Campaign Propaganda: Scott Brown Screens Fox Documentary For Voters

Written by Eric Hananoki

Published

Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown loved an anti-Obamacare documentary from his former employer so much that he's now screening it for New Hampshire voters.

Brown's campaign website states that he is hosting “a special screening” of the Fox News documentary Live Free or Die: Obamacare in New Hampshire on August 22 in Dover, New Hampshire. Brown's campaign describes the special as “the documentary that” incumbent Democratic Sen. Jeanne “Shaheen doesn't want you to see.” Brown also promoted the event on his Facebook page and Twitter account.

Fox News has engaged in an all-out effort to elect its former network contributor to the Senate from the Granite State. That has included airing the August 8 Live Free or Die special anchored by Bret Baier. The documentary was tailor-made for Brown's campaign, touting the upcoming election while raising concerns about the Affordable Care Act.

The New Hampshire Democratic Party criticized the “faux documentary” as “a blatant attempt to prop up their former employee's campaign, full of half-truths and misleading rhetoric.” Even one of Brown's Republican primary opponents, former Sen. Bob Smith, has criticized Fox's pro-Scott Brown coverage as “shoddy” and “not fair and balanced.”

In 2013 and 2014, Brown used his Fox News employment as a launching pad for his long-discussed run for Senate from New Hampshire, with the network's apparent approval. He's said that working for Fox News “really charged me up to” run for office again.

Brown has dismissed criticism that Fox News is helping his campaign. When asked on August 12 on WGIR about a reported fundraising email Shaheen sent criticizing Fox's documentary, Brown replied, “to think somehow that Fox is doing something for me because I was a, you know, part-time contributor, it's laughable ... she wants to talk about and run a fundraising ad off of a commercial or a show of some sort that basically is right on everything. How about she comes and does an ad and talks about why she voted for this.” 

Fox paid Brown $108,000 as a “part-time contributor” in 2013.

The Brown campaign did not return a request for comment as of posting.

UPDATE (8/27): Scott Brown is screening the Fox News documentary again on August 27. Brown tweeted: “Are you free this afternoon? Stop by campaign HQ for the 2nd screening of 'Live Free Or Die - Obamacare in NH.'”