monk222 | Entries tagged with fox

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Rupert Murdoch has spent years thinking about what he would do with The Wall Street Journal if he could just get his hands on it. Based on his business history, he often gets what he wants.

-- Richard Siklos for The New York Times

Mr. Murdoch, the Fox News guy, has made a bid of five billion dollars for the Wall Street Journal. So far, the controlling Bancroft family opposes the sale.

The Wall Street Journal is a conservative paper, naturally, and a well-respected and authoritative source. One would expect that Murdoch would not want to hurt that image. Still, one cannot help wondering what a Murdock ownership could portend for the prestigious paper.

Personally, just in terms of media consolidation, I would think it is a better world if the Wall Street Journal remains out of his hands. It is a sickening thought that so much be in so few hands. Especially Murdoch's hands. Though, I admit more racy nudity is a good thing more often than not.

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Fox News is still becoming more the political story, rather than just reporting and letting us decide. The controversy in question was sparked by a statement made by Roger Ailes, the Fox chairman, joking in his own Coulterish way associating Obama with the terrorists, “It is true that Barack Obama is on the move. I don’t know if it’s true that President Bush called Musharraf and said, ‘Why can’t we catch this guy?’”

Fox was going to sponsor a debate among the Democratic presidential candidates, but the debate host, the Nevada Democratic Caucus, has now dropped the Fox debate, citiing Fox bias and Mr. Ailes' statement.

In return:

David Rhodes, vice president for Fox News, said in a statement: “News organizations will want to think twice before getting involved in the Nevada Democratic Caucus, which appears to be controlled by radical fringe out-of-state interest groups, not the Nevada Democratic Party. In the past, MoveOn.org has said they ‘own’ the Democratic Party. While most Democrats don’t agree with that, it’s clearly the case in Nevada.”

Yeah, this isn't really news, but it only becomes clearer that Fox News is, first, a political player for the Republican Party and, second, a news agency. This is not the equivalent of CNN or even MSNBC News. It makes the game more interesting.

(Source: Kate Phillips for The New York Times)

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David Rhodes, vice president for Fox News, said in a statement: “News organizations will want to think twice before getting involved in the Nevada Democratic Caucus, which appears to be controlled by radical fringe out-of-state interest groups, not the Nevada Democratic Party. In the past, MoveOn.org has said they ‘own’ the Democratic Party. While most Democrats don’t agree with that, it’s clearly the case in Nevada.”

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Robert Greenwald has put together a provocative little video on how Fox News seems to have Obama in its crosshairs:

Fox Attacks Obama
I only wonder whether they are helping Hillary because they figure she will be easier to beat in the general election.

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Fox News has come up with its answer to the liberal-leaning "Daily Show." It is called the "1/2 Hour News Hour." Here is a preview skit:

Mocking Obama-mania
I doubt the "Daily Show" has much to worry about, as they are probably willing to give up the neo-fascist demographic. And at least Rush Limbaugh now has something to watch. Limbaugh 'joked' that Mr. Obama should go ahead and renounce his being black and become white:

Yesterday on his radio show, right-wing host Rush Limbaugh derided Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) — who is biracial — for saying, “If you look African-American in this society, you’re treated as an African-American.”

Limbaugh claimed that this statement meant Obama didn’t want to be black and should “renounce it”: “If it’s not something you want to be, if you didn’t decide it, renounce it, become white!” He added, “If you don’t like it, you can switch. Well, that’s the way I see it. He’s got 50-50 in there. Say, ‘No, I’m white.’”

I see this election is going to be interesting indeed. I was actually thinking that America was beyond such racial play, but that was naive.

(Source: ThinkProgress.org)

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Yesterday on his radio show, right-wing host Rush Limbaugh derided Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) — who is biracial — for saying, “If you look African-American in this society, you’re treated as an African-American.”

Limbaugh claimed that this statement meant Obama didn’t want to be black and should “renounce it”: “If it’s not something you want to be, if you didn’t decide it, renounce it, become white!” He added, “If you don’t like it, you can switch. Well, that’s the way I see it. He’s got 50-50 in there. Say, ‘No, I’m white.’”

I see this election is going to be interesting indeed. I was actually thinking that America was beyond such racial play, but that was naive.

(Source: ThinkProgress.org)

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It is interesting to see Fox News seeming to claim the centrist grounds on social issues - a bid toward greater respectability? In this clip, we see them taking on a Christianist on behalf of the fallen gay soldiers:

Bimbo War

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Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "Bend Over 5" - XTSY channel

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "Bend Over 5" - XTSY channel

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The news these days does not carry much to draw Monk's interest on these long, slow summer days. With Congressional elections coming up in the fall, and with our leaders and parties far out of favor, we are left with the sort of tired and melodramatic battling that makes one think of professional wrestling, but without the T&A - Trish and Lita, where are you? Monica?

The Bush Administration leads the way, relying on their old favorite tricks, playing up a proposed amendment to ban gay marriage, along with the traditional themes of being more against flag-burning than others and cracking down on extralegal brown immigrants. One fears the Administration will next bring out the color-coded chart on terrorism alerts - where is ol' John Ashcroft when you need him?

The spirit of this Silly Season was perhaps captured well in a message mishap during a White House press briefing yesterday. Tony Snow is the White House spokesman. Snow is one of the Republicans' Aryan princes, who was an anchorman on Fox News before being tapped for this position recently. Fox News! Fox has already been understood to be the megaphone for the Republican Party, but one supposes that, in a bid for greater efficiency, the Bush people decided to cut the middleman and just have Fox in the White House directly. Less chance of foul-ups that way. Or that was the hope.

Spinning the Administration's line on the proposed Amendment to ban gay marriage, Mr. Snow actually started to speak of it in terms of advancing civil rights, as though the racial segregationists of old were only trying to advance civil rights by preserving quality education for whites only. An alert reporter immediately called him on it, making a story out of it. The transcript is below. It sounds like a Doonesbury cartoon.

On a side note, one can see our leggy Ms. Coulter still begging to be reamed. She is actually mocking the widows of 9/11. She is essentially calling them media whores - talk about projection! I guess that whole 9/11 angle is no longer working so well for the Bushies, heh. So, the news on these sleepy summer days is not without its entertainment values, but there is just something depressing about it all.

( Transcript excerpt )

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Current Mood: lazy
Current Music: "The Garden" - George Winston

Current Mood: lazy
Current Music: "The Garden" - George Winston

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Jon Stewart mocks Fox News on its reporting of a serial killer operating in Florida, as the news organization took the opportunity to use a lot of sexy Spring Break footage for its background. But that is why Monk watches Fox! I wish critics would not try to shame Fox on that account. We can always get real news from CNN and MSNBC. Take away the foxxxy from Fox and all you have is G.O.P. TV, and you may as well watch the CNBC business channel.

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Current Mood: weird
Current Music: Fox and Friends - Hill in a mini-skirt