Sean Hannity often complains about the supposed "liberal bias" of the mainstream media. He also sometimes fails to notice that his colleagues at Fox News are espousing these supposed “Obama-mania” views.
On his June 18 Fox News show, Hannity hosted Daily Caller reporter Neil Munro to talk about Munro's recent heckling stunt in the Rose Garden. After playing video clips showing Munro shouting questions at President Obama during his immigration policy announcement, Hannity said, “Now, the mainstream Obama-mania media has jumped all over Munro for daring to question the president.” Watch:
Yet at least five of Hannity's fellow Fox News employees have “jumped all over Munro” for his behavior in the Rose Garden.
In fact, less than an hour before Hannity's softball interview with Munro, Fox News contributor Bernie Goldberg appeared on The O'Reilly Factor to call Munro “a jerk” and “totally unprofessional.”
Watch:
GOLDBERG: Listen, I would say that this reporter for the Daily Caller, in a word, is a jerk. A jerk. Totally unprofessional. I think that what's worse than what he did, even, is a smart guy like his boss, Tucker Carlson, saying, “The guy didn't do anything wrong.” He gave the guy a gold star when I would have fired that reporter before he got back to the office.
BILL O'REILLY (host): Why would have you fired him?
GOLDBERG: Because it's totally unprofessional to interrupt the president of the United States in the middle of his remarks supposedly to ask a question. But it was one of those questions that he really wanted to get into the debate with the president.
At least four other Fox News personalities have called out Munro for heckling Obama. Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace said on Studio B that what Munro did was “outrageous” and added, “I don't think the guy should be allowed back in the White House, you know, on a press pass.”
Host Shepard Smith asked Wallace, “That breaks decorum, long-standing decorum, does it not?” Later, Smith read an approving statement on the episode from Carlson. Smith said, “I'm hoping maybe Tucker didn't see it, didn't know the context, because Tucker knows better. He does. He knows better.”
O'Reilly has also said Munro was “absolutely wrong.” From his June 15 show:
O'REILLY: Mr. Munro is absolutely wrong in interfering with the president's statement. As Talking Points always says, you must respect the office of the presidency, even if you don't like the person in it. Mr. Obama was correct in calling Munro out.
Later during the same show, Fox Business host Lou Dobbs agreed that Munro's heckling was inappropriate.
This isn't the first time Hannity has groused about "Obama-mania media bias" originating from his co-workers. In April 2011, Hannity blamed the “Obama-mania media's bias” for the perception that birther stories were coming from conservatives -- just an hour before Greta Van Susteren hosted Donald Trump on Fox News to talk about Obama's birth certificate.