It’s commonly believed that hatred pays a higher “psychological dividend” than peace, love and understanding. This debatable insight, which assumes the bleakest view of human nature, seems to be borne out by the success of Fox News.
The formula pioneered by Murdoch svengali, Roger Ailes, was to turn the news into an adversarial contest with all the partisanship of the Super Bowl and the entertainment value of the Jerry Springer Show.