone who was planted just to make our side look bad. The Far Right has a recent history of such fraud. Just look at the Ashley Todd story, or that maniac in West Virginia who crashed political rallies and faked attacks on himself. And isn't it odd that in the latest story there just happened to be a camera right next to the face of the woman who shouted her vile diatribe?

Fake or not, Fox is wrong either way. The network reported that the disgusting statement was made by "some" of the demonstrators. No, it was not. "Some" is plural. The statement was made by one person. Not "some." So Pox News misled. Or in less polite terms, it lied outright.

Pox News also lied when it said protest organizers refused to condemn the statement. They did condemn it. Can't anyone at Fox fucking read?

If Fox was just being careless and not intentionally trying to manipulate public opinion, I'd say that strongly admonishing the network here would suffice. But this is a pattern for Faux - and other media outlets. Not just on this issue, but also on others. Generally, the bias has been deliberate. So I truly believe it's time Congress opens an investigation into the media's right-wing bias.

I do not look kindly upon being called a bigot because of someone else's repugnant outburst. At all. I've spent my adult life condemning hate and bigotry - not promoting it.

I studied communications in college, and I know that many fine folks become journalists to uphold democratic values and the free flow of facts. But for the media to make up shit to maneuver public opinion is antithetical to democracy - and inexcusable.

The first order of business needs to be to repeal the 1996 Telecommunications Act and restore media ownership caps - at once.

That would be an immense step, but I don't think it would go far enough. I think a congressional investigation of the media's right-wing bias would do much more to frame the issue and discourage the continuation of this plague.

I don't expect Congress to investigate, of course. But there's 50 states, and we have a right to expect the legislature of at least one to take up the cause.

Some in the right-wing noise machine need to be hauled in front of lawmakers to answer some questions. I'm convinced that this is going to be the most effective way to get to the bottom of this pattern of propaganda that's gone on for far, far too long.