Rolling Stone's Dickinson Reports On Ailes' “Personal Paranoia About People Who Are Muslim”

Rolling Stone's Dickinson: Ailes “Lived In Fear That Gay Activists Would Try To Attack Him In Retaliation Over His Hostility To Gay Rights”

Rolling Stone's Dickinson Reports On Ailes' “Personal Paranoia About People Who Are Muslim”

Dickinson Quotes Source Saying That Ailes “Has A Personal Paranoia About People Who Are Muslim -- Which Is Consistent With The Ideology Of His Network.” In his May 25 Rolling Stone article, Tim Dickinson wrote:

Inside his blast-resistant office at Fox News headquarters, Ailes keeps a monitor on his desk that allows him to view any activity outside his closed door. Once, after observing a dark-skinned man in what Ailes perceived to be Muslim garb, he put Fox News on lockdown. “What the hell!” Ailes shouted. “This guy could be bombing me!” The suspected terrorist turned out to be a janitor. “Roger tore up the whole floor,” recalls a source close to Ailes. “He has a personal paranoia about people who are Muslim -- which is consistent with the ideology of his network.”

[...]

From the time Obama began contemplating his candidacy, Fox News went all-out to convince its white viewers that he was a Marxist, a Muslim, a black nationalist and a 1960s radical. In early 2007, Ailes joked about the similarity of Obama's name to a certain terrorist's. “It is true that Barack Obama is on the move,” Ailes said in a speech to news executives. “I don't know if it's true that President Bush called Musharraf and said, 'Why can't we catch this guy?'” References to Obama's middle name were soon being bandied about on Fox & Friends, the morning happy-talk show that Ailes uses as one of his primary vehicles to inject his venom into the media bloodstream. According to insiders, the morning show's anchors, who appear to be chatting ad-lib, are actually working from daily, structured talking points that come straight from the top. “Prior to broadcast, Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson -- that gang -- they meet with Roger,” says a former Fox deputy. “And Roger gives them the spin.”

Fox & Friends is where the smear about Obama having attended a madrassa was first broadcast, with Doocy -- an Ailes lackey from his days at America's Talking -- stating unequivocally that Obama was “raised as a Muslim.” And during the campaign, the show's anchors flogged Obama's reference to his own grandmother as a “typical white person” so relentlessly that it even gave Fox News host Chris Wallace pause. When Wallace appeared on the show that morning, he launched a rebuke that seemed targeted at Ailes as much as Doocy. “I have been watching the show since six o'clock this morning,” Wallace bristled. “I feel like two hours of Obama-bashing may be enough.” [Rolling Stone, 5/25/11, emphasis added]

Indeed, Fox Has Repeatedly Echoed Ailes' “Personal Paranoia About People Who Are Muslim”

Hannity Guest Stakelbeck: “10 To 15 Percent Of All Muslims” Are Radicals, Jihadists. During an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) News' terrorism analyst Erick Stakelbeck responded to Hannity's questions on what percentage of Muslims are radicals and jihadists by claiming that “credible estimates say 10 to 15 percent of all Muslims.” [Fox News, Hannity, 5/10/11]

Fox Mocks DOJ For Bringing Lawsuit To Defend Religious Practices of Muslim Teacher. Various Fox News hosts, including Bill O'Reilly and Gretchen Carlson, attacked the Justice Department for suing a school district for discrimination on behalf of a Muslim teacher who resigned after her request for time off to make hajj, a religious pilgrimage observant Muslims must take, was denied. But the Justice Department was acting on the recommendation of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which previously engaged in a similar lawsuit during the Bush administration. [Media Matters, 3/25/11]

Mideast Expert: Fox News Panders To Muslim-Bashers. A prominent Mideast expert -- whose work combating Islamophobia is supported by News Corp.'s second-largest shareholder -- has condemned the inflammatory, anti-Muslim rhetoric frequently featured on News Corp. subsidiary Fox News. [Media Matters, 3/14/11]

Fox Aggressively Promoted King's Anti-Muslim Hearings. As Media Matters has noted, Fox News aggressively promoted Rep. Peter King's (R-NY) hearings on “the extent of the radicalization of American Muslims,” including hosting King to promote his hearings while dismissing the concerns of protesters and critics. [Media Matters, 3/8/11]

Fox's Briggs Suggested Muslim-Americans Haven't Spoken Out “Against The Radical Elements Of Islam.” During the March 6 broadcast of Fox News' Fox & Friends Sunday, co-host Dave Briggs stated during an interview with King that he hoped Muslim-Americans will “begin to speak out against the radical elements of Islam,” despite the overwhelming stance against radicalism within the Muslim-American community. [Fox News, Fox & Friends Sunday, 3/6/11]

Beck Compared Islam To The Antichrist, Hosted End-Times Author Who Thinks Islam Is A “Vehicle” Of Satan. On the February 17 edition of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck hosted author and self-proclaimed end-times expert Joel Richardson, who has stated that “Islam is indeed the primary vehicle that will be used by Satan to fulfill the prophecies of the Bible about the future political/religious/military system of the Antichrist that will overwhelm the entire world just prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ.” During the broadcast, Beck tied Islam to the Antichrist described in the New Testament. [Media Matters, 2/17/11, 2/17/11]

Fox Used Lara Logan's Brutal Assault To Justify Bigotry Against Muslims. Following the brutal and devastating sexual assault committed against CBS News international correspondent Lara Logan by an Egyptian mob, many in the right-wing media, including Sean Hannity and Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin, used the attack to fuel their anti-Muslim agenda. [Media Matters, 2/17/11]

Peter Johnson Jr.: “Most Scholars Have Claimed” Islam And Democracy “Are Not Compatible.” During the February 7 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson Jr. appeared on the program to discuss the Egyptian unrest, stating: “We see the crowds in the square, we say, 'Ahh wonderful, people are yearning for democracy, they're going to be free.' Unfortunately, I don't think they're going to be free, and you have to look at the scholarly research on this issue over the years. Is democracy and Islam -- are they compatible? And most scholars on the subject have said that they're not compatible.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 2/7/11]

O'Reilly: “There Is A Muslim Problem In The World.” During a November 23, 2010, interview with Whoopi Goldberg on his Fox News show, O'Reilly stated, “There is a Muslim problem in the world.” On the October 18, 2010, edition of his Fox News program, O'Reilly expressed the same sentiment, stating that “folks are fed up with politically correct nonsense. There's no question there is a Muslim problem in the world,” and “most Americans well understand the danger coming out of the Muslim world.” His on-screen text read: “The Muslim Dilemma.” The next day, O'Reilly repeated the claim that there is “a Muslim problem in the world.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 11/23/10, 10/18/10, 10/19/10]

Fox Hosts And Contributors Responded To Park51 Grant Application With Islamophobia. Fox hosts and contributors responded to reports that the proposed New York City Park51 Islamic community center was applying for a federal grant with anti-Islamic smears. Park51 is set to be located near ground zero. [Media Matters, 11/23/10]

Fox Used TSA Procedures As An Excuse To Push Racial Profiling. Fox News hosts and contributors used the public backlash against airport security screenings as an opportunity to renew their calls for racial profiling. As Media Matters has noted, security experts have said that racial profiling is ineffective, and former Bush administration Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has called it “misleading and, arguably, dangerous.” [Media Matters, 11/19/10]

Coulter: Terrorists “All Look Alike. ... They're All Muslim.” During the November 16, 2010, edition The O'Reilly Factor, Ann Coulter appeared on the program to discuss terrorism. She stated: “The one thing we won't look at is who is doing this. ... We have Muslim terrorists who are not part of a country. ... The one advantage [we do] have is they all look alike. They're all foreign-born. They're all male. They're all between a certain -- a certain age group. They're all Muslim.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 11/16/10]

Fox Smeared Muslim Scholars. Fox News baselessly smeared numerous participants in a “Capitol Hill Prayer Group” as being “among a 'Who's Who' of controversial figures” with “terror ties.” But many of those listed were outspoken opponents of terrorism and appear to have no ties to terrorists, and at least one had recently appeared as a guest on Fox News. [Media Matters, 11/12/10]

Fox Hosts Rush To O'Reilly's Defense After He Said: “Muslims Killed Us On 9-11.” During an appearance on the October 14, 2010, edition of ABC's The View, O'Reilly was asked by co-host Whoopi Goldberg why building an Islamic cultural center near ground zero was “inappropriate.” O'Reilly responded: “Because Muslims killed us on 9-11.” The remark prompted Goldberg and co-host Joy Behar to walk off the set. O'Reilly later said, “If anybody felt I was demeaning all Muslims, I apologize.” Appearing on Fox News' Glenn Beck later that day, O'Reilly claimed that “every opinion poll in the Muslim world” shows that “most Muslims don't believe 9-11 was even committed by Al Qaeda.” Following the controversy over O'Reilly's View remarks, Fox News hosts and commentators rushed to his defense. [Media Matters, 10/15/10; ABC, The View, 10/14/10; Fox News, Glenn Beck, 10/14/10]

Brian Kilmeade: "[A]ll Terrorists Are Muslims." On the October 15, 2010, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Brian Kilmeade defended O'Reilly's View comments by claiming the show's hosts “were outraged that somebody was saying there's a reason there was a certain group of people that attacked us on 9-11. It wasn't just one person. It was one religion. Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.” Kilmeade later repeated the false claim that “every terrorist is a Muslim” on his radio show. He also asked if “Americans have a right to look at moderate Muslims and say, 'Show me you're not one of them,' ” referring to terrorists. Kilmeade later apologized for the comments. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 10/15/10, 10/18/10; Fox News Radio, Kilmeade & Friends, 10/15/10, 10/15/10]

O'Reilly: “Our Liberal Media” Are “Buying Into The Genteel Islam.” On the October 5, 2010, edition of his Fox News show, O'Reilly said that “our liberal media ... now are buying into the genteel Islam. You saw that with the mosque controversy. See, they now are taking the European media approach -- 'Oh, wait a minute. You have to give peace a chance. You can't be stirring up trouble because they're Muslim people. You have to give them what they want.' ” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 10/5/10]

Fox News Figures Baselessly Claimed Islamic Center Would Be A “Command Center For Terrorism.” On the September 7, 2010, edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, co-host Bill Hemmer said of the Park51 Islamic center, “It could also be the first stop for a radical jihadist who comes to America who wants to go pray.” On the August 18, 2010 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News contributor Dick Morris said of Park51: “These Sharia mosques ... have become the command centers for terrorism,” adding, “So this one would be, too.” The next day, Morris made similar remarks on Fox & Friends; during the show, Fox Business host Eric Bolling also claimed that Park51 “may be a meeting place for some of the scariest minds -- some of the biggest terrorist minds.” Kilmeade later said of Park51: “The next Hamburg cell could be right downtown.” [Fox News, America's Newsroom, 9/7/10; Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 8/18/10; Fox News, Fox & Friends, 8/19/10, 8/19/10]

Peter Johnson Jr.: New York Muslims Should “Give Up Their Rights” In Order To Be “Good Neighbors.” Johnson stated on the August 20, 2010, edition of Fox & Friends that the issue of the Park51 Islamic center is “about neighbors becoming good neighbors.” He added: “Any American can assert a right. Great Americans give up their rights to help those they share nothing else with but a love of this country.” On September 3, 2010, Johnson repeated that those building the Islamic center should “give up their First Amendment rights.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 8/20/10, 9/3/10]

Fox Hosted Walid Shoebat, Who Previously Called Islam “The Devil.” On August 18, 2010, Fox & Friends hosted Walid Shoebat, a born-again Christian who dubiously claims to be a former PLO militant and who has reportedly called Islam “the devil.” During his appearance, Shoebat claimed Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the Muslim leader spearheading the Park51 project, expresses his “support for terrorism” in the Arabic press but pretends to support peace when speaking to Americans. Two Islamic studies experts told Media Matters that Shoebat's claim was false. Fox News also hosted Shoebat to attack the Islamic center on August 23 and August 27, 2010, according to Nexis. [Media Matters, 8/18/10, 9/3/10]

Gingrich Compared Islamic Center To “Nazis” Putting A “Sign Next To The Holocaust Museum.” On the August 16, 2010, edition of Fox & Friends, then-Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich said: “Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust museum in Washington. We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There's no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 8/16/10]

Fox News Guests Opposing Islamic Center Outnumbered Supporters 35 to 11. An August 13, 2010, Media Matters review of Fox News' evening coverage of the planned building of an Islamic cultural center near ground zero found that, since May of that year, the shows had hosted at least 47 guests to discuss the project, nearly 75 percent of whom opposed the center. [Media Matters, 8/13/10]

Fox Has Repeatedly Hosted Anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theorist Pam Geller. Fox News repeatedly hosted Atlas Shrugs blogger Pam Geller to discuss the controversy over Park51 despite the fact that she has made outrageous statements about President Obama and Islam and has pushed false conspiracy theories. On the August 11, 2010, edition of Fox & Friends, Geller compared building the Islamic cultural center near ground zero to building a Ku Klux Klan “shrine” near a black church in Alabama. [Media Matters, 7/28/10; Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/27/10, 8/11/10]

Kilmeade Asked If The “Islamic Community” Is “Gloating” By Building Park51 Near Ground Zero. On the May 26, 2010, broadcast of Fox & Friends, Kilmeade said: “Six-hundred feet from World Tower 1, World Trade Center 1 stood -- is this gloating on the part of the Islamic community?” Guest Andrew McCarthy said that this was “Islamist supremacism” and that “well-meaning people would understand that this is an affront to common sense.” Kilmeade had previously described the Islamic center plans as “an outrage” and accused Muslims of “taunting” 9-11 victims. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/26/10, 5/25/10, 5/25/10]

Fox News Figures Defended Franklin Graham After Pentagon Rescinded Invitation Due To His Anti-Muslim Rhetoric. Following the 9-11 attacks, evangelist Franklin Graham said: “We're not attacking Islam but Islam has attacked us. ... The God of Islam is not the same God. He's not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian faith. It's a different God, and I believe it is a very evil and wicked religion.” During an interview with The Washington Post's Sally Quinn, Graham said that he “never backed down from” his controversial comments that Islam is a “very evil and wicked religion.” He added: “True Islam cannot be practiced in this country, OK? It cannot. If you were my wife, I can beat you, OK, because you didn't want to have sex with me or whatever.”

When the Pentagon rescinded Graham's invitation to speak on the National Day of Prayer in April 2010 following objections to Graham's incendiary comments about Islam, numerous Fox News figures came to his defense, and Fox & Friends hosted Graham to respond. During the show, Graham urged Muslims to convert to Christianity and said: “I want them to know that they don't have to die in a car bomb; they don't have to die in some kind of holy war to be accepted by God, but it's through faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone.” [Media Matters, 4/23/10, 4/23/10; CNN.com, 4/18/03; The Washington Post, 4/22/10; The Huffington Post, 4/22/10]

Fox News' Crowder: “The Truth Is That Muslims Tend To Be More Violent Than Christians.” In discussing the decision to rescind Graham's invitation to speak on the National Day of Prayer, Fox News contributor Steven Crowder declared: “The truth is that Muslims tend to be more violent than Christians.” [Fox News, Hannity, 4/23/10]

Fox Hosted Michael Graham, Who Previously Called Islam “A Terrorist Organization.” To comment on Franklin Graham and the controversy over his attacks on Islam, America's Newsroom hosted conservative radio host Michael Graham despite the fact that he was reportedly fired by WMAL-AM “after he refused to soften his description of Islam as 'a terrorist organization' on the air.” The Washington Post reported on August 23, 2005: “According to WMAL, Graham said 'Islam is a terrorist organization' 23 times on his July 25, 2005, program. On the same show, he also said repeatedly that 'moderate Muslims are those who only want to kill Jews' and that 'the problem is not extremism. The problem is Islam.' ” [Media Matters, 4/22/10; The Washington Post, 8/23/05]

Fox & Friends Baselessly Suggested Two Muslim Scholars Were “Terrorists.” On March 30, 2010, Fox & Friends baselessly suggested that Muslim scholars Tariq Ramadan and Adam Habib -- who were both denied entry into the United States under the Bush administration but had the ban lifted by the Obama administration -- are “terrorists.” However, both have denied engaging in terrorist activity, neither was ever charged with any crime, and media accounts have noted that they “were denied admittance after making statements counter to U.S. foreign policy.” Co-host Steve Doocy said: “President Bush banned these two guys from the United States because of alleged ties to terror, but Hillary Clinton invited them back and now they're speaking to college kids about their life story. What's that about?” An on-screen graphic included the text: “Terrorist to Lecture?” [Media Matters, 3/30/10]

Coulter: “If All Muslims Would Boycott Airlines, We Could Dispense With Airport Security Altogether.” On the March 25, 2010, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, Coulter claimed that “if all Muslims would boycott airlines, we could dispense with airport security altogether.” Coulter defended her position on racial profiling by saying “it's insane, when you have limited resources, to be searching every single person at airport security.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 3/25/10]

Doocy: “All Of The People Who Try To Blow Airliners Out Of The Sky Pretty Much Look Alike.” On the February 16, 2010, edition of Fox & Friends, former Homeland Security research analyst Michael Hoffman claimed that “if you want to prevent another airline being blown up, you're gonna have to do whole body imaging or full-body patdowns, coupled with profiling. Otherwise, we're going to blow another airline up.” Doocy responded, in part by saying: “Every time we go through, my wife and I, go through the airport, she gets a full-body patdown ... even though she does not look like what we have presumed the people who want to blow up airlines look like.” He added: “Critics argue, when you think about it, for the most part, all the people who try to blow airliners out of the sky pretty much look alike.” Doocy's guest corrected him on this falsehood. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 2/16/10]

McInerney: “If You Are An 18- To 28-Year-Old Muslim Man, Then You Should Be Strip-Searched.” On the January 2, 2010, edition of America's News HQ, Fox News contributor retired Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney said that “we have to use profiling. And I mean be very serious and harsh about the profiling. If you are an 18- to 28-year-old Muslim man, then you should be strip-searched. And if we don't do that, there's a very high probability we're going to lose an airliner.” After host Julie Banderas noted that profiling would be “essentially singling out people because of a religious group,” McInerney responded, “If that age group doesn't like it, then what are they doing to stop this jihad against the West?” [Mediaite, 1/3/10]

Kilmeade: Muslims “Have To Understand” Being Profiled Because Of “The War That Was Declared On Us.” On the November 10, 2009, edition of Fox & Friends, Kilmeade said to Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham: “You get a chance to talk to a lot of Islamic experts and Muslim experts and people who understand the Quran, and I asked him one time, off camera, I said, 'How do you feel about the extra scrutiny, clearly, you're getting at the airports?' And he said, 'I'm all for it, because I want to get home to my family, too.' And that's really got to be the attitude. So, if you're Islamic, or you're Muslim and you're in the military, you have to understand” because of “the war that was declared on us.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/10/09]

Peters: “I Am Sick Of Hearing That Islam ... Is A Religion Of Peace ... I Haven't Seen A Lot Of Southern Baptist Suicide Bombers.” On the September 10, 2009, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly claimed that “the elite liberal media in America does not want to continue to whip up anti-Islamic fascism sentiment.” Fox News contributor Ralph Peters responded: “No, they'd rather whip up anti-Israeli sentiment.” Peters added: “I am sick of hearing that Islam -- well, Islam is a religion of peace. Well, if Islam is a religion of peace, fine, start acting peacefully. But I haven't seen a lot of Southern Baptist suicide bombers lately, and I will not stand for moral relativism. 9-11 wasn't our fault -- it was fanatics who attacked our country because they hate what we stand for.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 9/10/09]

Peters On Fort Hood Shooting: “It's Clear That The Problem Is Islam.” On the November 10, 2009, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, Peters criticized Obama's remarks on the Fort Hood shooting, in which Obama called the act “incomprehensible,” saying: “No, it wasn't hard to comprehend and it's not now. It was the act of an Islamist terrorist” who “believed he was doing the will of Allah in accordance with the Quran. Not hard to understand -- the evidence is there.” Peters concluded: “It's clear that the problem is Islam.” On the November 9, 2009, broadcast of Fox News' Your World, Peters also alleged that the shooter was a “protected species” who was “running around in his little Islamist playsuit.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 11/10/09; The White House, 11/10/09; Fox News, Your World, 11/9/09]

Fox Hosts, Guest Blamed Fort Hood Shooting On “Political Correctness,” Called For “Special Debriefings” Of American Muslims. Right-wing media figures used the shooting at Fort Hood as an excuse to attack Islam and American Muslims, in particular. Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin blamed the shooting on “political correctness”; Fox & Friends' Carlson asked: “Could it be that our own military is so politically correct right now ... to be careful about treatment of Muslims that they would have allowed this to go by?” and Kilmeade suggested that “it's time for the military to have special debriefings” for Muslim American soldiers to prevent future attacks. [Media Matters, 11/6/09]

Bo Dietl: We Have To Profile “Guys That Look Like Aba Daba Doo And Aba Daba Dah.” On the August 7, 2007, edition of Fox News' Your World, Fox News contributor Richard “Bo” Dietl asserted: “We know there's a war by fundamentalists and terrorists to kill us. So we have to be able to profile. And I'm sorry, if I see two guys that look like Aba Daba Doo and Aba Daba Dah, I'm gonna pull 'em over, and I wanna find out what you're doing.” On Bill O'Reilly's radio show, Dietl had previously said that if a Muslim detonated a nuclear bomb in the United States “you think the president of the United States would make a statement if there's another nuclear bomb, we're going to bomb Mecca, we're gonna bomb the most religious places. This is a holy war.” He has also said on Fox News that “Muslim Turks” are trying to “overpopulize” Germany. [Media Matters, 8/8/07, 1/13/10]

Hannity Suggested Rep. Ellison's Use Of Quran For Swearing-In Was Like Using “Nazi Bible” Mein Kampf. On the November 30, 2006, edition of Hannity & Colmes, Hannity claimed that then-newly elected Rep. Keith Ellison's (D-MN) intention to use a copy of the Quran during the ceremonial photo op on the day he was to be sworn in “will embolden Islamic extremists and make new ones.” He also suggested that using the Quran for a swearing-in is comparable to using “Hitler's Mein Kampf, which is the Nazi bible.” [Media Matters, 12/1/06]

Doocy: “Islam Turned Violent” And “Proved The Pope's Point” About “Islam And Violence.” On November 28, 2006, Doocy asserted that when “Islam turned violent” following controversial comments by Pope Benedict XVI's about the religion, it “essentially proved the pope's point.” In a speech, Pope Benedict quoted “the erudite Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus,” as the pope described him, saying, “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” Pope Benedict later apologized, saying “he was 'very sorry' about the reaction to his remarks,” adding: “In no way did I wish to make my own, the words of the medieval emperor. ... I wished to explain that not religion and violence, but religion and reason, go together.” [Media Matters, 10/21/10]

O'Reilly Advocated Profiling Of All “Muslims Between The Ages Of 16 And 45,” But Not “Racial Profiling.” On the August 16, 2006, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly argued extensively for “profiling of Muslims” at airports, saying that detaining all “Muslims between the ages of 16 and 45” for questioning “isn't racial profiling,” but “criminal profiling.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 8/16/06]

O'Reilly: Closing Public Schools For Muslim Holiday “Absurd In A Judeo-Christian Country.” On the October 27, 2005, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly called the idea of closing public schools for the observance of Muslim holidays “absurd in a Judeo-Christian country.” O'Reilly was discussing the decision by the Hillsborough County, Florida, school board to keep public schools open on Yom Kippur and Good Friday during the 2006-07 school year following a request by Hillsborough County Muslims to close schools on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr. Instead of giving students the day off on Eid Al-Fitr, however, the school board voted to keep schools open on Yom Kippur and Good Friday during the 2006-07 school year. [Media Matters, 10/28/05]

Rolling Stone's Dickinson: Ailes “Lived In Fear That Gay Activists Would Try To Attack Him In Retaliation Over His Hostility To Gay Rights”

Dickinson: Ailes “Lived In Fear That Gay Activists Would Try To Attack Him In Retaliation Over His Hostility To Gay Rights.” From Dickinson's May 25 Rolling Stone article:

Murdoch installed ailes in the corner office on Fox's second floor at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. The location made Ailes queasy: It was close to the street, and he lived in fear that gay activists would try to attack him in retaliation over his hostility to gay rights. (In 1989, Ailes had broken up a protest of a Rudy Giuliani speech by gay activists, grabbing demonstrator by the throat and shoving him out the door.) Barricading himself behind a massive mahogany desk, Ailes insisted on having “bombproof glass” installed in the windows - even going so far as to personally inspect samples of high-tech plexiglass, as though he were picking out new carpet. Looking down on the street below, he expressed his fears to Cooper, the editor he had tasked with up-armoring his office. “They'll be down there protesting,” Ailes said. “Those gays.” [Rolling Stone, 5/25/11]

Indeed, Ailes' Anti-Gay Paranoia And Hostility Has Been Mirrored On Fox

Doocy's Response To CA Bill That Would Require Teaching LGBT Contributions To History: “Homeschool.” On the April 19 edition of Fox & Friends, Doocy responded to a discussion of a California proposal that would require teaching LGBT contributions to history by saying, “Homeschool.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/19/11]

On Fox, Tucker Carlson Complained About “Propaganda,” “Lying” In California LGBT Education Plan. Also during the April 19 Fox & Friends discussion of the California LGBT education proposal, Fox News contributor Tucker Carlson called the plan “propaganda” and “lying.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/19/11]

Fox's Huckabee Suggested Same-Sex Marriage Is A Threat To “Stable Society.” On the February 25 edition of Fox Business' Freedom Watch, Fox News host Mike Huckabee suggested that same-sex marriage is a threat to a “stable society.” Huckabee also asked, “If we change the definition to accommodate a man and a man or a woman and a woman, then why can't we accommodate a man and two women or a woman and three men?” From Freedom Watch:

ANDREW NAPOLITANO (host): Can families be nontraditional? And if they're nontraditional, is it any business of the federal government?

HUCKABEE: Well, the question is --

NAPOLITANO: Can you have two women or two men raise a child?

HUCKABEE: Well, here's the question. What is marriage? Marriage is a man and a woman. That's what it is historically. That's what it is legally. If we change the definition to accommodate a man and a man or a woman and a woman, then why can't we accommodate a man and two women or a woman and three men?

NAPOLITANO: Let me run this past you. Marriage is a contract. It's an agreement between two people whose hearts have joined together. What business is that of the government?

HUCKABEE: The business of government is to ensure that we have the most stable society, because we have a $300 billion-a-year dad deficit in this country. That's in chapter one. I talk about the fact that this is an economic issue. As a libertarian judge, you've got to love the fact that we're spending a lot of government money to pick up the pieces because fathers don't do their duty.

NAPOLITANO: I don't love the fact. I love the fact that you've exposed the fact that we're wasting all the money.

HUCKABEE: Well -- and here's another issue: Poverty. Two-thirds of the children in America who are in poverty would not be in poverty if the mothers of those children were married to the fathers of those children.

NAPOLITANO: None of that has anything to do with allowing a same-sex couple down the block to live together and to be married. Question: Do conservatives care about the couple down the block?

HUCKABEE: Yes, they do.

NAPOLITANO: Why?

HUCKABEE: Not that they care what they do privately --

NAPOLITANO: Why do they want to get in their bedroom?

HUCKABEE: No, no, no. They don't want to get in their bedroom. They definitely don't want to get in their bedroom. They don't want to see what's going on in that bedroom. But I'll tell you what they want to do. They want to make sure that we have an institution called marriage that really does mean historically that you have a mother and a father because children need the benefit. [Fox Business, Freedom Watch, 2/25/11]

Fox's Crowley Called DOMA Decision “A Form Of Dictatorship.” On the February 23 edition of Fox News' America Live, Fox News contributor Monica Crowley called the Obama administration's decision to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act “a form of dictatorship”:

CROWLEY: It's beyond belief. We are a nation of laws, not of men. We are governed by the rule of law. And what the Constitution says is that the president of the United States doesn't get to decide which laws he likes and which ones he's gonna enforce. He's the chief executive.

The law is on the books -- the Defense of Marriage Act. It is his responsibility under the Constitution to enforce that law. Not just to decide, “Well, I don't like that law, so I'm not going to enforce it.”

That is -- to me, that is a form of dictatorship. That is Mubarak Obama. I mean, that is -- you can't just pick and choose which law you're gonna enforce when you're president of the United States or the attorney general.

MEGYN KELLY (host): Something this big and this controversial, you have to wonder, you know, if a Republican president just decided, we're no longer going to enforce the laws that protect gays because we don't believe in those, there would be quite a national outcry.

CROWLEY: If President Bush had done that, there would be calls for his impeachment. I think this is a very serious story. [Fox News, America Live, 2/23/11]

For DOMA Reaction, Fox News Turns First To Anti-Gay Bigot Maggie Gallagher. On the February 23 edition of America Live, host Megyn Kelly reported on the Justice Department's DOMA decision and then turned for reaction to anti-gay activist and National Organization for Marriage (NOM) chairman Maggie Gallagher, who attacked Obama for “an extraordinary unconstitutional measure.” Gallagher was the first person from whom Fox News obtained a reaction following the DOJ release. [Media Matters, 2/23/11]

On Fox & Friends, Perkins Claims He's Not “Anti-Gay” While Promoting “Research” That Says “Homosexual Behavior Is Harmful.” On the December 9, 2010, edition of Fox & Friends, Family Research Council president and anti-gay activist Tony Perkins claimed that he's not “anti-gay” while promoting “research” that “suggests very clearly that homosexual behavior is harmful not only to society but, more importantly, to the individuals who engage in that behavior.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 12/9/10]

Donohue: “If Everybody Practiced What The Catholic Church Teaches In Terms Of Sexuality, You Wouldn't Even Have People Dying Of AIDS.” On the October 25, 2010, edition of Fox & Friends, Catholic League president Bill Donohue stated that "[i]f everybody practiced what the Catholic Church teaches in terms of sexuality, you wouldn't even have people dying of AIDS." Donohue further stated that “27 percent of all the world's money spent on servicing people dying of AIDS comes from the Catholic Church, and yet we continue to get it by these gay bigots.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 10/25/10]

During Discussion Of Gay-Themed McDonald's Ad, O'Reilly Asks: “Do They Have An Al-Qaeda Ad?” On the June 2, 2010, edition of his Fox News show, O'Reilly discussed a gay-themed McDonald's commercial that aired in France with then-Fox News host Jane Skinner, who stated that the ad was “part of an overreaching campaign called 'Come As You Are,' ... so they show people in different walks of life, this happens to be their gay-friendly ad.” O'Reilly responded, “Do they have an Al Qaeda ad? You know, come as you are?” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 6/2/10]

Malkin Refers To Objections To Boy Scouts' Anti-Gay Policy As A “Politically Correct Jihad.” On the April 15, 2010, edition of Fox & Friends, Michelle Malkin called objections to the Boy Scouts' anti-gay policy as a “politically correct jihad.” She further stated, “The bigotry I see is the bigotry against the Boy Scouts and for what they stand for.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/15/10]

O'Reilly's Ark: Gay Marriage Could Lead To Goat, Duck, Dolphin, And Turtle Marriage. On the May 11, 2009, edition of his Fox News show, O'Reilly returned to his theory that the legalization of gay marriage could lead to the eventual legalization of interspecies marriages, stating to Fox News analyst Margaret Hoover, "[Y]ou would let everybody get married who want to get married. You want to marry a turtle, you can." O'Reilly had previously suggested that gay marriage could ultimately allow for a person to marry “a goat,” “a duck,” and “a dolphin.” [Media Matters, 5/12/09, 1/5/06, 3/31/05, 9/16/05]

Fox News Figures Have Repeatedly Warned Of “Triads” With Legalization Of Same-Sex Marriage. Fox News figures including O'Reilly, Doocy, Carlson, and Beck have repeatedly warned that the legalization of same-sex marriage could lead to the eventual legalization of polyamorous marriage. [Media Matters, 5/12/09]

On O'Reilly, Miller Ridiculed Transgender Man, Child He Gave Birth To. On the December 17, 2008, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News contributor Dennis Miller ridiculed Thomas Beatie, a transgender man who had recently gave birth to a child, calling him a “nympho satyr” and saying: "[A]ll I know is the guy's more pregnant than the old woman in the shoe is. And somebody has got to get some protection for this guy, be it a condom or an IUD or a satellite dish or a catcher's mitt. I don't even know what he needs down there, but I need an equipment check on aisle five." Miller later asked O'Reilly, “Billy, did you ever see a picture of his first kid,” prior to a video airing of a polar bear cub at the Berlin zoo. [Media Matters, 12/18/08]

Gingrich: "[T]here Is A Gay And Secular Fascism In This Country That Wants To Impose Its Will On The Rest Of Us." On the November 14, 2008, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, in reference to actions by individual protesters of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that amended the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, Gingrich -- then a Fox News contributor -- stated: “I think there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think it is prepared to use the government if it can get control of it. I think that it is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion.” Gingrich also stated: "[W]hen the radicals lost the vote in California, they are determined to impose their will on this country no matter what the popular opinion, no matter what the law of the land." [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 12/14/08]

On Fox, MRC's Graham Criticized MSNBC For “Adding This Lesbian Air America Radio Host, Rachel Maddow” To Its Lineup. During the September 9, 2008, edition of Fox & Friends, Kilmeade asked Media Research Council's (MRC) Tim Graham about MSNBC's decision to replace Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews with David Gregory as news anchor during its special election programming: "[I]s the damage done already? I mean, look, we're almost done with this thing. Fifty-something days left" until the presidential election. Graham responded:

GRAHAM: Not only is the damage already done, the damage continues. I mean, not only are they keeping these people on for an hour a night, they're adding this lesbian Air America radio host, Rachel Maddow, on every night. So, I mean, they're really entrenching and solidifying a left-wing agenda on this network, not just, you know, pulling something back. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 9/9/08]

O'Reilly Guest Rudov “Fear[ed] ... The Long-Term Consequences For Children” Of “Promoting” “Homosexual Lifestyle.” On the April 4, 2008, edition of his Fox show, O'Reilly introduced his “Back of the Book” segment by asserting, “There's no question that some powerful forces in America want to mainstream the gay lifestyle, and now, you can decide whether that's a good or a bad thing, because it's all on the table.” During the segment, author and radio host Marc Rudov said: “I think we are promoting a homosexual lifestyle, and I fear for the consequences -- the long-term consequences for children.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 4/4/08]

O'Reilly On Transgender Man's Pregnancy: "[I]magine A Poor Kid Getting Born Into That Family." On the April 3, 2008, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, discussing pregnant transgender man Thomas Beatie, O'Reilly said: “You imagine a poor kid getting born into that family going, 'Hey... whoa. Who are you today?' ” Fox News contributor Bernard Goldberg responded: “That's the real tragedy.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 4/3/08]

O'Reilly: "[T]housands" Of Gays In One Place “Can Be Confusing To Children.” During the July 12, 2007, edition of his show, O'Reilly responded to a viewer's email regarding his previous report on a gay pride night at the San Diego Padres' Petco Park the same night as a hat giveaway for children, during which O'Reilly called it “insane” to “cluster” gay men and lesbians during a “hat giveaway for any kid under 12.” In his email, the viewer stated that O'Reilly's “position seems to imply that putting gays and kids together in one place is a bad thing” and claimed that “kids are around gays every day.” O'Reilly responded: “But not thousands of them, sir. That can be confusing to children.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 7/12/07]

O'Reilly On Ban Of Irish Lesbian And Gay Group From NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade: “I Don't Want These People Intruding On A Parade Where Little Children Are ... Watching.” On the March 17, 2006, edition of his show, O'Reilly discussed New York City Councilwoman Christine Quinn's decision to boycott Manhattan's St. Patrick's Day parade because the parade banned the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization (ILGO) from marching. O'Reilly attacked Quinn, calling ILGO's potential participation in the parade “inappropriate.” O'Reilly asked, “Why doesn't Ms. Quinn and others who support her wise up?” Continuing, O'Reilly stated: “You have your Gay Day parade. You have your Stonewall celebration. You have your Halloween deal, OK? You don't need this.” O'Reilly also asserted, “I don't want these people intruding on a parade where little children are standing there, watching” for fear that children would ask “mommy, what does that mean?” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 3/17/06]

O'Reilly, Malkin Agree That CA Proposal To Teach LGBT History Would Prevent Teachers From “Say[ing] Bad Things About Jeffrey Dahmer” Because He Was “A Gay Cannibal.” On the May 8, 2006, edition of his show, O'Reilly claimed that, under a California state bill that would require textbooks to recognize the accomplishments of historical LGBT figures, “if you are a teacher ... you're not going to be able to say bad things about [convicted murderer] Jeffrey Dahmer,” because Dahmer was “a gay cannibal.” Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin agreed that O'Reilly's evaluation of the proposed legislation's impact was “right,” adding that it “is a very radical, very extreme, dangerous bill” that “is pure political propaganda.” O'Reilly called the bill “a form of fascism ... [i]n the sense that you have to say good things about this group.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 5/8/06]

Fox Also Heavily Promoted Smears Of Openly Gay Department of Education Official Kevin Jennings

Fox Tirelessly Advanced The Jennings “Statutory Rape” Falsehood. Fox News repeatedly ran with the false claim that Education Department official Kevin Jennings knew of a “statutory rape” when he was a teacher and “never reported it.” As Media Matters noted, the student in question, who told Jennings about his relationship with an older man, was of legal age and no statutory rape occurred. [Media Matters, 10/5/09]

Hannity On Jennings: “What About Christian Parents That ... Don't Want Their Kids To Be Indoctrinated?” Hannity said on October 8, 2009: “I don't care how liberals raise their kids. If you want to teach your kids about condoms and cucumbers, whatever, go ahead. You liberals, do what you want. But you know what, don't -- I don't want to send my kids to school to have my values contradicted by a teacher, by a counselor.” Hannity subsequently brought up Queering Elementary Education, a book Jennings wrote the foreword to, and said to Democratic strategist Steve Murphy: “What about Christian parents that send their kids to school that don't want their kids to be indoctrinated into your belief system?” [Fox News, Hannity, 10/8/09]

Hannity: "[T]his Is A Guy That's Advocated Promoting Homosexuality In Schools." Hannity stated on September 28, 2009, that Jennings “is a guy that's advocated promoting homosexuality in schools. This is a guy we have talked about his past. He's had contempt for religion, et cetera, et cetera ... Isn't the issue here that what they're teaching oftentimes, value-wise, contradicts what parents are teaching? And isn't that morally wrong?” He later added, “I don't know what it is about liberals. I think they think they have the right to raise our kids. I mean, you know, the idea that you would promote whatever your agenda, on sexuality, any controversial issue.” [Fox News, Hannity, 9/28/09]

Hannity: Jennings' Group “Provided Graphic Answers To Children About How To Perform Various Sexual Acts.” On September 18, 2009, Hannity aired a list of “10 people who President Obama has appointed or nominated to work on your behalf in your government,” and asked, “Should any of them be fired?” Jennings was No. 7 on the list:

HANNITY: Now, No. 7 is the assistant deputy secretary at the Department of Education, Kevin Jennings. Now, before joining the administration, he was the executive director of a group called the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN.

Now, according to the Parents' Rights Coalition, the group sponsored a Massachusetts conference called Teach Out 2000, at which Department of Education employees provided graphic answers to children about how to perform various sexual acts. Now, doesn't that sound like something that parents ought to be teaching their kids, even if they so desire?

In fact, Jennings expressed “concerns” about the information the Department of Education employees provided at the conference, reportedly stating: “GLSEN believes that children do have a right to accurate, safer sex education, but this needs to be delivered in an age appropriate and sensitive manner.” The employees were responding to students who asked graphic questions about various sex acts. [Fox News, Hannity, 9/18/09; Media Matters, 12/6/09]

Doocy Asked, “Given His Past, Is [Jennings] The Guy For The Job?” On the September 24, 2009, edition of Fox & Friends, Doocy claimed: “We've been talking here at Fox because nobody else is talking about -- who exactly are these czars who have been appointed by the president to various high jobs. Let's take a look at” Jennings. “And there are some who are questioning whether or not this is a guy who should have the job given his history.” Doocy later said that Jennings “expressed no regret” in his memoir for having used drugs in the past and concluded that “apparently he's been very successful at [preventing bullying], but only half the job revolves around that; the other half is about usage of drugs in school. And given his past, is he the guy for the job?” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 9/24/09]

Kilmeade Claimed Jennings “Promoted Homosexuality In Schools” And “Expressed Contempt For Religion.” Later on the September 24, 2009, Fox & Friends, Kilmeade stated: "[T]he safe school czar position was actually from George Bush's administration in 2002. President Bush said we need something like this. But maybe this wasn't the job -- this wasn't the resume he thought he'd get: Former schoolteacher who has promoted homosexuality in schools. Also, he has a -- he details a report on how he did not report an incident with an underage student who had sex with an older man, and also has expressed contempt for religion. So, as you expand the resume, it might not be the perfect candidate." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 9/24/09]

On Hannity, Noelle Nikpour Said “Gay Activist” Jennings Is Obama's Most Dangerous Czar. On September 18, 2009, Hannity asked Republican strategist Noelle Nikpour, “Who do you think is the most dangerous [czar]?” Nikpour answered: “Well, I think it's Kevin Jennings. Not only that, that he's a gay activist, but he was part of the GLISTEN [sic]. He was the former director for GLISTEN [sic]. They held a conference in which techniques for, I think it was, homosexuality, how to perform different techniques. That's insane.” The Wall Street Journal's Stephen Moore then added: “Remember, we -- used to be that sex education was putting condoms on bananas. Lord knows what they're going to do now.” [Fox News, Hannity, 9/18/09, accessed via Nexis]