A free, dynamic, and democratic society depends on the free flow of information to the public, a dynamic exchange of ideas without fear or obstruction, and an interrogation of truth based on hard evidence and fact.

These represent the “mothers’ milk” for the survival of a free society. The press or media, which are the professional organs in society entrusted with the orderly and robust dissemination of information, are therefore relied upon to do their work with professionalism, fairness, accuracy, and with a level of independence that can lead the public to believe in their integrity.

Any departure from this norm sets the course for bad things to happen in any democratic society. Lies dressed as truth can be very dangerous to people’s health as many sadly learnt in the United States in the days when COVID-19 was killing thousands of people per day. Then, Fox News, a leading media outlet in the United States, trumpeted (pun intended) the false narrative of the danger posed by the pandemic.

It ridiculed the wearing of masks, which was indicated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a good measure to prevent the transmission of the disease. When the vaccines were rolled out, it was reticent in promoting the efficacy of these vaccines and either remained silent or questioned their use. This undoubtedly led many people in Republican states not to take the vaccines or even wear masks at then President Donald Trump’s rallies. Many got sick and died unnecessarily.

Fox News rates itself as a fair and balanced media house. At its inception this might have been so, but in recent times, especially over the past six years, it has become the mouthpiece of the Republican Party. This was especially so under the four years of the Trump presidency. In making itself a virtual mouthpiece for Trump and a propaganda outlet for the most debased aspects of Republican Party philosophy, Fox News proved itself to be what a decent and serious news outfit ought not to be.

Instead of learning from its mistakes in the pandemic, it doubled down on its support of the most egregious aspects of the president’s behaviour in office, which culminated in a plot to disrupt the counting of the Electoral College votes by the Congress. In furtherance of these goals, on January 6, 2021, an angry mob invaded the Capitol; assaulted police officers, resulting in deaths; broke into the hallowed halls of the Capitol building; and could have easily decapitated the head of the Government on that day. Here, the country got lucky.

While all of this was going on, there was an obvious plot to sell and propagate the “Big Lie” that Trump had trumpeted — that the elections were stolen and President Biden was not duly elected. At the centre of the scorn by these operatives was the flood of derision that was poured on the voting machines of Dominion, a company whose machines were used to tabulate votes in several jurisdictions. As it turned out, Fox News anchors hosted many of these peddlers of disinformation, even when Dominion advised them that there was no truth of their culpability in any plot to steal the election.

Nevertheless, the entity doubled down on its obvious support of the disgraced president. So Dominion sued and the matter is now before the courts. In his deposition for the case, chief mogul of Fox News, the redoubtable Rupert Murdoch, did not seem too well disposed to some anchors who perpetuated the Dominion accusation and gave it more oxygen than it should have had. From statements he has made, he seems willing to throw prominent anchors under the proverbial bus. He obviously wants to cover his hide and mitigate the $US1.6-billion lawsuit that his company faces. My instincts tell me that it will not end well for Fox. And neither should it.

As a so-called journalistic outfit, Fox News sold the notion that the more sensational and grotesque the news, the better for sales and audience growth. They understood this strategy quite well. Thus they have catered to the lowest denominator in reverting to conspiracy theories and assorted propaganda to keep their audience and get filthily rich.

What is very sad is that at the centre of this gutter journalism is the inability or unwillingness of the audience to recognise that they are being duped and their intelligence insulted by these lies and fabrications. I believe that I can safely say that even though Jamaica has its gullible, any news outfit that indulges in the kind of so-called journalism that Fox News does would go out of business in a short while. We like sensationalism, as is evident by the sad experience of social media enthusiasts filming gory pictures of accidents and posting them all over these platforms. But most of us know when we are being lied to and are not afraid to draw the line. Thanks to the internet, we are becoming more discerning in identifying lies from truth and when we are being taken for a ride by a hungry, third-rate media house such as that which Fox News has become.

Fox is the greatest demonstration of what can happen to a democratic country when the press or an arm of it finds itself in bed with those who harbour autocratic tendencies. This is why Majority Leader in the Senate Chuck Schumer raised alarm at what is happening at that outfit and urged Americans to pressure the company to change its modus operandi.

America is at a serious crossroads, some say an inflection point, where lying, falsehoods, and all kinds of conspiracy theories are becoming accepted social principles in the nation’s discourse and life. There were always latent sensitivities that accommodated the tendency to lie. But it was unearthed and set on steroids when Trump rose to power, lied about the worst pandemic to afflict the country, and later lied that the election was stolen from him. He was not able to prove this in any court of law, yet this Big Lie has persisted even to this day.

Entities that purport to be good journalistic outfits must be held to accountability. They must feel it where it matters most — in the pocket. This applies as well to media outfits in Jamaica.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storm; Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.