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Unfair and Unbalanced?

By Larry Johnson on June 9, 2009 at 4:22 PM in Current Affairs

As some of you may know I was a Fox News analyst during 2002 until I stopped getting phone calls asking me to appear on FOX shows. I learned subsequently via a senior Fox executive that Rupert Murdoch ordered producers not to use me because I had the audacity in November 2002 during an appearance on Hannity and Colmes to state that the United States could not fight a two front war and that the war in Afghanistan would be a diversion in the war on terror.

Based on first hand experience I know that Fox is anything but “Fair and Balanced.” (Please note this does not mean I think that MSNBC or CNN are paragons of objective journalism.) I admit I do enjoy seeing the Fox folks cleverly skewered. I congratulate Jon Stewart and company for noticing the following:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Fox & Friends’ Lingerie Football Romp
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes		 Political Humor Newt Gingrich Unedited Interview

You think Fox is guilty of a bit of hypocrisy here?

Which is worse? Male ass or female tatas?

  • http://www.daily-protest.com Alessandro Machi

    Wow, tell me that was all made up. It had to be.

    http://www.daily-protest.com

    • Woman Voter

      It looked pretty real and they got caught doing double talk! OUCH!

  • beebop

    Which is worse? Male ass or female tatas?

    I vote for two American journalists being held in North Korea for 12 years. Any thoughts on that?

  • hokma

    I did see on TV that morning and my first reaction was what the hell are they thinking? This is family values morning and you have scantilly clad women playing football with married men (Geraldo more than once). Who could possibly have thought this was a good idea?

    Hypocrisy is an understatement.

    And no we were not able to fight a war on two fronts.

  • Jay L

    Once again Larry, on the mark 100%.

    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82qCwLX9piE Woman Voter

      I agree…spot on.

  • CamdenRave

    I’m sorry this is off topic but

    the war in Afghanistan would be a diversion in the war on terror.

    I’ve never heard that before. Is there a link somewhere to the reasoning behind this argument?

    • TorchWood
  • Prem

    Hypocrisy to the max! In those first couple of seconds of the video, Geraldo looks like he is drooling at this opportunity to man-handle those scantily-clad girls. Makes him look even more unattractive then he already is.

    And, then the comment of the female news anchor at the end after she high-fives all the girls saying that this was the most exciting thing on television. OMFG!

    Our world these days is upside-down and backwards.

    And, thank you, Larry, for your expertise in knowing that we really cannot fight wars on two fronts—-jeopardizing our man/womanpower and financially way over-extended. Huge national and international security issues as well. And thank you for speaking the truth. It’s FOX’s loss that you are no longer an analyst on their shows.

  • marktarheel

    thats the best attack you can make about fox?….perhaps its just a disgruntled ex-employee…?? Im just sayin…..

  • Ladydawnelle

    ok personally I don’t think it was the ASS of the Freak with the wings that was so disgusting (to me) but the fact his entire BALL SACK was practically sitting in M&M’s MOUTH and the inference (to me was) M & M’s – what’s the old saying? Melts in your mouth not in your hands! (ok ew, not that guy and not on live tv please)

    MUCH worse. jmo. Especially when you pretend to make it an accident. EVen the outrage was FAUX! Blech!

    If you want T & A – you can find it. But an awards show (to me) doesn’t usually include full frontal hairy ball sacks.

    • Ladydawnelle

      oh and I’ve not watch FAUX-INDEPENDent Stewart in ages! When he crossed over into looney leftie ville with BAMBI & Colbert, I stopped watching.

      Sad cuz I used to really enjoy their EVEN – FAIR & BALANCED hatred of everything W.

      (back when I was also a looney Red Hating leftie)

      of course hating them BOTH now is not a whole lot better but it’s much less disappointing to NOT expect anything GOOD from EITHER OF THEM. And when they full fill my expectations, I’m ready for it.

      grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! it’s a sad friggen day to be an American. :-(

      there is absolutely NO, ZERO, NADA, balance anywhere

      • mkm125

        Ladydawnelle–I think you were channeling me in this post—-I couldn’t agree more!

        • Dawnelle

          Channel?

          The PUMA Channel! ;-)

          Station W. OOT!

  • Peggy Sue

    I think we can safely say that the MSM as a whole is an ASS. Doesn’t matter what channel or network you choose. The message is massaged to a particular point of view.

    It’s not about reporting the “news.” It’s all about personality, ratings and . . . money.

    Sad day in America. I never watched Fox until the 2008 primary season. It was the only network willing to report on HRC without the incessant sexism.

    But lately? Some of their talking heads are getting really hard to listen to. I usually catch the 6 o’clock news with Brett Baier. At least there’s a discussion going on. And Joe Scarborough in the morning on MSNBC.

    The rest? Not so much.

  • politicalidentitycrisis

    Unfortunately, there is no alternative for me for Cable News. FOX is the best available now. I would love if someone would start a centrist type of news channel, but that is about as unlikely as having a third political party with any substance to call home.

    I am a very sad American these days and I have contemplated deniouncing my citizenship. There is no where on earth to go.

    Maybe we can terraform Mars faster and easier than America’s Makeover? Because I’m pretty sure America’s makeover would include Oprah and it’s bad enough already!

  • HARP
    • oowawa

      I was also disgusted by this, HARP. Valerie Plame wrote an account of her ordeal called Fair Game. That would have been a good title for a book by Sarah Palin about her outrageous treatment by the media. She has indeed been “fair game,” as was Hillary.

    • HARP

      By the way, he was talking about Palin`s daughter, Willow, getting knocked up. She is 14.

      I am waiting for Women`s organizations to start screaming……..RIGHT.

      What a bunch of phony hypocrites you Bots are.

    • olivia1998

      You know what??? I don’t want to be part of this. I work at a womens shelter with that has a sexual assault line and suggesting someone has knocked up a 14 year old is humor in this country or to anyone of you. Until you find common sense on this site I’m gone. Disgusting It makes me sick.

      • NomNomNom

        olivia 1998, no one here agrees with this sh#t: all the comments on this site are critical of it: hot air is not on the bloglist and their commenters are creepy.

  • cathnealon

    As far as Fox goes nothing’s perfect but in these upside down times one muct choose the lesser of the evils and next to MSNBC, CNN, CBS and the others I’ll go with Fox until they screw up completely-after the Obama catastrophe and the 20 Newsweek covers, Chris Matthews and others worshipping him, and idiots like the Hollywood crowd supporting this fraud I’d definitely rather be on the other side.

  • cathnealon

    ‘slutty flight attendant”
    Wow where’s the outrage from flight attendants and women’s groups–just substitute Michelle Obama and see how that goes, but of course the magalomaniacal Letterman hates women(has something to do with his father being an alcoholic and his mother taking alot of crap from him so he sees women as simultaneously powerful and weak but definitely frightening).

  • choo choo magoo

    I don’t know Larry. What’s a little T & A hyfoxrisy romp among friends. After watching MSNBC’s and AC360′s sly tea baggery it seems almost refreshing.

  • http://www.daily-protest.com Alessandro Machi

    As mentioned above, the women reporter acting so outraged over the MTV stunt, then high fiving the scantily clad women and saying this is the best television, I thought I was watching a Jon Stewart skit in which Jon Stewart actually hired actors to create the two scenes.

  • TexasMirth

    FOX? CNN? MSNBC? FOX wins, not because it is so great but because its competition is so horrible.

  • standard

    Very funny, Larry!

  • MrMike

    Afghanistan or Iraq?

  • Bella in Florida

    I rather watch FOX than the other two News Networks. Their biased reporting against Hillary and Sara Palin was so horrible that I voted for Mccain out of anger. I will continue to watch Fox because no other Network is challening Obama and his administration. We need checks and balances and they are doing great investigative reporting whereas the media is giving him a pass on everything.No other network reports on ACORN nor do they talk about his spending.
    They didn’t vet him before he was elected and FOX has been the only Network willing to do so.

  • Bella in Florida

    I e-mailed Letterman last night and I demanded an apology from him. Womens’ Groups in this country defend only women who are Liberal if they are Conservative they really do not care if they are insulted or verbally abused.
    Shame on Letterman and the media for allowing this to happen .When Imus made his denigrating comment about black women his show was cancelled .Where is the outrage now? There is a lot of resentment building up and people are getting fed up of this double standard.

    • ScottVA

      Women will never have any real power in this country until they stick together as a whole! Men know this and use this to their advantage. I’m surprised women haven’t figured this out yet!
      I totally agree with what you say in your opinion and I’m a man! I couldn’t figure out why, during the primary, that any woman would wish to support a man (A-hole Pete Obama) ,who cares absolutely nothing but anyone but himself, over Hillary Clinton WHO has been championing women’s rights for ages!

  • politicsisdirty

    Fox is not 100% fair and balanced but they are far more fair and balanced than the drooling towards Obama by MSNBC, ABC, CNN and CBS.

    Take your pick.

    • ScottVA

      EXACTLY! I’m a Democrat and if I do watch anything on TV (news wise) I only turn on Fox anymore. Amazing too because it use to be the complete opposite!
      I’m surprised that Larry would even bother to single out any one news outlet… maybe it’s because he has a beef with Rupert Murdoch?
      After the Primaries when MSN (CNN, MSNBC, and the major news outlets) spewed anti Clinton rhetoric and praised A-hole Pete (Obama) for practically passing gas……I’m over it all…
      Next time write an anti journalism piece that covers ALL networks not just a “particular” one!

  • politicsisdirty

    Same here. I am also a democrat and didn’t vote for the “Chosen one” because the networks never vetted him. As if they all received a huge sum of money to keep their mouth shut or only utter praises for him.

    Now what is happening to our country. The Pres is undertaking one of the most radical changes in the history of our country. Something that most of us saw coming.

    All freedom loving Americans should shun away from MSNBC, CNN, ABC and CBS.

  • Bella in Florida

    FOX is not perfect, however it is all we have left as far as fair and balanced. The other two networks should be ashamed of themselves for not doing investigative reporting . I never used to watch them before the election, but now they are the only News Organization that I watch. I sometimes watch Joe in the Morning, however he has become too cozy with this administration also.

  • Lisa

    Me too. I’m also a Democrat that now watches FOX. My husband still watches ABC and CBS in the evenings. Boy! what a difference in what the main media reports. Absolutely nothing that would show Obama’s bad side.

  • mountainaires
  • Babs

    Another Fox viewer here, simply because my stomach can’t bear watching the Obama love on all the other channels. And no matter how unfair and unbalanced you may feel Fox is, at least they have the guts to have people of opposing views on their shows, unlike the cowardly likes of KO, whose guests are only an echo chamber of his own warped perceptions. As for the nightly national news, Katie Couric has lost all credibility since she decided to become a one woman campaign to smear Sarah Palin, even though Helen Thomas thinks she “saved America”. And I used to love Charlie Gibson until the Palin interview. The condescending attitude combined with the disingenuous editing of the tapes before airing showed me a side of Charlie and ABC that completely turned me off to anything they care to report anymore. Fox is far from perfect, but until some network gets smart enough to present the news without a constant left wing bias, and until the once heralded fourth estate returns to the job of holding all our elected officials accountable for their actions, it’s Fox for me.