ABSTRACT
Labeling television programming “news” does not make it journalism. Indeed, almost nothing that Fox News airs meets traditional journalistic standards. Instead, Fox is largely a propaganda network, eschewing common ways of knowing and pursuing a consistent good-versus-evil binary that transforms Democrats into enemies and that finds only righteousness among Republicans. The overt danger Fox presents became glaringly evident with the attempted coup organized by pro-Trumpers who attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. But what can be done about Fox, especially since the First Amendment protects its rights as a broadcaster. This chapter argues for a “whole-of-society approach,” enlisting the help of government, civil society, the education establishment, journalists themselves, and informed individuals to mitigate the damage Fox News represents. Only by challenging the network directly can we make politics what it was meant to be, a multipartisan tool for serving the will of the people – all of them.
