Foxocracy
Inside the Network's Playbook of Tribal Warfare
Published on 29. October 2019
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-63576-661-5 (ISBN)
Description
From a 14-year Fox News contributor, guest anchor, and two-time New York Times bestselling author comes an unprecedented insider's account of the Fox News playbook--the production secrets and manipulation strategies Fox News uses to influence viewers, divide families, weaponize the daily discourse of news and public opinion, and addict a core audience on right-wing rage and fear.
Fox News did not start America's culture war--but they did have the manipulative and destructive genius to exploit it for billions of dollars. For the first time, a Fox News veteran exposes and diagrams the toxic strategies and tactics within the Fox News playbook that liberal and progressive candidates will be fighting against in 2020 and beyond. It is the very same playbook that Fox News used to move twelve percent of Independents to vote for Donald Trump in 2016 to produce Republican wins in the previous Democrat strongholds of Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Author Tobin Smith takes readers behind the scenes of the actual production of the "fair and balanced" opinion panel segments that feed a ravenous audience. How are these productions rigged so that right-wing pundits always win? What techniques does Fox News use in manipulating its viewers' tribal instincts: to addict them; to activate a hatred toward partisan enemies; and to hook them on ego-gratifying feelings of intellectual and cultural superiority?
Foxocracy is filled with never-revealed conversations with Fox News executives--including the late Roger Ailes--and opinion programming producers. It breaks down the real and often heartbreaking collateral damage among friends and family caused by the waging of an endless culture war. And it brings incendiary proof from an insider and on-air talent of Fox News's predatory audience manipulation psychology and production tactics. And perhaps even more frightening, this book reveals how that playbook is now being insidiously upgraded for maximum effect--white tribal-identity activation--on all forms of social media and means of content delivery.
Fox News did not start America's culture war--but they did have the manipulative and destructive genius to exploit it for billions of dollars. For the first time, a Fox News veteran exposes and diagrams the toxic strategies and tactics within the Fox News playbook that liberal and progressive candidates will be fighting against in 2020 and beyond. It is the very same playbook that Fox News used to move twelve percent of Independents to vote for Donald Trump in 2016 to produce Republican wins in the previous Democrat strongholds of Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Author Tobin Smith takes readers behind the scenes of the actual production of the "fair and balanced" opinion panel segments that feed a ravenous audience. How are these productions rigged so that right-wing pundits always win? What techniques does Fox News use in manipulating its viewers' tribal instincts: to addict them; to activate a hatred toward partisan enemies; and to hook them on ego-gratifying feelings of intellectual and cultural superiority?
Foxocracy is filled with never-revealed conversations with Fox News executives--including the late Roger Ailes--and opinion programming producers. It breaks down the real and often heartbreaking collateral damage among friends and family caused by the waging of an endless culture war. And it brings incendiary proof from an insider and on-air talent of Fox News's predatory audience manipulation psychology and production tactics. And perhaps even more frightening, this book reveals how that playbook is now being insidiously upgraded for maximum effect--white tribal-identity activation--on all forms of social media and means of content delivery.
Reviews / Votes
"Eye-opening...An erstwhile insider's broadside against Fox News...Revealing."-Kirkus Reviews"Pulls back all the blinds hiding the true nature of Fox News...Should be on the bedside of every American voter."-National Compass
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
With printed dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
476 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-63576-661-5 (9781635766615)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
12/2024
Diversion Books
€18.18
Available for download
Person
Tobin Smith appeared in more than 2,000 opinion panel segments on Fox News during his tenure as a paid Fox News Channel Contributor and Guest Anchor. Contractually obligated to be at Fox News' New York City studios at least 48 weeks a year, he was the only fulltime right-wing panelist always in the New York City studios, constantly asked by segment producers to play the role of the "hitman"-or the panel member counted on to make the final right wing argument for the right wing audience at home. He also guest hosted more than sixty episodes of Fox News and Fox Business Network programming from 2000-2013. While working with producers inside Fox News in New York City and socializing with Fox News staff at favorite watering holes after work, he learned never-before revealed strategies used to rig the outcomes of FNC opinion debate segments. Smith is also a New York Times bestselling author whose books include ChangeWave Investing 2.0 and Billion Dollar Green.