On the March 13 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean Hannity “affectionately” nicknamed Colorado student Sean Allen “Sean Junior,” because Hannity is “proud of what you've [Allen] done here.” Allen touched off a national controversy by releasing to the conservative media taped portions of a class lecture in which his teacher, Jay Bennish, compared the style of President Bush's January 31 State of the Union address to speeches made by Adolf Hitler. Bennish was put on administrative leave March 1 but has since been reinstated. Allen's March 13 appearance was his sixth on Hannity & Colmes since March 2.

Media Matters for America previously noted that other Fox News commentators have referred to the media's coverage of the controversy as “a case of a nonstory becoming a story” and pointed to Hannity as an example of a conservative media figure hyping the controversy. Two Fox commentators -- liberal media critic and author Neal Gabler and conservative syndicated columnist and Fox News host Cal Thomas -- agreed that the right-wing media had trumped up the story. Thomas said on the March 11 edition of Fox News Watch, “I'm on the teacher's side on this one.”

From the March 13 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

HANNITY: First, our top story tonight. Jay Bennish, the Colorado teacher who was caught on tape ranting about President Bush, he's back in the classroom as of this morning. Joining us now in an exclusive interview is the student who taped him and started the whole controversy, Sean Allen. By the way, I am referring to you as Sean Junior on the radio show. Affectionately, because I'm proud of what you have done here, and I think we've put all of these teachers on notice with these inappropriate statements that they are going to have to now defend them publicly. Not that they would be ashamed of them.