Appellate Court Rules Media Can Legally Lie The attorneys for Fox, owned by media baron Rupert Murdock, successfully argued the First Amendment gives broadcasters the right to lie or deliberately distort news reports on the public airwaves.

a strong and effective three-part investigative series on the subject, produced by a different reporter, Nathan Lang. His series was hardly any different in substance from the versions that Akre and Wilson and the station had been battling over the previous year.

Could hormones meant to make cows give more milk lead to early puberty, as some parents fear? On its face, it sounds plausible enough. But government and pediatric health experts say there are no scientific data to back up such an association. For one thing, they say, rBGH does not survive pasteurization. And even if it did, they add, it has absolutely no effect on human growth. "Not only is there no evidence" that rBGH affects human growth, says Paul Kaplowitz, the new chief of endocrinology at Children's National Medical Center and a specialist in the issue of early puberty, "it's not even scientifically possible."...
"The thing has been studied up and down and sideways; there are no safety issues to consumers," said Susan Ruland, vice president for communications of the IDFA, which represents both conventional and organic milk producers. Many consumers, however, don't seem to be getting the message.

Think of the implications of this. It means broadcast news can be purposely wrong and false, and that’s OK.

Fox News gets okay to misinform public, court ruling

It's official: FOX NEWS IS LYING TO YOU...The "Fair and Balanced" network arguing that they have the right to lie and distort the facts. Now, why would they need to do that?

Yes, Fox News has won a court ruling that holds that broadcasters have a 1st Amendment right to deliberately distort news or outright lie on the air. This is a ruling that Fox News sought, and that their lawyers fought for.

On Fox, Mark Sanford "(D)" holds press conference

Fox News Scoop: Uhh…Mark Sanford Is A Democrat

Fox News is about as dishonest a group of alleged reporters as there is. Media Matters caught the liars again. While reporting on Republican Governor Sanford's admission of an extramarital affair, they labeled him as a Democrat. Fair and balanced my ass!

Apparently, Fox News had Mark Sanford (R) as a Democrat for 15 minutes while he was admitting to his affair which occurred during his mysterious disappearance. Not only is the affair yet another blow to the scandalous Republican party, but Fox News once again shows its bias.

As they did with another naughty Republican (Mark Foley), Fox News put a “D” where an “R” should have been.

When he was the fiscal conservative Fox News embraced him, but today this hero of the right was identified as a Democrat. Did the graphics guy make a mistake? No this was a deliberate attempt to deceive, and it did not work.

Enough. They have to be made to pay for their unprofessionalism and lying. Their primary appeal is to low-information voters who are by now emotionally invested in believing anything they say. But they also appeal to people watching the news, in too many public places, out of the corner of their eye, whom they want to associate "scandal" with the "D" brand.

Fox News, however, has stayed faithful to their deceptive mission by identifying Sanford as a Democrat in their on-screen graphics (h/t Media Matters). At what point can we agree that this is deliberate?

(Fox News later correctly identified Sanford as a Republican.)

But if it's an accident, then let's see, out of all the times when this accident could occur, whether it does occur only in the specific context of wanting to associate a misbehaving Republican with the Democratic Party.  Yes, let's see that.

Look at their roster of “analysts” who pollute the airwaves: Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, Bernie Goldberg, Mary Katharine Ham, Liz Trotta..., Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, John Kasich, Cal Thomas, Jim Pinkerton, Dennis Miller, Dick Morris, Jesse Lee Peterson, Gretchen Carlson, Steve Doocy and the list goes on. All of these are committed, hardcore right wingers.

They mix in a few moderates/liberals, and think that is supposed to create balance.

Fox News Watch, is typically stacked with far right commentators like Pinkerton and Thomas who don’t even attempt to display objectivity … ON A SHOW ABOUT MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY. Although I don’t exactly have unconditional love for CNN’s Reliable Sources, Fox News Watch is a poor imitation of the real thing.

moral equivalent to NAMBLA and al-Qaeda, he suggested

Hosts like Bill O'Reilly champion our Iraq troops, and the cherry-picked intelligence that sent them there, from the safety of their studios. We all support the troops, though O'Reilly, often accused of bullying anti-war opponents, has yet to step foot in Iraq. Just ask Keith Olbermann, who has long offered to send him.

Von Brunn - Fox news afficiando [sic] (and Freeper?).

There is also a direct post by this guy that refers to Fox news. It is here.

You didn't know the Federal Reserve was privately owned? Why not? Didn't your good ol' politician buddies tell you about this? What about your TV? Didn't Fox News tell you about this?

Cable network propaganda machines like FAUX (FOX) News... These buzzards who call themselves news anchors, commentators, and fair and balanced have shown themselves to be just the opposite... The standouts include: Carl Cameron...Bill O'Reilly, Glen [sic] Beck, shallow Sean Hannity, and the smarmiest of all, Frank Luntz--major creep factor.

Von Brunn Is A “Birther” – Fox Nation Still Has “Birther” Thread

Von Brunn Ranted Against "Neocons" - Newshounds Still Has "Neocon" Thread

In fact, a search of Fox News' website on “Todd Palin sister's arrest” pulled up a bunch of Letterman-slamming-Palin articles, oh, something about Sarah Palin's memoirs – nope, nothing on Todd Palin's sister's arrest.

• Palin sister-in-law accused of breaking into home.
  
• Palin sister-in-law pleads not guilty to break-ins.
  

I actually posted a while back on that very thing.

Similarly, a search of Sarah Palin's umpteen ethics violation complaints (okay, I left out the word “umpteen,” and searched “Sarah Palin ethics violations”) pulled up something about her being a rising star in the GOP, her victories over a couple of the ethics violations, and more about her memoirs.

• Palin Faces Latest Ethics Complaint.
• Palin's Legal Fund Challenged as Ethics Violation.
• Palin faces new ethics complaint over kids' travel.
• Interviews With Greta and Others Sparks Ethics Complaint Against Gov. Palin.
• Gov. Palin to Pay Alaska for 9 Trips Taken by Children.
• Palin has checkered history on ethics issues.

“But there's a reason for that, Laura, they're still working on Helen Thomas and me when I said that she kinda looked like . . . .” Finish the thought, Bill. You said Helen Thomas looked like the Wicked Witch of the East, right?

"I said that she kinda looked like . . . .”

O'REILLY: I said that she sounded a little bit like..."

The only article about the Tiller murder was taken down a week ago.

Abortion Doctor Gunned Down at Kansas Church, Suspect in Custody

And the only article about the Holocaust Museum shooting is a thread, taken from Brent Bozell’s Newsbusters...

White Supremacist Opens Fire at Holocaust Museum

More than one Fox News commentator denounced Obama for never mentioning “democracy,” a startlingly malevolent lie, as Obama’s Praetorian Guard at MSNBC, Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow, promptly demonstrated by replaying the four sections of the speech in which he did.

There we go again, those Foxettes and their “voter fraud” allegations. Read my lips, gals: It's voter registration fraud, not voter fraud. Mickey Mouse, in fact, didn't cast any votes in the last election. Of course, with Fox News it's the blind leading the blind – on March 18th, Fox News had on its website an article on ACORN and the Census entitled, “ACORN to Play Role in 2010 Census - The U.S. Census Bureau is working with several national organizations to help recruit 1.4 million workers to produce the country's 2010 census, including one with a history of voter fraud charges: ACORN.” (Emphasis mine). Read my lips, people: Voter. Registration. Fraud.

Ewww. I thought some of the other Foxettes were lightweights (okay, they still are), but Shannon Bream seems to have cornered the market on being Fox-News-style interchangeably pretty and vapid with bad linguistic skills.

Megyn Kelly, In Discussion Of Tiller Murder, Uses O’Reilly Smear Video...

Wohl stated that Tiller admitted to performing abortions on women who had been raped and "that’s outside the law." This provided Kelly with grist for yet more “pro life” Tiller myth: “Probably lots of those people were under age and some of those girls were reportedly between the ages of 10 and 14 and he wasn’t reporting those rapes to authorities.” (As an attorney, one would hope that Kelly would avoid this type of speculation!)

KELLY: Well, the problem is a lot of those people were underage...

There was nothing "established." Any records introduced (Dr. McHugh's observations) did not substantiate any finding of illegal activity regarding underage girls. I will correct Kelly's statement to read "the problem is" but that doesn't change the reality that her statement, "a lot of those people were underage" was unfounded. As a Juris "Doctor" you should know that.... Megyn Kelly was lying about Tiller not following the law regarding reporting of underage abortions - or the fact that Tiller's abortion practices were "waaay outside the mainstream."... I've got better things to do than argue semantics with a Perry Mason wannabee. Seeya, wouldn't want to be ya! Hey Koldys, was it just an oversight that your blog isn't one of the 100 most influential? Huh?

• Toomey gains on Specter in poll
• Specter's numbers dip
• Poll: Specter's lead in Pennsylvania shrinks
• Specter's GOP Challenger Gains Ground, Poll Shows
• Quinnipiac Poll: Toomey Gaining Ground On Specter

Fox News Slams Obama Over Broadway Date Night

This is, as you might (should) expect from Fox News, incredibly stupid. First, the only Republican criticism cited comes from the RNC. No specific Republicans are quoted.... What's wrong with going to see a show in New York? The Fox News article lists shows the Obamas could have seen in Washington. But so what? Are they only allowed to enjoy themselves, only allowed to seek out entertainment, inside the Beltway?... Fox News, like the RNC -- and Fox News is pretty much just an organ of the Republican Party anyway -- is both deeply partisan and anti-Obama, and, here as elsewhere, it rarely passes up an opportunity, even one it makes up on its own, to smear the president. In a time of economic crisis, it is Fox News that is wasting everyone's time and diverting attention away from what really matters.

• Great post! I couldn't agree with you more.
• Well written and comprehensive rebuttal of yet another wishy washy attack on Obama from Fox. It's wonderful to see the pathetic stories Fox is forced to trump up to try and discredit Obama. They really are getting desperate and it's brilliant to see!
• If wasn't so hilarious, it would be sad.

• Fox&Friends Gretchen Carlson is a Christian.
• Good Christian Carlson.
• Steve Doocy (who is a Christian and plays one on TV)
• Is Hannity a Catholic?
• It will give Christian Bill O'Reilly a chance to view the pics
• So-Called Christian Hosts Drool Over Saddam's Imminent Demise
• And today, we have professional Christian Miss California, Carrie Prejean
• Gretchen Carlson is a devout; but angry Christian

Why Did Fox News Bury Petraeus Interview?

Gen. David Petraeus gave Fox News' Martha MacCallum what Crooks and Liars termed a blockbuster interview.... So how did the "fair and balanced" network treat this news? By burying it. You can't find it on the front page of Foxnews.com or Fox Nation (screen grabs after the jump).

• Toomey gains on Specter in poll [Pennsylvania Ave]
• Specter's numbers dip [Politico]
• Poll: Specter's lead in Pennsylvania shrinks [CNN]
• Specter's GOP Challenger Gains Ground, Poll Shows [Fox]
• Quinnipiac Poll: Toomey Gaining Ground On Specter [KDKA]

• Garofalo Fends Off Fox News Ambush
  
• Now that's someone who knows how to deal with a Fox News camera ambush interview!
  
• Fox News sent Griff Jenkins out to ambush Janeane Garofalo.
  

"Pro America" Fox Stands By Perry's Secessionist Comments

Really, Bill? Perhaps if you had checked more thoroughly you might have found this opinion piece on CNN, by Roland Martin...

And a pot segment about Gov. Schwarzenegger calling for a debate on making pot legal. And of course O'Reilly had 1 Republican on to discuss it...

How come you have never had one Republican on the Factor who says waterboarding is torture...

Almost every time Billy lets a Democrat on the show they are paired with a Republican. So it's always a 2 on 1, with O'Reilly and the Republican against the 1 Democrat. This is done on purpose, so O'Reilly has a 2nd opinion that agrees with him, then it always makes the Democrat look like he is wrong.

Fox News finally discovers FOIA...
I just get the feeling that during the Bush years Fox News didn't bother with FOIA's because Fox News reporters didn't need--didn't want--any additional information from the GOP administration. They were completely satisfied accepting the handouts. But with Obama in the WH, suddenly the Fox News team gets all Woodward-and-Bernstein and files FOIA requests!

CBS News had 32; Fox News 22; and NBC News 21. Yet it seems significant that Fox--labeled by some as "Bush News Central" actually outfiled the presumably liberal New York Times, while CNN (once labeled "Clinton News Network") made only 11 FOIA inquiries.

Glenn Beck Protests Too Much: I Am Not A Racist

The question I'd been wondering about: why was Sarah Palin going to the White House Correspondents Dinner (before she canceled, due to flooding in her state)?

It turns out she was invited by Fox News...It's hard not to see this as a deliberate effort by Fox to boost her political profile...

Even worse, AP neglected to report Fox's invitation.

So how many Democrats did the "fair and balanced" network invite to the dinner?

Fox & Friends ignores hedge fund's statement to push disputed claim Fox & Friends...repeatedly discussed allegations that the Obama administration threatened Perella Weinberg, a hedge fund invested in Chrysler, without noting that Perella Weinberg itself has denied the allegation.... But in asking Shuster whether he would investigate the allegations, Carlson did not point out, as Doocy did the day before, that Perella Weinberg has denied the allegation that it was pressured.

Suggestions have been made that the Perella Weinberg Partners Xerion Fund changed its stance on the Chrysler restructuring due to pressure from White House officials. This is incorrect. The decision to accept and support the proposed deal was made by the Xerion Fund after reflecting carefully on the statement of the President when announcing Chrysler’s bankruptcy filing.

Why should I care about some list they have in England. The answer, I don't. And I would guess 99% of Americans do not care either.... Earth to O'Jackass, nobody cares about what happens in England, this is America, report on what happens here moron.

The last segment was the culture quiz, with two more Republicans. Steve Doocy and Martha McCallum. It's two Republicans who work for FOX taking a lame culture quiz.... Only Republicans get to take the culture quiz, no Democrat, or so-called Democrat has even taken it.

It's all lies started by Drudge. And only right-wing idiots are reporting it, so of course O'Reilly helped spread the lie.... The Obama administration denies it happened, and the law firm put out a statement saying it never happened.

In O'Reilly [sic] world only Democrats put out spin, which is ridiculous, and shows that he is a biased right-wing fraud of a journalist.

O'REILLY: Right-wing spin. That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points Memo.

He told them all of what they said was left-wing spin. Which is something O'Reilly never ever does with Republican guests. Not once has O'Reilly ever told a Republican guest that what they just said was nothing but right-wing spin.... not once has O'Reilly ever said to any of them that what they said was nothing but right-wing spin, never, not one time.

CLIFFORD MAY: ...the most important thing to understand, it seems to me is this. Saddam Hussein was himself a weapon of mass destruction.
O'REILLY: No, that's baloney. That is right-wing spin. And a guy as smart as you, I don't want to hear you say that.
MAY: No, no, no, no.
O'REILLY: I don't want to hear you say that right-wing talking point business.

Fox News Decides Not to Carry Presidential Press Conference...What do you think? Should a national news station carry every president’s news conference?

Apparently Fox News is fine with Censorship...Rupert has decided that the Fox audience doesn't need to actually hear and see the POTUS talk to *them* and the *press.* They'll get the Cliff's Notes from Hannity, O'Reilly, and Beck.

Way to encourage critical thinking skills, Fox.

Fox News Won't Be Airing Obama's Primetime Address...The network states they will impose a graphic at the bottom of the screen telling viewers where they can watch the Address. Brilliant... send people to the competition. That always increases earnings, right?

Why did Fox News not cover the live town hall speech that President Obama gave at Arnold, MO’s town hall for his 100th day in office? Now Fox being the un-biast [sic] news channel that they are, I assumed they would have played at least 5 minutes of the speech on live national television.

Fox News Disrespect Against President Obama Continues. Fox News by no means should be classified as a news channel. Fox News has been the single, most disrespectful alliance against President Obama since he’s been in office. It’s almost shocking to see a so-called news channel disrespect the President of the United States on a daily basis and actually be allowed to function as a “news” channel in the United States of America. From Bill O’Reily to Sean Hannity, these disrespectful, bitter, “true” Americans simply refuse to refer to President Obama as President Obama by constantly dropping off the president in front of his name....

• BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Impact" segment tonight, two topics: Is President Obama promoting a nanny state?... But President Obama today on television... But the trend now with President Obama is, we'll do it for you....
• GLENN BECK, HOST: What was President Obama's carbon footprint on Earth Day?
O'REILLY: If President Obama were to award the contracts for cap-and-trade...
• BECK: Some people were a little upset yesterday seeing President Obama...
• BECK: He gave President Obama several unique and priceless historical gifts...Brown gave President Obama a couple of things....In exchange, President Obama gave Prime Minister Brown...it's remarkable to me that President Obama just kind of like went to the video store...
• SEAN HANNITY, HOST: we are tracking President Obama's campaign promises....
• HANNITY: It is day number 79 of President Obama's administration...and President Obama isn't making it any better...

Fox News Pimping Judge Andrew Napolitano, Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, Alex Jones...Judge Andrew Napolitano, who uses his Fox News online show “Freedom Watch” to promote racists and nutjobs like Lew Rockwell, Ron Paul, and Alex Jones, is now being pimped on the official Fox News video page.

Beck said, “Something is wrong when we don't take proper precautions on the border when there's a fear of a swine flu pandemic.” In other words, viewers should worry that we'll be overrun with contagious Mexicans. Never mind that more than half the cases in the U.S. to date come from non-border states and the state with the most number of cases, New York, is the one furthest from the border.

Beck's voice rose with hammy outrage as he lied to inflame emotion against the Obama administration – by accusing them of “choosing to panic New Yorkers” with the low-flying plane “photo op” that scared so many. It was undoubtedly a bone-headed, insensitive mistake. But there's no evidence that the Obama administration chose to panic New Yorkers. Why say such a thing unless you're trying to scare your viewers again...

Federal officials knew that sending two fighter jets and a 747 from the presidential fleet to buzz ground zero and Lady Liberty might set off nightmarish fears of a 9/11 replay, but they still ordered the photo-op kept secret from the public.

Arlen Specter Switches Parties, Fox Immediately Brands Him As A Traitor

Fox Nation "asks," "Is He Benedict Arlen?" Foxnews.com similarly suggested he's a traitor, with a home page headline saying Specter "turns back on GOP" and that he "jump(ed) Republican ship." The actual article is less inflammatory but paints Specter's decision as one designed to get him re-elected. That's probably accurate but they somehow omitted Specter's criticisms of the GOP, that it moved to the far right away from the Reagan Big Tent and that 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats last year.

Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.