A Plea For Responsibility

Posted on by under Free Press Issues, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

The following is the text of a letter written by Senate Majority Leader Charles (Chuck) Schumer to the head of Fox ‘News’ network.  I fully concur with all that Senator Schumer says and I hope that somewhere under his greed, Mr. Rupert Murdoch has at least a shred of a conscience.  Murdoch and his Fox network are complicit in the murders of 10 people last weekend in Buffalo, New York, as well as countless others in recent years.  Free speech is one thing, but when it is not accompanied by responsibility and accountability, it can destroy lives, destroy a nation.

Dear Mr. Rupert Murdoch et al.:

I write to urge you to immediately cease the reckless amplification of the so-called “Great Replacement” theory on your network’s broadcasts.  Proponents of this white nationalist, far-right conspiracy theory believe that a complicit or cooperative class of elites are advancing a plot designed to undermine the political power and culture of white Americans.  For years, these types of beliefs have existed at the fringes of American life.  However, this pernicious theory, which has no basis in fact, has been injected into the mainstream thanks in large part to a dangerous level of amplification by your network and its anchors.

A recent AP poll found that nearly one third of American adults believe that a group of people is trying to replace native-born Americans with immigrants for electoral gains.  That same poll found that your viewers are nearly three times more likely to believe in Replacement Theory than other networks.  This should come as no surprise, given the central role these themes have played in your network’s programming in recent years.  A recent New York Times investigation found that Tucker Carlson alone amplified this dangerous and unfounded theory in more than 400 episodes of his show.

I urge you to take into consideration the very real impacts of the dangerous rhetoric being broadcast on your network on a nightly basis.  In 2018, a white man who killed 11 worshipers in a Pittsburgh synagogue blamed Jews for allowing immigrant “invaders” into the United States.  In 2019, a white man who expressed anger over “the Hispanic invasion of Texas” killed 23 people at an El Paso Walmart and later told the police he had sought to kill Mexicans.  And just days ago in Buffalo, a white man killed 10 people in a supermarket on the city’s predominantly Black east side.  In a manifesto posted online, the individual responsible for this heinous murder wrote that the shoppers there came from a culture that sought to “ethnically replace my own people.”

These incidents alone, to say nothing of the many more which have occurred in recent years, have led to dozens of lives being lost and countless others irreversibly impacted.  The devastation and despair that families and communities feel in the wake of these incidents cannot be overstated.  For instance, my constituents in east Buffalo who will be forced to relive this tragic event every single time they visit the supermarket for a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk.  It is on their behalf, and on behalf of the residents in communities in Pittsburgh, El Paso, and cities around the country who bear the consequences of this hateful ideology that I write you.

While it was good to see the Wall Street Journal Editorial board write that “Politicians and media figures have an obligation to condemn … such conspiratorial notions as ‘white replacement theory’”, words of condemnation are hardly enough.  To this end, I implore you to immediately cease all dissemination of false white nationalist, far-right conspiracy theories on your network.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

United States Senator

CC: Tucker Carlson

45 thoughts on “A Plea For Responsibility”

    • Like you, I applaud Senator Schumer’s efforts, but seriously doubt ol’ Rupert will do much more than laugh and say, “As if …” Murdoch cares about one thing … money. And ratings are the path to money, and lies seem to be the path to ratings. I no longer understand the human mind. I did check out your post … excellent!

      Like

      • What does it tell you about a country when the most watched news is Fox and the most watched show is Tucker Carlson…and the most listened to radio show was Limbaugh? We are a greedy racist uneducated overly religious country and it will be our undoing.

        Liked by 2 people

        • It tells me that our education system has failed miserably. It also tells me that there should, in fact, be some limits on freedom of speech, such as network television should be held accountable for airing facts, not conspiracy theories. But, try suggesting that one!

          Liked by 1 person

            • Exactly! They crave money just as a drug addict craves morphine. Not that they need any, for they already have more than they could possibly spend in 15 lifetimes, but simply for the sake of ownership. Meanwhile, children went to bed hungry tonight, people are losing their homes because they can’t make their mortgage payment, and people are dying because they cannot afford medical care and medicine. Sigh.

              Liked by 1 person

  3. I doubt this letter will do any good, but it’s a nice gesture. BTW, back when I worked for a state assemblyman, I had the pleasure of meeting Senator Schumer. He has to be one of the most charming men I have ever met. Smooth as silk.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Like you, I doubt it will do any good, and in fact ol’ Rupert Murdoch will probably just laugh. But, it is good to see at least some of our elected officials displaying their conscience. Lucky you! I’ve never met Senator Schumer, but from what I see and read of him, I’ve gotten the impression he is truly a good man, one of conscience.

      Like

  4. Unfortunately I believe the Murdoch empire has bought into some conspiracy theories and so long as those narratives are profitable, it will continue to exploit them. Perhaps Murdoch himself believes some of them?. He did attempt to make a foothold in Aotearoa, but thankfully it was not successful. If I recall correctly, the NZ business was eventually sold for $1.00 (US$0.70).

    Liked by 1 person

    • Sometimes I think the Murdoch empire has created at least part of the conspiracy theories. You guys had good sense to tell him he wasn’t welcome there … I wish people here would do the same.

      Like

  5. People like Murdock and Elon Musk and the like are so dangerous to the world. It was nice to see Senator Schumer call them out and recognize publicly the mayhem that racism is causing.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Pingback: A PLEA FOR RESPONSIBILITY. |jilldennison.com | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal

  9. I’m not a lawyer, so I don’t know how this would work out. But I do think that some of the survivors and relatives of those killed should consider a law suit for damages against FOX and against Tucker Carlson.

    Liked by 7 people

    • I’m not a lawyer either, but I think there would be a reasonable chance that a civil suit atainst Fox, Murdoch, and Carlson would be able to succeed. It would be a matter of providing proof that the shooter was radicalized or indoctrinated, driven to do what he did as a result of something provable that Carlson said. Shouldn’t be that hard to do, especially since he wrote a ‘manifesto’ detailing the why, what, where, how of what he was planning.

      Liked by 3 people

    • The book ‘The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder’ written by the late Vincent Bugliosi went into American law in some detail as to who can be found complicit / culpable in acts of criminal killing.
      Whereas some might argue this went a step too far in Bush’s case, there would likely be sufficient information to be used to unsettle the likes of Carlson, Bannon, tRump, Cruz, Taylor-Greene and Murdoch to name but a few and take some money out of their pockets for legal fees.
      (Incidentally Bugliosi was not fan of conspiracies and his book ‘Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy’ was a scathing attack and dissection of the Conspiracy Industry around that event. In fact in his conclusion he warned against such things as Qanon and Replacement Theory taking place resulting from this ‘conspiracy’ and those around 9/11 being ingrained into the US political and social consciousness)

      Liked by 2 people

      • I hadn’t heard of that book, Roger, but ‘twould be an interesting read. I don’t know the answers, but I do know that Carlson, Bannon, and the others named and unnamed MUST somehow be held accountable for their words. Words have consequences and in this case, the consequences have been death and are likely to continue racking up more deaths. I may read Bugliosi’s “Reclaiming History …” … might learn something! The 9/11 conspiracy theories thoroughly disgust me, having lost a family member in that horrific tragedy. And Sandy Hook … Alex Jones should have been drawn and quartered for his theory that further shattered already heartbroken parents. Where do we draw the line, where do we make them pay a price?

        Liked by 2 people

        • Alex Jones is a trigger name for me, so we shall not discuss that piece of walking filth.
          ‘Reclaiming History’ is a good read. Then there was his astute move o writing a book for the prosecution of George Bush jnr. Thus confusing any conspiracy hack who would try and claim he was a ‘shill’ or whatever.
          Sorry to read you lost someone too Jill. Those fools who ran with the 9/11 nonsense played their part in making it possible for tRump.

          Liked by 2 people

        • I think Esper’s new book speaks to just how evil and horrific Stephen Miller is…but he is a behind the scenes guy…kinda like Joseph Mengele.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Have you read Esper’s book? I would like to, but I have a problem paying royalties to someone who is now coming out, telling us what happened, when he was once in a position to have spoken out and perhaps done some good, some damage control so to speak. Still, I might buy it. I think Stephen Miller showed us all exactly what he was from day #1 … a Nazi. He was largely responsible for much of the former guy’s horrific abuse of immigrant children. He’s a hateful, evil man. Sigh. Seems there are lots of them around these days, doesn’t it?

            Liked by 1 person

            • No I haven’t read it..just saw some of what’s in it on some newsletters I get…
              I know what you mean…they all come to Jesus too late. Ha!
              He also said Barr really tried to prevent some of the extreme things trump wanted to do like drop a bomb on Mexico because no one would know they did it.

              Liked by 1 person

              • I don’t doubt that Barr did try to rein in the most extreme of Trump’s ideas, but again, he could have spoken up then, could have gone to the media or to Congress. Sure, he’d have lost his job, but so what? He might have saved this nation tons of grief, AND he might have saved some portion of the well over 1 million lives that were lost due to Trump’s denial of Covid. Because men like Barr and Esper chose to remain silent, Trump is still on the loose, running free to continue his grip on the GOP, and threatening to run for office again in 2024. Sigh.

                Liked by 1 person

  10. Pingback: A Plea For Responsibility | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

Comments are closed.