The tectonic political shifts in America and the world, more than ever, require an informed, curious and critically thinking citizenry. The economy, our national security, the stability of our democracy and equal rights are at stake. However, when you consider that more Americans than ever are relying on Fox News for information, it will come as no surprise that intellectual honesty is becoming a quaint relic of the past.

Many Americans who voted for President-elect Donald Trump can’t believe that anyone in their right mind would vote for Kamala Harris, and this feeling was stoked by the former president’s calling her and all other Democrats “dangerous people” and “lunatics,” that our country was doomed if she was elected.

Further, and perhaps more critically, Harris was portrayed on Fox News in headlines like these: “Kamala rallies across the country repeating the same speech in different accents.” Search on Fox News for a straight story about Kamala Harris; you won’t find one. In 2021, The Washington Post and the University of Maryland conducted a study to see where people got their news about politics and government. Among Democrats, the sources were varied and included CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, The New York Times and The Washington Post. For Republicans, there were primarily only two – local news channels and Fox News.

More importantly, the study also found that the network actively filtered what it chose to show its viewers. During the study period, CNN had extensive coverage on the coronavirus and Trump’s failure on limiting the spread of the virus, resulting in unnecessary suffering and death. On Fox News, however, coverage primarily centered on the left’s “extreme racial ideology,” with little reporting on the pandemic.

Before the election, 741 high-ranking national security officials from both parties issued a statement endorsing Harris. The letter stated, “This election is a choice between serious leadership and vengeful impulsiveness. It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals, while former President Donald Trump endangers them.” But the headline on Fox News? “National security chiefs on letter backing Kamala Harris include many who signed infamous Hunter Biden doc.”

I was born and raised in southern Mississippi and know the culture. When you travel through the South, every gas station, mom-and-pop café and gym is playing Fox News. Every hotel lobby is playing either sports or Fox News. But the people who watch Fox News never heard how Donald Trump proclaimed at a meeting of the United Nations that his administration had accomplished more than any other. And the reaction? The world leaders laughed. “Didn’t expect that reaction,” Trump said at the time. Fox News coverage? “European officials dismiss claim world leaders ‘are laughing’ at Trump, praise his ‘strong message.’”

Last week, President-elect Trump said he would impose hefty tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, countries that collectively purchased more than $1 trillion of U.S. exports in 2023, unless drugs and migrants are stopped from entering our country. (This, even though the majority of fentanyl brought into the U.S. is brought in by U.S. citizens.) The headline on Fox News? “Trump says Mexico will stop flow of migrants after speaking with Mexican president following tariff threats.” Yeah, right.

People of all political stripes bemoan the fact that the country is so divided, that you can’t have a civil conversation about the issues of the day. But is it any wonder when almost half the country is tuned in almost exclusively to a “news” station that filters its reporting, shades the truth, and whose commentators tell outright lies to its viewing public (see the $787 million judgment for Dominion Voting Systems).

Half the country and most of the world are horrified that we’ve elected a convicted criminal and sex offender who is devoid of a moral compass. What’s the explanation? You can lay it at the feet of Fox News.