2010 was quite a year for Fox News' three serial misinformers on the curvy couch. As the lead off act for all of Fox's daily programming, Fox & Friends led the charge on misinformation about the stimulus, health care reform, the “ground zero mosque,” and the 2010 midterm elections. But with such a heavy schedule, it should come as no surprise that the three hosts should slip up a little. Or slip up a lot. Just for fun, here is a look back at Fox & Friends' stupidest moments of 2010:
10. Fox & Friends chyron dubs international cooperation “The Buddy System.” During a discussion on whether “Internationalism” is “too soft,” a Fox & Friends chyron dubbed international cooperation “The Buddy System,” helpfully serving to both subtly insult President Obama's efforts at diplomacy, and to explain what was being discussed just in case the hosts or anyone watching didn't understand what they meant by “internationalism.”
9. Fox & Friends shocked over Democrats' “secret” plan to pass health care - which they had been reporting on for a week. Fox & Friends regularly hosts Dick Morris whom they love to describe as a “former Clinton aide.” Morris, who is well-known for making wildly inaccurate political predictions, appeared on the show on January 27 to report on a “secret plan” that he had discovered by talking to his “Democratic sources.” Morris' scoop was the following piece of shocking information: that House Democrats planned to pass the Senate health care bill, if the Senate Democrats made changes to the bill in reconciliation.
But here's the problem: Fox had been reporting this for over a week. Everyone had. It was common knowledge that this was exactly how it was going to happen. That didn't stop the hosts from feigningoutrage, however, and it became Morris' most accurate prediction of the year, probably because he got it from CNN.
8. Carlson actually (yes, actually) said her job at Fox & Friends is just like being president. This comment actually started out as a normal Fox & Friends segment, by showing video of someone bashing the president. After the clip, Carlson said that what really defines a presidency is “these tough, huge, monumental decisions.” Agreed! Then it got weird. After saying “it's in a time of crisis, making these executive decisions,” Carlson claimed “it's just like our job...what's the role of an anchor during huge breaking news? You remember growing up? You tuned to the television and that one moment during the year, they would have to carry a story all day long. It's the same thing as being President of the United States.
First of all, no. It isn't. That is not what presidents do, although I'm not surprised Carlson doesn't know that, considering her constant spurious attacks on Obama. She may be impressed by her own ability to sustain manufactured outrage, but presidents generally have a little more on their plate. Second of all, you, Ms. Carlson, are not a news anchor.
7. Fox & Friends dubs Abdulmutallab the “crotch bomber” because “it's impossible to say his last name anyway.” Making Carlson's claim that she is a “news anchor” even less believable, the team had a bit of trouble reporting on the December, 2009 Christmas Day attack. The three co-hosts took a short break from finding ways to bash Obama following the attack to have an adult conversation on the intricacies of language. Not really. Actually, instead of learning how to pronounce the name of the man who had just made national news, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Kilmeade decided it was much easier to just call him the “would-be crotch bomber.” As Carlson, who, remember, said her job is just like being president, pointed out “it's impossible to say his last name anyway.”
6. Kilmeade: “Sorry global warming people ... we have too many polar bears.” In June, after breaking the news that a large sculpture of an iguana had arrived at the Ft. Worth, TX zoo, Kilmeade bravely declared himself “anti-polar bear.” This would seem like a ridiculous non-sequitor to anyone who doesn't regularly watch the show. As if to drive the evidence-free point home, Kilmeade continued “sorry global warming people, now we have too many polar bears.” Take that, scientific community! Years of recognized, provable data reduced to nothing by a story about iguana sculptures.
5. Kilmeade on health care law: “It's like, almost a legal document, it doesn't tell a story.” It's difficult to know what Kilmeade was thinking on this one. After months and months of baseless misinformation about the health care reform law, Kilmeade came up with a brand new complaint in September of this year: It's really, really hard to read. So hard, in fact, that “it's, like, almost a legal document.” Yes -- Almost! Those dastardly Democrats intentionally wrote it that way to confuse you. Not because it's, like, actually a legal document. America would be a much better place if all our legislation was written like a children's book designed to “tell a story.”
4. Doocy: “What Hawaiian earthquake?” Earlier in the health care debate, Steve Doocy proved how dangerous it is to get your headlines from Jim Hoft. After Obama pointed out, in an interview with Fox, that the provision in the health care reform bill to aid Louisiana's Medicaid shortfall following Hurricane Katrina would also apply to recent disasters such as an earthquake in Hawaii, Doocy decided to skip the arduous task of googling it and just went with Hoft's version. Doocy replied to the video clip by smugly asking “what Hawaiian earthquake?” This one.
3. Kilmeade says Hawaiian birds will “redo their chromosomes” to “adjust” to football stadium lights. After clearly demonstrating his thorough knowledge of genetics in 2009, Kilmeade decided to remind us just how much of an expert he is. Apparently a certain type of seagull in Hawaii was flying into the bright lights surrounding a football field, so the school decided to start playing earlier in the day. Kilmeade had a different solution: “screw the birds, I say play football.” But don't worry about the poor seagulls, Kilmeade had a solution to that too: “birds will adjust, maybe take a generation or two, but they'll redo their chromosomes, and they'll learn to fly at other times.”
2. Fox & Friends sees “Muslim image” in logo for Nuclear Security Summit. This year, Fox & Friends did a lot of Muslim-bashing. Generally they did this either by attempting to discredit individual Muslims, or by incredulously claiming that all terrorists are Muslims. This time, however they channeled Pamela Geller's anti-Islam hysteria and tried to create a nefarious connection between Muslims and the Obama administration. To do this, Fox & Friends put an image of the Nuclear Security Summit's logo on a screen with the flags of a few Muslim nations and claimed the two looked similar. Carlson even promoted the claim that Obama “deliberately” designed the logo to reach out to Muslim nations. Because Obama does his own graphic design work as everyone knows.
Thankfully, the Daily Show's Jon Stewart decided to do some actual research, and found out that the logo was based on the Rutherford-Bohr model of the atom. Which makes sense because it's a nuclear summit! For the rocket scientists at Fox News, however it was just another opportunity to simultaneously attack the president, and show their ignorance. Apparently round things are secret Muslim symbols.
1. Fox & Friends attempt to roast marshmallows with hands, plastic spoon. The stupidest Fox & Friends moment of 2010 came on November 19. Someone had built an entire studio out of ice cubes outside the News Corp building and all three hosts decided to have their weekly chit-chat with Chris Wallace from an all-ice version of the curvy couch. During the conversation, Doocy and Kilmeade tried to roast mini-marshmallows in the fire pit in front of them.
Here is how this went down. Steve Doocy called for a stick to roast his marshmallow with, but instead of waiting, just picked one up and put his whole hand in the fire. When that didn't work, Kilmeade tried to roast one on top of a plastic spoon, until Doocy grabbed it out of his hand. Kilmeade, who apparently did not learn the most basic of childhood lessons, then went back to sticking his hand in the fire. While Chris Wallace made fun of them, Carlson tried her hardest to talk about politics. But both Wallace and the producers, who seemed to cut off her microphone, were too entranced by the scene before them to pay any attention to Carlson. I don't know what else to say about this, other than it was one of the most profoundly stupid moments I have ever witnessed.
Honorable Mentions:
- On October 4, Fox & Friends reported that the LAPD was spending millions of dollars on Jet Packs. Turns out, they weren't.
- On January 27, Carlson claimed the Massachusetts special election ushered in a time which will be known as the Scott Brown era. Turns out, that wasn't true.
- Stretching for ways to attack Obama in the wake of the oil spill, Carlson complained that the president visited the gulf in fancy pants and a fancy shirt
- Doocy managed to find some sort of anti-military message in a Time magazine cover
- Fox & Friends' calculator was a little off, as they inflated a proposed bank tax by 100 times.
- Doocy learns that just because someone hates Obama, that doesn't mean they'll give a good interview, and gets noticeably uncomfortable during a Victoria Jackson interview.
- Doocy joins the right-wing crowd who don't understand that snowstorms in winter don't disprove climate change.
- The Fox & Friends graphics department forgets that California is not in Africa
- Doocy and guest somehow find liberal bias in the Washington Post obituary section.