Fox News has institutionalized astroturfing

[JesseCuster]

Fox News Engaged In Institutionalized Astroturfing Of The Internet | Techdirt


I wonder if this will have a real effect on how seriously their defenders are taken, as Timothy (the author of the article) predicts. It does have me thinking if GF has a Fox shill in its midst.

 

[MenInTights]

there's a well known website, reputation.com that will do this for your business now. I just chalk it up to the media age and what has to be done to keep your reputation in tack. What Fox did was really funny though. They had staff using AOL dail-up so they couldn't be traced. :lol:

 

[Hilander]

I would like to say this surprises me but it doesn't. So in the future when I read a positive comment I'll assume it was one of their employees paid to do it.

 

[CaptainObvious]

I have to say the constant demonizing of a news network by the Left really makes me laugh. On one hand they criticize the sources people like Glenn Beck uses then turns around and uses a blog as evidence of wrongdoing, all the while ignoring the made up stories of the New York Times. The absurdity of their arguments is funny, and just shows how butthurt the Left gets about not everyone bowing down to the regime.

 

[Merc]

I have to say the constant demonizing of a news network by the Left really makes me laugh. On one hand they criticize the sources people like Glenn Beck uses then turns around and uses a blog as evidence of wrongdoing, all the while ignoring the made up stories of the New York Times. The absurdity of their arguments is funny, and just shows how butthurt the Left gets about not everyone bowing down to the regime.

What I find laughably ironic about this 'the left makes up shit' sentiment that people have is that this is exactly what Fox News is being accused of (and with some sizeable evidence). They need to paint the landscape to look like they have countless allies in the fight against the 'regime' (a questionable word choice but one made with obvious reasoning).

I also have a fair amount of right wing friends that think Fox News is a joke as well. I do not know why people constantly label and believe the only people who dislike Fox are left wing. I think it's done as an attempt to draw clear lines and convince people that the world really is out to get the right wing and that they have no dissension in the ranks (something extremely difficult to argue about the current republican atmosphere).

It's very hard to argue that the modern right wing is not the Paranoid Party, everything they seem to do and support is all about things that 'might happen' or things that are 'going to happen' and it's always the 'death of America' or the death of this or the war on that, etc.

Both sides are going to have their outlets mainly because both sides have massive amounts of funding. The only difference is their strategies when it comes to delivering their choice of narrative.

 

[CaptainObvious]

What I find laughably ironic about this 'the left makes up shit' sentiment that people have is that this is exactly what Fox News is being accused of (and with some sizeable evidence). They need to paint the landscape to look like they have countless allies in the fight against the 'regime' (a questionable word choice but one made with obvious reasoning).

I also have a fair amount of right wing friends that think Fox News is a joke as well. I do not know why people constantly label and believe the only people who dislike Fox are left wing. I think it's done as an attempt to draw clear lines and convince people that the world really is out to get the right wing and that they have no dissension in the ranks (something extremely difficult to argue about the current republican atmosphere).

It's very hard to argue that the modern right wing is not the Paranoid Party, everything they seem to do and support is all about things that 'might happen' or things that are 'going to happen' and it's always the 'death of America' or the death of this or the war on that, etc.

Both sides are going to have their outlets mainly because both sides have massive amounts of funding. The only difference is their strategies when it comes to delivering their choice of narrative.

You're missing the point. I'm not a big Fox News fan either. My point is they ALL do this stuff, but I wonder where all the threads are accusing MSNBC of doing this. I wonder where all the threads are accusing CNN of doing this. I wonder where all the threads are accusing The New York Times of doing this.

The media's job is to keep the administration in check. During the Bush administration they excelled at that job. They questioned everything Bush did, the investigated everything he said AS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO. Since the election of Barack Obama they have failed at that job. When you have an MSNBC anchor ask idiotic questions like the one posed to a Republican Congresswoman like "do you love your party or your country", when you have them calling ANYONE who disagrees with Obama a racist, when you point to ONE GUY at a rally with a Confederate flag and use it to paint the entire rally as racists, they are failing badly as journalists.

I wasn't a big fan of Fox News during the Bush administration, I thought they were too easy on him. Now they're the only ones who question the current administration.

People can choose to drink the Kool Aid and believe whatever George Soros tells them to believe. I won't, I'll continue to question everything every politician does.

 

[Merc]

You're missing the point. I'm not a big Fox News fan either. My point is they ALL do this stuff, but I wonder where all the threads are accusing MSNBC of doing this. I wonder where all the threads are accusing CNN of doing this. I wonder where all the threads are accusing The New York Times of doing this.

CNN is a massive joke, I always got that vibe from a lot of people. MSNBC I don't see nearly the same degree of bias towards their end as I see on Fox but then again, I also don't read them. I prefer BBC personally. I also never heard of the New York Times as being ridiculous from anybody except the right wing so I've always just assumed they're left wing biased but I've had no further thoughts.

I've also never seen any of them claim to be without bias and calling themselves 'fair and balanced' which again, is something I think hurts Fox News' reputation but is something I believe they also want, that 'enemy'.

The media's job is to keep the administration in check. During the Bush administration they excelled at that job. They questioned everything Bush did, the investigated everything he said AS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO. Since the election of Barack Obama they have failed at that job. When you have an MSNBC anchor ask idiotic questions like the one posed to a Republican Congresswoman like "do you love your party or your country", when you have them calling ANYONE who disagrees with Obama a racist, when you point to ONE GUY at a rally with a Confederate flag and use it to paint the entire rally as racists, they are failing badly as journalists.

I haven't seen MSNBC call anyone (or everyone for that matter) who disagrees with Obama a racist so I'm assuming this is a bit of hyperbole. All of them fail as journalists because they all do that exact same thing Cap, I know you know it I'm just repeating it for the sake of the argument, they all enjoy zooming in on a few minor details rather than giving you the big picture because then it allows them to paint the narrative in their own way.

Left wing outlets will go easy on Obama just like right wing outlets went easy on Bush because they play for 'their side' and try to smear the other. It's a joke and it's why the country is as shitty as it is right now.

I wasn't a big fan of Fox News during the Bush administration, I thought they were too easy on him. Now they're the only ones who question the current administration.

I can easily disagree with this one. I think Fox would have you believe they're the only ones but I see plenty of people questioning Obama that are not Fox News. Being the size they are, I'm sure Fox are the ones you'll hear about first and loudest but they're definitely not the only ones. You named several left wing outlets and Fox, of course Fox is the only one out of them to be harshly critical, Obama isn't 'on their team'.

People can choose to drink the Kool Aid and believe whatever George Soros tells them to believe. I won't, I'll continue to question everything every politician does.

See, until GF, I've never heard of this guy but several right wing members here talk about him like he's Satan. I find funny and ironic similarities to the Koch Brothers, another big money force behind the scenes trying to orchestrate a narrative of their own. Both of these groups use their influence, their money and their power to drive a certain story to the public.

 

[Van]

I assumed all businesses including media outlets did this? Maybe I'm just cynical, but that is why you shouldn't get one source in a story and call it good

Let's just be intellectually honest. Most right leaning people like fox news and most left leaning people like the other stations. Both think the network they watch is more fair than the others. I can't stand MSNBC or CNN generally in the same way leftists don't like Fox News. There are plenty of reports of different media stations doing something others claim they don't do. Obvious falsehoods, biased polls, made up stories. They will never stop pointing fingers at each other in the same way Microsoft and Apple will never stop claiming their products are superior.

Bottom line is get your news from various sources, online, radio, television...and don't be afraid to question the motive of the source.

 

[CaptainObvious]

CNN is a massive joke, I always got that vibe from a lot of people. MSNBC I don't see nearly the same degree of bias towards their end as I see on Fox but then again, I also don't read them. I prefer BBC personally. I also never heard of the New York Times as being ridiculous from anybody except the right wing so I've always just assumed they're left wing biased but I've had no further thoughts.

I've also never seen any of them claim to be without bias and calling themselves 'fair and balanced' which again, is something I think hurts Fox News' reputation but is something I believe they also want, that 'enemy'.

Jayson Blair was just the tip of the iceberg of what is wrong with the New York Times. Actually I see MSNBC as worse than CNN.

I haven't seen MSNBC call anyone (or everyone for that matter) who disagrees with Obama a racist so I'm assuming this is a bit of hyperbole. All of them fail as journalists because they all do that exact same thing Cap, I know you know it I'm just repeating it for the sake of the argument, they all enjoy zooming in on a few minor details rather than giving you the big picture because then it allows them to paint the narrative in their own way.

You've never heard Chris Mathews or Martin Bashir call anyone racist? I think that's a daily thing now.

Left wing outlets will go easy on Obama just like right wing outlets went easy on Bush because they play for 'their side' and try to smear the other. It's a joke and it's why the country is as shitty as it is right now.

I agree. The problem is MSNBC, CNN, and the network news, ABC, NBC and CBS all lean left, as does the major newspapers like the Times, while the right only has Fox.

I can easily disagree with this one. I think Fox would have you believe they're the only ones but I see plenty of people questioning Obama that are not Fox News. Being the size they are, I'm sure Fox are the ones you'll hear about first and loudest but they're definitely not the only ones. You named several left wing outlets and Fox, of course Fox is the only one out of them to be harshly critical, Obama isn't 'on their team'.

I don't. I only see Fox News questioning Obama like journalists should.

See, until GF, I've never heard of this guy but several right wing members here talk about him like he's Satan. I find funny and ironic similarities to the Koch Brothers, another big money force behind the scenes trying to orchestrate a narrative of their own. Both of these groups use their influence, their money and their power to drive a certain story to the public.

I agree, the Koch brothers are along the same lines of Soros. But as you said, you never even heard of Soros until GF, but the Koch brothers are mentioned all the time. Chris Mathews just mentioned them a couple of days ago, AGAIN. Yet Soros is never mentioned along the same lines. That's one of the reasons why I blame the media for the poor job they do.

 

[Merc]

Jayson Blair was just the tip of the iceberg of what is wrong with the New York Times. Actually I see MSNBC as worse than CNN.

I've never heard of Jayson Blair. Also, I still think CNN is worse since celebrity tweets are their idea of 'breaking news'.

You've never heard Chris Mathews or Martin Bashir call anyone racist? I think that's a daily thing now.

I don't know who Martin Bashir is and I barely hear anything about Chris Mathews. Once again, I really don't watch any news, I get most of it online and even in a few of the more liberal sites like Reddit, I only ever really hear about Rachel Maddow and other left wing pundits.

So no, no idea about this racism thing. Although racism and xenophobia are still fairly widespread if you ask me.

I agree. The problem is MSNBC, CNN, and the network news, ABC, NBC and CBS all lean left, as does the major newspapers like the Times, while the right only has Fox.

The right only has Fox? What about Infowars? The Heritage Foundation? Washington Times? Drudge Report? National Review? Newsmax? New York Post?

The right has plenty of outlets, you hear the most about Fox because of how gigantic they are. I've never heard CBS or ABC being called leftist but I'm sure we all have our opinions.

I don't. I only see Fox News questioning Obama like journalists should.

I think you need to read more news, then. Also, as I said, do not forget that the main reasons you are seeing all this 'questioning' from Fox is because they want him to fail as he is not on their side.

I agree, the Koch brothers are along the same lines of Soros. But as you said, you never even heard of Soros until GF, but the Koch brothers are mentioned all the time. Chris Mathews just mentioned them a couple of days ago, AGAIN. Yet Soros is never mentioned along the same lines. That's one of the reasons why I blame the media for the poor job they do.

I never said they were mentioned all the time. As a matter of fact, Reddit is the first place I heard of them. Much like hearing about Soros from conservatives on here, I heard about the Koch Brothers from liberals. It seems each side has their boogieman. I actually hear more about Soros from this site than the Koch Brothers on Reddit. However, it remains that both of them, in my experiences, are only mentioned sparingly, not very often.

But like I said, I don't think they're different. Both are supremely powerful and push their weight around in attempts to write the script for the United States' future and culture itself.