News Hounds

Fox News Obsesses About Obama On The View

Reported by Ellen - Thu 11:17 PM

I don't know what Fox News' obsession with The View is. Ever since the days of Rosie O'Donnell on the show, they've kept their eyes peeled on The View like it was some kind of oracle. And now, OH. MY. GOD. President Barack Obama went on the show. And didn't visit the Boy Scouts! I lost count of the number of segments I've seen about this ALL IMPORTANT event. It took up the first half of The O'Reilly Factor. Bill O'Reilly even phoned in from his vacation to discuss this BIG NEWS. And The View's Elisabeth Hasselbeck appeared on Hannity to offer her REACTION to Obama's appearance on The View.

Instead Of Defending Their Record, Fox News Attacks Howard Dean

Reported by Ellen - Thu 7:11 PM

As I recently posted, Howard Dean called out Fox News' race baiting during an appearance on last Sunday's Fox News Sunday. So how did Fox News react? Not by defending their record, but by attacking Dean. Maybe they know as well as we do that they can't defend their record. UPDATE: Fox News now admits there was a "breakdown in the system" with regard to the Shirley Sherrod story. (H/T Think Progress)

"Democrat" Doug Schoen Jumps On Fox News' Race-Baiting Bandwagon

Reported by Ellen - Thu 5:02 PM

Democratic wanker Doug Schoen has a new op-ed out in Fox News' sister publication The Wall Street Journal. Not only has Schoen joined up with Democratic turncoat Pat Caddell to attack President Obama but the two just happened to have done so via the Fox News talking point du jour, accusing Obama of racism. Not surprisingly, Schoen got an invite to discuss his allegations on The O'Reilly Factor last night (7/28/10) where substitute host Laura Ingraham echoed and trumpeted them, coming as they did from a so-called Democrat.

Hannity Repeatedly Pushes Michelle Malkin Into Suggesting Obama’s A Racist

Reported by Ellen - Thu 2:29 PM

Sanctimonious sourpuss Michelle Malkin made her regular weekly visit to the Hannity show last night (7/28/10). Hannity’s racialized anti-Obama agenda was obvious from the start when, instead of just discussing the Arizona immigration ruling earlier in the day, he made a point of repeatedly adding the “(racial) politics” of the Obama Department of Justice into the mix. While Malkin is nothing if not a racial demagogue, she doesn’t usually make a point of attacking Obama as a racist, as so many other Fox News pundits do. Hannity's repeated attempts to get her to do so would have been funny if it weren't so toxic.

Shirley Sherrod To Sue Andrew Breitbart For Defamation

Reported by Ellen - Thu 1:15 PM

I'm so glad to see somebody finally fighting back against the right wing witch hunt machine. ABC News reports, "Speaking Thursday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, (Shirley) Sherrod said she would 'definitely' sue over the video that took her remarks out of context."

Fox News’ Fairness And Balance: Two Competing Republicans

Reported by Ellen - Thu 12:21 PM

On Your World yesterday (7/28/10), Neil Cavuto conducted a softball interview with Sen. John McCain about the partial stay of the Arizona immigration bill. At the end of the interview, Cavuto said, “By the way, fair and balanced…no matter who we have on. Tomorrow we are going to speak to Sen. McCain’s Republican challenger, J.D. Hayworth will be here. We’re gonna get his take on the judge’s ruling and anything else that’s going on, as we did with Senator McCain.” The next guest was Mrs. Fred (Jeri) Thompson. Apparently, Democrats didn’t fit into the equation at all. (H/T Jay S.)

AZ Governor Brewer Joins Hannity’s Incendiary Rhetoric And Fundraises For Her Legal Defense Fund

Reported by Ellen - Wed 11:40 PM

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer joined Sean Hannity tonight to discuss today’s ruling that blocked certain key provisions of her state’s immigration law scheduled to go into effect tomorrow. First, she agreed with Hannity’s fear mongering suggestion that the “federal government won’t protect American citizens.” Then, she urged viewers to go to the website of her state’s legal defense fund and “help us out with a five buck donation or fifty dollar donation.”

Vote For NPR Over Fox News

Reported by Ellen - Wed 8:04 PM

Should the front row center seat in the White House press briefing room go to FOX News or NPR? We think it's a no brainer and we support CREDO Action's campaign to award the seat that Helen Thomas vacated to a real news organization, not a propaganda network.

Brave New Films Examines Toxins in Nail Cosmetics

Reported by Ellen - Wed 7:30 PM

Our friends at Brave New Films have a new video about the toxins in cosmetic products that especially endanger nail salon workers. Watch the video after the jump and sign the petition supporting safe cosmetics legislation.

How Long Until Beck Incites Murder?

Reported by Ellen - Wed 6:38 PM

As we've recently posted, Glenn Beck's incendiary rhetoric may have influenced the actions of a would-be assassin on his way to one of Beck's regular targets for fear mongering. Now Media Matters' Eric Boehlert suggests that the way things are going, it's only a matter of time until the Beck-inspired body count begins.

Fox Nation Erupts In Threats Of Violence Over Arizona Immigration Ruling

Reported by Ellen - Wed 3:46 PM

Those patriots at Fox Nation, a site that is supposedly devoted to people who "believe we live in a great country" and "observing the basic rules of civility and mutual respect," is full of open threats on its thread about the Arizona immigration ruling just handed down. Sample screen grabs after the jump. (H/T Erik V)

Breaking News: Judge Blocks Portions Of AZ Immigration Law

Reported by Ellen - Wed 2:26 PM

As The New York Times reports, "A federal judge, ruling on a clash between the federal government and a state over immigration policy, has blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona’s immigration enforcement law from going into effect."

Laura Ingraham Uses Boy Scout “Diss” to Smear Obama

Reported by Priscilla - Wed 12:41 PM

The right wing is in frenzy about what is being promoted as President Obama’s “diss” of the Boy Scouts in favor of taping on “The View.” Thus, it’s not surprising that Fox News would be there to aid and abet in using the newest right wing outrage to smear the President. Laura Ingraham, filling in for Bill O’Reilly, advanced the meme and kicked it up a notch to smear Obama as an out of touch “elitist” – unlike Laura who’s just a good old Fox country gal.

Has Bill O’Reilly Been Seduced By “The Gay Agenda??”

Reported by Priscilla - Wed 11:05 AM

I have reported on the more than occasional homophobic comments from aging “traditionalist” Bill O’Reilly. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw a video clip of Bill’s recent appearance on the Jay Leno show in which he – swallow your coffee before you proceed – advocated for the elimination of the military’s homophobic “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Honest, he told Jay Leno that Obama should get rid of the policy with an Executive Order. The last we heard from Bill was that he supported DADT because he didn’t “want gays coming out” as it would cause “discomfort in the barracks.” Now he’s saying that “it’s just not fair and we should stop this nonsense.” Ohmagawd! Talk about a flip-flop. Is Bill getting mellow in his old age or has he been taken over by "the gay agenda?" Obviously he won’t be the Grand Marshall for the next NY City Pride Parade – but kudos to him for “coming out” in favor of getting rid of this nonsensical policy which is damaging to our military as well as unfair to those who are, as Leno said, “willing to take a bullet” for us. What’s interesting is that Laura Ingraham provided a video of O’Reilly’s appearance on Leno; but this segment was not included. I guess they’re hoping that O’Reilly’s audience doesn’t watch Leno!

H/T "Queerty"

Fox “News” Promotes Bogus Obama Boy Scout “Diss”

Reported by Priscilla - Wed 10:25 AM

Lest you think that Fox “News” isn’t a mouthpiece for the American right wing, I give you Fox’s promotion of the newest right wing outrage. Never ones to miss an opportunity to slam President Obama, the right wing have their clean, white panties in a bunch about how, as Obama will be taping a segment on “The View” today, he will not be able to put in an appearance at the Boy Scout 100th Anniversary Jamboree. It all started with a report on the conservative, Christian CNS website in which Penny Starr reported that (gasp) Obama, the “honorary chairman of the Boy Scouts” would not be able to speak, in person, to the Scouts gathering in Virginia because he would be busy with those evil, librual (with the exception of the Madonna like conservative, Liz Hasselbeck) women. I’m being snarky; but if you check out any right wing blog, the dudes who post hate, I mean really, really, hate the liberal women on “The View” After the publication of this perceived slight to the Scouts, the right wing blogosphere ignited. To her credit, Starr and the Fox article included the Boy Scout response which the other blogs excluded. So are we surprised that the Fox News website, the Fox hate site "Fox Nation," and Fox “opinion” journalists and a Fox “news” anchor are running with this grievance offense!

Megyn Kelly And Lou Dobbs Fear Monger About Amnesty To “Untold MILLIONS Of Illegals” Then Complain About Obama’s “Incendiary” Immigration Rhetoric

Reported by Ellen - Tue 8:50 PM

Turning away – temporarily I’m sure – from her race baiting against scary black men, Megyn Kelly took up the cause of GOP fear mongering about illegal immigrants. First, Kelly trumpeted an unverified, unsourced accusation from a “group” of Republican senators that President Obama plans to use the procedure of “deferred removal” to grant amnesty to “untold MILLIONS of illegals” as Kelly excitedly put it. But instead of doing any investigation into what the administration actually plans to do or interviewing anyone in a position to know something about this possibility, Kelly’s “objective news show” , America Live, brought on Lou Dobbs. Laughably, Kelly and Dobbs concluded their fear fest with another attack on the Obama administration for using “incendiary” rhetoric about immigration. They concluded it all with the Beckian ploy of urging calm.

Back to School, Part III: Beck U Assures Us the Constitution Belongs to the People (Unless they’re Lefties, of Course)

Reported by Guest Blogger - Tue 6:11 PM

Guest blogged by Margarita

Ah, Wednesday! Another class at that series of online seminars grandly known as Glenn Beck University! Last week's offering (7/21) was called "Charity 101," but it said nothing at all about Charity (not too surprising: Hope 101 offered nothing about Hope.) In the intro Glennzo explained that the federal government is teaching you that "they’ll be charitable in your name" which, he says, was not the way the Founding Fathers had meant it to be when they drew up the Constitution. Then, to clarify how the Fathers had meant it to be, he turned the podium over to James R. Stoner for a lecture entitled "Whose Constitution is it Anyway?"

African Americans Not Fox Fans?

Reported by Priscilla - Tue 1:18 PM

According to Brian Stelter, of the NY Times, Nielson Media Research says that so far, in the 2009-2010 viewing season, Fox's percentage of African American viewers was 1.38%. CNN's was 19.3% and MSNBC's was 20.7%. Could this have something to do with Fox hosts such as Bill O'Reilly who said that nobody, at a Harlem restaurant "was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more iced tea'; " Sean Hannity who said that he couldn't find any racist signs at Tea Parties; and Glenn Beck who said that the first African American president, Barack Obama, is a racist who has "a deep seated hatred of white people?" Nah...Ya think?

Steve Doocy Promotes Scary Border Meme

Reported by Priscilla - Tue 12:42 PM

Fox “News” does love the fear card. They know that playing the fear of Mexican drug cartels causing border chaos will result in “real” Americans salivating in righteous fear and loathing of Mexicans with the added bonus of advancing the right wing meme that President Obama isn’t doing enough to protect the border – hence, the need for the Arizona immigration law - a law that Fox, given it’s not so “fair & balanced” treatment of, seems to support. They also know that they can play to “real” American xenophobia by conflating immigrants and drug runners. This morning, to illustrate the Fox message that drug cartels and illegal immigrants are behind border violence, Steve Doocy interviewed a documentary filmmaker whose film dealt with the problem. Funny, the film was done in 2006 and I don’t recall Fox & Friends talking about the issue at the time. Oh right, Bush was President then.

Fox News Discusses How Liberals “Plan To Ruin Your Life”

Reported by Ellen - Tue 1:39 AM

It’s funny how those “fair and balanced” folks at Fox News always manage to tip the scales so that the hate mongering or fear mongering needle always points to liberals. On last night’s Hannity (7/26/10), Sean Hannity first interviewed an author of a book subtitled “7 Ways Liberals Plan To Ruin Your Life.” Need I add that “Great American” Hannity agreed wholeheartedly with everything the author said? Then, in a following segment, Hannity complained about Democratic fear mongering. His former Miss America guest agreed, attacked the Democrats a little further and then, later in the same segment, engaged in a little fear mongering of her own.