As a teenager, I saw—and didn’t like much—the original exploitation documentary, Mondo Cane.
I see signs all three major cable news networks are regressing to this level. CNN spent over a year hyping conspiracy theories about the missing Malaysian airliner. Its sister network features the incredibly ghoulish Nancy Grace. Fox News has never been as consistently “hard right” as portrayed, but is always on the lookout for female hosts who make up in pulchritude what they lack in journalistic professionalism. MSNBC used to worship at Obama’s shrine, but is now flailing about for a new Messiah. Unfortunately, Chris Matthews has filled the void with a descent into coded attacks on (Jewish) neocons that seem to be competing for Pat Buchanan’s audience.
In addition to religiously reading the Drudge Report (always in lock step for Trump), I usually watch Fox for a reliable reflection of GOP and conservative trends.
Until recently, “hard right” commentators of the Anne Coulter/Laura Ingraham/Rush Limbo variety were criticizing Fox for “being in the bag” for Marco Rubio. I tended to dismiss this conspiratorial view, since FOX gave even more, usually uncritical air time to Donald Trump (who also hogged somewhat surly coverage on CNN and MSNBC). Then there was the apparently faux feud between Trump and first debate anchor Megyn Kelly whom he suggested was having a gender-specific discharge from ears and nose. Indeed, Trump even boycotted the Fox debate just before the Iowa Caucuses.
But now I’ve changed my mind, and believe that the conspiratorialists are correct about Fox’s new volte-face.
Following leaks that Rupert Murdock thinks that not uniting behind Trump as a GOP nominee would be “crazy,” and that Roger Ailes has decided to cut his losses on “Little Marco,” I see an ideological transformation in Fox that, I suspect, must be ordered, or at least signaled, from the top down. Sean Hannity has become Trump’s Minister of Propaganda. Bill O’Reilly has warmed noticeably toward his “old friend” Donald. And even Neal Caputo and Judge Jeanine Shapiro are getting into line. On the other hand, the “Never Trump” Crowd is definitely in the Fox doghouse or outhouse.
I fear that the Fox shift is an accurate predictor—let’s pray not of what happens in November—but of a foregone GOP Convention coronation.
I hope that Ailes’ high command gives some sober second thoughts to the old saying that he who rides the tiger’s back ends up inside its belly.
