Fox's Johnson Hypocritically Laments Media Figures Who Engage In “Activism,” “Politics,” And “Propaganda”

Written by Melody Johnson

Published

On Fox & Friends this morning, Peter Johnson Jr. decried those who “pretend” to be a “newsperson” but engage in activism, politics, and propaganda, leading to what he called “an unfair portrayal of the news to the American people.”

Watch:

JOHNSON: If you're a commentator and an analyst -- and I'm a commentator and analyst -- say you're a commentator and analyst. If you're an activist, say you're an activist. But to pretend that you're a newsperson, to pretend that you're giving a fair and balanced view of things -- when, in fact, you have no credentials to do that and your only history is to engage in activism, is to engage in politics, is to engage in propaganda -- then that's an unfair portrayal of the news to the American people.

It's no secret that many of Fox News' opinion show hosts openly advocate for Republicans and conservative policies. But Fox News "straight news" hosts also routinely engage in the activism, politics, and propaganda that Johnson decried -- often by pushing Republican positions, parroting GOP talking points and research, and promoting phony scandals pushed by right-wing activists.

For example, in 2009, Happening Now co-host Jon Scott tried to pass off a Senate Republican Communications Center press release as original Fox research -- complete with the release's original typo. Last February, Scott parroted a GOP talking point regarding the Libyan no-fly zone, stating, “I don't like to play president very often, but if I were President Obama, I would unilaterally announce that the United States is going to enforce a no-fly zone. I mean, who's going to complain about that?”

Bill Hemmer, co-host of America's Newsroom, has similarly lifted GOP research to attack Recovery Act spending. Hemmer has also cherry-picked polls and presented long-debunked conservative talking points about health care reform as news. In December, he gushed about television ads for GOP presidential contender Rick Perry.

Hemmer's America's Newsroom co-host, Martha MacCallum, has openly advocated for conservative policies and echoed GOP talking points, recently deciding that a voter ID law “seems quite logical.”

And Megyn Kelly, host of “straight news” show America Live, was the leading promoter of the phony New Black Panther scandal during the 2010 election cycle, hyping the unsubstantiated allegations of a right-wing activist against the Obama Justice Department.