News Hounds

Steve Doocy’s “Clarification” Is More Fox & Friends “Texas Textbook Wars” Propaganda

The Texas Education Agency issued a scathing press release which asserted that “The Fox Network in recent days has repeatedly broadcast highly inaccurate information.” Chief among the culprits is Fox & Friends which, from Monday through Wednesday, did five segments that provided platforms for right wing bias and misinformation about proposed changes to the Texas curriculum. This morning, Steve Doocy offered, not an apology, but a “clarification” which, not surprisingly, was just more inaccurate and poorly articulated misinformation. What else is new for Fox & Friends!?

Bill Hemmer’s Fair & Balanced Texas Textbook Report?

Like his former sidekick, Megyn Kelly, Bill Hemmer’s morning show is part of the so called “news” block on Fox “News.” So, one would expect that his coverage would be “fair and balanced.” Not surprisingly, he provided some coverage of an issue that is hot, hot, hot on Fox News – the proposed changes being made to Texas curriculum AKA the “Texas Textbook Wars.” After the straight up propaganda being shown on Fox & Friends (and for which they were criticized by the Texas Education Agency), I wondered what Hemmer’s coverage would be like. And while it wasn’t anything near what the morning pals have been doing, it still wasn’t “fair and balanced.” Unlike Fox & Friends, the propaganda was more subtle.

Professor Larry Schweikart Sought “Freeper” Assistance For Fox & Friends Interview

An interesting FYI - Prior to his Fox & Friends appearance regarding the “Texas Textbook Wars,” conservative University of Dayton Professor Larry Schweikart, the sole “expert” in last year’s Fox & Friends conservative propaganda series, “The Trouble With Textbooks,” sought assistance from the gang at the uber right wing blog “Free Republic.” With regard to the Texas issue, he thought he “had a handle on it;” but wanted Texas “Freepers” to weigh in with any recent developments that he “should know about.” Radical right wing agenda? Ya think? But seriously, this guy is a college professor and he needs imput from “freepers?” Does he seek their imput for his college courses? And regarding the Texas situation - Uh, Larry, try the google. There’s lots of information available from Texas media and the Board of Education. The stuff you get from “freepers” might be a tad biased. Anyway, I thought that this was – ah – amusing?

Tucker Carlson Pimps More Texas Textbook Propaganda On Fox & Friends

Famous “dick” and self proclaimed gay basher, Fox contributor Tucker Carlson is joining the Fox & Friends full court press, otherwise known as the “Texas Textbook Wars” which is surely on a par with, as Texans would describe it, the War of Northern Aggression. Obviously Fox is pulling out all the propaganda stops in order to reinforce its message about how the evil libruls are trying to push their evil godless views into Texas textbooks and because publishers gear their material toward Texas (as the biggest purchaser of books), this evil agenda could be coming to yer town. Carlson is funny. If, as one suspects, his children attend or attended a posh private school in the rolling, green suburbs of Virginia– say – an Episcopalian private school like the one that he did (posh St. George’s Academy in Newport, RI) they certainly would not be taught the kind of information being pushed to the audience of Fox & Friends. (Creationism – puleeze!) But Tucker has become a man of the people who knows that common folk don’t need no high faluting liberal lies. But he has no problems with conservative agitprop– that’s why he appeared on today’s Texas Textbook Two-fer which isn’t a step that he learned for “Dancing With the Stars;” but Fox & Friends’ daily dose of propaganda supporting the conservative side of the “Texas Textbook Wars.”

Update - The Texas Education Agency* has issued a press release which criticizes Fox & Friends for "highly inaccurate information about the State Board of Education's efforts to adopt the new social studies curriculum standards." They rebut specific misinformation which Fox & Friends has been promoting including the nonsense about starting the American History Course in 1877. You heard it here, folks. Maybe they did, too!

Fox & Friends Texas Textbooks Clock – Day 3 Of Right Wing Lies And Propaganda

Now that there isn’t a “Tea Party Express” rolling, Fox & Friends needs another divisive social issue to promote. As they did with the Tea Party “patriots,” they are taking on an activist role in the ongoing debate about what should be included in Texas social studies books. As we saw from last year’s “Trouble With Textbooks” series, in which a right wing professor pointed out liberal bias in school texts, Fox & Friends is willing to provide a right wing platform, with no opposing views, for those espousing a right wing worldview. This week, they are doing a daily piece on what is happening in Texas where proposed changes to the texts are being met with opposition from Christian Conservatives who are fighting proposed changes while seeking to make their own changes based on Christian, conservative ideology which includes creationism and an emphasis on Christianity in American history. This morning’s Fox & Friends was more of the same right wing propaganda and lies which have been peddled for the past two days. Once again, only a conservative (who is more than just a concerned Texas dad*) was allowed to speak. Once again, the Fox & Friends hosts expressed their support for those espousing the conservative view. Once again, their guests proffered the requisite characterization of their opposition as “leftists.” It was straight up, reinforced right wing propaganda which uses misinformation about the Texas textbook “war” to rile up the anti-education pitchfork gang. Fox & Friends – not your your average morning chat show but one that’s galvanizing a social movement – who says the medium isn’t the message!