TheBlaze

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TheBlaze is ~~the nation's hottest spot for arson tips~~ a television, radio, and Internet portal founded by Glenn Beck. The website describes itself as a "news, information, and opinion site"[1] whose agenda is to "post, report and analyze stories of interest on a wide range of topics from politics and culture to faith and family." TheBlaze also has a television network available on cable, satellite, and online streaming that features Beck's radio and television shows as well as other libertarian and conservative personalities. TheBlaze Radio Network, which carries Beck's radio show and others, is available on satellite radio and streaming.

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Sections

TheBlaze.com contains five sections titled, "The Stories," "Business," "Faith," "Technology," and "The Blog"

The Stories

"The Stories" section covers U.S. political events, current events in the U.S. and world, and some human interest stories. Headlines often use clickbait style of headline writing and appear to be more from a tabloid than a news site.

Often, this section highlights stories (both political and human interest) that target a white, Christian, conservative audience with a huge persecution complex. Expect plenty of "black on white crime" and "school punishes student for prayer" type of stories. Don't forget about those eeeeeeeeeeeeevul Moozlims![2][3]

TheBlaze publicized a story about a Virginia mother who accused her daughter's special education teacher of assaulting said daughter "during a lesson involving a Muslim 'hand sign.'"[4]

Inflammatory content has been published as well, including groundless implications that Trayvon Martin might have committed arson.[5]

Business

The Business section is more on track than The Stories in that they actually have to do with business rather than people's personal lives. Some outliers still exist however such as "Top 10 Best Paying Jobs You Can Get Without a College Degree[6]" and "America, Get Ready for Guinness Beer‘s New ’Guinness Black Lager’.[7]

Faith

The faith section of the site has what you would expect from a conservative media outlet, with a small amount of articles that criticize the Christian religion. Many articles as well as participants in the comment section tend to focus on bashing atheists and anyone who isn't a Christian fundamentalist. What a big surprise. Moderate amounts of politics are also blended in with the articles, mostly with regards to the 2012 presidential election candidates.

SpongeBob Scheme

In July of 2011, a mini episode of SpongeBob SquarePants was released, specifically to be shown as part of a United States school program about global warming and what kids can do to help. A Dora the Explorer cartoon was issued at the same time, for the same program. The cartoons promoted such radical ideas such as riding bikes and walking instead of driving, and using fluorescent light bulbs with the additional crime of failing to mention climate change conspiracies and other bullshit. There was an effort by the Department of Education to promote a reading program that involved distributing books including a SpongeBob SquarePants book on educating children on human-caused climate change. In August 11, long after the episodes aired and children enjoyed them, Glenn Beck and other right-wing grown-ups collectively shat their diapers and decided that the US Government and Obama himself were turning into Satan and convincing our children to change light bulbs so that they didn't have "free choice".[8] There is nothing controversial about discussing human-caused climate change to children, as it's a topic brought up countless times including in The Magic School Bus, National Geographic Kids, Doc McStuffins, and more. In fact, there's far more legitimate criticism that kids' science shows do not mention climate change enough.[9]

Pocketin' the suckers' money

In 2015, TheBlaze attracted national attention for raising over $140,000 for an Indiana pizza restaurant owner who publicly pledged not to serve gay couples, following the passage of Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act,^{File:Wikipedia's W.svg} a law frequently accused of facilitating discrimination by businesses against LGBT people.[10]

Decline

Starting in 2016, some in the media (i.e. mainly The Daily Beast) have taken notice that TheBlaze just isn't the online conservative media star it was when it came out, and has become ever more irrelevant.

And it shows. Beck has been consumed with his own greatness and paranoia, while at the same time his website has received ever fewer views (from 21.5 million unique visitors in 2014 to 8 million in 2017[11]), and at the same time spending ever more money on new toys such as an Oval Office mockup and ever more expensive vintage microphones.[12] The abrupt departure of longtime Beck confidants Chris Balfe and Joel Cheatwood in 2014, who had made Beck and TheBlaze into a success, plus the appearance of self-described "superfan" Jonathan Schreiber, who was given CEOship of parent company Mercury Radio Arts, made things even worse, as Schreiber made the company's environment toxic while at the same time Beck became more and more distant.[12]

In 2016 Beck laid off 40 people due to a multimillion dollar loan the company couldn't afford, blaming the loss of money on him campaigning for Ted Cruz, thus the audiences for his radio show (which brought ad money) declining, while at the same time hiring a head for its New York operation which at the same time ceased to exist, as well as buying an expensive $200,000 sedan.[13]

At this point, he started turning to the "mainstream", "liberal" media outlets in an ultimately failed attempt to reach to left-wing audiences. This is when he, for instance, gave his support to Black Lives Matter,[14] the Cli ntons and the Obamas.[15]

Then in 2017, Beck fired even more people — at first announced to be 20% of his then current staff,[16] it turned out to be 30% (or 60 people), including George Szucs Jr. (Dana Loesch's producer), Steve "Stu" Burguiere of "The Wonderful World of Stu" and "Pat & Stu", Pat Gray of the latter, and Mike Opelka of "Pure Opelka".[17]

Another problem was the ever increasing competition: there are more and more streaming services and conservative media outlets.[18]

Beck has been described by former employee Eddie Scarry, who was fired for reporting on a congressman who was friends with Beck, as "professionally bipolar" while also stating he was "not surprised his commitment to the site as a legitimate news operation didn't last".[19]

Another employee described the excitement of the earlier days as being substituted by a hell where "overpaid executives took advantage of younger writers while ignoring all advice given to them about how to reinvigorate the company".[19]

Yet another employee described TheBlaze as not a lean organization, which was unfit for Beck's ever changing view of the company, while a fourth one described Beck's view as "vague".[19]

Beck himself blames being a Never Trumper who supported Cruz as the reason for his downfall.[20] This actually seems to pan out: the last time TheBlaze got any attention was for firing Tomi Lahren, who supported Trump, for her pro-choice comments.[21][22] This ended up costing them, as she sued for wrongful termination[23] and ended up with them settling for her peeling her Facebook page but deleting any videos she made for TheBlaze.[24] Let's face it: Trump is now the Republican Party base, not the Tea Party which originally popularized Beck.

External links

References

This article is issued from Rationalwiki. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] ttp://www.theblaze.com/about/

[2] Glenn Beck's "The Blaze" offers Glenn Beck's thoughts on the news (brought to you by Glenn Beck) regarding a story "MUSLIM ACTIVIST CALLS FOR "BURN THE STARS AND STRIPES DAY"]

[3] Why Is The Media Taking These ISIS World Domination Maps So Seriously?

[4] Mom says teacher hurt child during Islamic lesson

[5] The Blaze: Do We Know Trayvon Martin Wasn't An Arsonist Kidnapper?

[6] ttp://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-10-best-paying-jobs-you-can-get-with-a-high-school-degree/

[7] ttp://www.theblaze.com/stories/america-get-ready-for-guinness-beers-new-guineness-black-lager/

[8] Fong, J.; Fitzsimmons, J. (August 3, 2011). "SpongeBob SquarePants Makes An Enemy". Media Matters. Retrieved May 30, 2020.

[9] Moyer, M. (February 6, 2017). "Kids’ TV Is Ignoring Climate Change". Slate. Retrieved May 30, 2020.

[10] TheBlaze Raises $140k For Indiana Pizza Shop Refusing To Cater Gay Weddings

[11] "Will Tomi Lahren's Apparent Firing from TheBlaze Burn Glenn Beck's Brand?"

[tdbburn-12] Why Glenn Beck’s Media Empire Is Burning Down

[13] 40 Layoffs as Glenn Beck’s Blaze Empire Continues Its Decline and Fall

[14] Why is Glenn Beck Sucking Up to the Mainstream Media?

[15] Glenn Beck’s unbelievable Donald Trump-inspired conversion: Barack Obama has “made me a better man”

[16] Glenn Beck’s The Blaze lays off dozens of employees

[17] After Mass Layoffs, Can Glenn Beck Still Save ‘The Blaze’?

[18] Glenn Beck’s Blaze cuts 20% of staff as competition rises

[DC-19] Glenn Beck’s Media Empire Implodes With Layoffs, Ex-Employee Calls Him ‘Professionally Bipolar’

[20] Glenn Beck On Losing Listeners Over His Anti-Trump Stance: ‘I Don’t Care’

[21] Commentator Tomi Lahren suspended from 'The Blaze'

[22] "Tomi Lahren ‘banned permanently’ from The Blaze"

[23] "Tomi Lahren sues Glenn Beck and The Blaze for wrongful termination"

[24] "Tomi Lahren settles lawsuit with Glenn Beck, the Blaze, ending abortion comment dust-up"