News Hounds

Judge Andrew Napolitano Debates Libertarian Philosophy With Jon Stewart

Reported by Ellen - Fri 6:26 PM

What's sad is that this interesting discussion occurred on The Comedy Channel and would probably never be held on Fox News. Favorite line? Stewart, with regard to Napolitano's sink-or-swim philosophy toward government assistance, "For a group that doesn't necessarily believe in evolution, it's awfully Darwinian."

Fox News "Asks:" Does Harry Reid Have It All Wrong?

Reported by Guest Blogger - Fri 4:25 PM

By Brian

Last Saturday's Bulls and Bears featured a discussion about Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) saying we need more spending to create federal jobs instead of relying on the private sector. The headline on foxnews.com reeked of bias. "Does Harry Reid have it all wrong?"

Hannity Distorts Catholic University Controversy To Beat His Anti-Islamic Drum

Reported by Ellen - Fri 1:27 PM

Whether he’d admit to it or not, Sean Hannity is obviously, blatantly anti-Islamic. He’s also a guy who has a problem with the truth. So it comes as no big surprise that rather than have a real debate about the issues surrounding a lawsuit on behalf of a group of Muslim students looking for a religiously-appropriate prayer space at Catholic University, he’d twist the case into Muslims Trying To Take The Catholic Out Of Catholic University!!! But what’s Fox News’ excuse to allow this? And how about lawyer Jay Sekulow, Hannity’s like-minded guest? Just because we previously caught him behaving like a right-wing hack on the Hannity show doesn’t mean he can’t behave like a grown up legal analyst and inform rather than inflame… or does it?

Misleading Fox Nation Headline Claims Muslims Accuse Catholic University Of Violating Human Rights

Reported by Priscilla - Fri 12:36 PM

In yet another attempt to generate more hatred toward Muslims, Fox Nation, "for those opposed to intolerance," had a thread (yesterday) titled "Muslims Say Crosses at Catholic University Violate 'Human Rights'." The thread is an article by Fox Radio culture clubber Todd Starnes. It reports that the Washington DC Office of Human Rights received a complaint that Catholic University is violating the rights of Muslims students in not allowing them to have separate prayer space and form a Muslim student association. If the Fox reader (and that's putting lipstick on a pig) reads more than the title, they will see that the complaint was filed by John Banzhaf, attorney and professor at Georgetown University. But the trick is in actually linking to Starnes' article which reports that Catholic University has received no complaints from Muslims, although he writes that Banzhaf told Fox that students were offended that they had to meditate in the school's chapel which is filled with Catholic images. As noted in the Catholic University newspaper, Banzhaf's statement to Fox, which suggests he spoke with students, contradicts his statement to the Washington Post that no students complained to him. While we can't fault Starnes for reporting what he or others at Fox were told, we can fault Fox Nation for a misleading and incendiary headline. If Muslims are "saying" that their "rights" are being violated by Catholic U, they haven't told Catholic U (and possibly Banzhaf) about it!

Why Is Aunty Em Apologizing To Steve Doocy?

Reported by Aunty Em - Fri 8:12 AM

Twitter has several problems. One of them is the 140 character limit. If I could keep my thoughts to 140 characters, I never would have become a professional writer. Another problem with Twitter is that when one starts to follow people (okay, these are problems I have with Twitter), it becomes so easy to snipe at them. Those two problems merged yesterday morning and the end result is an unreserved apology to my newest Twitter friend, Foxy Friend Steve Doocy. Maybe I should start at the beginning and, as with many other apologies, it all began with a non-thinking tweet:

What's Wrong With This FoxNews.com Picture?

Reported by Ellen - Thu 11:03 PM

Hint: How many Americans can really be dissatisfied with the way the US is headed?

Bill O’Reilly And Dick Morris Justify The Rich Getting Richer

Reported by Ellen - Thu 6:03 PM

Last night, Bill O’Reilly made an impassioned argument justifying the rich getting richer. His guest Dick Morris aided and abetted with the cockamamie argument that the poor are really getting richer, too.

Neil Cavuto Pretends Republicans Don’t Want To End Social Security

Reported by Guest Blogger - Thu 3:30 PM

By Brian

On yesterday’s Your World, Democratic Congressional candidate Brad Avakian of Oregon spoke about Tea Party efforts to destroy Social Security. Neil Cavuto insisted that’s not the goal but the evidence suggests otherwise.

Fox News “Asks” If President Obama Stole A Joke From Dennis Miller – That He Might Have Stolen

Reported by Ellen - Thu 1:06 PM

In what may be a new low for Fox News last night (10/26/11), the “fair and balanced” network “asked” if President Obama had stolen a joke from O’Reilly Factor resident comedian Dennis Miller. Miller told the joke in question on the October 19th Factor, comparing the Republican presidential candidate debates to the television show “Survivor.” In what Bill O’Reilly called a “very interesting situation,” Obama made the same joking comparison on Jay Leno Tuesday night, October 25th. News flash for Fox: That comparison has been made by others, before Miller told it – including a sketch on Saturday Night Live. So maybe Miller, an SNL alum, stole it from them, eh? Or maybe SNL got it from candidate Rick Santorum, who commented in September, after a previous debate, "I mean right now, I feel like I'm on an episode of 'Survivor,'" Had anyone at Fox bothered to do a simple Google search, they would have discovered this easy-to-find information.

Watch Video Of The News Corp. Protest

Reported by Ellen - Thu 12:02 PM

Although none of us were able to attend the protest at the News Corporation shareholders' meeting in Los Angeles last week, our friends at Brave New Films were. And they shot video. Watch it after the jump.

Fox News War On Atheists Continues

Reported by Priscilla - Thu 10:33 AM

The Christian right hate atheists. Given that Fox News is the mouthpiece for the Christian right, it's not surprising that Fox aids and abets this hatred. Perhaps in addition to his fear of gays and Muslims, Roger Ailes also hates atheists. As part of the Fox News persecuted Christian narrative, there is an ongoing attempt to vilify atheists as those who are responsible for these "outrageous" attacks on Christians, Christian crosses, and ski slope Jesus. Whenever any organization seeks to advocate for the separation of church and state, Fox takes the side of those who have no problem with blurring the lines. While Fox, particularly Fox & Friends, provides warm affirmation for signs and billboards proclaiming that Jesus saves and Jesus loves Christmas, they have utter contempt for atheists who put up signs and billboards that support an atheist perspective. In a recent spate of biased coverage about Vanderbilt University's non-discrimination policy, Fox framed it falsely as a way for atheists to take over Christian college clubs and for Fox's faith based audience, that's a scary thought. One of today's ledes on the Fox News website is a story about how the nasty Freedom from Religion Foundation has complained that an Alabama public high school's football team is violating the 1st Amendment because they pray in Jesus name. In the article, Fox's culture clubber Todd Starnes (Fox News radio) hit all the right Fox notes.

Fox News “Democrat” Attacks Obama’s Nevada Trip

Reported by Guest Blogger - Wed 8:22 PM

By Brian

Pat Caddell, “former Democratic pollster,” sang for his Fox News supper again on Monday’s Your World (10/24/11) as he spent most of his segment talking down President Obama, this time the president’s mortgage relief program. "I don't know if this President has talked to a real American in a long time. He sees rich people, then he goes out and does these programs which seem to keep doubling down… No one believes the government is competent enough to do it. Fannie and Freddie are going to handle this, the two most corrupt agencies in America are going to make this work."

Fox News Says ACORN Is Behind Occupy Wall Street Movement

Reported by Ellen - Wed 4:51 PM

FoxNews.com has an "exclusive" story, based on anonymous sources, alleging that ACORN, that community organization for poor people that Fox just can't vilify enough is a puppetmaster behind the Occupy Wall Street movement. The "fair and balanced" network's accusations of wrong-doing seem to be unverified and are strangely reminiscent of the phony accusations that an ACORN worker had killed her husband, or that ACORN workers had committed voter fraud, for example. (H/T Greg Mitchell)

Sean Hannity Warns About Evil NYC Sex Education

Reported by Priscilla - Wed 3:39 PM

For the conservative, religious right, ain't no outrage like public school sex education and the Murdoch owned Sean Hannity, in sourcing from the Murdoch owned NY Post, wants you, too, to be outraged about the new sex ed curriculum in the NY City schools. One does suspect that Hannity's kids go to a nice private or Catholic school where kids don't need sex ed because they're saving it for Jesus; but in the interests of public service, Mr. Hannity provided a lurid look at the newest threat to America as we know it. But Hannity's past aversion to a reality based sex ed curriculum and his concern about what he describes as the - er - salacious aspects of this program makes you realize the importance of reality based sex education scorned by the religious right and Sean Hannity.

Fox's Father Jonathan Morris Says Vanderbilt Leadership Is "Slimey?"

Reported by Priscilla - Wed 1:25 PM

If Steve Doocy is Roger Ailes' "attack poodle," Fox's resident priest Fr.Jonathan Morris is Ailes' avenging angel. Whenever Ailes wants to get what he thinks his audience thinks is the official Catholic position, on a matter near and dear to the heart of the conservative and religious right, he calls in Morris. The latest faux outrage in the right wing is a Vanderbilt University non-discrimination policy which states that the leadership of campus religious organizations is not obligated to hold the same religious views as the membership. Of the many such groups, only four are out of compliance and all four are Christian groups whose charters require that the leadership hold the same views as the membership. As the membership beliefs of these groups are anti-gay, the requirement that the leaders hold the same bigoted beliefs is against Vandy's non discrimination policy. But in two recent segments, Fox & Friends hosted guests who opposed the policy, twisted its implications, and neglected to mention that anti-gay prejudice is the basis for it. Not surprisingly, the cute little Fox padre was called in, on Sunday, to opine on the policy of a university founded by Methodists - a religious group that's lots more gay friendly than Morris' papal peeps. But what was surprising was how Morris doubled down on the criticism in his rather harsh and very subjective accusations against the leadership of the school who did not get Morris' blessing but rather his declaration of anathema! Too bad for Morris that the Inquisition is so old school!

Van Susteren And Hume Slam Birther Republicans – Promoted On Fox News

Reported by Ellen - Wed 1:11 PM

Immediately following Greta Van Susteren’s interview with Donald Trump last night, she brought on Brit Hume to discuss the varying tax plans of the 2012 Republican presidential candidates. But before she got to that, she and Hume discussed Governor Rick Perry’s recent birther comments. Clearly, she and Hume were repulsed by them. But what neither of them mentioned was that Perry announced he had become skeptical about Obama’s birth certificate after discussing it with Donald Trump, the same Donald Trump whom Van Susteren had allowed to talk up his birther conspiracy theory without much challenge and had then gone on to give him a platform as a credible pundit.

Obviously Laura Ingraham Didn’t Get Memo On The Phony War On Halloween

Reported by Aunty Em - Wed 8:29 AM

It’s always been fairly obvious when a Fox “News” guest has met with a segment producer prior to an interview. Not only does the guest echo the meme du jour word-for-word, but often the on-screen graphics display exactly what the pundit is saying, word-for-word. That’s not coincidence; that can only happen through careful coordination. Which is why the following segment is so funny/strange/bizarre/inexplicable. (Pick one.) Laura Ingraham can always be expected to come onto Fox “News” and go with the flow. However, something clearly went haywire yesterday when, after a typical President Obama-bashing interview, the Foxy Friends suddenly asked her about the Phony War On Halloween. Not only didn’t she know which side of the question she was supposed to endorse, she didn’t even understand the question. I nominate this as the most (unintentionally) hilarious segment broadcast on Fox since Eric Massa appeared on Glenn Beck’s old show. Watch:

Donald Trump Goes Birther Again – And Fox News Lets Him Skate

Reported by Ellen - Tue 11:52 PM

In case you missed it, Presidential candidate Rick Perry announced over the weekend that after talking birtherism with Donald Trump, Perry could not give “a definitive answer” as to whether or not the long-form birth certificate President Obama released last spring is real. Tonight, Greta Van Susteren hosted Donald Trump on On The Record and asked him if it’s true he’s not convinced. Trump revived his original claims and then pretended it wasn’t important. Van Susteren made a point of saying she thought the birth certificate real and she said she “thought” Trump had previously acknowledged its validity. However, she never pointed out the mountain of evidence confirming its authenticity and she never asked Trump what happened to that big investigation in Hawaii he was supposedly conducting into the matter – and then stopped mentioning after Obama's release of the birth certificate.

Fox & Friends Promotes Effort To Save Jesus Statue On Government Land

Reported by Priscilla - Tue 11:25 AM

Jesus is weeping again. Those evil librul Jesus haters are still waging their satanic crusade against those who follow the one, true Fox News faith. On the very Montana forests that Jesus created is a statue of Jesus which was erected and maintained, as a war memorial, by the Knights of Columbus who are members of a religion that's near and dear to Roger Ailes. But because the statue is on US government land, those Jesus hating meanies at the "Freedom from Religion Foundation," which (along with the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State) is not near and dear to Roger Ailes, have complained to the Forest Service. A decision was made to remove the statue; but after complaints from righteous Christians, the Forest Service is further analyzing the situation before a final decision. And this sets the stage for Jesus' BFF's on Fox & Friends who have always given their warm support to those situations, involving Christian crosses on public land, that give rise to questions about the separation of church and state - something that is not near and dear to the Fox & Friends audience. This morning, the kids on the curvy couch provided warm, Christian fellowship to a legislator who supports the statue. As in the other persecuted Christian segments, the meme of "tradition" over the First Amendment was the prevailing meme. Dry your eyes, Jesus.

Against All Facts Fox’s Phony War On Halloween Grows More Incomprehensible

Reported by Aunty Em - Tue 11:11 AM

When Fox “News” starts hammering at a meme it’s never hard to figure out why. Usually it falls into one (or more) of the following rubrics: Defending the GOP; defending the Teabaggers; defending the latest Republican to say something stupid; attacking President Obama; deflecting blame of President George W. Bush by attacking Obama; deflecting blame of the GOP by attacking Obama; defending Jesus; defending Christians; defending the flag; and defending Patriots both true and phony. That’s why Fox’s Phony War on Halloween™ is so incomprehensible. To start, it doesn’t fall into any of the above categories. Furthermore, the holiday itself seems to be diametrically opposed to Fox Audience Values™. In fact, there are whole swaths of ‘Merkin Fundamentalist Communities (traditionally a big part of the Fox “News” audience) who believe that Halloween is the devil’s holiday and, if they had their way, they’d ban it. Furthermore, the aims of those who wish to moderate the holiday (during school hours) would seem to dovetail with several Fox memes, mostly those about how the educational system is failing our children. So, when The Foxy Friends on Fox and Friends doubled down yesterday and called it an “all-out assault on Halloween,” I listened extra carefully to see if I could hear the dog whistle. Watch: