14 August, 2013

Fox News vs. Reza Aslan

By now I'm sure the infamous debate that the inept Fox News reporter Loren Green created against Reza Aslan has been forwarded and viewed numerous times.  The more I view the so called interview, the more I question the qualifications on what it takes to be hired as a "journalist" for FOX News.  Based on my observations of the footage, the lone requirement to work for FOX in the capacity of a host is:

1) Modest and professional appearance with a hint of attractiveness.
2) 8th grade reading level for teleprompter abilities.
3) Voice/speech coaching to articulate words.
4) Transparency to show emotions.
 I also suppose that logic and common sense was NOT a requirement.

If you haven't seen the footage or know what I'm referring to now, simply goto YouTube and type keywords: "Resa Aslan, FOX, Loren Green" and the footage should pop up.   I only heard heresay about biased from FOX News over the last few years in the aftermath of the Obama election back in 2008, although I heard they were pretty biased on behalf of Former President Bush and The Iraq War 2.0.  What I saw was not even journalism.  I have never seen a reporter or interviewer look so ill-prepared for an assignment.  I mean it had all the appearance of a real-life Kelly Bundy auditioning for a newscaster position type of situation.

Reza Aslan was on FOX News to discuss the contents of his recently released Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth  Unfortunately, he ended up not discussing his book because Loren Green kept placing him in a position to defend his right to even write the book in the first place.

Based on Ms. Green's logic, as a person of Chinese descent, I will utilize her logic and declare from this day forward that all Sinologists who have no trace of Chinese ancestry whatsoever are not qualified to write any literature on China, Chinese, or Asia-related material.  

Sounds ridiculous?  Ludicrous?  I later learned that this was actually not an anomaly on FOX;  this was actually a common practice amongst other hosts and journalist on that network.  I don't know what's scarier: that such programming is the norm on national television or that a significant segment of the population would actually accept it at face value without any question and/or research.

And I haven't even discussed what the topic is in relation to this blog which is my discourse and reflection on spirituality and religion.  That's because the point of all this was to show and illustrate how a news interview can distract one from the core issue topic.

If you really want to know more about the content of the book, click on the above title link and order the book.  Heck as much reading as I do, I wouldn't mind reading it myself.  I just had a surge of energy after reading The Shack.  I highly recommend that book for those who were or still are angry at God, and/or those who question whether or not there is a God period.

 What's more disturbing about the situation is the fact that Loren Green is supposedly the "Religious Correspondent" of FOX News.  It's disturbing in the sense that after Dr Aslan listed his credential as a religious scholar, it went totally over her head and she promptly returned to her argument in questioning his qualifications for writing the book due to his personal faith.  I don't know what their qualifications are for a "Religious Correspondent," but I expect more than someone to simply regurgitate other peoples religious opinions.   

Otherwise Dr. Aslan has FOX and Ms. Green to thank because he ended up #1 in book sales after the interview.  Great job FOX.