Tag Archive for 'foxnews'

Fox News’ approach to PR

Published
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Jake
on July 7, 2008
in Media
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David Carr writes an interesting article on Fox News’ PR tactics, inspired by Fox & Friends co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade attack on New York Times reporter Jacques Steinberg and editor Steven Reddicliffe that featured doctored photos. Carr:

At Fox News, media relations is a kind of rolling opposition research operation intended to keep reporters in line by feeding and sometimes maiming them. Shooting the occasional messenger is baked right into the process.

As crude as that sounds, it works. By blacklisting reporters it does not like, planting stories with friendlies at every turn, Fox News has been living a life beyond consequence for years.

Its interesting but one wonders, why don’t the people Fox is going after fight back? Why not stand up for yourselves?

Countdown beats O’Reilly

Published
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Jake
on June 10, 2008
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From the press release:

MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” beat Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” in the key Adults 25-54 demographic for the first time ever last week.

“Countdown” averaged 477,000 viewers (A25-54) vs. O’Reilly’s 472,000 (excluding Tuesday’s primary coverage). This marks the first time that MSNBC has beaten Fox News in O’Reilly’s 8pm time slot since June 2001.

Good. Keep it up Keith. You’d think it would occur to the people who run MSNBC, not to mention CNN, that maybe Rachael Maddow would have some success with her own show as well?

Published
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Jake
on May 3, 2008
in Odds and Ends
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What a surprise, Fox News wants to push the Wright/Obama story as much as possible.

I really wish Lieberman would go away

Published
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Jake
on April 15, 2008
in Politics
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Its hard for me think of anyone I loath more in politics right now then Sen. Lieberman (outside of Cheney of course). Here’s good ole’ Joe on Fox News yesterday:

NAPOLITANO: Hey Sen. Lieberman, you know Barack Obama, is he a Marxist as Bill Kristol says might be the case in today’s New York Times? Is he an elitist like your colleague Hillary Clinton says he is?

LIEBERMAN: Well, you know, I must say that’s a good question. I know him now for a little more than three years since he came into the Senate and he’s obviously very smart and he’s a good guy. I will tell ya that during this campaign, I’ve learned some things about him, about the kind of environment from which he came ideologically. And I wouldn’t…I’d hesitate to say he’s a Marxist, but he’s got some positions that are far to the left of me and I think mainstream America.

It’s a “good question”? Is it reeeeaaly Joe? I mean really really? Yglesias takes this apart:

I assume Lieberman is referring to Obama’s overwhelmingly majoritarian position on Iraq. After all, it’s been the key conceit of “centrists” like McCain and Lieberman ever since 2002 that to be for war in Iraq but somewhat aloof from the Bush administration is the centrist position. After all, it’s the view adhered to be John McCain and Joe Lieberman and McCain and Lieberman are well known moderates so their views must be moderate ones and mainstream and anyone to their left is “far left.”

That’s the central conceit of McCainism and Liebermanism alike, and it’s important to both of them to just keep repeating over and over again. After all, if they stop saying it someone might notice that whether or not either or both of them hold centrist views on some issues, they’re the two most extreme hawks in the Senate at a time when 60+ percent of the population agrees with the orthodox liberal view that we need to lay down a marker for leaving Iraq.

Adding insult to injury, Jason Zengerle points out that Senator Obama actually endorsed Lieberman over Ned Lamont in 2006 and this is how Joe pays the man back. I suppose thats bad karma on Senator Obama’s part but still. Here’s hoping for 60 Dems in the Senate so we don’t even have to bother with Joe anymore.

John Oliver vs. Fox News

Published
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Jake
on April 11, 2008
in TV
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The Daily Show’s John Oliver did a little mini-documentary on Fox News last night. Worth a watch:

Part 1

Part 2

Published
by
Jake
on March 18, 2008
in Odds and Ends
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Fake journalist and moron Chris Wallace has started an “Obama Watch” which is intended to shame Senator Obama to appearing on his trash show “Fox News Sunday”. I hope that clock keeps ticking for another 50 years Wallace.

“John Gibson, Tucker Carlseon and prostitution scandals come in threes”

Published
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Jake
on March 14, 2008
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Fox New’s John Gibson, an all-around tool, has been given the boot thanks to poor ratings. Stephen Colbert, covers the story (along with Tucker Carlson’s cancellation and Elliott Spitzer):

Steve Benen has more.

Published
by
Jake
on February 7, 2008
in Odds and Ends
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Karl Rove is working for Fox News now. When he was in the White House it was the other way around.

Fox News/Major Garrett know Paul Begala better then he knows himself

Published
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Jake
on January 9, 2008
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Here’s example #874,232 of how Fox News sucks at journalism:
-Fox’s Major Garrett reports that Paul Begala, CNN pundit and former President Clinton campaign staffer, is joining Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
-Paul Begala is then flooded with phone calls and emails from various journalists asking him if this is true, notably Fox News never calls to verify.
-Begala denies the report to those who inquire and then writes Major Garrett an email saying the report is false.
-Garrett writes back, thanking Begala, but then later again repeats the rumor on air and adds that Begala was on a Clinton campaign conference call.
-Begala writes back a second time saying the rumors are false and that he was on no such call.
-Garrett writes back saying blah blah blah but this is my favorite bit from Garrett “The sourcing is strong, very strong, or I wouldn’t go with it.”. Haha, see that? Garrett apparently has a better sourcing on Begala’s activities then Begala himself. Oh Fox News, what are we going to do with you?

Papa Bear acts like a jerk. Also, dog bites man.

Published
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Jake
on January 7, 2008
in TV
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I know, Bill O’Reilly acting like a tool isnt really news but this is more interesting then the usual examples:

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly got into a confrontation with an Obama aide after O’Reilly started screaming at him as he tried to get Barack Obama’s attention following a rally here. O’Reilly eventually did chat briefly with Obama and asked him to be a guest on his show.

The incident was triggered when O’Reilly–with a Fox News crew shooting–was screaming at Obama National Trip Director Marvin Nicholson “Move” so he could get Obama’s attention, according to several eyewitnesses. “O’Reilly was yelling at him, yelling at his face,” a photographer shooting the scene said.

O’Reilly grabbed Nicholson’s arm and shoved him, another eyewitness said. Nicholson, who is 6′8, said O’Reilly called him “low class.”

“He grabbed me with both his hands here,” Nicholson said, gesturing to his left arm and O’Reilly “started shoving me.” Nicholson said, ” He was pretty upset. He was yelling at me.”

Secret Service agents who were nearby flanked O ‘Reilly after he pushed Nicholson. They told O’Reilly he needed to calm down and get behind the fence-like barricade that contained the press.

John Dickerson of Slate was at the rally and saw the whole thing:

At first, the railing where O’Reilly stood wasn’t very populated. Then, as the Obama team saw who was lying in wait, they started to huddle. Staffers started to arrive at the scene. Three policemen showed up, too. One of them stood in front of O’Reilly until O’Reilly asked him to move. One of Obama’s staffers, Marvin Nicholson, took up the same post, standing in front of the Fox camera as Obama neared the door.

“You’re blocking our shot,” yelled O’Reilly.

“Oh, am I?” asked the Obama staffer, not entirely sincerely, and not moving.

This is not a new trick. When staffers block you because you’re being too aggressive, the standard thing to do is give them a little business and then move to another spot. O’Reilly didn’t do this. He shoved the Obama aide. There was an exchange and a little more shoving. I didn’t fully capture it because as I looked at O’Reilly in his black leather Fox jacket, which resembled the kind we wore during football season in high school, I swore I could hear him challenge the staffer to a rumble out by the drive-in.

“That’s really low class, pal,” said O’Reilly.

Dickerson also has a confession at the end, which I more then forgive him for given the individual involved.

the Huffington Post has a video up of HuffPost Editor Roy Sekoff on Fox News talking about the incident and, much to Mr. Sekoff’s credit he works in a falafel reference on Papa Bear’s own network. I tip my cap to you sir. Also John Amato has the video of O’Reilly calling in to Fox to explain his side of the story. His version differs from the versions cited above (oddly enough his version makes him look better) but O’Reilly does admit calling the Obama staffer a “SOB”. Anyone want to place odds on this making Olbermann’s “Worst Person in the World” segment tonight?