Media Matters releases video destroying network's defense of its straight news programming
Washington, D.C. - Today, after Fox News responded to White
House criticism with the demonstrably false defense that, unlike the network's
"editorial" programs, its "news" programs are straight and objective, Media Matters for America released a video
demonstrating that Fox News' dayside programming unquestionably echoes the
tones, themes, and content of its evening opinion programming. In fact, the
parallels are so clear that the network's daytime anchors often seem to be
taking direct marching orders from their colleagues like Glenn Beck and Sean
Hannity.
WATCH
VIDEO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRx5ethd8JU
BACKGROUND:
Fox News has responded to White House criticisms of
its network by claiming that while its "editorial" programs are
filled with "vibrant opinion," its news hours are straight and
objective. However, Fox News' purportedly straight news programs often echo
its "editorial" programs and feature smears, falsehoods, doctored and
deceptive editing, and GOP talking points. Examples
include:
- Hemmer advances smear that Jennings knew of "statutory rape"
and "never reported it." During the October 1 edition of America's Newsroom, co-host Bill Hemmer
joined his network's
smears against Department of Education official Kevin Jennings by claiming
that Jennings knew of a "statutory rape" case involving a student but
"never reported it." In fact, as Media
Matters has confirmed,
the student in question was of legal age of consent at the time he was
counseled by Jennings.
- Baier smears Jennings
as failing to report "sexual abuse." On October 1, host Bret
Baier joined Fox News' witch hunt against Jennings,
claiming that "Education Secretary Arne Duncan is standing behind his
so-called safe schools czar after revelations that Kevin Jennings did not
report a case of sexual abuse he encountered as a schoolteacher."
- Kelly on Sotomayor comment: "sounds to a lot of
people like reverse racism." On May 26, Megyn Kelly joined conservative
commentators such as Rush Limbaugh by stating that then-Supreme Court nominee
Sonia Sotomayor's "wise Latina"
remark "sounds to a lot of people like reverse racism, basically. Like
she's saying that Latina
judges are obviously better than white male judges, and that that's her
assumption, and people get worried about putting a person like that on the U.S.
Supreme Court." Kelly later added, "I've looked at the entire speech
that she was offering to see if that was taken out of context, and I have to
tell you ... it wasn't." In fact, Sotomayor was specifically discussing
the importance of diversity in adjudicating race and sex discrimination cases;
several conservative legal figures have made similar comments.
- America's Newsroom
promotes tea party organizing info on-air and online. America's Newsroom encouraged viewers to
get involved with April 15 "tea party" protests across the country,
which Fox News had described as primarily a response to President Obama's
fiscal policies. The program frequently hosted
tea party organizers and posted on-screen organizing information such as
protest dates and locations. America's
Newsroom also repeatedly directed viewers to its website, which featured
a list of tea party protests.
- America's Newsroom
promotes czar hysteria with ominous music. On September 7,
Kelly teased a segment on whether the so-called "mainstream media" was ignoring
"questionable backgrounds of some of the other 30-some-odd
czars" in the Obama administration while ominous music played in the
background.
- "Death book" distortions abound on Fox News Sunday. On the August
23 edition of Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace hosted former
Bush administration aide Jim Towey to discuss his Wall Street Journal op-ed, "The Death Book for
Veterans," and in doing so promoted numerous distortions about an
end-of-life educational booklet used by the Veterans Health Administration
(VHA). In addition to forwarding the smear that the booklet is a "death
book," Wallace promoted Towey's distortion that the booklet encourages
veterans to "pull the plug" -- it doesn't; Wallace and Towey both
suggested that the Bush administration suspended use of the booklet -- it
didn't; and Wallace claimed that a VHA document requires doctors to direct
veterans to the booklet -- it doesn't.
Media
Matters president
Eric Burns recently explained on Countdown
with Keith Olbermann: "I think
that what we have all thought of as a conservative news organization has really
morphed itself this year into a 24/7 political operation with a very specific
goal. And that is to destroy this presidency, and destroy any sort of
progressive policy agenda that the American people voted for in November."
WATCH
VIDEO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRx5ethd8JU
Copyright © 2012 Media Matters for America. All rights reserved.
