By Jeremiah Magan

Daily Titan Opinion Editor

The FOX News Channel has been the mouthpiece of the Republican Party for many years, spewing right-wing rhetoric that would make the most jaded liberal cringe at the inaccuracies and hypocrisy.

FOX has made a habit of anointing one of its on-air talents as the spiritual leader of the station.

Bill O’Reilly held the throne throughout the latest Bush administration, fighting off those who would speak out against the president and call them fools for having an opinion that was contrary to his own. O’Reilly’s most successful tactic included yelling at guests and cutting them off before they could make a point.

Since President Obama won the 2008 presidential election, FOX has started taking a different approach, possibly realizing that the abrasive demeanor of O’Reilly was going to scare people away.

FOX has opted to place its faith in Glenn Beck, a man who is deceptively personable and can show passion without showing anger. Beck is a dangerous character (which is what he is, a character); he speaks to the camera and pleads to the audience to heed his words. The scary part is, people actually do.

Beck also does a good job of making himself appear to be a regular person and, therefore, relatable to the common man, the “Joe the plumbers” of the world.

He takes a different approach than O’Reilly. Instead of bullying people into taking his side (because the person who yells the loudest is always right), Beck plays on the viewer’s emotions and fear of change. He will often look straight into the camera and begin to sob as he tells viewers that he too is scared of the changes going on in America. By crying on camera, Beck appears genuine when he speaks. It is a dangerously successful, deceptive tactic.

Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” has long been one of the only people to stand up and point out the hypocrisy and painfully obvious flaws in the logic of FOX’s anchors.

On August 16, 2009, “The Daily Show” ran a piece about Beck’s hemorrhoid surgery in January 2008 and his experience with the American health care system. Stewart aired a clip of Beck shortly after his recovery when he was still working for CNN, during which he decried the current health care system, calling it “a nightmare.”

Fast forward 16 months and Beck is now working for FOX when the health care debate is picking up steam in the U.S. When discussing the current health care system, Beck referred to it as “the best health care system in the world.” This is a far cry from what he believed to be the truth when he was on death’s doorstep due to a botched surgery.

His commitment to staying within the realm of truth and accuracy is probably best explained by his tagline, which he recites at the beginning of every broadcast, “I’m not a journalist, but I am a thinker.” Which translated means: “I don’t think things through.”

Beck is the greatest reminder that we should consider all sides of an argument before we can truly have an informed opinion on a topic. Actions and words based solely on emotions and fear can only lead to disaster.