Belief and Confusion: How Fox News Has Shaped US Policy

Rebecca Kuiters | United States Fellow

Image sourced from Jason Epping via Flickr.

In the United States (US), Fox News has become a de facto arm of the Republican Party, shaping policy through relentless coverage and selective outrage. Since Reagan’s repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, Fox News has unleashed right wing propaganda while representing it as factual news. Globally, this influence reverberates through policy decisions backed by misinformation and Murdoch-owned outlets that replicate the same tactics. 

The US therefore must reintroduce the Fairness Doctrine and re-implement fact checking protections throughout media platforms. Instead of being classified as a media organisation, Fox News should be widely recognised as part of the Republican propaganda machine. Furthermore, foreign countries like Australia should also be making efforts to flag and scrutinise targeted misinformation, particularly pertaining to Murdoch outlets.

Fox News Unleashed

Since the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, truth in American media has been up for sale, and Rupert Murdoch bought much of it. The Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to present balanced perspectives on controversial issues, protected the media landscape from opinion based ‘commentary news’. The repeal encouraged the commercialisation of American news by turning current affairs into entertainment. While all mainstream media outlets cover certain stories that they perceive to be relevant, Fox News uniquely waives factual or evidence-based reporting in favour of stories that are commercially popular. 

Much of the polarisation in modern America can be attributed to Fox cable news and their targeted exploitation of miseducation and perceived grievances. Those who exclusively watch Fox News have a distinctly distorted view of current and global affairs compared to Americans who watch other, or multiple, news sources. Fox News watchers are also far more likely to believe falsehoods about the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines, and domestic elections. Moreover, Fox News routinely broadcasts content without rigorous fact-checking, including misleading visuals such as pie charts exceeding 100 per cent and graphs that distort statistical reality.

Beyond the US, Murdoch’s influence in Australia is vast. Murdoch’s consolidation gives him disproportionate power to frame national debates and shape public sentiment in Australia. During the Voice referendum, Murdoch owned outlets (particularly Sky News) were repeatedly accused of stoking moral panic, using selective coverage and inflammatory headlines to undermine Indigenous led reform efforts.

These tactics are not accidental; they are designed to provoke emotional reactions and reinforce ideological loyalty by only providing half of the story. By providing targeted and strategic misinformation, Fox strives to keep their viewers ignorant. Without the Fairness Doctrine, and fact checking frameworks, the political environment in the US and beyond will continue to be flooded with divisive misinformation from Fox and their friends. 

Impact Abroad

Fox at home stoked outrage which helped legitimise foreign wars, distorted facts to promote isolationism, and promote staunch climate change denial. These distort and distract campaigns have directly influenced American foreign policy and domestic support for withdrawal of global initiatives. Regarding overall ideology, Fox News watchers overwhelmingly support isolationist foreign policy compared to those who don’t follow Fox. They also see immigration as the number one priority in their dealings with the global world, compared to non-Fox watchers who see climate action and protecting American jobs to be primary foreign policy issues. As seen from these examples, Fox has immense influence on what current US foreign policy is reflecting by purposefully distorting what the public sees. Without a regulatory framework, Fox is able to push stories that clearly provide narratives beneficial to the Republican party and face no repercussions for doing so. 

Beyond impact on American foreign policy, Fox’s tactics have been exported abroad through their overseas counterparts. Sky News Australia has adopted similar editorial strategies by platforming far-right commentators, amplifying culture war narratives and influencing conservative politics. Sky News Australia, much like its American counterpart, is also a major contributor to climate denialism championing a disproportionate share of misinformation on climate science. What looks like news is in fact commentary designed to inflame public discourse. In both contexts, the media is not reflecting public opinion but actively engineering it. 

Fairness Framework

The influence on public opinion is critical, and Fox and friends have mastered their own audience in this respect. Restoring a modernised Fairness Doctrine would reintroduce accountability, ensuring that diverse perspectives are represented and that public opinion is not dictated by a single partisan voice. Such a framework would temper extreme positions and broaden the scope of foreign policy debate. Without proper frameworks of checks and balances, inflammatory narratives will continue to thrive. When partisan outlets dominate without accountability, they distort public discourse and entrench ideological divisions. In both the US and Australia, the absence of mechanisms akin to the Fairness Doctrine have allowed these networks to operate as political instruments rather than public forums.

Australia, much like the US, lacks a framework that protects the media landscape from the Murdoch news machinery. It is critical to recognise that how the public is informed, and the information they consume, directly influences how they vote and what they support. When that information is doctored, or just plain false, it undermines our democracy as a whole. The US should reimplement the Fairness Doctrine and introduce fact checking clauses to ensure no outlet can publish false information without punishment. Australia should also follow this strategy. Without a framework ensuring media conglomerates are held accountable for their immense impact on the public, Fox will continue to elevate distorted stories and further exacerbate the political divide.

Rebecca Kuiters is the United States Fellow for Young Australians in International Affairs. Bec is currently completing her Honours in Psychology at the University of Queensland, with a research focus in social psychology and ethics. Raised across several countries, including Qatar and China, Bec spent most of her formative years in Houston, Texas.

This global upbringing sparked a strong interest in American politics and shaped a nuanced perspective on the United States' role in global affairs. Having grown up during a time of deep division and political polarisation, she brings a thoughtful, layered lens to conversations around American domestic and foreign policy.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Young Australians in International Affairs. All content is original, and no plagiarism has been used in the preparation of this article.