Fox again lets GOP candidate plug his website on air

Hayworth's “recommendation” to Fox News viewers: “Go to the website JDForSenate.com.” From the February 8 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto:

VARNEY: And with more snow on the way, J.D. Hayworth says, “Keep it coming.” The former Arizona congressman joins me now. He is expected to launch formally his GOP bid for John McCain's Senate seat next week. J.D., welcome to the program. You're not unhappy when snow shuts down Washington. Why so?

HAYWORTH: Well, Stuart, first of all, it gives a lot of people in Washington the chance to watch you and me. And I just make one other recommendation to them on the Internet: Go to the website JDForSenate.com. Now that I have the shameless self-promotion --

VARNEY: Yes.

HAYWORTH: -- out of the way, it's quite simple. With the snow falling like this -- very rarely does weather really illustrate public policy. But we had that massive snow job of a so-called stimulus bill, almost $800 billion. What did we end up losing in the private sector? Seven million jobs.

GOP communications arm: Fox News previously campaigned for Brown and Kirk

On Fox, Brown encouraged viewers to visit his campaign website to find out “how to help with donating and volunteering.” As Media Matters has documented, in several Fox News appearances during his campaign in the special election for the Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat, Scott Brown pointed viewers to his campaign website, solicited funds for his campaign, and also cited RedInvadesBlue.com, where, he said, “we have a money bomb right now that's hitting ... and you can help me fight back against the machine.”

“Political analyst” Morris: “Please, please help” Brown. During the January 11 edition of Hannity, Fox News contributor Dick Morris urged viewers to “go to DickMorris.com ... to help elect Brown,” because if “we win this fight, then there will never be another victory for Obama.” DickMorris.com included a fundraising plea “to help us raise $300,000 for a last minute media buy to push Brown and the Republicans to victory”; Fox News executives allowed Morris to solicit funds for Republican efforts despite reportedly telling colleague Mike Huckabee to cease conflict-of-interest promotions that help his political action committee.

Fox plays GOP ad attacking Kirk's opponent, compares Kirk favorably to Brown. During its February 3 coverage of the Senate primary in Illinois, Fox News repeatedly aired a National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) “attack ad” targeting Republican candidate Mark Kirk's Democratic opponent, Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, provided Kirk a platform to attack Giannoulias, and repeatedly offered favorable comparisons between Kirk and Brown.

Fox provided airtime to GOP and conservative candidates in November '09 elections, and on-air personalities celebrated and shilled for them

Conservative candidates stump on Fox during lead-up to elections. In the two weeks leading up to the November 3, 2009, elections, Conservative Party congressional candidate Doug Hoffman, New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie, and Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell appeared on Fox News and its personalities' radio shows at least 16 times for live interviews lasting a total of 114 minutes and 36 seconds. Christie made at least five appearances totaling almost 37 minutes on Fox News and its personalities' radio shows; McDonnell made at least three appearances totaling 18 minutes; and Hoffman made at least seven appearances totaling almost 60 minutes.

Fox News hosts, political analysts spend Election Day celebrating and shilling for conservatives and GOPers. On November 4, 2009, numerous Fox News hosts and political analysts encouraged voters to donate to and volunteer and vote for GOP and conservative candidates, including Christie, McDonnell, and Hoffman. The Fox News personalities included Mike Huckabee, Sean Hannity, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, Tammy Bruce, and Eric Bolling.

Leading up to elections, Fox personalities promoted conservative and GOP candidates and helped fundraise for them. Fox News hosts and analysts offered support for McDonnell, Christie, and Hoffman and their fundraising efforts leading up to the elections. For example, on his November 2, 2009, Fox News show, Hannity told Hoffman, “I hope I'm on the air this time tomorrow night and I'll be able to declare you the winner.” On November 3, 2009, on Twitter, Fox News contributor Karl Rove encouraged his followers to donate to the Republican Governors Association in order to help Christie's campaign. On two Fox News shows in October 2009, Huckabee directed viewers to “go to balancecutsave.com," urging them to sign a petition telling Congress to “balance the budget,” “cut their spending,” and “save American families”; however, balancecutsave.com redirected visitors to Huckabee's political action committee, which financially supports Republican candidates. Subsequently, Huck PAC apparently emailed petition signers -- who were required to provide an email address in order to sign the “balancecutsave” petition -- a “newsletter” urging political action on behalf of Republican-backed candidates Bob McDonnell, David Harmer, and Doug Hoffman.

Fox News operates as a conservative political organization

“Voice of the opposition”: Fox News openly advocates against Democratic Congress, White House. Since Barack Obama's inauguration, Fox News has frequently engaged in political advocacy against the Democratic Congress and White House. Specifically, Fox News personalities have promoted and encouraged viewers to “join” tea party protests, Glenn Beck's organization The 9-12 Project and its September 12, 2009, “March on Washington,” and town hall meetings; engaged in a witch hunt seeking to “get rid of” Obama administration officials and nominees; implored viewers to call Congress and the White House to protest Democratic policies; and celebrated “victor[ies]” when Democratic legislation has been stalled.

Research and communications arm: Fox News is home to GOP in exile. A revolving door exists between the Republican Party and Fox News Channel, with a number of former Bush administration officials, former and potentially future GOP presidential candidates, and Republican strategists on Fox's payroll and airwaves. A Media Matters review of Fox coverage from September 1, 2009, through October 25, 2009, revealed that these individuals, typically hosted alone or on unbalanced panels, often used their airtime to advance false and misleading claims about Democrats and progressives, as well as to fundraise, further demonstrating that Fox is effectively a conservative political organization and not a legitimate news outlet.