Jenna Lee

St. Vladimir: The Putin Worship Continues On Fox News

Posted by on March 22, 2014 at 11:23 am. 2 Comments :

The old saying that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” has been taken to heart by Fox News and much of the Republican Party. That is the only explanation for the ongoing love affair that is playing out on Fox News for the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Given an opportunity to compare Putin with President Obama, Fox News invariably comes out on Putin’s side.

St. Vladimir

The latest example of this is Fox News host Jenna Lee who interviewed the Wall Street Journal’s Dan Henninger yesterday. The segment focused on how Putin is teaching the west a lesson that “fatigue isn’t an option,” a reference to the observation that Americans, after more than a decade of war, are tired of it and reluctant to commence a new confrontation over Crimea. In the course of the discussion Lee presented a scenario that favorably juxtaposed Putin to Obama and other American leaders:

“[Putin] had people openly weeping in the crowd. I don’t remember a time when any of us have been moved to weep based on a speech about America. That actually alarms me.”

Really? Because Fox News was one of the most ardent critics of Obama’s impact on his audience. They frequently characterized him as Messianic and looped video of supporters crying, and even fainting, during his speeches. They called him a “celebrity” president and insulted voters as having been swayed by his soaring rhetoric and appeal to emotion, rather than the substance of issues and policies.

Perhaps when Lee says that she can’t remember “any of us” being moved to weep, the “us” she is referring to is Fox News personnel. Certainly the only weeping Obama has ever induced from them is when he defeated Republican opponents at the ballot box – twice. Obama’s passionate oration is often belittled on Fox as theatrics, but the drama produced by Putin is seen by Foxies as powerful and patriotic. They are dripping with admiration for the Russian strongman and lament that Obama doesn’t emulate his persona and tactics. Of course, if he were to do so, Fox would turn and pounce on him for sounding like a tyrant.

Just this morning Fox strategic analyst Ralph Peters called Putin “gifted” and said that “He is a dynamic, powerful leader with a clear vision of what he wants and the west is leaderless.” Sarah Palin’s schoolgirl crush causes her to see Putin as “one who wrestles bears and drills for oil. They look at our president as one who wears mom jeans.” Sean Hannity was “humiliated for my country” after seeing photos of a shirtless Putin doing a butterfly stroke next to a picture of Obama riding a bike (which was a manly pastime when George W. Bush did it).

The infatuation that Fox has for Putin is palpable. But it is also opportunistic. They only admire him so long as they can convert their idolatry of Putin into disparagement of Obama. They tried the same thing with conflicts involving Syria and Iran, but after the administration’s success in forcing both countries to retreat from their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, Fox News likewise retreated. And if Putin fails to achieve his goals in Ukraine, look for Fox to forsake their besainted one. But don’t expect them to give any credit to Obama. That would be sacrilege.

AYFKM? Fox News Asks “Are We Playing A Role In Politics That Maybe We Should Not Be Playing?”

Posted by on February 7, 2014 at 1:26 pm. 7 Comments :

If there is one thing we can count on from Fox News, it is a steady supply of commentary that violates the standards of ethical journalism and provides a rich source of raw material for mockery and/or debunking. Whether it is Bill O’Reilly declaring that his own interview of President Obama will “go down in journalistic history,” or the Fox “Psycho” analyst, Keith Ablow, peering into the mind of the President (and everyone else), Fox keeps America’s media watchers and comedians busy. Today is no exception as we embark on a deconstruction of remarks made by Fox News anchor Jenna Lee.

Fox News

In a segment with Fox’s Media analyst, Howard Kurtz, the topic was whether the media is setting up the “inevitability” of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee for president in 2016, and even as the next president. Of course, Fox News itself has been amongst the most hyperactive media outlets obsessing over the, as yet non-existent, Clinton campaign. But the interesting part of the discussion came when Lee had a peculiar inquiry for Kurtz which she set up thusly:

“The purpose of the media in a democracy is freedom of the press. We want to make sure that voters are informed on issues so that they can actively participate in democracy. I believe that. In this way that we’re already looking ahead at the election, are we serving our purpose as journalists? Are we productive members of this freedom of the press and democracy? Or are we playing a role in politics that maybe we should not be playing?”

Let’s just skip over the contorted linguistic absurdity that freedom of the press is the purpose of the media, and go right to Lee’s insistence that she wants to “make sure that voters are informed.” To the contrary, everything that Fox has done for the past seventeen years has served to make sure that voters are stuffed to the brim with disinformation, right-wing propaganda, and lies. And if Fox is so concerned with people being able to “actively participate in democracy,” then why do they promote voter suppression policies so aggressively?

But the real stunner came when Lee asked if Fox is “playing a role in politics.” Are You Friggin’ Kidding Me? It’s impressive that a Fox News anchor can ask that question with a straight face. A network that was bankrolled by an international propagandist (Rupert Murdoch), built by a Republican media strategist (Roger Ailes), and staffed by partisans both behind and in front of the camera, is obviously playing a role in politics.

Fox News serves as Media Central for conservative pundits and politicians. They help them to shape their messages, to organize, to fundraise, and to gain invaluable exposure to the public. So yes, Jenna, you are playing a role in politics that maybe (definitely) you should not be playing. And you know it. And you are not going to change, because it is what you and your colleagues were hired to do. So stop asking such stupid questions.

Fox News: The Pop-Up Kiddie Book of TV News

Posted by on August 10, 2009 at 11:55 am. 1 Comments :

Everyone knows that Fox News is a delivery vehicle for rightist propaganda and disinformation. But did you also know that Fox News provides an object lesson on how to talk to viewers of Fox News (who would know better)? It requires a unique style of communication that has more in common with childrens’ books than with a mature dialogue of substance. Take for example…

Let’s set aside the tragic and senseless loss of a perfectly good cartoon beer. That, while unfortunate, could happen to anyone. I myself had an imaginary Klondike Bar get away from me last week. But there are more profound matters in evidence here.

In this video, Jenna Lee, an anchor on the Fox Business Network, employs a touch screen monitor to illustrate the complexities of the economy. Many television journalists use this technology, but most endeavor to have it enhance their presentation. They will display charts or other graphic objects and, through juxtaposition and visual association, they strive to clarify their reporting and add to their commentary.

Fox News, however, has different needs. They know that they cannot burden their enfeebled fan base with difficult facts and data. The Fox method is not to inform, but to simplify, so that even the most intellectually challenged viewer can grasp at least part of the report.

Notice how Lee takes advantage of the expensive video display she is using. When she gets to the part of her script that discusses the cost of cookies, she pulls a virtual cookie from her virtual shopping cart and enlarges it so that everyone watching at home knows precisely what she is talking about. Look at that, it’s a cookie! She does the same with the uncooperative bottle of beer. Sadly, she fails with the jar of peanut butter, so I wonder what the confounded home viewers must have thought without their visual aid. And when her screen froze I imagined something similar occurring in the brains of the audience.

On other TV news networks they generally presume that their audience knows what a cookie looks like and that explicit visual clues would be superfluous. But on Fox, no such presumptions are employed, and for good reason. Considering the fact that their audience still believes that President Obama is a foreign-born Muslim who advocates euthanasia for the elderly, and that Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber are statesmen, Fox really has to gear their programming to the toddler demographic.

This is another explanation for the fierce loyalty of Fox News viewers. Where else can they get remedial news broadcasts that permit them to feel adequate and capable of (mis)understanding current events all by themselves?