Fox's revealing Oscar coverage: Parental guidance suggested

Summary: During various news reports covering the 78th annual Academy Awards, Fox News Channel removed the on-screen text that normally appears at the bottom of the screen -- offering unobstructed views of female Fox News correspondents and commentators in revealing attire.

During various news reports covering the 78th annual Academy Awards, Fox News Channel removed the on-screen text that normally appears at the bottom of the screen -- offering unobstructed views of female Fox News correspondents and commentators in revealing attire.

The 10 a.m. ET March 5 edition of Fox News Live featured a report from Fox News entertainment correspondent Bill McCuddy from outside the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, where the Academy Awards ceremony was held. For the entirety of McCuddy's report, the on-screen text remained up, even when the camera panned away from McCuddy to people in the crowd behind him:

Later in the day, during the 4 p.m. edition of Fox News Live, Fox News entertainment correspondent Lisa Bernhard filed a report -- also from the Kodak Theater -- in a revealing black dress. Unlike McCuddy's report, Bernhard's report featured no text or graphics at the bottom of the screen, but instead featured text in the upper left corner:

During the report, however, Fox News aired footage from the film Brokeback Mountain, at which point the familiar Fox News on-screen text and graphics reappeared, announcing the theme of Bernhard's report: "Hollywood walks on the darker side":

When the shot shifted back to Bernhard, the text and graphics once again disappeared:

At the end of Bernhard's report, anchors Gregg Jarrett and Jamie Colby commented:

JARRETT: And you get the award for best-dressed.

COLBY: And if you'll notice, Gregg, she has that hand-held mic. Lisa, I think her sound guy was afraid to mic her in that dress.

JARRETT: (laughter)

COLBY: Looking good, Lis!

JARRET: Have a great time!

BERNHARD: It's a little tight. Thank you.

Fox News then aired a report on the film Paradise Now, a Palestinian movie nominated for best foreign film that drew protests for allegedly "glorif[ying] Palestinian suicide bombers." On to discuss the film were US Weekly style director Katrina Szish -- in a low-cut dress-- and Townhall.com movie critic Megan Basham -- not in a low-cut dress.

When the camera cut to Szish, the on-screen text and graphics remained up for 16 seconds, then disappeared:

When the camera cut to Basham, the text and graphics reappeared and remained for the entire minute Basham occupied the screen.

However, once again, when the camera cut to Szish, the text and graphics were on-screen for 11 seconds, disappeared for the remaining 22 seconds she was alone on-screen, and once again reappeared when the camera shifted off her. When the camera again cut to Basham, the text and graphics remained on-screen. At the end of the segment, Colby commented: "Megan Basham and Katrina Szish, who I think Gregg will agree gets the second-place award for the most beautiful dress."

Media Matters for America previously documented numerous instances in which Fox News aired photographs and videos of scantily-clad women, and blurred images of nude women.

—S.S.M.