More problems with blurred lines between NPR and Fox News was evident in yesterday's report on Brit Hume's announcement that he was stepping down from his anchor position at Fox News. The piece featured David Folkenflick barely articulating the most timid critique of Fox News, while mainly claiming that that Brit Hume "brought the news channel credibility."
Only in the Orwellian world of NPR News could a loyal mainstay of the venomous Fox News channel claim that he's lost enthusiasm for his job because of "this poisonous atmosphere in Washington over the past, oh I'd say 14 or 15 years. It makes news because sparks are struck; sparks are what make news — there's dissent and disagreement, intense feeling and so on, which all contribute to an untidy and ugly at times, but nonetheless newsworthy, atmosphere."
So does Folkenflik challenge Hume's hypocrisy with a list of Hume's own lies and ugly smears? Barely. He notes euphemistically that "Fox News is itself a home for all kinds of rancor..." (I guess this counts as rancor) and then politely asks, "How much do you feel that your own channel has contributed to that?"
Hume responds that "We've certainly been a forum, as everybody else has, for the arguments of the day. We are more a reflection of it, I think, than a cause." A forum? Like everyone else? Does Folkenflik follow up with evidence to show that Fox News has been far more than a forum, and is not like everyone else? Here's his response:
"Hume cuts an elegant figure in pinstripe suits and pocket squares, and he's known for his mordant wit and his love of a good story."Clueless Folkenflik might want to watch this interchange with Chris Wallace on the Daily Show and notice how at the 3 minute mark Wallace is presented with evidence of Fox's sorry excuse for journalism. I know evidence is soooooo left leaning and biased.
The story ends noting that Hume wants to spend more time with family and read the Bible...
6 comments:
I have to laugh.
According to Rupert Murdoch's biographer, even Murdoch is embarrassed by Fox.
Apparently Folkenflick is not aware of this
"Michael Wolff, Rupert Murdoch's authorized biographer said during a CNBC interview on September 3, 2008 that the conservative media baron is quite embarrassed by Bill O'Reilly and by his Fox Television network, and he will vote for Senator Obama in the upcoming elections."
http://opensource.sys-con.com/node/671616
Listening to that virtual oral servicing of ol' Brit made me gag.
And NPR wonders why I stopped subscribing.
NPR and PBS are subject to the same pressure from advertisers as other broadcasters. In addition they are subject to pressure from politicians who have power over a part of their budget.
NPR and PBS participated in the Pentagon Propaganda Program. NPR has shilled for Walmart and takes money from Clear Channel Communications. PBS has run ads from the National Mining Association that promote mountaintop removal mining.
Good people in both organizations have resisted pressure from private and government interests but the fact remains that some have also tailored content to placate those same interests (ie: The ads portraying Exxon as a "green" company and Pentagon PSYOPS contributor Robert H. Scales Jr.).
Examination of issues like Mountain top removal mining could have been done but I believe it hasn't been because funding from energy companies would be cut. Examination of governmental issues might be more truthful without government funding on the line.
I just found this site and I'm glad to see it. I too think NPR bends over way too far backwards to service the right wing. When they were doing their little contest about their musical logo for All Things Considered, I think it was (you know the one, dah-dah, dah-dah, dah-dah-dah-dah...) I wrote and told them the jingle should go:
give more air time to right-wingers/
sell your soul to the G-O-P!
I've long told callers the same thing: I'm not giving them a penny as long as they sell their souls.
I say vote with your pocketbook...no $$ for NPR/PBS until they clean up their Repug loving butt.
I listen to Air America all day and have no use for NPR.
it is comical to see fox news struggle to reconcile its right wing agenda with its uber patriotic need to support all things american. including the new president.
npr is the least of our problems. i understand the concerns, but chill. npr/pbs still does some great work, and as far as it rates against other media, its far better.
what is the alternative? no npr? no pbs? just fox?
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