Instant Replay: Bush Trumps Katrina Again
Reported by Nancy - August 30, 2005 -
Today (8/30) on FNL, Bill Hemmer anchored the last hour of the program. As you might expect, the only "news" being reported was about the aftermath of Katrina. But FNL, always on message, saw fit to interrupt this with 24 minutes of live coverage of yet another Bush photo op/speech.
During most of Bush's speech, FNL displayed this banner: HURRICAN ALERT - PRES, BUSH RETURNING TO D.C. DUE TO THE HURRICANE
... rarely interrupting for such gems as: FOX NEWS ALERT - BUSH: FDR BELIEVED FREE NATIONS ARE PEACEFUL NATIONS
At 12:27pm Hemmer briefly recapped what Bush had been saying, then FNL went back to all-Katrina, all-the-time.
Comments: Yesterday, FNL transmitted 8 minutes of live coverage of Bush getting off Air Force One in Arizona.(including my personal fave: video of an empty stair rolled up to the plane's door, simply "waiting" for Bush to show up). Today, FNL upped the ante, devoting 24 minutes straight to yet another Bush speech. CNN & MSNBC did NOT. As Iraq falls apart (not to mention the falling apart going on in Haiti, & Afghanistan, & Congo, & elsewhere) & oil & gas prices soar to dizzying new heights in the US, FNC is flailing desperately to shore up Bush's falling poll numbers. If they keep it up, they might as well just make a new graphic for FNL: OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PROPAGANDA OUTLET.
NOTE TO READERS: Please stay on topic (FNL's choice to cover Bush's speech, live, for 24 minutes). O/T comments will be deleted. Thanks.
