Roger Ailes at Brave New Films

The Woes Of Fox

2008-04-19T21:49:12Z

Great piece by author and Media Matters Fellow Eric Boehlert on the difficulties facing our friends at Fox in the upcoming year. I know, me too--tears:

Bottom line is that Fox News is in for a very rough 2008. And the umbrella reason for that is quite simple: Eight years ago the all-news cable channel went all-in on the presidency of George Bush and became a broadcast partner with the White House. Proof of that was on display Sunday night, January 27, during Fox News' prime-time, "Fighting to the Finish," an "historic documentary" on the final year of Bush's presidency. Filmed in HD and featuring "unprecedented access," according to the Fox News press release, the show was pure propaganda. (I must have missed Fox News' "Fighting to the Finish" special back in 2000, chronicling the conclusion of President Bill Clinton's second term and his "extraordinarily consequential tenure.")
The point is that Fox News years ago made an obvious decision to appeal almost exclusively to Republican viewers. The good news then for Fox News was that it succeeded. The bad news now for Fox News is that it succeeded.

Get out your popcorn and go read the rest. It seems their election coverage has been sucking it up in the ratings, way behind CNN. Getting. Too. Emotional. Must. Stop. Writing.

Sniffle.

MATTHEWS ATTACKS!

2008-06-15T03:10:55Z

I didn't know much about Chris Matthews before I started working on this video for our friends at Media Matters. I don't have cable, so most of what I knew of Matthews was from clips on Crooks & Liars, which usually highlighted some ridiculous, silly, or clueless thing Matthews had said. For the most part, he seemed to me like a friendly, if sometimes goofy, newsguy with an annoying voice. Even his past and recent sexism seemed more like something you'd expect from your nice friend who sometimes makes people laugh semi-uncomfortably by being mildly offensive, especially when drunk. It's not the best thing in the world, but not that big of a deal.

But I think I might've been wrong.

I started watching clips of Matthews and I soon came to a very disturbing conclusion: Chris Matthews is the friendlier, smarter version of Bill O’Reilly.

Here me out on this. When BOR screams something outrageous, dishonest, and offensive, people get angry and want to hold him accountable and discredit FOX. But when Matthews goofily says something outrageous, dishonest, and offensive, most people just laugh and shrug it off because Matthews seems like a nice guy, not a lying, blowhard prick like BOR. If Matthews’ statements are allowed to stand without anyone vigorously challenging them, those statements are accepted as truth, or at least a reasonable interpretation.

Fired Fox News guy rips Ailes. One quote: ”How about those bazookas on that Indian girl, or whatever the hell she is!”

2008-04-20T00:01:42Z

Talk about a hot tell-all:

Former Fox News architect Dan Cooper is lashing out at old bossman Roger Ailes – “a man I knew to be a schoolyard bully” – in a scathing … website post. In what’s said to be the beginnings of a book, Naked Launch, Cooper’s item story-tells how he’s gone from member of the inner circle in the 1990s to corporate outsider, and now is as intent on destroying Ailes as Ailes is on destroying Cooper. Touche!

Juicy. Nasty. Scathing. Vengeful. You know, your usual Faux News buzz words:

To be sure, the anecdotes offered are perhaps what you’d (mostly) expect about Ailes: “boys club” meetings (”How about those bazookas on that Indian girl, or whatever the hell she is!” … “Pussy masala on the menu today?”), making fun of Rupert Murdoch, admissions that he’s been diagnosed as paranoid.

Are you salivating yet? You can't fool me. I hear at least 3 of you breathing hard. An excerpt from Cooper's work:

The best thing that ever happened to Roger Ailes was 9/11. Even Roger Ailes, Machiavellian as he was, couldn’t have dreamed up anybody as fabulous as Usama bin Laden (Allah told Roger to spell it Usama), or UBL, as Fox News called him. Because somebody up there, or down there, loved Roger, 9/11 happened on his watch. It gave him the opportunity to throw gasoline on the bonfire he had already set to scorch and destroy traditional liberal values. For those of you under 50, the United States once had liberal values. There was even such a thing as liberal Republicans. That’s enough of that, because I know talking about the Devil’s spawn and blond big-boobed temptresses is far more interesting. But hang on a bit.

Now, now, GottaReaders, it's not polite to lick your chops in public. Roger, we're all about to find out what really Ailes you. Buckle up.

h/t Huffington Post

What do the launch of Fox News and a Page Three photo shoot have in common?

2008-01-12T20:50:51Z

The Inside Cable News weblog offers for your edification and enlightenment an enlightening(?) and informative(?) account of the launch of Fox News, which ThinkProgress thus summarises:

In "a long meandering unfocussed piece" posted today, Cooper describes Ailes' fondness for "boy's club meetings" during the launch of Fox News that were often peppered with sexist and bigoted comments. "How about those bazookas on that Indian girl, or whatever the hell she is," Cooper recalls Ailes saying. (In fairness to Ailes, Inside Cable News warns that it's difficult to tell how much of Cooper's story "is real and how much of it is BS.")

Indeed, the revelations may be worth looking into, largely for the sake of challenging the credibility and sincerity thereof.

President of FOX: “Bias has to do with the elimination of points of view”

2008-07-09T01:08:27Z

In a 2003 interview for Broadcasting & Cable magazine, Roger Ailes, president of FOX News, said this:

Bias has to do with the elimination of points of view, not presenting a point of view.

Ailes said this in regards to the mythical specter of the “liberal” media, but nothing could be a better description of FOX, particularly as they exclude Ron Paul from the Jan. 6 presidential debate in New Hampshire.

In a response to Paul’s snubbing, Richard A. Viguerie, the author of Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause, said:

I am dismayed that the Fox News Channel apparently plans to bar Ron Paul from its January 6 presidential debate. I have not yet declared my support for any candidate, but I find this action inexcusable. –snip-

Ron Paul is a traditional limited-government conservative in the grand tradition of Robert A. Taft, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan. He has astounded the political world by raising almost $20 million in campaign funds during the last quarter of 2007. In the latest Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll, he is ahead of Fred Thompson in New Hampshire. Yet Fox News is inviting Thompson and barring Ron Paul. –snip-

A Republican presidential debate without Ron Paul is a ‘debate’ between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. All the other Republican candidates would continue the Big Government policies of President George W. Bush, and the differences between them are mostly minor and cosmetic.

Fox News itself apparently wants to limit the GOP discussion to variations on a Neocon theme of perpetual war for perpetual big government.

FOX has abandoned its slogan “Fair and Balanced”, probably because the phrase has become a joke — now when someone claims something is “Fair and Balanced”, it means watch your ass for unfairness and no balance. However, FOX still uses the catch phrase “We Report. You Decide.” This is technically correct, except for one thing — FOX’s reporting is so outrageously biased that it only allows its viewers to make one decision: either support good, virtuous, strong, freedom-loving republicans or hate godless, amoral, terrorism-supporting, money-stealing democrats, all while fearing brown people and non-christians. They hold a gun to the heads of their viewers and say, "Support pro-war republicans or die. But, you know, it's your decision."

Headzup: Fox News Backs Rudy Giuliani

2008-07-08T07:09:06Z

Rudy Giuliani is asked about the report that Judith Regan was asked by News Corp executives to lie to federal investigators about her affair with Rudy's criminal friend Bernie Kerik in order to protect Rudy's presidential aspirations.

Read about it here--
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/11/14/giuliani-news-corp-history/

Download daily Catch and Release Comedy™ political cartoons to your mobile phone or iPod at www.headzup.tv

Watch the video

CNN: Was Fox News Employee Asked To Lie For Rudy G?

2008-06-10T21:31:34Z

Watch the video

Thank Jehovah For Dick Wadhams!

2008-01-14T01:22:17Z

This is the Karl Rove protege that brought his party that impressive victory for George Allen in 2006. Oops, I mean pathetic loss.

He is nasty and brutish (not sure about short, but would still make Hobbes proud). Basically a thug in a long line of GOP thugs extending from Foxnews' Roger Ailes and Lee Atwater to Karl Rove, Ralph Reed and Alex Castellanos, to this schmuck.

Sadly their polarizing politics is failing these days, because they have proven they govern like Lindsay Lohan drives. So be thankful that Dick Waddles (ok, childish, but then so am I) is in charge of the Colorado GOP, because he is bringing that played out brand of loser GOP politics to a key swing state, which has been already turning blue before our eyes the past couple of years.

So soon, we can rename Wadhams "The Accelerant."

More On “Fox Noise = Al Qaeda”

2008-01-12T19:58:00Z

Adam from MoveOn has more about Ailes’ statement that a democratic debate hosted by Fox Noise would be a lot like a debate hosted by Al Qaeda. BTW, how do you scream “Shut up!!!” in Arabic? Adam says this:

This fight is zero percent about fearing questions from Fox, and 100% about Democrats choosing to delegitimize a Republican mouthpiece that masquerades as a neutral 'fair and balanced' news source. Democrats would never let Rush Limbaugh moderate a debate as if he were a neutral or credible news source, so why on earth should they let Fox?

A good point, and he goes on to make more…

Pres. of Fox News: Fox News = Al Qaeda

2008-06-15T03:11:56Z

Seriously, this isn’t a joke. Roger Ailes, president of Fox Noise, said this at a journalism awards dinner on June 5 about Democrats who won't attend the Fox/CBC debate:

“The candidates that can’t face Fox, can’t face Al Qaeda,” said Mr. Ailes. “And that’s what’s coming.”

There you have it, right from the horse’s bloated mouth. See, Ailes recognizes that Noise and Al Qaeda really share a lot of qualities. Let’s list a few of the similarities between the organizations:

- War-mongering and violent? Check.
- Hate American freedoms? Check.
- Ideologically rigid? Check.
- No respect for international law or the Geneva Conventions? Check.
- Full of conservative religious whackjobs? Check.
- Wants to kill Americans? Well, FN wants US troops to stay in Iraq forever. So, Check.
- Approves of torture? Check.
- Wants to scare Americans? Check.
- Preaches hate for those with different beliefs? Check.
- Think GW Bush is a big help to their cause? Check.
- Hate democracy? Check.
- Enemy of America? Check.
- Assholes? Check.

Any more to add? Comment away!

The New York Observer has the full article here.

Watch the video

Edwards isn't afraid of Fox News

2008-01-12T19:57:36Z

Ben Smith wrote an excellent article yesterday on John Edwards leading his Democratic rivals in pulling out of both FOX sponsored debates. When Edwards pollster Harrison Hickman was asked whether he thinks Iowa's Democratic caucus-goers take their cues from Fox News, he said "I don't think many of them have 'What would Brit Hume do?' bumper stickers on their cars"

Fox News Begins Responding To Cancellation Of Nevada Debate

2008-01-12T19:57:31Z

The Beltway Boys, Fred Barnes and Mort Kondracke, went after John Edwards, 3/10/07, for refusing to participate in the Fox Sponsored political debate in Nevada blaming his decision on " Moveon left wing liberals not in favor of free speech" who he later labeled " juior grade Stalinists". Also, the Fox News website reported the news by posting an article that was extremely critical using the headline " Lunatic Fringe In Charge".