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Fox News chief Roger Ailes reportedly asked David Patraeus to resign from the military and run for president.
“It’s no secret that Fox News is an outlet for conservative voices. But Ailes’ promise of support to a particular candidate bolsters the widely held belief that the channel is not an independent news organizationand suggests just how entrenched Fox is in conservative politics,” writes Ryu Spaeth.
(Source: theweek.com)
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“Forget Barack Obama and Mitt Romney,” says Matt Negrin at ABC News. The battle for the White House may have been the most momentous event on Tuesday, but “the most exciting matchup of the night was between Karl Rove and his employer, Fox News.”
After the network’s decision desk called Ohio — and thus the presidency — for Obama at little after 11 pm (ET), the GOP strategist and super PAC kingpin protested (and protested), arguing that there were too many votes left, that Romney was closing the gap, and that Fox should un-call Ohio. “That’s awkward,” said anchor Megyn Kelly.
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An al Qaeda-linked website has posted a call for the killing of Matthew Bissonnette, the retired Navy SEAL Team 6 member who wrote a book about his role in the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.
Bissonnette wrote under a pseudonym, but was identified last week by Fox News. And the possibility that terrorists might come after him is just one of his worries when No Easy Day, his firsthand account of the raid on bin Laden’s Pakistan hideout, hits shelves on Sept. 11.
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The Roman Catholic Church is having a rough time in the public relations department: Frequent leaks on infighting and corruption among Pope Benedict XVI’s top advisers have embarrassed the Vatican, a crackdown on American nuns is drawing bad press, and a long-running child sex-abuse scandal made headlines again Friday thanks to the monumental child-endangerment conviction of a Philadelphia prelate.
Now, the Holy See has a new strategy to resolve this media mess: Hiring Fox News journalist Greg Burke as senior communications adviser. Burke, who is also a member of the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei — the antagonists in The Da Vinci Code — likens his new role to that of the White House’s top media strategist. “You’re shaping the message,” he says, and “you’re trying to make sure everyone remains on-message.”
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“Every time you see someone stick up a 7-Eleven, the kid is wearing a hoodie. I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.” -Geraldo Rivera on Fox & Friends.
The Fox News host is facing an angry backlash for suggesting that Trayvon Martin, the black Florida teen shot dead by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, was targeted because he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt that made him look like a criminal. Should Geraldo be fired for his ‘incendiary’ remark? Not everyone agrees…
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Survey finds significant correlation between trust in Fox News and negative attitudes about Muslims
From the poll: “Americans who most trust Fox News are more likely to believe that Muslims want to establish Shari’a law, have not done enough to oppose extremism, and believe investigating Muslim extremism is a good idea.”
Commentary and analysis here from Greg Sargent at The Washington Post.
“…if Fox’s explicit goal has been to create a self-sustaining, self-perpetuating alternate reality, as many have alleged, it appears that when it comes to Americans’ views of Muslims, the network may be succeeding brilliantly.”
Originally posted to personal Tumblr, but thought The Week followers might find this interesting.
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Bret Baier is the rising star of Fox News’ highly rated weekday show “Special Report.” But if his TV career ever fizzles, he may have a fallback career as a rapper. At a Friday night “jam session” following the 52nd Annual Bob Hope Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., Baier was invited onstage; claiming he only knew one song, Baier launched into a more-than-passable rendition of The Sugarhill Gang’s seminal 1979 hit “Rapper’s Delight.”
