| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Michelle Malkin" |
| Date: |
24 Mar 2007 10:44:28 PM |
| Object: |
OT: Dems, It's Time to Go Fox Huntin' |
From Zepp via The Politico:
Dems, It's Time To Go Fox Huntin'
By: Paul Begala
March 22, 2007 01:21 PM EST
As a loyal Democrat and paid commentator on CNN, I am hopelessly
biased -- but at least I admit it. The folks at Fox News, on the other hand,
are just as hopelessly biased -- and they deny it. While I openly admit that
I love all things Clinton, think House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is strong and
brave, see Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as Harry Truman reincarnated
and don't believe George W. Bush would know the truth if it bit him on the
*****, Fox insults our intelligence by feigning fairness.
That's why the Nevada Democrats did the right thing in refusing to
allow Fox to pretend it is a neutral host for a Democratic debate. The more
Fox is seen as "fair and balanced," the easier it is for the network to
swift-boat Democratic candidates and propel misinformation into the
mainstream media. Thank God Democrats are finally growing a spine and
fighting back. No longer can Fox function as a Republican mouthpiece and
expect us to put it on stage as a neutral news source. Like I tell my kids:
NHD -- not happenin', dude.
To be clear, this is not a boycott, and it's not about Democrats being
afraid to go on Fox. It's about how Fox is presented to the public when it
voices its right-wing views. During the fight against Fox in Nevada, MoveOn
suggested a co-sponsored Fox/Air America debate. Perfect. An avowedly
progressive media outlet paired with the conservative Fox. The spirit of
"Crossfire" lives. But MoveOn's compromise was not accepted, and ultimately
Fox lost everything.
Looking forward, the victory in Nevada sends a powerful message to
Fox: You're not going to be able to use Democratic debates to whitewash your
right-wing bias the way Exxon green washes its reputation by buying off
academics and PR flacks.
For Democrats, it sends an equally powerful message: Fight back; you
can win. From its first days on the air, Fox News has smeared Bill and
Hillary Clinton. And when President Clinton finally called Fox on it, the
effect was electric. Across America, progressives were galvanized into
action.
For those who need reminding of Fox's agenda -- using its "fair and
balanced" credibility to smear Democrats and help Republicans -- here's the
bill of particulars:
a.. Fox News' founder and guiding genius, Roger Ailes, was the chief
media strategist for President George H.W. Bush. When you have a Republican
political consultant running a news network, don't be surprised if that
network becomes a propaganda tool for the Republican Party.
b.. After the 2006 elections, Fox Senior Vice President John Moody
sent a memo to news staff instructing them: "Be on the lookout for any
statements from the Iraqi insurgents ... thrilled at the prospect of a
Dem-controlled Congress."
c.. Robert Greenwald's film "Outfoxed" exposed 33 similar memos from
Moody before the 2004 elections. On Bush: "His political courage and
tactical cunning are worth noting in our reporting through the day." On
Iraq: "Do not fall into the easy trap of mourning the loss of U.S. lives and
asking out loud 'Why are we there?'"
d.. Fox's Iraq coverage was so biased that a university study showed
80 percent of Fox viewers believed one of these three falsehoods: Saddam
Hussein was behind 9/11; WMDs were found in Iraq; or most of the world
supported Bush's Iraq war. Fox is entitled to its own opinions, but not its
own facts.
e.. Fox hired George W. Bush's first cousin, John Ellis, to chair
its Election Night desk in 2000. Not surprisingly, Ellis spoke with Bush
five times that night, and Fox was the first network to "call" Florida for
Bush.
f.. Fox identified alleged pervert and GOP Congressman Mark Foley of
Florida as a Democrat.
g.. Fox's headline when Lewis "Scooter" Libby was convicted on four
of five felony counts was straight out of Pravda: "Scooter Libby Found Not
Guilty of Lying to FBI Investigators."
h.. Fox cited an Insight magazine report that Sen. Barack Obama
(D-Ill.) was educated in a Muslim madrassa. CNN sent real journalists to
Indonesia, interviewed people, gathered facts and reported the news: Obama's
school was public and nondenominational.
i.. More Fox smears and misinformation are captured in the YouTube
videos at www.FoxAttacks.com.
When Bill O'Reilly hosted James Carville and me on his program back in
September, I urged Bill and Fox to stop living a lie. "Come out of the
closet!" I yelled. "You all are conservative!" But O'Reilly was unmoved. "I
don't believe it for a second," he said.
I do. Bill Clinton does. So does the Nevada Democratic Party.
Sometimes the thing a bully needs most is someone to stand up to him.
Paul Begala is a political analyst for CNN and a research professor at
Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute. He was counselor to
President Clinton.
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