Steve Jobs to Murdock: Fox News ‘A Destructive Force In Our Society’

Steve Jobs, talking truth to power, once told Robert Murdock that Fox News is a destructive force and will malign his legacy. Does he have a point? A survey of cable news viewers demonstrate that Fox viewers are less accurately informed than viewers of other news outlets. Read what Jobs said to Murdock.

YES, YOU can fairly ask what this topic has to to with health matters, largely speaking, the purported theme of this blog.  My response is something like,

“Hey, health is not only about our selves but our societies as well, so once in awhile, let’s dig into some of the cancers that make our world sick”.

With that in mind, I hereby present a snippet of the forthcoming Job-ordained biography, written by the highly regarded journalist and author, Walter Issacson.

According to Issacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, aptly named Steve Jobs (see the link and cover below), Mr. Jobs told Rupert Murdoch that Fox News was a “destructive force in our society”.  In the book, Issacson says:

“You’re blowing it with Fox News.  The axis today is not liberal and conservative, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you’ve cast your lot with the destructive people. Fox has become an incredibly destructive force in our society. You can be better, and this is going to be your legacy if you’re not careful.”

Now, please understand that I’m not posting this to alienate Fox News watchers.  I watch it too, but I also watch the other cable news shows and read a lot about policy and politics.  And I can earnestly tell you that the objective — as determined by what they do, not say — of Fox News, despite it’s banner of “Fair and Balanced”, is neither.

Since there’s nothing I can say that could convince Fox admirers of the truth of the above statement, I can, nonetheless, present something about which it’s hard to argue.

And that is that Fox viewers have proven — by their own responses — to be less informed about the facts of the subjects upon which Fox reports than viewers of other news cable outlets.

Alternet reviews — a bit pugilistically — the results of the survey that presents the following untruths about which the average Fox viewer believes — by their own account, that Alternet summarizes thusly:

* 91 percent believe the stimulus legislation lost jobs
* 72 percent believe the health reform law will increase the deficit
* 60 percent believe climate change is not occurring
* 49 percent believe income taxes have gone up
* 63 percent believe the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts
* 56 percent believe Obama initiated the GM/Chrysler bailout
* 38 percent believe that most Republicans opposed TARP
* 63 percent believe Obama was not born in the U.S. (or that it is unclear)

What would be healthy for our society is to have an honest debate based upon the same set of facts… there would still be plenty to spar about! Of course getting to those “facts” sure would be hard for a people who, in significant numbers, eschew science.

And that’s my two cents on the matter!

 

Last Updated on October 9, 2020 by Joe Garma

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Joe Garma
 

I help people live with more vitality and strength. I'm a big believer in sustainability, and am a bit nutty about optimizing my diet, supplements, hormones and exercise. To get exclusive Updates, tips and be on your way to a stronger, more youthful body, join my weekly Newsletter. You can also find me on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

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