Tag: Fox News

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Megyn Kelly Panel outraged over Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson suspension

Just so you can see what passes for “fair and balanced” over at Faux News.

Summation of Megyn Kelly here – ‘Really Reprehensible!’ ‘Word Police!’

From Mediaite:

After showing a statement from Robertson regarding his homophobic remarks, Kelly turned to the panel, and right off the bad Bernard Whitman condemned Robertson’s “disgusting,” “really reprehensible” remarks and said he should get the boot.

Arthur Aidala and Monica Crowley vehemently disagreed, and all three got in a heated back-and-forth about the free speech issues here. Aidala cried, “There’s something called the First Amendment!” Crowley called it a “classic example of the word police, political correctness.”

Whitman shot back that Robertson has every right to say hateful things at “hate speech conventions” but remarks like that have no place in the public square. He said, “Our country’s not founded on hate.” Aidala shot back, “No, it’s founded on free speech!”

A&E is a private company that clearly doesn’t believe in homophobia, so they suspended an employee for making homophobic remarks. It’s got nothing to do with freedom of speech or the First Amendment because this is not government censorship.

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Andrew Sullivan on Fox News war with the Pope

Andrew Sullivan has written an interesting piece addressing the Fox News doctrine that opposes the Pope’s recent statements about materialism and the Catholic Church.  Here’s just an excerpt:

“It has been fascinating lately to watch Fox News go after the Pope for reiterating long-standing Catholic and Christian doctrine about the false god of materialism. By echoing Jesus’ insistence that you cannot know the kingdom of Heaven if you are bound up in wealth and possessions, the Pope drew charges of Marxism (which is anathema to Christians for the same reasons that unrestrained market capitalism is) and engaging in politics (from a channel that has long insisted that Christianity cannot and should not be relegated to the private sphere).

[snip]

“When you absorb the constant racial undertones on Fox, and its constant worship of the god of money, when you absorb their long list of fears about the ‘other’, whether immigrants or gays or the poor, when you recall their glee at the torture of human beings, or their passion for the death penalty, you can’t help but wonder if they are not one of the most powerful forces against Christianity in our culture. They have competitors out there, but Roger Ailes is never satisfied with being Number Two, is he?”

Things that make you go “hmm…”

(h/t JMG)

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Fox News spends 15 seconds on World AIDS Day

And people wonder why I say Fox News is biased.

From Media Matters:

According to an Equality Matters analysis, between December 1 and 2, Fox News spent 15 seconds acknowledging World AIDS Day – one mention on America’s News HQ informing viewers that they could watch the president’s remarks on FoxNews.com.

CNN and MSNBC spent 10 and 20 minutes discussing World AIDS Day, respectively, with both networks airing significant portions of Obama’s commemoration speech.

Keeping things in perspective, Fox News spent more than four minutes between December 1 and 2 discussing Serge Vorobyov, a man who threw $1,000 in dollar bills off an escalator in the Mall of America on Friday, November 29.

So let’s recap: World AIDS Day –  :15 seconds, Mall of America Money Thrower – 5:00 minutes.

Got that?  “Fair and balanced.”

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Fox News falsely claims Gov. Chris Christie did not veto marriage equality

Fox News really needs to get their act together if they’re going to try to smear “not-right-enough” Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.  This is about as inaccurate as you get.

From Media Matters:

Fox News attempted to paint Gov. Chris Christie as a moderate on social issues, falsely claiming that he had refused to veto legislation that would have legalized same-sex marriage in New Jersey.

On the November 10 edition of Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Fox News reporter Carl Cameron discussed Gov. Christie’s political reputation among conservatives, citing his decision not to veto marriage equality legislation in 2013 as evidence that Christie might not appeal to social conservatives.

The reason Christie didn’t veto a marriage equality bill in 2013 is because he had already vetoed it in 2012 despite widespread public support for the measure. Christie cited his personal opposition to marriage equality and was widely criticized for the suggestion that the issue should be put up for a public vote.

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Fox News reports inaccurate account of religious exemptions under ENDA

Equality Matters Lead Researcher Carlos Maza debunks Fox News’ inaccurate attack on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

Fox News continues to push myths about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), baselessly claiming it will undermine religious freedom. In fact, ENDA contains explicit language providing for an exemption for religious organizations from the law.

Check the exemption clause from ENDA below.  Bolding is mine:

SEC. 6. EXEMPTION FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS.

This Act shall not apply to a corporation, association, educational institution or institution of learning, or society that is exempt from the religious discrimination provisions of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 pursuant (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) to section 702(a) or 703(e)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2000e-1(a), 2000e-2(e)(2)). [S.815, Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013, accessed 10/30/13]

So, either the folks at Fox News are illiterate, lazy or liars.

Which do you think is the case?

(via Media Matters)

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Fox & Friends can’t handle the idea of transgender people

Via Equality Matters: The hosts of Fox & Friends found themselves confounded by the announcement that Bradley Manning, the former Army private convicted of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, identifies as a female and wishes to be identified as Chelsea Manning.

On the August 22 edition of Fox & Friends, guest host Ainsley Earhart reported that the Manning case had taken a “bizarre” turn with lawyer David Coombs’ announcement that his client wishes to live her life as a woman.

While the GLAAD Media Reference Guide calls on outlets to refer to transgender people by their chosen pronouns, Earhart and co-hosts Brian Kilmeade and Steve Doocy repeatedly referred to Manning as a male. Earhart reported that “this news comes as his lawyers, her lawyers – what do you say here, I don’t know” are seeking a presidential pardon for Manning. Kilmeade introduced the segment saying, “You’ve got to take it slow because it confuses people”:

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck leaving THE VIEW for FOX & FRIENDS

Elisabeth Hasselbeck heading to Fox & Friends after rumors of ABC contract not being renewed

The New York Post is reporting that conservative chair warmer for ABC’s THE VIEW will be leaving her long standing job to share the couch with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade of FOX & FRIENDS.

FOX News Chairman & CEO Roger Ailes announced, “Elisabeth’s warm and engaging personality made her a star on “The View”. She has proven to be an excellent conversationalist and I am certain she will make a great addition to our already successful morning franchise.”

Rumors were running rampant earlier this year that Hasselbeck’s contract at ABC was not going to be renewed.

She replaces current FOX & FRIENDS co-host Gretchen Carlson who will begin hosting her own one-hour daytime show this fall.

Jenny McCarthy and Brooke Shields have been mentioned as possible replacements for Hasselbeck.