You’ve Been Had, You’ve Been Bamboozled

By A. Govea • alberto@holatexas.us

Some folks have been taken for a ride—and the problem is that misinformation spreads like the flu or the common cold: fast, wide, and without mercy.

I wrote in an earlier article that ever since former President Ronald Reagan helped Rupert Murdoch eliminate the pesky Fairness Doctrine, Fox News found a ripe audience—especially among older White viewers—ready to be mined. Murdoch learned early that aligning himself with the Republican Party and Big Business would benefit both his empire and the policies that made the rich even richer. Many were convinced that the wealth would eventually “trickle down” to them, the old promise of trickle‑down economics.

Fox News began feeding its viewers a steady diet of “They’re trying to replace us,” and “They aren’t real Americans like us.” Fear, anger, and a big slice of us versus them became the daily special. They took general news stories and gave them a Fox spin tailored to their audience. And when the person delivering the message looks like a credible news host—someone who seems like “one of us”—viewers believe them, whether the information is real or not. What matters is that you’re hooked.

By the 2000s, conservative media outlets like Breitbart and other Fox‑like online platforms took hold. On social media, one click on a topic opens the floodgates to more of the same. Pretty soon, people weren’t just listening; they were being consumed by it. They were told that doing so made them “True Patriot Americans.” Then came OANN (One America News Network), which was even more aggressive in its messaging.

Published reports show that the Tea Party was the first organized Republican group to use this media ecosystem to mobilize supporters. They urged followers not to trust NBC, CBS, ABC, or any mainstream outlet, labeling them “liberal media.” The Tea Party, named after the 1773 Boston Tea Party protest, rallied against national debt, federal deficits, and government bailouts. They embraced Reagan‑era neoliberalism—lower taxes and fewer business regulations—and were at the forefront of opposition to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

They championed Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and other conservative talking heads. Soon, these online personalities began shaping political agendas and actual policy. Fast‑forward to 2026, and we now have former Fox on‑air personalities inside the Trump administration. It feels like we’ve come full circle to “the tail wagging the dog.” Examples include Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense (or “Secretary of War,” as they label it) and Dan Bongino as FBI Deputy Director. There are others, but you get the point.

It’s no wonder that many savvy Republican politicians shape their positions based on what these talking heads say on air. They know the us versus them rhetoric works—it drives voter turnout.

Now, if you identify with Fox viewers, you might ask: “What about liberals and MSNBC?” From personal experience, I can honestly say I have never heard them spew outright hate or promote violence against the other party. Yes, they have a different take than Fox News, pero I do not believe they are outright lying the way Fox has been accused of doing—and in fact, have had to settle lawsuits on several occasions because of untruths.

All that said, if you let a person or network tell you what to think—as Rush Limbaugh famously said, “Don’t worry about thinking, I’ll tell you what to think”—you’re giving away your power. I urge people to look at the policies being advocated by elected officials or candidates, rather than what the entertainer on cable news tells you.

At Hola Texas, we do our best to ensure we do not provide false information. Pero in today’s media climate, where social media often mixes with news, you want to be extra sure. That’s why we published a full list of fact‑checking sites in our September print edition, also available online. Anyone can use them to verify political claims or any news item that seems sketchy.

The old saying still applies: Buyer Beware.