At the end of last year, Clear Channel Entertainment revealed its decision to select FOX News as the main source of news programming for its 1,200 stations across the United States.

Now, I’m pretty sure the average human being is not capable of dreaming up of such an awful idea. Our simple, good-at-heart nature should rule out this possibility.

Only Satan himself could be responsible for such an evil pairing.

This is a double-whammy in terms of further devastating the American media. It’s bad enough that so few corporations control most of today’s media, but what’s worse is how one in particular, Rupert Murdoch’s FOX News, has expanded its reign of right-wing propaganda with such speed since its formation in 1996.

Sure, FOX News has been a success; but what’s scary about it is that its biggest accomplishment has been in misinforming a nation in a time when knowing the facts is (could’ve been?) crucial.

According to an October 2003 Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA)/Knowledge Networks poll, FOX News viewers are among the most misinformed of all network news watchers.

When asked the question, “Has the U.S. found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?, 11 percent of NPR-PBS viewers responded “Yes.” That’s unfortunate, because that answer is incorrect.

But compare that to the 33 percent of FOX News viewers who answered “Yes” to that question. And then feel your hands ball up into little fists at your sides …

Another poll, again taken by PIPA/Knowledge Networks, concluded that 16 percent of NPR-PBS viewers believed that the United States had found links between Iraq and al-Qaeda.

Compare that to the whopping 67 percent of Fox News fans who believed that statement was true (surprise! It’s not), and then please try to tell me that we don’t have a problem here. Please. Tell me.

FOX News prides itself on being “fair and balanced.” In reality, they are anything but. FOX is a network with a clear agenda — a clearly conservative agenda.

Let’s keep in mind that it was FOX News that was the first of the networks to declare George W. Bush as president following the 2000 election. Sure, the others followed suit shortly after, but it was FOX that was bold enough to be first to call it. They later issued apologies for jumping the gun, but the eagerness to make such a premature call in favor of the Republican candidate isn’t all too comforting.

And it’s FOX News which has consistently pitted well-known, powerful conservative pundits against virtually unknown, timid, pseudo-liberal commentators. (Don’t believe me? Rent “Outfoxed,” see for yourself).

It’s also been FOX News which has, in the span of four years, seen a 12 percent increase in the number of viewers who consider themselves “politically conservative.”

I don’t think that’s accidental.

And I don’t think it’s too ignorant of me to say FOX News is just bad.

And now Clear Channel is doubling the airwave presence of FOX News. Now, more than 100 of its stations will carry not only a nightly FOX News broadcast, but also five-minute hourly updates.

Thanks a lot, Clear Channel.

But the folks at Clear Channel are no saints, either.

Apart from stifling the artistic quality of music, Clear Channel’s most recent accomplishments include banning Dixie Chicks’ songs from some of its stations after lead singer Natalie Maines publicly criticized Bush, and firing several DJs for making anti-war statements on-air.

Additionally, Clear Channel sponsored pro-war rallies in major U.S. cities under the title “Rally for America”, yet meanwhile, refused to allow a non-profit, pro-peace organization to display messages on a Times Square billboard.

Clear Channel’s founder, R. Steven Hicks, raised over $100,000 for the Bush campaign. So while it is no surprise that this media organization, too, has a clear agenda, it is still disheartening, and overall, unacceptable.

Sure, we can laugh about what crappy luck it is that these two unabashedly conservative media conglomerations are joining forces to bring us more “fair and balanced” coverage alongside “quality music” such as Britney Spears. That’s almost comical, right?

But to be serious, this sort of conduct of the media is unethical, and this sort of journalism hardly constitutes as journalism at all.

Clear Channel has the capacity to reach over 100 million people across the globe every day. For Clear Channel to incorporate a news network which is nothing more than a 24/7 parade of partisanship into its daily programming, is just irresponsible.

E-mail comments to Megan at [email protected].