Fox's Gibson: "There are tons of differences between" Fox and NY Times, "starting with, we don't make this stuff up, and they have"
SUMMARY: On The Big Story, John Gibson criticized The New York Times and its former editor Howell Raines, whose new book Gibson takes aim at during the "My Word" segment of the show. Gibson goes on to say, "There are tons of differences between Fox and The New York Times, starting with, we don't make this stuff up, and they have."
On the June 22 edition of Fox News' The Big Story, host John Gibson criticized The New York Times and its former executive editor Howell Raines because "they make up" news, such as "grave threats to the environment," or that "America is the worst citizen in the world, or, worse, they reveal secrets to terrorists." Gibson went on to say, "There are tons of differences between Fox and The New York Times, starting with, we don't make this stuff up, and they have."
Gibson was discussing Raines' new book, The One That Got Away: A Memoir (Scribner, May 2006), which touches on Raines's career at the Times and his resignation from the paper in 2004 after it was revealed that reporter Jayson Blair had fabricated elements of his stories and committed plagiarism. Gibson quoted Raines as writing in his book: "The key to understanding Fox News is to grasp the anomalous fact that its customers know its 'news' is made up." During the segment, an onscreen text read: "Raines and the Times types thinks people are stupid."
From the June 22 edition of Fox News' The Big Story with John Gibson:
GIBSON: You remember the bad old days at The New York Times, when the paper of record was caught making up news stories, in the form of lying reporter Jayson Blair? That wasn't so long ago. In fact, that particular imbroglio led to the resignation of Blair's editor and protector, Howell Raines.
Now Raines is a book writer, and in the second book he's written since being unemployed, he takes some shots at Fox News. For instance, Raines says: "Fox, by its mere existence, undercuts the argument that the public is starved for fair news, and not just because Fox shills for the Republican Party and panders to the latest of America's periodic religious manias." Like Christianity?
Let me see. Is there an episode in the 10-year history of Fox News that rivals the Jayson Blair fiasco? Have we had to print a many-thousand-word retraction and self-introspection, after being caught faking front-page news? No, we have not.
We also didn't fire a reporter because her colleagues couldn't stand what she was writing, after we promised to stand by her while she sat in a jail resisting a subpoena. That would be Judith Miller, whose offense was to accept the possibility, as all the world did, except The New York Times, that Saddam Hussein did have WMD. They fired her at the Times for that. By the way, the latest news proves that she was right, and Raines and the rest of the Times Bush-haters are generally wrong.
But Raines goes on: "The key to understanding Fox News is to grasp the anomalous fact that its consumers know its 'news' is made up. It matters not when critics point out -- point this out to Foxite consumers, because they have understood it from the outset. That's why they're there."
Or, put another way, Raines and the Times types think you're stupid. You want made-up news. They know this, because you don't want the Times' made-up news, in which they make up grave threats to the environment if someone drills for oil, or they make up, another day, America is the worst citizen in the world, or, worse, they reveal secrets to terrorists on how we are tracking terrorists to kill them or jail them.
There are tons of differences between Fox and The New York Times, starting with, we don't make this stuff up, and they have. They have a record of doing just that. There's also the untidy matter that the record also shows they, Raines in particular, have been caught. Raines was even fired for his part in fiction parading as news at the Times. That's "My Word."
When Gibson mentioned the "latest news" in the context of his discussion of Miller, he was apparently referring to the disclosure, announced by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), of the existence of hundreds of chemical munitions in Iraq, which Santorum and Hoekstra claimed proved the existence of weapons of mass destruction, the key argument in the Bush administration's case for invading Iraq. As Media Matters noted, during nearly every Fox News program from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET on June 21, Fox News hosts and guests, including Gibson, touted the disclosure, which intelligence officials say does not support the administration's claim leading up to the war that Iraq possessed WMDs.
Is it just me, or did he just make that up?
I think that's what Fox considers made-up news: if you write your own articles, do your own investigative journalism, and does not use White House press releases and GOp talking points as the basis for all your "journalism".
This is what I'm talking about. Is it fascist to suggest that these so-called 'pundits' actually have some set standard they are required to uphold? Diehards will say, "just turn the channel"...but, sheesh, the license these lying bastards take is just too much.
Life is so much easier when you don't have to worry about complex things...like reality.
Does a typical Fox viewer now feel vindicated and "right" about this war after their cheerleaders bring up this report? Even they have to be sick of any mention of WMD's, but Fox keeps pushing (Hannity was particularly crowing, almost sickenly so). It would have to have a Chicken Little quality about it, even to the most hardened jingoist. Wouldn't it?
"Is there an episode in the 10-year history of Fox News that rivals the Jayson Blair fiasco?"
Fox spent a whole summer running stories about Gary Condit that implied that he was a murderer. Did they apologize?
Fox gave daily airtime for months to the Swift Boaters who were proven liars. Did they apologize?
Brit Hume, the Fox lead anchor, "edited" FDR quotes on Social Security to make them appear to have the opposite meaning of what FDR meanth.
Guess what John? Fox has a history of making stuff up.
God! This guy is an idiotic Muppet!!! Incredible, does he believe this nonsense and he actually believe he is right, or is he just a dishonest amoral pig? Hume, O´Reilly, hannity and the swines that do the Fox and friends, would have to issue a retraction after every god'damn' show if they had the deontology of the N.Y. Times!
Fox would never apologize or fire any of its employees for spewing patently false propaganda.
That stuff would get you a raise, promotion, bonus or at the very least an "excellent" your annual evaluation.
With your show's logo on it.
wash your mouth out with soap
Have we had to print a many-thousand-word retraction...?
No, you guys wouldn't bother. You just let the lies stand.
This is the essence of the "Big Lie" -- tell a whopper and stick to it.
Yes, Jayson Blair made up a bunch of stuff, but he got canned and so did his editor. At Fox, Gibson makes stuff up and he keeps his job; O'Reilly makes stuff up and he keeps his job; Hannity makes stuff up and keeps his job. And retractions or corrections? Oh, never mind.
..is saying Fox doesn't apologize for its "mistakes."
I also liked this line: "By the way, the latest news proves that she was right, and Raines and the rest of the Times Bush-haters are generally wrong."
What news was that? That they found weapons from the Iran-Iraq war that were buried near the border? You mean those unusable weapons? Great reason to goto war! Sad, sad..
What's that you say? Those weapons they found were not a part of the alleged WMD-making capabilities of Saddam Hussein? They were not part of the stockpiles that the Bush administration claimed he had, and could use against neighboring countries?
Shhh... don't tell Fox... it interrupts their cheering...
Karl Rove probably wrote that for him. Beside do you guys really think Gibson is smart enough to understand NYT? Come on now, let's get real!
So the NY Times hired a liar and plagiarizer, Blake, therefore the NY Times just makes stuff up ALL the time, which upsets Gibson because that is Fox News's mission statement to a tee:
Make Stuff Up...so long as it helps the Republicans.
"Or, put another way, Raines and the Times types think you're stupid. You want made-up news," says Gibson, knowing that, yes, his primary audience DOES prefere spin (fabricated news angles which enjoin a version of "reality" in which Bush et al are doing a heck'uv a job) to objective reality, which, to those of us so engaged looks like this:
TERRIFYING
From the first day Bush became President.
---GIBSON: "There are tons of differences between Fox and The New York Times"---
There are also differences between Fox and the Bush administration. They are the size of the period at the end of this sentence.
between the NYT and Faux Snooze:
NYT has never had one of its reporters advocate the murder of a sitting Supreme Court Justice or the "fragging" of a U.S. Congressman and decorated former marine {crazy Annie.}
NYT has never reported on the declaration of a "war" on Christmas or any other national holiday {Bull O'Really.}
NYT has never advocated the creation of more "American {read: white} babies" to counteract the perceived growing hispanic population {that would be you, Johnny boy.}
NYT has not advocated the mass-abortion of black babies as a means to lower the crime rate {Riverboat Bill Bennett.}
As you said, a TON of difference.
One is a journalistic source of info ( not great, soft on the current administration) but occasionally effective.
Fox news is consistently bad/ subpar/ ridiculous in their softballing of the Govt.
Fauxnews makes NYTimes look like a real news source.
I am so frustrated right now I am speechless. It so infuriating to have to sit here and listen to this kind of pure BS...worst of all is that it sometimes feels like theres NOTHING that I can do to change it.
One thinks its readers are stupid, the other KNOWS its viewers are stupid.
What choice does he have? If FOX changes format or goes under, Gibson won't even get hired at CNN or MSNBC (even they have their standards). He looks too old to work at 7-11.
That would be a stretch but if Fox "THE NEW NATIONAL INQUIRER" were to report only this headline "We have confirmed that 'Dinosuars honked like Buicks'", everytime a Buick owner blew thier horn, there would be panic in the streets and the Cons would be running for the hills.