While the Fox News "fair & balanced" slogan applies to the entire network, Fox claims that this applies only to actual news programming. Opinion shows, such as Fox & Friends are exempt and that's a good thing because this show is a right wing propaganda vehicle with a pathological aversion to the truth. And while "the truth," in some cases, is nebulous, the gang on the curvy couch makes no attempt to examine both sides, but, rather weigh in on the side that most fits their right wing narrative. Such was the case, this morning, when Steve Doocy provided national exposure for a Marquette Professor who is being investigated, by the school, for his blog comments about a graduate instructor who offended an anti-gay marriage conservative student. Once again, Steve Doocy provided the whine for yet another pity party and some tasty Fox lies, too.
Back story: A conservative student at Marquette U was told that his objections to gay marriage were not part of the classroom discussion. When he heard the secret recording of the conversation between the student and the teacher, tenured professor John McAdams accused the teacher of trying to stifle free speech based on her political beliefs. After he wrote the post, the instructor was attacked by outraged conservatives, although she has the support of many academics.
Doocy began his patented "Trouble with Schools" segment by reporting that a tenured professor has "been suspended and banned from campus." WRONG - According to Marquette, the teacher has not been suspended but is under review. His pay will continue during this period. Doocy added that this action happened "all because of an on-line post." The Cavuto marked chyron provided the official Fox take in the form of a question: "Over the Line, Marquette Professor Suspended for Blog Post."
Doocy described how McAdams "was defending a student who came under fire by another professor by opposing gay rights in an open class discussion." WRONG -The professor in question asked, in class, for examples of policies that violate personal liberty. Gay marriage bans were cited. After the class, the disgruntled student expressed his dismay that there was no further class discussion about the morality of gay marriage. Doocy didn't mention that the aggrieved student secretly taped his discussion, with the teacher, after the class.
The chyron read "Muzzled by Marquette, Prof Defended Student's Free Speech Right" as McAdams told his version of the story. He said that the instructor told the student that his anti-gay views would offend gay students in the class. There was context to the conversation but he didn't expand on it. He also didn't mention that the student lied when he said he wasn't taping the conversation. Doocy defended "the kid who just wanted to have a debate about same sex marriage and she shut him down" which wasn't the case at all. McAdams noted that this was after class and the teacher "implied" that the student was a homophobe.
Doocy ranted about how Marquette is run by the Catholic Church which opposes gay marriage and all the kid wanted was a debate on gay marriage (which was not the topic of the class discussion) on something [he shouted] "the school is opposed to." McAdams agreed but added that Marquette, despite its Catholicism, employs liberals who - wait for it - are "politically correct." (He told the school Catholic club that he was really being censured for his "exposing Catholic identity scandals")The chyron: "Silencing Opposing Views, McAdams Spring Courses Cancelled by Marquette." Doocy brayed about the necessity for debate about gay marriage. Keeping with what just might have been a prepared script, McAdams bloviated about the evils of political correctness which just happens to a favorite topic on Fox & Friends. Doocy agreed that they were "trying to shut you up." The chyron: "Free Speech Battle." Doocy repeated the LIE: "John McAdams, suspended professor."
If Fox & Friends were "fair & balanced," Doocy could have spoke with the President of Marquette who, in responding to McAdams' attack on the instructor, said "We deplore hatred and abuse directed at a member of our community in any format." Fox & Friends isn't fair & balanced, but it sure does love promoting hatred and abuse!