Fox News Channel host Brian Kilmeade apologized for advocating for the execution of mentally ill homeless people in a discussion on the network last week, saying his remark was “extremely callous.” (Still has his job)
MSNBC fired its senior political analyst Matthew Dowd after he suggested on air that the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s own radical rhetoric may have contributed to the shooting that killed him.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really did not need to read this book. First, I am fully aware of Fox News journalism standards or lack of. One only has to watch five or 10 minutes of Hannity, Waters, Bartiromo, Ingraham, or most Fox broadcasting. Neil Cavuto may be the last person on Fox who at least tries to be somewhat impartial. Second, there was a lot of discussion and disclosure about this book when it was first published. I can’t say that I learned anything new by reading the book from cover to cover.
Stelter focused on the career, behavior and broadcasts of Tucker Carlson. I just found it hard to believe that Carlson believed half of what he broadcasted. There is evidence from this book that he really didn’t – – that he was concerned primarily about ratings and keeping the Fox/Trump base entertained and inflamed.
Given all the scandals and the cartoon nature of most of Fox’s commentators, I find it hard to categorize it as a news organization. I think it is a propaganda arm of the Republican party like Joseph Goebbels was the propaganda arm for the Nazi party.
Given the contents of the book, I was incredulous that Fox commentators were so quick to support the election deniers like Rudy Giuliani. What happened to Maria Bartiromo? She had a excellent reputation as a business reporter and now she is no more than a shill for wackos with strange political beliefs and claims (Sidney Powell).
Despite Fox settling their case, paying Dominion $797 million, nothing has really changed in terms of their broadcasting standards. Yes Tucker Carlson is no longer there but most of the same sad crew continues to spew rumors, innuendos, lies and exaggerations. Sadly nothing has changed at Fox News.
Stelter did dig up some interesting anecdotes and offered some plausible theories about the behavior and motivations of the Murdochs and many of the Fox commentators. As an industry insider, his viewpoints are worth consideration.
So there is a resistance movement within Fox News! Good to know! Today it was on display as many Fox “journalists” defended Jennifer Griffin after Trump wanted her fired after her sources revealed that certain allegations in the recent Atlantic article were confirmed by her sources. Trump accused our military dead, injured and POWs as being “losers.”
Fox Heroes: Carl Cameron, Shep Smith, Neil Cavuto, Chris Wallace and Brett Baier
Fox Zeroes: Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Jeanne Pirro, Lou Dobbs, Bill O’Reilly, Eric Bolling, Kimberly Guilfoyle
Listed below are some sections from the Stetler book to give one a taste of what it covered and was about:
The day after his on air powwow with Hannity, the president called the host with a question; “How did we do?” Hannity knew that the real meaning of the question was “How did we rate?” pg. 5
Hannity chose this life, so no one felt sorry for him, but the stress took its toll. “Hannity would tell you, off off off the record, that Trump is a bat shit crazy person,” one of his associates said. Another colleague concurred; “Hannity has said to me, more than once, “he’s crazy”. pg. 9
Most Americans knew that Trump was on trustworthy, but the Fox base still trusted him. They also trusted Hannity, who dismissed “coronavirus hysteria,” and Laura Ingraham, who called Democrats “the panDEMic party” and Watters , who said, “I’m not a bit afraid of the coronavirus and no one else should be that afraid either.” pg. 12
It’s worth stating the obvious here: Trump’s entanglement with Fox has no historical precedent. Never before has a TV network effectively produced the president’s intelligence briefing and staff the federal bureaucracy. Never before has a president promoted a single TV channel, ask the hosts for advice behind closed doors, and demanded for them to be fired when they stepped out of line. pg.22
Here’s what everyone should understand about Fox’s relationship with Trump, a former Fox and Friends producer said: “People think he’s calling up Fox and Friends and telling us what to say. Hell no. It’s the opposite. We tell him what to say.” pg.43
What works (at Fox):
Sex is what Ailes (Roger) wanted, and sex is what he got. He used his power to enforce the short skirts and “leg cams” and exploitive segments that kept men watching. He also abused his power by preying on dozens of women, including Gretchen Carlson, who hatched a plan to hold him accountable. Ailes downfall would coincide with Trump’s takeover of the American right. (pg.51)
(Kimberly) Guilfoyle’s cheerleading for Ailes confused some staffers, since Ailes was known to be dismissive of her in private. According to unsubstantiated allegations in a lawsuit filed by former Fox co host Julie Roginsky, Ailes once said to her that Guilfoyle would “get on her knees for anyone.” pg. 67
In private, during the 2016 primaries, (Carl) Cameron likened Trump to a con man and reminded people of all Trump’s documented fraudulent activity. He pointed out that Fox was owned by Murdoch, a phenomenally successful businessman who built a global media empire, while Trump merely sold his name to other people’s projects. pg.123
Rounding out the five was a “hot chick,” and in Ailes’ words — – two actually, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Andrea Tantaros, who took turns sitting at the end of the table so the wide shot shot showed off their legs. That was the “leg chair.” pg. 139
(Ailes) always wanted a certain southern beauty queen look from the women on his channel. Sometimes (Suzanne) Scott would convey his messages directly, by telling new hires to “let hair and make up do their job.” She wanted more glam, longer eyelash extensions, shorter skirts, bronzer legs. Some of the Fox make up artists called it the “Barbie doll look.” pg. 143
Poll after poll showed that Fox viewers were less concerned about the virus than average consumers of other news sources, strongly suggesting a linkage between the networks’ commentary and the audience’s beliefs. The Knight foundation and Gallup found that 57% of respondents with a “conservative news diet” believe that the new virus was less deadly than or as deadly as the flu. pg. 306
Miscommunicators, liars, propagandists…
Esot-eric 