Media Upheaval

Everyone has been given a mouth for the purpose of speaking, and God's intent is for us to be good stewards of the gift of words. Ephesians 4 relates to us:
28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

We are called to speak truth, to be people who others can trust - we are not to "steal" in a sense, God's intent for our mouths and use it for purposes that are not consistent with God's truth.  We are not to take anything for His glory and give glory to another. Our tongues can bless or curse, James writes, and we can be careful to use the incredible gift of speech to magnify the Lord our God, and consider ways in which we can accurately and passionately communicate the words of God. 

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We have to be so careful in what and how we communicate - we must be grounded in truth and conscious of how we are using the tools God has given us in order to relate what He has commanded. 2 Timothy 2 says:
16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.
17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,
18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.
19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

He was able to record at least a portion of his live show in order to attend a 50th anniversary gala put on by the organization that had hired him to be a fact-checker over 30 years ago in Washington. 

From the beginning it did not seem to be your average think-tank speech but a call to evaluate the state of things in America - and to pray. According to The Daily Signal, after the opening prayer, he said, "that invocation for some reason, that really got me." He added:

It reminded me that I don’t pray enough for the country, and I should, but the answer is to include the country in your prayers, and thank you for reminding us.

What followed was a speech that defined our current condition in our nation not in terms of politics, but of good and evil. The event was the Heritage Foundation's 50th Anniversary Gala.  The speaker was...Tucker Carlson, formerly of Fox News. The Daily Signal reported that:

Now, the Fox News host said, those on the side of goodness must assess and challenge phenomena such as the transgender and pro-abortion movements—and the old mindset won’t work.

Arguing that abortion is a positive good is actually promoting “child sacrifice,” Carlson said, to resounding applause from the audience of about 2,000.

“The weight of the government and a lot of corporate interests are behind transgenderism,” he added. “None of this makes sense in conventional political terms.”

When he looks around, Carlson said, he sees people under the pressure of the present moment. His fellow Americans are saying things they don’t believe and can’t define to avoid cancellation due to humanity’s herd instinct, he said.

That was last Friday.  Monday morning, it was announced that Tucker's last show, aired the same night he delivered the message was the Friday show.  Fox put it in terms of the two parties parting ways.  There has been plenty of speculation, but the Carlson departure was one instance of an unprecedented upheaval in media. 

Certainly, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez must be happy.  According to Newsbusters, she had gone on former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki's new MSNBC show to blast Carlson and call for his silence.  The article noted that Psaki...

...allowed her to claim without evidence that Fox News host Tucker Carlson and "other folks on Fox" are guilty of "incitement of violence." This unsubstantiated claim came after she advocated for the federal government to regulate what can be said on Fox News. Neither claim was given any push back or request for clarification from Psaki.

AOC said that, "I believe that when it comes to broadcast television, like Fox News, these are subject to federal law, federal regulation in terms of what's allowed on air and what isn't."  Well, regarding broadcast television, Fox...isn't.  And, the FCC's regulatory power is far different for cable. But, don't let the facts stand in the way of the agenda.  

So many on the American left these days want to silence those with whom they don't agree, demonize them, isolate them, and call for the government to "do something" to reinforce their wishes.  And, these types also desire for the government to force, say, Christians to communicate a message that violates their deeply-held convictions; see also, cake baker Jack Phillips, florist Barronelle Stutzman, and graphic designer Lorie Smith, who currently has a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Whatever the reason, an important voice who has been sympathetic to Christianity has been silenced...temporarily, I am sure.  But, the departure of Carlson is just one example of media upheaval:

* The same day, CNN announced that Don Lemon, who was part of a trio of hosts on the network's morning show, had been fired.  This comes in the aftermath of tension on the set between Lemon and his two co-hosts.

* Variety reported on Sunday that "Jeff Shell is stepping down as CEO of NBCUniversal following a misconduct investigation, which found he had an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman in the company."  Interesting, isn't it?  An entertainment company that showcases inappropriate relationships in its programming sacks the executive for doing a similar thing. 

* The same publication, Variety, also reported on Monday that, "In a months-long goal to reach 7,000 job cuts total, Disney will begin its second round of layoffs of the year today. The notifications will be handed out to staff through Thursday, concluding with approximately 4,000 job eliminations completed overall by week’s end, according to company officials."

* And, it seems like Elon Musk and Twitter are always making news.  Back to Variety: it reports that last week the social media platform "revoked legacy verified blue check-marks for thousands of accounts -- as part of requiring users to pay for Twitter Blue -- although some high-profile users still had the badges following the purge."  Musk has said he's personally paying for certain users who had complained.  The platform also has announced new requirements for those who desire to place ads on it. 

The media landscape is rapidly changing.  The old model of broadcast television and hand-held newspapers being the purveyors of your daily view of the world is shifting.  Fortunately, as I pointed out in a recent Faith Radio Ministry Magazine, terrestrial radio still has a significant audience share.  Here's what I wrote last year:

Radio continues to be a "go-to" medium, with Pew Research stating last year: "In 2020, 83% of Americans ages 12 or older listened to terrestrial radio in a given week...according to Nielsen Media Research data published by the Radio Advertising Bureau.”

In the Christian space, a new study from Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research states that "91% of evangelical radio listeners use Christian radio." The numbers for Christian television are substantial, as well: "76% of evangelicals watch some Christian television content."

Radio continues to be free to listeners - of course, there are costs involved, and at Faith Radio, we are grateful for our devoted listeners who pray for us and continue to support us.  We desire to be a trusted source of Biblical truth, uplifting music, and information that can inspire and motivate us to apply the Scriptures to our lives. 

But, we have diversified in the way we deliver information.  You can hear Faith Radio through our website at FaithRadio.org and through the Faith Radio app.  When you hear an interview conducted by a Faith Radio host, you can find it on our website, our app, and a variety of podcast platforms - we send that content directly to six different services, but there are quite a few more that pick it up from there. We offer print content through our Ministry Magazine and have published our first book.  We are active on social media, featuring 8 Faith Radio channels over 4 different platforms, including YouTube, where you can watch video of guests from The Meeting House. 

When you hear a song on Faith Radio and you wish to obtain it, it is not a matter of going to a retailer and buying a record album - chances are that you will use a service such as Spotify or iTunes to acquire that music for yourself.  If you need more information on a song you hear, you can go to our website and see a list of recently played songs. When you hear a sermon on Faith Radio, it will likely be available digitally or as part of a physical CD or DVD set from our programmers. 

Wherever Tucker Carlson ends up, I would be convinced that he will not turn up in a traditional type of media - judging from the success of Blaze TV and its ideological perspective, that would be a potential landing place. I am sure that the Daily Wire would love to have Tucker as part of its lineup.  But, there are so many of these subscription services with the + sign in their name - the issue is, with all these "plus" services, all with subscription fees, will they eventually make it financially impractical to select your favorite services.  The ceiling may be pretty high, though - I will be honest, we have a bundle of cable and Internet, which once included landline and "long distance" phone services.  It would be simple to break it down and see how much one is paying for cable only, consider how many channels are watched on a regular basis, and then see if moving more toward streaming video would be a more economically efficient option. 

But, the fact is, there are plenty of place to which we can go to find information. We have to make sure that we are discerning in the sources that we allow to influence us.  We can also consider how we can leverage the multiplicity of ways to communicate what God has done in our lives.  Obviously one-on-one is effective, as we follow Christ's Great Commission to share the gospel.  We can also seek to be a Christian witness on our social media presence.  And, perhaps there are other ways through which God would use you - or perhaps your church or Christian organization - to relate the truth to a world that needs to hear our message.  How is God calling you to speak?