(in response to someone trying to reconcile fox’s “most trusted” slogan)
…Regrettably, “most trusted” and objectivity aren’t mutually exclusive. We would like Fox News’ target demographic to differentiate opinion from fact and not repeatedly substitute their reality for the one in which the rest of us reside; however, we don’t have much recourse to combat it legally. It is akin to how religious people turn inwards and dig in, often becoming increasingly irrational in times of crisis. One cannot be reasoned out of a position they didn’t reason themselves in to, so “most trusted” is, unfortunately, accurate as they are deliberately erroneous but still consumed with zealous fervor by their attentive audience.
Personally, I would love to see words that have meaning in a legally enforceable sense: News, Deluxe, Premium, Ultimate, etc. If someone, regardless of format, calls themselves ‘News,’ it follows specific criteria, or it gets pulled. If Fox very quickly labels itself Fox Opinion or Fox Entertainment but carries the same content, then fine. We’re not trying to silence their ability to air their ideas, but we are differentiating it from objective information.
People like John Oliver do great shows on topics, but they are swift to point out at the end of the day they are comedians, and you should listen to actual experts if you want real information. Having a clear line in the sand regarding what is and isn’t ‘News’ not only protects the industry but when Karen continues to get her information from a Facebook meme and a Fox Opinion headline, but zero actual news shows it says a lot about her too. Hopefully, as a society, we can do something about the people who would willingly refuse to be exposed to any actual news.
Similarly, the marketing words (deluxe, premium, etc) should have meaning too – if there isn’t any difference between a ‘deluxe’ version of something and a regular something, then be gone with it under consumer protection guidelines and fair practice standards…