Following on the heels of Sean Hannity's "teasers" that are indistinguishable from an anti-Obama campaign ad, Fox & Friends has now produced and aired a nearly four-minute video called Four years of 'Hope and Change' that takes a not-so-fair-and-balanced look at the first term of the Obama administration. UPDATED with disavowal from Fox's Executive Vice President of Programming.
As Media Matters noted about the video:
While Fox & Friends has long been a home for some of the most vicious, misleading, petty, and dishonest attacks on President Obama, they crossed a new ethical line today by producing and airing what is essentially a four-minute anti-Obama attack ad.
The video - opening with the text "Fox & Friends Presents" -- played lines from Obama's past speeches mixed with commentary from unidentified speakers and graphics purporting to show that Obama has broken the promises he's made since his 2008 campaign. The graphics were accompanied by loud, epic, scary music played over grainy video footage.
David Zurawik, of the Baltimore Sun, wrote:
Today's version of the morning show featured an anti-Obama video that resembled propaganda films from 1930's Europe more than it did responsible TV politics of today.
And the remarkable thing was the the witless crew on the couch that serves as hosts for this show had the audacity to present it as journalism and congratulate the producer who put it together.
As if all that weren't bad enough, the video is dishonest, too. Media Matters has a lengthy post debunking it.
UPDATE: Mediaite has this comment from Fox News:
“The package that aired on FOX & Friends was created by an associate producer and was not authorized at the senior executive level of the network. This has been addressed with the show’s producers.”
–BILL SHINE, Executive Vice President of Programming.
But that doesn't explain why this "associate producer" would even think such a video was acceptable and why the Fox & Friends hosts gushed over it.
3/12/19 update: Video no longer available.
“The package that aired on FOX & Friends was created by Fox “News” to show support of Mitt Romney and to help oust Obama from office."
These frauds were caught red-handed, and the Shine Man is doing damage control; it’s too late the horse is out of the barn.
NOTE TO SHINE
You could not run a ant farm.
If Fox News was ANY other outlet- TV, Talk Radio, notable online publication -the FCC would be making them take action against both the program and everyone involved in creating the segement. Even a lot of talk radio hosts who get away with murder on-air would be sweated for a retraction and apology.
But not Fox News- they don’t have to make acknowledge or make amends for squat. In fact, how often do they apologize for a reason other than that it hurt their ratings?
Even when they apologize in the same broadcast, they have this snide tone like “There’s your damn apology, now shut up- and this better not be made fun of on The daily Show!.” Megyn Kelly still impresses me with her ability to look embarassed by her gaffes, yet still sound like apologzing for confusion/offense is equal to climbing through a sewer on her belly.
Seriously, we should push the FCC to put some standards on them.
Exactly. Just goes to show that they have no interest in doing the news as per their motto of “fair & balanced”. That video was pure right-wing propaganda and the “witless crew on the couch” owe the viewers and the institution of journalism a huuuuge apology (yeah, right, like we’ll ever see that from the 3 stooges; even Shine couldn’t bring himself to apologize for what his supposed news network aired)
And while I’m glad to see Mediaite cover the atrocity of the F&F video, what the hell is up with their headline saying that “F&F nearly crosses the line”…? Nearly crosses?! F&F crosses the line all the time!
Btw, did you realize that not a single one of the “witless crew on the couch” are considered to be conservative? Pfffft.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201205250005
2012: The three morons on the Fux Noise curvy couch falsely present a four-minute anti-Obama attack ad as news.
Does anyone really believe that this is Jabba T. Ailes’ last venomous act against our President?
They knew very well the reaction this would receive and provide it the free publicity to bring it to the attention that otherwise would have been ignored.
On the bright side, this should be golden material for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Their writers must be salivating with this gift.
