Fox Bashes Just About Everyone In this Segment
Reported by Melanie - October 20, 2004 -
Fox News got in a zinger today (October 20, 2004) on Dayside w/Linda Vester. COMMENT: It was one big anti-Kerry, anti-European, pro-American, pro-Bush advertisement, complete with fresh references to Brie cheese and girlie-man wine (just in case you forgot), all free of charge to the Bush campaign!
As you may know, the Guardian newspaper in London is giving out the addresses of voters in Clarke County, Ohio so its readers can write to them and "have their say" in the American election. Millions of people around the world are affected by policies and decisions made by the government of the United States, however, they obviously have no vote. Many citizens of the world feel that the policies of the Bush administration have made the world less safe, and that they are wildly unwise and dangerous to the planet, so this project has been enthusiastically received by the Guardian's readers. As of Tuesday evening, over 14,000 British citizens made a request for the address of an Ohio voter.
During Dayside, Fox reporter and British native Jonathan Hunt hosted a segment during which he read some of the letters from Britain and some of the American responses. The segment, while delivered in a lighthearted way, is, as you can see from reading it, quite vicious.
Vester introduced Hunt who began: "Linda, let me tell you first of all that this campaign was started by a newspaper known as the Guardian. And, I think it's important for everybody in the United States to know that this is a quirky, rather bizarre newspaper read by an ever-diminishing number of people who really just morn the loss of the Soviet Union, so we don't necessarily want to take their views too seriously."
Next, a female voice with a British accent read letters allegedly from Guardian readers while the voice of John Gibson read letters allegedly from Americans. If the swear words used in the letters were discernable in John Gibson's audio (there were no swear words in the letters from Britain) I've typed them here so you will know what they were, even though they were blocked out on screen. (All these letters appeared in print on screen with the British female or Gibson voice over.)
Letter from Britain: "I know that you as Americans understand the issues. Vote against Bin Laden's dream candidate. Vote to send Bush packing."
Letter from US: "Keep your fxxking hands off our election. Hey, fxxk heads, remember the Revolutionary War? Remember the war of 1812? We didn't want you or your politics here, that's why we kicked your axx out."
Letter from Britain: "Give us back the America we loved and your friends will be waiting for you."
Letter from US: "Real Americans aren't interested in your pansy-axx tea sipping opinion. If you want to save the world, begin with your own worthless corner of it."
Letter from Britain: "The world would be a better place without George Bush but that doesn't justify an assassination attempt. The proper way to get rid of your smirking gunslinger is to vote him out."
Letter from US: "We don't need weenie-spined Limeys meddling in our presidential election. If it wasn't for America, you'd all be speaking German. And if America would have had a president then of the likes of Kerry, you'd all be goose-stepping around Buchingham Palace. Oh yeah, and brush your gxx dxxm teeth you filthy animals."
Then back to Hunt: "Strong stuff Linda, as you can see. But as I say, don't take any of it too seriously. The Guardian is read by the sort of Brie nibbling, chardonnay swilling, what we used to call in Britain the champaign socialists. They barely have an influence on their own election anymore, never mind the elections that are going to take place here. So don't worry too much America."
COMMENT: The letters from the US can be found here. The letters from Britain can be found here. If you go to the site, as Fox obviously did, you will see that there are many letters from Americans who thank the British and who are very concerned that Bush not be re-elected. But, Fox, in all it's unfair and unbalanced Republican bias, decided not to include any of those.
I think what Fox did with this interesting issue is shameful.
NOTE: I had trouble with the URLs as I typed this post. One minute they worked, the next they didn't. If you have problems connecting to the Guardian, go to www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/ and then do a search for letters ot US or letters from US.
