The Inquisitr » fox news

A boatload of trouble

Steven Hodson — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:52:42 +0000

Fox News and Bill O’Reilly are gloating over the numbers they got during the 8 o’clock slot over the news of the Ft. Hood shootings, saying that they wiped out CNN and MSNBC. Even scarier is that they seem to be under the impression that they are now the new voice of the news.

“We did 5 million viewers at 8 O’Clock, wiped out CNN and MSNBC, wiped them off the face of the earth. The guard has changed in this country. The media guard has changed. And you know why people came in here, because they knew they were going to get an honest story. They weren’t going to get spin that Hasan is some kind of post-traumatic syndrome victim. Some kind of victim of a terrible public policy gone awry. They’re not going to get that….. I almost said a bad word. They’re not going to get that garbage here.”

Source: TVNewser

If Fox News is the new guard of the old media then we are in for a boatload of trouble. Any shadow of old media impartiality just flew out the window.

O’Reilly and guest gloating over how Fox is getting the news right

What moves Glenn Beck to tears?

Kim LaCapria — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:43:18 +0000

Part of the reason Glenn Beck resonates so much with the right is his heartfelt sincerity.

A heartfelt sincerity brought on by rage at the direction his country is taken… and a liberal application of Vicks’ Vapo-Rub under his eyes. A one-off for a photo shoot? Perhaps, but Beck is caught on camera saying this:

I think it’s getting used to it… my eyes are getting used to it.

Glenn Beck and the frog in boiling water stunt

Kim LaCapria — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:44:25 +0000

Glenn Beck, you have to start rehearsing.

Remember the Oligarchy fail from a few weeks ago? Beck seems to be amping up his campaign to win the title of “craziest pundit who doesn’t rehearse” with a bizarre live stunt wherein he shows everyone what happens when you pretend to throw a frog into boiling water. Beck shouts a bit about how President Obama is creating shocking huge policy changes that will cause Americans to hop out of the metaphorical boiling water, based on the belief that a frog will hop out of boiling water when thrown in, but not object and just be happily boiled if cold water is heated after the frog is added.

Beck says:

Barack Obama has galvanized the country, because of the sheer size of the bills he’s proposed, and the number of the bills, the urgency that he’s placing on the bills. He’s forced us to think and get involved! We have, not like John McCain, been boiled slowly- we have been tossed quickly into boiling water, and don’t forget what happens, what happens when you throw them in! When you throw them in, frogs into boiling water!

Then he dramatically throws… nothing. And then, not surprisingly, nothing happens. Sheepishly, Beck walks closer the the camera and says:

Okay … forget the frog. I swear I thought they jumped right out. But they don’t. Forget about the Republicans, because most of them are fake. Forget about the Democrats, because most of them are fake. And forget about the frog, because it was fake!

The most viewed version of the stunt on YouTube edits out the last line about the frog being fake. But it appears that this was a stunt in which no frogs were harmed. Collective intellect of the American public? Thanks to folks like Glenn Beck, not so lucky.

The failed frog stunt, below:

Once more FOX News prefers spreading lies instead of reporting the truth

Steven Hodson — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:03:16 +0000

I get that the news business is a cutthroat one. A business where just about anything goes but one would think that outright lies wouldn’t be something a network would lower themselves to. As always though FOX News proves themselves to be the network that is willing to spread lies instead of reporting facts and the truth.

The latest marketing move by the network has the ad you see above placed in full page glory in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.

The fact that FOX News would have people that they were the only news network to cover the Teaparty March this past weekend in Washington is so full of crap I can’t believe they had the balls to run the ad. Not only did I see coverage of the event across a number of networks but TVNewser had a post this morning listing the networks that did cover the event. These networks included:

NBC News (5.2 million viewers watched the coverage)
MSNBC
ABC News
CBS News – both radio and television
CNN

This was such a blatant lie and an insult to the other network journalists who covered the event that Rick Sanchez had enough

Whether you like Sanchez or not it was nice to see some-one actually give FOX News the smackdown it deserves for trying to flaunt such an easily proven lie as being something even remotely close to being truth.

Interesting: Bill O’Reilly nonchalantly supports public option

Kim LaCapria — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:20:17 +0000

Conservapundit Bill O’Reilly expressed support for a public option on his show last night, like it was no big deal, like people aren’t biting each other’s fingers off over the whole debacle.

Via Daily Kos, the baffling (but pretty cool) video below. While this video is awesome, I really wish I could see Glenn Beck’s reaction, which was probably priceless.

Why CNN won’t let go of Lou Dobbs just yet

Steven Hodson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:12:49 +0000

In every business there is the concept of ‘the loss leader’. The idea is that you offer a product at such a low cost that people who wouldn’t normally come through the door come in to buy that product. At the same time there is the hope that they will end up buying something else at a regular price.

Here at The Inquisitr my writing about technology could be considered to be that ‘loss leader’. While it typically attracts a smaller demographic than say the people who read about Michael Jackson or the latest disaster it is hoped that while the reader is on the site they will end up reading other posts thereby increasing the pageviews. When it comes to television news – especially with cable news – these loss leaders, while they may cause some problems, are important because they bring in a demographic that might otherwise go elsewhere.

With the recent drive to hit FOX News in the wallet by trying to get advertisers to drop their support of the Glenn Beck show we are seeing Beck become more of a loss leader for the network. For all the outrage that his demagoguery might cause the network looks at the demographics of the audience he does pull in and how much of that traffic then converts to watchers of other shows on their network – news or otherwise. I am sure that there is a break point where the influx of viewers for his firebrand rhetoric will not balance out the loss of advertising dollars. At that point I am pretty sure that Beck would be shown the door – but don’t count on that happening for some time.

When it comes to FOX competitor CNN they realize that as repulsive as it might be to have that same kind of viewership associated with the CNN brand they are also a business which means they have to make money. Making that money means that they have to find some way to appeal to the “Glenn Beck” and “Rush Limbaugh” crowd.

This is where Lou Dobbs comes in because while he might be a little tamer than a Beck or Limbaugh he still appeals to the same mentality of viewership that the other two do. The problem is that right now CNN is facing the same pressure as FOX News is in that there are organizations out there putting pressure on advertisers to drop running ads on the Dobbs show.

Where Beck is becoming a loss leader moneywise for FOX News so is Lou Dobbs for CNN. From CNN’s point of view Dobbs is almost a necessity because he does draw in a growing demographic that would go elsewhere. As Jason Linkins noted in a post at Huffington Post

CNN is facing pressure on a number of fronts to drop Lou Dobbs from their roster of on-air talent, a move that would force millions of Americans seeking out news about the conspiracy to spread leprosy throughout America via illegal Mexican immigrants to turn instead to the guy who lives under the bridge by the old tire factory.

Sure CNN might be walking a fine line with the more loyal CNN viewers but as long as Dobbs keeps bringing in a demographic that would normally go to one of their competitors, especially FOX News, I think we can be assured that Dobb’s job is pretty safe. Yes he might be told every once in a while to tone down his particular type of rhetoric but as long as there is the potential of his viewers sticking around to watch other CNN shows then his value as a loss leader is worth the cost of possibly losing advertisers of his show.

Glenn Beck and Fox show just how much of a joke news is

Steven Hodson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:19:48 +0000

If there is a venereal disease that could infect television news it would have to be called the “Glenn Beck Disease” for no other reason than Glenn Beck being the most irritating brain frying “pretend” newsperson there is on television today. Limbaugh on his best day can’t even cause one to dribble and drool as much as Beck does in the first five minutes he is on the air.

News organizations are having a hard enough time trying to remain relevant without having to constantly battle against the illusion that Beck put forward that what he does is news. Not only does Beck do everything he can to inflame situations to his own benefit but he doesn’t care if what comes out of his mouth is true or not.

A good example of this is his recent pumping of the ACORN story and how one woman was caught on tape saying that she had murdered her abusive husband. Regardless of the ethics of how the ACORN videotapes were obtained Beck used the story to raise the ire against the other news networks and the government by asking why nobody was asking any questions about this.

Well it turns out that about a few minutes work by some real reporters in San Bernardino found out the story was totally false – which Glenn Beck could have done just as well but that wouldn’t have provided the gasoline he was looking for.

The thing that is really disgusting about this is that his employer Fox News doesn’t care whether what he says on television is true or not because in their words “does not host a ‘news’ show”. So while they wrap the presentation of the Glenn Beck with the appearance of being a news show it is in fact not even close. What they have done is provide Beck with a platform through which he can spew his own brand of “news” and commentary without having to behave as a proper journalistic news service.

In effect they are saying that who cares if what we say (as a news service) is true or not as long as we can keep riling up the masses through vitriolic commentary. Beck, Fox News, and everyone in the news business that tries to mimic them are driving any trust we might have into the ground.

ABC’s John Stossel Joins FOX News, Fox Business

Duncan Riley — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:58:14 +0000

Co-anchor of ABC’s 20/20 program John Stossel is leaving the network for greener pastures on Fox News and Fox Business.

According to a release from Fox News, Stossel will anchor “Stossel,” a weekly program on FOX Business Network, and make regular appearances on FOX News Channel.

The one-hour program will feature in-depth reports on domestic and international libertarian issues and will debut during the fourth quarter of this year in Fox Business News’ primetime lineup. Stossel and a panel of experts will explore a wide range of topics including civil liberties, the business of health care and Social Security.

Stossel will also host a series of one-hour specials on FOX News Channel and write a blog called “Stossel’s Take.”

Stossel’s libertarian leanings are well known, so the move to Fox isn’t that surprising. Lets hope that he keeps his head and doesn’t go all Glenn Beck on the new show.

Would Lincoln or JFK have survived Beck’s America?

Steven Hodson — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:09:59 +0000

I don’t normally talk much about politics even though I spend a fair amount of time watching the American political scene. Much of that scene lately has been either direct attacks by Glenn Beck against the president by calling him a racist or to incite the latest campaign against the president’s choice to head a green jobs initiative – Van Jones.

Now I don’t proclaim to know much about Van Jones but in the current climate of news organization partisanship it is highly unlikely that any truth about the man could be found at this point. It has all boiled down to a case of they said – he said from which finding any truth is next to impossible.

What is interesting to watch is how this news organization driven partisanship is being used increasingly to create even bigger dividing lines between the American people. It seems that in the current environment people like Glenn Beck have become less the journalists they laughably claim to be and more the lightening rod for a movement that seems bent on splitting the country even further apart.

Sure organizations like FOX News can hide behind the “he’s a commentator and therefore given the freedom to express his opinions” but that doesn’t change the fact that while news organizations like FOX are getting rich from this kind of so-called commentary they are also contributing to the split of the country.

With people like Beck at the helm of carefully worded incendiary comments that are spread around the world one has to wonder if people like Abraham Lincoln or John F. Kennedy would ever have achieved all the great things that they did. After all they weren’t perfect people either and I am sure that people like Beck and the public pulpit provided by companies like FOX would have done everything they could have to tear those men down – just as they are try with Obama, and have done with Van Jones.

Rather than hide behind white hoods and a hangman’s noose people like Beck use the power of words to incite a society filled with fear to ignore their commonsense and become nothing more than attack dogs. In the process people like Beck make a shame and mockery of our news. They can couch those words all they like in terms of just being commentary in order to protect the companies that employee them with big paychecks; but in the end they are making a joke of the news and of the people who follow them like blind little sheep.

Seen on Fox News: Taliban should do us a favor and kill captured soldier

Kim LaCapria — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:28:40 +0000

Professional jerk-off “military analyst” and retired Army colonel Ralph Peters, appearing on a Fox News show, tripped a collective WTF wire when he suggested the Taliban should just off captured US Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl and “save us a lot of legal hassles and legal bills.” Oh, bitch, you did NOT.

And why exactly should this young man who is serving our country in Afghanistan be treated so callously? Well he “might be” a deserter. Or something like that. Of the maybe sorta kinda I heard desertion accusation, Peters said:

“…on that video, he is collaborating with the enemy. Under duress or not – that’s really not relevant - he’s making accusations about the behavior of the military in Afghanistan that are unfounded, saying that there are no rules, he’s lying about how he was captured, saying he lagged behind the patrol. Julie, I’ll tell you, any 11th bravo infantrymen will tell you, that’s not how it works. In a war zone, any soldier is aware of where all his buddies are. If it’s a night patrol, you’re sure aware of where the guy in front of you and behind you is. So we know that this private is a liar. We’re not sure if he’s a deserter. But the media needs to hit the pause button, and not portray this guy as a hero.”

Peters also said:

“Well, Julie, I was to stress first of all that we must wait until all of the facts are in until we make a final judgment. But nobody in the military that I’ve heard is defending this guy. He is an apparent deserter. Reports are indeed that he abandoned his buddies, abandoned his post, and walked off. We’ll see what the ultimate truth of it is, but if he did, if he’s a deserter at wartime, well, as one of my old platoon sargeants would say, he’s in ‘beaucoup deep kimchi.’”

A liar and a coward. What a heartwarming show of solidarity and victim blaming understanding as one of our soldiers remains in captivity and could be killed at any time. Oh, but don’t worry, it’s like Pfc. Bergdahl’s at summer camp!

For right now, I think he’s okay. They’re not going to kill him right away, if at all, because he is tremendous propaganda value. He’s making anti-American statements, I mean, he wants to investigate Islam, blah blah blah.

And hey, who knows, the man who gave up his life and his youth at home to go fight wars might just be on the up and up, says Peters, in which case, no harm, no foul. You know, like unless he’s horrifically beheaded and he was totally innocent.

Now look, Julie, I want to be clear. If, when the facts are in, we find out that through some convoluted chain of events, he really was captured by the Taliban, I’m with him. But, if he walked away from his post and his buddies at wartime… I don’t care how hard it sounds, as far as I’m concerned, the Taliban can save us a lot of legal hassles and legal bills.

Tell you what, Taliban- how’s about we trade? One crusty retired Army dude who Fox News will air for a brave and handsome young man you’ve got over there.

The video is below.

[Extensive quoting thanks to the Daily Kos]

Just so you know, this is what “conservative rap” looks like

Duncan Riley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:00:38 +0000

Ever heard of “Conservative rap” before? well you’re going to wish you hadn’t once you see this video.

Two white guys in suits rap on Mike Huckabee’s show, with Huckabee claiming “Move over Russell Simmons!”

This is probably one of the most messed up, disturbing things we’ve ever posted:

Murdoch pontificates: Papers will be digital in 10 years

Steven Hodson — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:45:00 +0000

Ah good old Rupert Murdoch the king of News Corp decides to share with us his prognostications about where newspapers could end up 10 years down the road. The short form for those of you in a hurry – communications, and this includes newspapers, is changing totally and because we are moving into a digital age we will see big changes coming to the newspaper industry.

Duh!

For the fuller version here is the ‘print bite’ from PaidContent

- On digital papers: Within ten years, I believe nearly all newspapers will be delivered to you digitally, either on your PC or a new—on a development of the Kindle, shall we say. … Something that’s quite mobile, you can take around with you. Communications are changing totally. We’re moving into a digital age, and it’s going to change newspapers. But if you’ve got a newspaper with a great name and a great reputation, and you trust it, the people in that community are going to need access to your source of news. What we call newspapers today, I call news organizations, journalistic enterprises, if you will. They’re the source of news. And people will reach it if it’s done well, whether they do it on a BlackBerry or a Kindle or a PC. … I think people will miss a great deal not getting everything that you get in the newspaper. You may not read everything in it, but your eye catches things, and you learn things you didn’t expect to learn. And I think we’ll get back to that when we get these mobile readers that you carry whole newspapers on them.”

And just to flesh out your day here is a portion of his interview on Fox Business (which he owns)

It’s nice to see old rich people catching on to the way things are changing isn’t it?

CNN’s Sanchez give O’Reilly a good smack [VIDEO]

Steven Hodson — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:12:14 +0000

It appears that Bill O’Reilly has once more put his foot in his mouth and forgot to engage his brain before opening that mouth. I am sure some of you will think that this is nothing new but this time his toe nibbling resulted in an almost five minute slap down from Rick Sanchez on CNN.

The whole dust up is over the amount of reporting that was done about the coverage of the shooting of two military recruiters, one of whom died. O’Reilly in his most insulting condescending manner said that he only saw a single report of the incident on CNN and that because of this lack of coverage they had no business advertising themselves as a straight news reporting network.

Well this kind of rubbed Sanchez the wrong way considering the fact that he did two separate reports, one of which was with a retired FBI agent, over the shootings. In fact the number of reports on CNN went well beyond that but I tell you what take the five minutes and have a look at Sanchez as he makes some nice jabs – especially at the end – towards O’Reilly.

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[hat tip to mediabistro]

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DEVELOPING: Fox news producer arrested for child porn

Steven Hodson — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:03:02 +0000

It appears that a Fox News producer by the name of Aaron Bruns; who has been with Fox News for six years, has been arrested and charged with one count of of possessing child porn. Details are still developing on this story but a spokesperson for Fox has confirmed the report. They are saying that Bruns has been suspended without pay until further notice.

Bruns appeared in federal court in Washington DC this afternoon regarding the felony charges in this matter.

[hat tip and graphic courtesy of Media Bistro]

Bill O’Reilly’s website hacked

Duncan Riley — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 05:20:37 +0000

Unknown intruders have gained access to conservative Fox News host Bill O’Reilly’s website, days after new broke that Sarah Palin’s Yahoo email account had been accessed.

According to Wikileaks, which as posted proof of the attack, the hack came in retaliation for remarks O’Reilly made condemning the attack on Palin’s Yahoo email account. O’Reilly said among other things

“I’m not going to mention the website that posted this, but it’s one of those despicable, slimy, scummy websites…Everybody knows where this stuff is, OK, and they know the people who run the website, so why can’t they go there tonight to the guy’s house who runs it, put him in cuffs and take him down and book him?”

Screenshots on Wikileaks show the admin interface from O’Reilly’s site, including including names, email addresses, passwords, and home town details of 20 subscribers of the website. The Register reports that details of 205 subscribers were intercepted, according to the company that maintains the O’Reilly website.