Fox Business Network: Porn And Patriotism

Posted by on October 19, 2007 at 1:34 am. NO Comments :

The new Fox Business Network has launched and is rapidly proving itself to be faithful to the Murdochian Doctrine of Porn & Patriotism. It’s a business model that aims directly at America’s horny nationalists.Now they are narrowing their target to horny nationalistic investors. Is there really an audience for “America’s Next Top Business Models?” While I admit to taking some liberties with the ad at the left (here is the original ad), the slogan at the top (Your second opinion arrives today) is unadulterated and is an admission that Fox traffics in opinion, not news. And I wonder why they chose to include the World Trade Center Towers in the background.

Well, the early reviews are in and they are affirming the net’s vapid approach to journalism as pioneered by the Fox News Channel. First at the gate to critique the new net is its godfather, Rupert Murdoch:

“It’s two and a half to three days old and looks just terrific. Everybody, even in the industry, (recognizes) how different it is to CNBC, which is half-dead,”

You might wonder why Murdoch is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to enter a business whose top performer is “half dead.” And if CNBC, with a potential audience of 90 million households is half dead, than what’s so terrific about FBN which passes only 30 million homes?

[Speaking of terrific: FBN launched on Monday. The Dow was down every day this week. Total loss for the week was 517.06. Coincidence?]

Brian Lowry at Variety has the most humorous take on FBN. And it’s funny because it’s true. Lowry highlights one of FBN’s strengths pointing out that they “trump CNBC’s ‘money honey’ with a veritable money hive.” He mocks the network’s reliance on Stepford anchors in short skirts interviewing patrons of Myfreeimplants.com. But he hits his stride describing the network’s patented political prejudice:

“…the channel has enjoyed solid initial access to CEOs and Republican officials, and Neil Cavuto – the signature primetime voice – practically crawled into GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s lap to be read a no-new-taxes bedtime story.”

Ronald Grover at Business Week delivers a column that is mostly complimentary, although the features that Grover praises might be considered flaws by most discerning viewers. For example, he is enthralled by a segment wherein anchor David Asman attacks Democrats. Even though he concedes that Asman’s analysis is faulty, Grover says, “Who cares?” because he was entertained by it. I’m not certain that other viewers will be so forgiving. Grover himself engages in some faulty analysis describing why he thinks that FBN will succeed:

“Murdoch clearly wants to bring business to Main Street, NASCAR, and younger folks who like to mix stock chatter with their after-hour cocktails.”

Does Grover really believe there is a huge under-served audience of young NASCAR fans hankering to yak about the stock market? Does Murdoch? If that’s their target demo they might be better off actually launching a patriotic pornography channel. Oh, wait a minute…That would be the Fox News Network.

Other news outlets offered up dueling headlines. Reuters declares that “Fox Business launches to lukewarm review.” Analyst Andrew Tyndall found the network “hard to watch” and observed that…

“They appear to have a rooting interest in prices going up. It’s normally not a good sign of journalism when you’re rooting for an outcome.”

However, the devoutly conservative WebProNews blares, “Fox Business Channel Getting Positve Reviews.” Despite using the plural “Reviews,” the WebPro article only cited one from AP, and that review was hardly a vote of confidence:

“They went on the air, played it straight and people were giving information whenever I tuned in – that’s about as successful as you can be on your first day,”

Further diluting the WebPro case is the fact that the Syracuse University professor quoted above, Robert Thompson, was also quoted in the Reuters article saying:

“I don’t think this will change the entire landscape of American TV as we know it. So far, this morning, it’s not been terribly exciting.”

Not an auspicious week for the fledgling network. But one thing we know about Murdoch is that he is more than willing to wait out tough spots and to deficit finance operations pretty much indefinitely. FNC was in the red for the majority of its short lifespan, and the New York Post has lost money for as long as Murdoch has owned it. If it costs him money to spread his propaganda, he’s got it, and he’ll spend it.

That’s why the monopolistic media environment in this country is so dangerous. We have billionaire moguls who concentrate power and exploit it to advance their agenda. In Murdoch’s case, he will even use soft-core titillation and America’s pride to manipulate public opinion. And that’s why it is so important to Stop Big Media from gaining even more power courtesy of the FCC’s proposed new ownership rules.

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FCC Still Shilling For Big Media

Posted by on October 18, 2007 at 11:18 am. NO Comments :

From the New York Times:

“The head of the Federal Communications Commission has circulated an ambitious plan to relax the decades-old media ownership rules, including repealing a rule that forbids a company to own both a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same city.”

“Kevin J. Martin, chairman of the commission, wants to repeal the rule in the next two months – a plan that, if successful, would be a big victory for some executives of media conglomerates.”

The New York Times, a big media conglomerate, is severely understating the impact of these proposed rules. By relaxing ownership caps, the FCC will be exacerbating a problem that is already destroying free and diverse media in this country. In the past 25 years, the number of companies that controlled the majority of media output plunged from 50 to 5. The FCC thinks that that is a positive trend and is doing its best to sustain and advance it.

This is not the first time the FCC has taken such steps. The previous chairman, Michael Powell, tried to ram through similar rules but was beat back by the public and reversed by the courts. Martin is pretending to rectify Powell’s errors by staging events ostensibly to collect public opinion. However, he is now brazenly ignoring that opinion.

A year ago the FCC held hearings in Los Angeles that demonstrated a passionate opposition to further consolidation. The audience was probably 90+ percent opposed to relaxing ownership caps. That story was repeated in seven more cities where the FCC brought its show. Now Martin is justifying his proposed new rules by claiming that they were drafted with input from the public. The only problem is that nowhere in his proposal are the public’s views represented. It’s as if they never existed.


Tell the FCC: Stop Big MediaThe FCC’s genuflection to Big Media was blocked last time because Americans in unprecedented numbers demanded fairness and independence. We must do so again. Sen. Byron L. Dorgan has long been a leader in this fight. Let him know that you appreciate his courage in taking on the media, an institution that could do him much harm. Also, visit FreePress and its affiliate Stop Big Media. Their site is stocked with information and tools to help you be an effective advocate for media reform.

This is a serious matter and demands a commitment to fight. Chairman Martin is determined to reward his Big Media patrons. No matter what other issue you are involved with, it is this issue that shapes the outcome. You cannot end the war in Iraq, or pass universal health care, or advance environmental protections, or [fill in the blank] without access to media that is responsible and accountable to citizens. It’s time to get to work…again.


Who’s Minding The Internet?

Posted by on October 17, 2007 at 11:02 am. NO Comments :

Larry Craig (R-Restroom) told Matt Lauer last night that he has never used the Internet:

“Matt, you won’t believe this. But I don’t use the Internet. I don’t have a computer at my desk. I’ve never used the Internet. It’s just not what I do.”

That’s funny, because Craig is a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus. ThinkProgress has more evidence that Craig is an unabashed liar. But this item sticks out for the way it typifies Washington. How does someone who has never used the Internet get into the Internet Caucus?

This may not be as bad as Mark Foley (R-Perv) being in charge of the House pages program, but it is still troubling.


Media: We Don’t Torture … Republicans

Posted by on October 17, 2007 at 10:39 am. 2 Comments :

In June of 2005, Sen. Richard Durbin made this statement on the Senate floor with regard to a recent FBI memo about treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay:

“If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime — Pol Pot or others — that had no concern for human beings.”

Despite the fact that that was an entirely plausible description of how someone might perceive the memo were it read to them blind, Republicans, with their accomplice the media, went on the attack, accusing Durbin of having offended the whole of our military. Of course, he did no such thing, but that didn’t stop the press from magnifying the accusations until Durbin felt compelled to apologize for remarks that were thoroughly appropriate.

In today’s confirmation hearing for Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey, Sen. Leahy asked Mukasey about the “Bybee memo” which defined torture so narrowly that anything short of crucifixion would not qualify. Mukasey unflinchingly denounced the memo with an allusion to the Holocaust. He said that the memo was…

“…worse than a sin, it’s a mistake.” And referencing photos of U.S. troops liberating Nazi concentration camps he said, “They didn’t do that so we could duplicate what we oppose.”

Either Durbin’s apology was an unnecessary gesture forced on him by partisan politicos and press, or Mukasey is a treasonous defiler of America’s forces fighting for freedom around the world.

Which is it, Media? Is it only Democrats who are subject to criticism for raising the atrocities of World War II? Are Republicans exempt from this linguistic scrutiny? I suppose we’ll be seeing Mukasey issuing a tearful apology in the next day or so.


Dow Jones Is Already Murdoch’s Bitch

Posted by on October 16, 2007 at 6:46 pm. NO Comments :

The Fox Business Network launched yesterday in a manner that affirmed its mission to dumb down business news and to manipulate information for the benefit of itself or its agenda.

Emblematic of their reputation for low-brow, prurient exploitation, they managed to squeeze in an interview of the financial wizard on your left: The Naked Cowboy. This is typical of the Fox Filosophy that glorifies ignorance. It may be why Fox viewers think Bush is smart. On previous occasions Neil Cavuto, FBN’s managing editor, has called on such business luminaries as Tommy Chong to comment on immigration, or MTV dinosaur Kurt Loder to explain health care legislation. And we must not forget notable appearances by Ted Nugent, Kinky Friedman, and a plethora of porn stars and Hooters waitresses.

Also on FBN’s birthday, it appears that News Corp improperly used its influence to interfere with the business of its top rival. CNBC had purchased ads on Marketwatch.com and the Wall Street Journal’s website. Unfortunately for CNBC, both of those sites are owned by Dow Jones which has recently agreed to be acquired by News Corp. Consequently, not only did the ads not run, but ads for FBN ran in their place. It must be noted here that the Dow Jones acquisition has not actually been finalized and News Corp has no managerial authority of them. Nonetheless, someone made the decision to break CNBC’s contract and reward Fox with the spoils. Spokespersons for Fox were unable to adequately explain how or why this happened, but it doesn’t take a Blue Ribbon Commission to figure it out.

This sort of editorial intervention wouldn’t pass muster in a high school newspaper. Fox is generously providing all the evidence that anyone would need to conclude that this new network will be as manipulative, dishonest, and unethical as the Fox News Channel has always been. And it was particularly decent of them to do it all on the first day of broadcasting.


Trouble In Paradise – The Malkin/Rivera Affair

Posted by on October 15, 2007 at 8:22 pm. NO Comments :

Get out your handkerchiefs. Michelle Malkin and Bill O’Reilly are officially separated. Malkin has notified the Fester that she will no longer appear on his program because she believes that her honor was besmirched by Geraldo Rivera. Then, when Rivera starred in an obviously staged apologia on Bill-O’s program, Malkin declared that it wasn’t sufficiently sincere and busted out this email:

“I made the decision to quit appearing on the O’Reilly show in response to the poor handling of the Geraldo Rivera matter (the staged “apology” on The Factor was a complete farce). I won’t go into details, but please know that your support means a lot to me. You can catch me on other Fox News shows and read my daily blog posts and weekly columns at MichelleMalkin.com.”

Malkin’s position on immigration reads like the KKK’s position on integration, and she is also the author of a book that defends the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. So Rivera is justifiably upset by her overtly racist rantings. But Malkin has a point as well. Here’s what Rivera said about her to the Boston Globe:

“Michelle Malkin is the most vile, hateful commentator I’ve ever met in my life,” he says. “She actually believes that neighbors should start snitching out neighbors, and we should be deporting people.

“It’s good she’s in D.C. and I’m in New York,” Rivera sneers. “I’d spit on her if I saw her.”

In the televised apology, all Rivera apologized for was the threat to spit on her. He said nothing retracting the “most vile, hateful commentator” sweet talk. Still, it’s funny that Malkin finds this affront so intolerable that she would quit the show. There must be ten thousand good reasons to avoid O’Reilly’s Circus of Stupidity. But it took being insulted by Geraldo to push her over the edge. How sad.

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The Fox Frame: Propaganda Is Job One

Posted by on October 14, 2007 at 2:21 am. 4 Comments :

Readers of News Corpse know that I work tirelessly to persuade Democrats and progressives to decline to appear on Fox News. See Starve The Beast for a detailed analysis of why such appearances are not only pointless, but are in fact detrimental. See below for what you can expect if you do appear.

Former Democratic representative Harold Ford is now a Fox News Contributor. This allows Fox to have a face on screen with a “D” after his name and a derogatory swipe at a leading Democratic presidential candidate in the text below him. “Burgler” is Fox’s pet name for Sandy Berger, Bill Clinton’s National Security Advisor.
Ford also has the privilege of gracing the screen on the day Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize. Fox takes this opportunity to slam Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth” with a headline about a British court ruling that the documentary contains some inaccuracies. That ruling, by the way, was widely misinterpreted and does nothing to discredit the film’s overall conclusions.

I wonder if Ford knows how Fox decorated the screen during his broadcast. These examples vividly illustrate why Fox News should be shunned by serious people who don’t want to be taken advantage of by this disreputable purveyor of disinformation. This particular tactic reeks of recess in elementary school when a goofy friend stands behind you making faces. Ford should be ashamed for allowing himself to be used in this manner.


Rush Limbaugh To Challenge Gore Peace Prize Win?

Posted by on October 12, 2007 at 1:25 pm. 9 Comments :

This morning the Nobel Committee awarded its Peace Prize to Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The announcement stirred predictable speculation as to whether this honor would spur Gore to enter the Democratic primary for president. The announcement also stirred predictable gnashing of teeth and flapping of jaws as anti-planet rightists search for footing from which to bash the honorees. I’m certain that prescriptions are being furiously written for many pundits and politicos whose blood pressure is now rising faster than the global climate.

At the head of the line is Rush Limbaugh whose drug-addled delusions have him fancying himself as a Nobel nominee:

“As you know, I’m an accredited nominee this year for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

He is, of course, no such thing. His lawyers, who are not valid nominators, submitted his name to the Committee, but that doesn’t constitute accreditation. It’s surprising that Limbaugh would even bother to offer up such a lie when he has previously denounced the award:

“The Nobel Peace Prize has nothing to do with peace. I should be the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. I’ve done more for liberty, individual freedom, and the promotion of that, which is what leads to peace, than anybody in this year’s roster of candidates. I should be the recipient. I’m not campaigning for it. I say this only to illustrate how it’s just been devalued, this whole Nobel Peace Prize has.”

That display of unchecked narcissism is typical for Rush. But even while he disparages the award, he must secretly be stewing. Earlier this this year he went so far as to propose a challenge to Gore’s Nobel candidacy:

“My lawyers at the Landmark Legal Foundation are looking into the possibility of filing an objection with the Nobel committee over the unethical tampering for this award that Al Gore is engaging in.”

By the way, those are the same lawyers that “nominated” Limbaugh. I think my second favorite thing about Gore’s winning will be watching as the light cast by this award sends roaches like Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Beck, etc., scurrying for the darkness they crave. But, like those other creepy crawlers, they won’t stay hidden for long. These are the same sleazeballs that recently attacked a 12 year-old auto accident victim because he had the temerity to speak out for health care for children. These are the same scumbags that call veterans who oppose Bush’s quagmire in Iraq “phony soldiers.” These are the same slime-miesters that are shocked to find that African-Americans eat with utensils and can run restaurants.

While we celebrate this honor for Al Gore and the victory for this little planet we call home, we might want to keep our peripheral vision attuned to the inevitable assaults from the Rapture Lobby who are all to eager to see life on this Earth come to a glorious, searing, apocalyptic end.


Tucker Carlson Is Afraid Of Young People Voting

Posted by on October 12, 2007 at 3:26 am. 5 Comments :

One of the most persistent shortcomings of modern electoral endeavors is the meager participation of young people. There are a multitude of programs run by political parties, schools, and private advocacy groups to educate America’s youth about the importance of voting and to motivate them to get involved in the democratic process.

Sadly, Tucker Carlson thinks that the whole idea of young people being engaged in politics is “creepy as hell.” And that’s not the worst of it. He even compares campaigns that have a youth outreach to the genocidal brutality of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge. In discussing Barack Obama’s appeal amongst young citizens who will be eligible to vote for our next president in November of 2008, Carlson says…

“I just — it — politicizing children — there’s a Khmer Rouge quality to it. I think it’s scary. If some — if a right-wing candidate came and targeted my kids, I’d be mad about it. I don’t want my kids near political candidates. Do you?”

In all honesty, if a right-wing candidate came and targeted my kids, I’d be mad about it too. But only because I wouldn’t want them infected by your brand of ideological vermin. However, I would certainly not object to the notion of my kids caring enough to learn about issues and candidates. And I would respect their right to shape their own beliefs and agendas. In fact, I would be proud.

Carlson seems to think that kids (and we’re talking about 17 year-olds) are addle-headed twits that can’t form opinions or make judgments. Well, I don’t know Carlson’s kids, but the ones I do know are intellectually curious with agile minds and common sense. They had better be, because they are at the age that our society asks them to make some serious decisions like whether to enlist in the Army, or what to study in college, and even for whom to vote for president.

It’s really unfortunate that elitist cretins like Carlson can go on TV and purposefully discourage youth participation in government. He is working against the sort of good citizenship that democracy requires. It would be bad enough if he were just insulting kids by asserting that they’re not capable of voting, but using a brutal dictatorship as an analogy for their participation is perversely absurd and diametrically opposed to reality.

If Carlson were truly interested in democracy, he should praise kids who want to get involved, as well as candidates and other organizations that seek to promote such involvement. If he’s really looking for something to be afraid of, he might consider the consequences of not preparing succeeding generations for their role in public life. Carlson’s desire to stifle the voices of the young in this country is counterproductive and disrespectful. It reeks of an unspoken wish that only the pre-approved, prep school, scions of the privileged be allowed to engage in political pastimes. And that, Tucker, is something that I find “creepy as hell.”


Brian De Palma Stirs Bill O’Reilly’s Wrath

Posted by on October 11, 2007 at 2:48 pm. NO Comments :

On last night’s edition of the O’Reilly Factor, Brian De Palma earned the title of “worst Hollywood person I have ever come across.” Not only that but he is also “vile” and “a true villain” and his new film “Redacted” could, “lead to the deaths of Americans.”

Redacted is an Iraq themed movie that tells a fictionalized version of a true story of American soldiers serving under difficult conditions, and explores how perceptions vary between an event’s participants, witnesses, and the media.

O’Reilly has been railing against this film, which he has not seen, for several weeks. He is enraged that there are scenes that depict American soldiers in a negative light. O’Reilly believes that showing Americans engaging in crimes will motivate our enemies to commit further acts of aggression against us. As if they needed any more motivation. In all likelihood, the opposite is true. Iraqis who see an American film that portrays Americans realistically, even the dark side, will appreciate our commitment to justice. They will be moved by the inherent expression of remorse and sympathy for their loss. It is far more incendiary when politicians and pundits hold pep rallies for troops who commit atrocities and glorify such behavior.

But that injection of reason doesn’t stop O’Reilly from bashing De Palma and Mark Cuban, the film’s producer. De Palma And Cuban have also been feuding over De Palma’s complaint that Cuban ordered modifications to the film. This infighting just gives O’Reilly tingles.

What was interesting about the segment was the guest O’Reilly invited to discuss the movie. Holly McClure was introduced as a film critic. I suppose she is, but the only places her columns appear are the Christian Broadcasting Network and a couple of other Christian networks and web sites. She is also the author of “Death by Entertainment: Exposing Hollywood’s Seductive Power over You and Your Family,” published by Lions Head Press. Lions Head appears to have a roster of three books. They are all Christian-themed and are mostly sold through Christian booksellers. They have no web site that I could find.

What we have here is another favorite strategy of O’Reilly – and Fox News. Locate unknown “experts” with little or no credentials, pluck them from obscurity, slap a mic on their lapel (and a flag pin while you’re at it) and let them nod vigorously in rapt agreement with everything you say. This is how they create a congregation of like-minded true believers who spread their gospel through the mediasphere.