As George Costanza once said, "it's not a lie if you believe it." While the folks at Fox might not believe what they're peddling, it's clear that they want their audience to do so. Thus, they provide them with Fox "facts" that are reinforced over a span of shows or sometimes within a show. In an effort to alienate Catholic voters over the Obama administration's new requirement for employer health plans to cover the cost of contraceptives, Fox takes a page from the playbook of the US Council of Catholic Bishops in its reporting,as fact, that this coverage includes abortion drugs. The problem here is that it isn't true; but that hasn't stopped Fox from repeating it four times. On Monday, not only did Megyn Kelly not correct her guest's statement about this; but she presented it, as fact, in a subsequent piece framed by another Fox fact - that Obama is "picking on" Catholics. While Fox is entitled to their opinion, they're not entitled to their facts which, in the case of the abortion pill, is anything but.

"Kelly's Court" began by framing the basic Fox agitprop that is the common thread in Fox's coverage of the requirement that the health plans of large religious institutions, like Catholic universities and hospitals, provide birth control with no co-payment which, not noted by Fox, some are already doing. She asked (LOL) if the Obama administration is "picking a fight" with the Catholic Church and reported that religious employees are required to provide free birth control, sterilizations, and the morning after pill. Her voice rising she said "some are vowing to pay the penalty instead of complying with the law." Fact Check - the "penalty" (assessments paid by employer) is also part of the law. She played part of her interview with Catholic League president and blowhard Bill Donohue when he bashed Obama for not respecting "conscience rights" of Catholics. The topic was then tossed to her two attorney guests, each of whom represented one side of the argument.

She quickly provided the money quote for the piece. She asked, her voice get louder and her eyes shooting daggers "How can it be consistent with the freedom of religion" "a Catholic hospital TO PROVIDE PILLS THAT LEAD TO ABORTION." Unfortunately, Mark Eiglarsh, who made the important point that the administration would argue that it's "putting women's rights first," didn't pick up on her, at best, misinformation and at worst, a lie.

FACT CHECK: The only pills that are covered under this policy are birth control pills and emergency contraception (Plan B) which is commonly known as the "morning after" birth control pill as it prevents a fertilized egg from implanting on the wall of the uterus. It is considered a birth control pill by the medical community and the FDA because they define pregnancy as beginning at implantation. Hence it's not an abortion inducing drug. If a woman is pregnant and she takes the pill, she will not abort. But because the Catholic Church believes that "life" begins at conception, they view it as an abortion drug. Real abortion drugs such as RU 486 ARE NOT COVERED under the policy. So if Megyn is claiming that these are abortion drugs, she's either claiming, as fact, what is Catholic theology or lying about the policy covering actual abortion drugs.

The coverage of the birth control mandate is a classic example of Fox driven propaganda. They take an issue and frame it as an outrage. They then present a mostly one sided, limited version and in so doing twist the facts to suit their right wing agenda which, in this case, is that Obama is "picking on" Catholics. A propaganda threefer is scored as not only do they get to bash Obama; but they feed into their carefully crafted meme of Christian persecution at the hands of the godless libruls and also solidify their "pro-life" viewership. Rather than present real fact,s they create their own version of reality in service of their politics. Fox News - "Fair & Balanced" as always!

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1409920736001/