Fox News superstar Bill O'Reilly supports Donald Trump's attack on the free press in the US. His argument is consistent with the Fox News marketing strategy of presenting itself as the alternative to the "mainstream media". It tells the truth by supporting Donald Trump and other Republicans. The mainstream media has a liberal bias (whatever that is???). Therefore, Donald Trump is not really attacking the free press because it is not really free. Apparently, only attacking Fox News would be consistent with an attack on the free press. It is our only source of unbiased reporting.
This claim by O'Reilly illustrates the problem we have in this country. The marketing strategy of Fox News is elevated to the position of defining what is meant by the freedom of the press. Of course, the market segment that Fox has targeted in its corporate strategy would agree with this silliness. Its equivalent to arguing that the market for information should be an ideological monopoly. The only proper competition in the market should be between Fox and other information sources that share the same ideological bias as Fox.
Donald Trump may agree with O'Reilly. He cited a report on Fox News to defend his claim that a terrorist attack occurred in Sweden that was unreported by the mainstream press. The president has a huge security staff that is able to provide him with well informed information. Its hard to find a good reason why he chose to use Fox News to defend his false statement about Sweden. Should O'Reilly be a member of his security team so that he can provide information that his security team has been unable to uncover?
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