Bill Keller: Rupert Murdoch Has Made America More Cynical And Polarized

New York Times editor Bill Keller said he thinks Rupert Murdoch has made American discourse more "cynical," "polarized" and "strident" because of Fox News.

Keller made his comments during an interview with veteran journalist Marvin Kalb at the National Press Club in Washington on Monday:

I think the effect of Fox News on American public life has been to create a level of cynicism about the news in general. It has contributed to the sense that they are all just out there with a political agenda, but Fox is just more overt about it. And I think that's unhealthy. We have had a lot of talk since the Gabby Giffords attempted murder about civility in our national discourse, and I make no connection between the guy who shot those people in Tucson and the national discourse. But it is true that the national discourse is more polarized and strident than it has been in the past, and to some extent, I would lay that at the feet of Rupert Murdoch.

(h/t Politico)