Friday, May 19, 2017

SEAN HANNITY'S CALL TO ARMS


A few weeks ago Sean Hannity, on his Fox Network program, declared war on the fascist, liberal, Hollywood establishment. He announced that he has assembled a high-powered legal team to move against all those who, for years, maligned and slandered him and did so with the intent of silencing all conservatives and, in particular, Fox Network, the only media organization that reports fairly and truthfully about President Trump and his stellar, multiple accomplishments.

Using his usual foils and sounding boards, Newt Gingrich and Mishcelle Malkin, Hannity castigated the alt-left, listed Trump’s many underappreciated early triumphs and bemoaned the effort to boycott and destroy conservative outlets. All of this motivated, Hannity maintained, by the fascist left’s rage and disbelief at the outcome of the election.

Apparently, Hannity views with great alarm the toppling of Fox icon Bill O’Reilly and the universal revulsion of sponsors who fled his program. It would seem the adversities suffered by that dignitary have nothing to do with blatant sexual harassment but stem from malicious and false accusations by the left.

More recently, Hannity has asked his loyal following to go to war on behalf of the President who is under assault by five ominous factions of our society; the “Dark State”, the “out-of-control” liberal media, the vengeful Democratic Party, turn-coat Republicans like John McCain and Lindsay Graham and the “Never Trump” movement within the Republican establishment such as the New Republic and the Washington Standard.

By “Dark State” Hannity refers to those currently or recently in government who recognize the national danger posed by Trump and who, putting the country’s interest above party loyalty, “leak” his transgressions to the public or otherwise try to counter his self-serving, tyrannical agenda.

Out-of –control media describes any publication or news- airer that unmasks Trump’s lies, discloses the mushrooming scandals of his administration, replays his inconsistent and constantly shifting sound bites and fails to laud the incredible accomplishments of his first 100 days.

Only by coming out and fighting for the values embodied by Trump and the programs promised by him, for which they voted, can the faithful ensure that America will be made safe and great again.

As a final flourish of his alternative reality, Hannity laments the passing of that giant figure of journalistic integrity, Roger Ailes, whom he credits with enabling him to hold forth on Fox, so that fair and balanced reporting will prevail and the Trump gospel proclaimed.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Trump's War on the Press



President Trump has threatened to end daily press briefings because the media "beats up" on his spokespersons who, in his estimation, are lovely people. Sean Hannity of Fox, taking his cue from the President (or perhaps it's the other way around), urges the President to end the briefings because the "fake" media dissects everything that is said (as opposed to swallowing it?) and uses the information to spin conspiracy theories, gain exposure and enhance its own public image.
Hannity's rationale for discontinuing what has been an American tradition for nearly a century, is that the President no longer needs the press given his access to social media and, in particular, his ability to get his message out on Twitter.
How can this so-called journalist be so ignorant of the time-honored and sacrosanct role of the press as a vital cog in our democratic structure? The press does not exist to serve the needs of presidents but rather to hold them to account and to inform the body politic of the actions and pronouncements of those charged with carrying out the will of the people.
This is an ominous turn of events. First the media is vilified and defamed. Now, there seems to be a movement to silence the press by cutting off its sources of information. Our democracy is in greater peril than it has ever been.