Anyone who has watched Fox News long enough is aware that the alleged “news” network engages in a relentless stream of hate speech and incendiary rhetoric that has the potential to incite actual violence. Indeed, there have been violent incidents already that are directly attributable to Fox News.
For instance, Bill O’Reilly’s repeated references to Dr. George Tiller as “Tiller the baby killer” preceded the doctor’s murder in his church by an enraged anti-abortion activist. A mosque arsonist explains his crime by saying “I only know what I hear on Fox News.” An ordained minister in the Christian National Church pleaded guilty to plotting a massacre of the citizens of an upstate New York community of Muslims after hearing a Fox News analyst say they were training to launch domestic attacks. And when Glenn Beck was on Fox he was responsible for inspiring at least three violent criminals.
Now there has been an arrest in Washington state of a man, Scott Anthony Orton, who has been posting terrorist threats aimed at an organization formerly associated with Planned Parenthood. Orton, who used the name “Joseywhales” (after a pro-confederate Civil War outlaw), posted his comments on the Fox News community website, Fox Nation. The content of his posts were transparently hostile indicating both his own intent to commit murder, as well as an appeal to induce others to do so. Here are a few examples of Orton’s comments (more below):
“Kill StemExpress employees. I’ll pay you for it.”
“Stop the death of innocents. Kill the killers.”
“I’ll take care of [Victim 1] myself.”
As grotesque as these comments are, they only scratch the surface of the routine hate speech that is tolerated (encouraged) on Fox Nation. News Corpse has been compiling examples of such speech for a few years and has them on display at The Collected Hate Speech Of The Fox News Community. It is a revealing look at the mindset of the Fox News audience that openly expresses the most vile thoughts. It is also significant that the other commenters rarely object to these posts and the Fox moderators leave them in place to inspire other hate mongers.
How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.
The dangerous dialog that occurs daily on Fox Nation is part of the reason I wrote two books about the website (Fox Nation vs. Reality: Volume I and Volume II). It is the meeting place of the most deranged faction of the Fox News audience. And it serves as a de facto congregation of like-minded malcontents who support each others malevolent fantasies, molding them into realities. The result is entirely predictable, and is perfectly illustrated by this most recent incident of Fox News inspired terrorism.
[Update:] Raw Story has found some additional comments by “Joseywhales” that also threaten violence against President Obama, Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby, former Attorney General Eric Holder.
