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Bryan Fischer Hails Roger Ailes for Running Fox News with 'Exactly the Style that Jesus Taught'

Submitted by Brian Tashman on February 1, 2012 - 12:30pm

In a column, “Jesus explains the success of Fox News,” American Family Association spokesman Bryan Fischer claims that Fox News president Roger Ailes’s “leadership style is exactly the style that Jesus taught.” Fischer credits Ailes’s Jesus-like behavior for Fox’s success and says “the key to success in a capitalistic system is to do things Jesus’ way.”

For Fischer, it is “Jesus’ way” to encourage someone to lie under oath, threaten the elderly publisher of a small newspaper, introduce a series of political dirty tricks, including racially charged campaign strategies and television ads, and manage a media outlet which lies and foments extremism on a routine basis.

An interesting story on Politico this morning, explaining the success of Fox News, which has double the audience of CNN and MSNBC. The brainchild of Fox is Roger Ailes, and the Politico piece quotes Shepard Smith about his leadership style:

“We have one dad in this family,” said Shepard Smith, a star anchor who was a correspondent in the Los Angeles bureau at launch. “He makes all the decisions, and you know exactly who you have to go to, and you know when to stop asking. If you get an answer from Mr. Ailes’s office, that’s the answer; it’s time to move on.”

Smith said that when he leaves Ailes’s office, “the last thing he asks me is, ‘What can I do for you?’ And the last thing he tells me is he loves me. That’s not going to work everywhere, and most people will hear that and go, ‘You are full of crap.’ That’s exactly how it is here, and I love it.”

In other words, whether Ailes realizes it or not, his leadership style is exactly the style that Jesus taught.

Remember that Jesus said, in Mark 10:45, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” Ailes is successful not because he can throw his weight around, but because he uses his weight to serve the people who work for him. By serving them rather than spending all day ordering them around, he gives them the opportunity to succeed and in turn he receives the considerable reward of their talent and effort.

Bottom line: the key to success in a capitalistic system is to do things Jesus’ way. Who knew?

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VIDEO: Bill O'Reilly Hits Community Organizer with Umbrella, Tries to Get Him Arrested

Submitted by Josh Glasstetter on December 8, 2011 - 11:42am
Anyone who has watched the footage of Bill O’Reilly’s infamous meltdown on the set of Inside Edition knows that the Fox News personality has a hot temper. But you would expect the Fox News personality, who has sent his producers to literally stalk people like Huffington Post reporter Amanda Terkel, to have a relatively thick skin and be able to keep his composure in public. Not so, it turns out.
 
Check out this video shot last night by Branden Lane and first posted by Jack Long:

Bill O’Reilly, reportedly walking out of a Newt Gingrich fundraiser held last night in DC (see update below), is asked by Wisconsin community organizer Branden Lane if he attended the fundraiser. O’Reilly ignores him and then, with no prompting, strikes Lane with his umbrella. He then says, “Hey, sorry about that.” O’Reilly, with Lane following at a distance, then walks with his now-broken umbrella over to a Secret Service officer outside the White House. Incredibly, you can hear O’Reilly say that he wants to press charges against the man he just struck.
 
It’s a good thing for Lane that he caught O’Reilly’s temper tantrum on tape, otherwise he could have ended up in prison, falsely accused of assault. As for O’Reilly, it’s revealing that he not only struck Lane – on tape no less – but then sought to press false charges. Will there be consequences?
 
UPDATE: TPM reports that O'Reilly was staying at the same hotel as the Gingrich fundraiser but did not attend.
 

 

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Fox News Targets Media Matters with Strange Spokesperson

Submitted by Peter Montgomery on June 28, 2011 - 10:53am

Fox News is apparently getting tired of media watchdog Media Matters  pointing out the network’s inaccuracies and right-wing bias. How else to explain the recent even-less-fair-and-balanced-than-usual attack  on Media Matters and its tax status?

While flashing phrases like “Tax-Paid Propaganda” and “Gov’t Funded Group Launching Media ‘War’” on the screen, Fox News’ Steve Doocy complains about Media Matters’ nonprofit status “subsidizing their agenda and their war on Fox News” and asking why the IRS and the Federal Government lets Media Matters “get away with it.”
 
Doocy sought out Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), a Religious Right legal group created when Pat Robertson wanted a legal arm for the Christian Coalition. Sekulow gave Fox what it was looking for:
You cannot be a wing of the Democrat Party and get 501 c3 status. The terminology that they’re using, their founder and their directors are using, is very dangerous if you’re trying to keep your tax exempt status, saying that Fox news has now taken over the Republican Party and that they’ve declared a guerilla war on Fox News means that they are a purely partisan organization. That doesn’t qualify under 501 c3 status.
There’s a huge basic flaw in this argument. Engaging in a public battle of ideas, like calling out Fox for its demonstrated bias, is not the kind of electoral work that is off-limits for 501 c3 groups, even if you accept, as Sekulow seems to be saying, that Fox has indeed become simply an arm of the Republican Party. 
 
Moreover, Sekulow was an extremely odd choice to be making accusations about partisanship. “I’m a pretty partisan guy, as you know,” he told attendees at the recent Faith & Freedom Coalition summit, where he represented ACLJ. “If we actually want to beat this administration, which has been the most aggressive on these issues, we still have to vote Republican, we still have to unite….Let’s get ready to unite, whoever the GOP nominates, and stop this administration.” He also bragged that the Religious Right had taken over the Republican Party and “made it ours.”

As Sekulow acknowledged, the ACLJ is itself a 501 c3 organization. So by Doocy’s logic, shouldn’t the “government-funded” ACLJ and the “tax-paid propaganda” put out by Sekulow and the ACLJ warrant a federal investigation? How about the “federal subsidies” going to support the lavish multiple-homes-and-private-jet lifestyle reportedly  enjoyed by Sekulow’s father, Jay, thanks to the tax-exempt dollars that flow into the ACLJ and connected organizations?
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Is Fox News the New CPAC?

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on February 23, 2011 - 10:44am

For months now, the Religious Right has been up in arms that gays were allowed to participate in the annual CPAC conference, claiming that it is part of an effort to 'infiltrate" and divide the conservative movement.

And now the same thing looks to be happening to Fox News as well, as Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media reports that some Fox News personalities will be attending the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association's "Headlines & Headliners" fundraiser next month ... and Peter LaBarbera sees it as proof that the network has been infiltrated by gays who are working to get Fox to destroy the "pro-family movement":

Peter LaBarbera"Conservatives across the country and pro-family people are counting on Fox to be 'fair and balanced,'" he notes. "And if Fox goes 'pro-gay,' it will be devastating to the entire pro-family movement, because there really is no alternative to Fox."

LaBarbera understands that political lobbyists are pressuring media outlets to show support for the homosexual agenda, but he points out that there is also leverage from within many media organizations.

"I'm hearing from the inside that there is gay staff at Fox [and] at least one...gay producer," the AFTAH president reports. "So, as always, you see that's sort of the role of the [NJGJA]. They have powerful journalists who are homosexuals, and they're working from the inside to push the media to be more and more pro-homosexual."

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Right-Wing Moves to Attack Sheriff Dupnik

Submitted by Brian Tashman on January 10, 2011 - 12:21pm

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik’s impassioned plea for greater civility and tolerance in politics following the shooting in Arizona has spurred a backlash among far-right politicians and commentators whose campaigns and careers are centered on divisive and indignant rhetoric. Dupnik, who singled out no political party or ideology, condemned the extreme language that could provoke an unhinged individual into violence: “When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous.” He went on to say that “people tend to poo-poo this business about all the vitriol that we hear inflaming the American people by people who make a living off doing that. That may be free speech, but it’s not without consequences.”

Now, Dupnik is now himself becoming the target of right-wing fear-mongering. Jon Kyl, one of Arizona’s Republican Senators, denounced Dupnik, saying that his comments shouldn’t have “had any part in a law enforcement briefing” and represented mere “speculation.” Kyl kicked off a campaign to dismiss and smear the Arizona Sheriff. Arizona conservative activist Pamela Gorman, who won national attention over her campaign ad featuring her shooting four different fire arms to “drive the left nuts,” said that Dupnik was only elected to his position because of the county’s Democratic leanings. Judson Phillips of Tea Party Nation labeled Dupnik a “leftist sheriff” who is using the attack to “silence” conservative activists and commentators. “"[T]he aftermath of today's shooting is the official obituary for political civility in this country,” Philips continued, “The left has simply gone too far. There can be no civil discourse with people as crazy as those on the left are.”

Local right-wing talk radio host Jon Justice, who has a long history of anti-immigrant rhetoric, accused Dupnik of making “reckless and dangerous statements” and said that he should apologize and resign over his “horrible comments.” Megyn Kelly of Fox News charged Dupnik with “putting a political spin” on the case and contributing to the same heated discourse he challenged.

The conservative blogosphere has also ratcheted up the anger against Dupnik. Breitbart praised Kelly for holding “Sheriff Dupnik Accountable for Politicizing Tucson Shooting” and the RightNetwork’s blog attacked the “dishonorable” Sheriff Dupnik and dismissed him as a “leftist hero.” Moe Lane on a front page post for the popular conservative blog RedState slammed Dupnik for purportedly peddling “conspiracy theory nonsense” and predicted that he “will lose his next election.”

Evidently, there are still some commentators out there who would rather condemn those who point out hatred and bigotry than condemn hatred and bigotry.

If you would like to show your support for Sheriff Dupnik, please take a moment to sign a letter of solidarity with him against the increasing smears he is facing from the Right.

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GOP Rep: Terrorists May Learn Spanish to Pose as Illegal Immigrants

Submitted by Anonymous on July 15, 2010 - 11:14am

According to Representative Sue Myrick (R-NC), Hezbollah agents may be learning Spanish and disguising themselves as illegal immigrants in order to get into the US. TPM reported the following exchange between her and her FOX News interviewer:

“It really bothers me because here we are with a porous border, not really paying attention to who is coming over, what's happening with Iran and Hugo Chavez and Venezuela. We know that there are people going to Venezuela learning Spanish and then coming up through Mexico with fake documents trying to cross the border. If they're stopped they say, "Well, I'm Mexican or Spanish."

…[FOX] host Brian Kilmeade was convinced: "Instead of talking about Mexicans coming here for a better life, we're talking about Hezbollah coming here to infiltrate our borders and attack the country. That would change the entire dialogue when it comes to illegal immigration."

(Myrick’s proof that this is taking place, by the way, is that some imprisoned gang members in the Southwest have tattoos in Farsi.)

Yesterday the right wing checked off three hateful strategies from our Right Wing Playbook on Immigration Reform. Now Rep Myrick and her pals at FOX are taking care of a fourth: illogically portraying immigrants as criminals and terrorists.

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AFA Targets 10 Year Old Parade Marshall, Fox Quotes Bryan Fischer

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on June 24, 2010 - 4:04pm

Last year, we wrote about Will Phillips, a 10 year old boy in Arkansas who was refusing to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance until gays can get married and achieve full equality.

Phillips has been tapped to serve as Grand Marshall of the Northwest Arkansas Pride Parade in Fayetteville on Saturday and the American Family Association is freaking out, sending out an action alert targeting the mayor and calling it a "form of child abuse":

I am shocked to learn that the city of Fayetteville is issuing a proclamation in support of the homosexual activist group, Northwest Arkansas Pride.

It’s offensive enough to sensibilities that they are going to parade their deviant lifestyle on the streets of the city.

It’s even more abhorrent that the city is supporting it, knowing very well that the organizers of this event are exploiting children to push their radical sexualizing event.

I implore you to withdraw the proclamation and focus on issues that promote a healthy and safe lifestyle, rather than one that is risky and dangerous.

...

AFA President Tim Wildmon says, “It’s shameful that adults would abuse a brain-washed child in this way. He’s obviously just parroting the nonsense he’s been told by manipulative adults. For gay activists to trot out this child and make him the poster child for promoting unnatural sexual expression is a form of child abuse."

So of course Fox News picked up the story and just take one guess who they quoted:

“We believe that it goes beyond the pale for adults to exploit a 10-year-old child for dark political purposes,” said Bryan Fischer, the director of issue analysis at AFA. “He is too young to understand. There is nothing about homosexual conduct to be proud of and much to be ashamed of.”

The AFA, according to Fischer, has sent an “action alert” to its members in Arkansas, and he says they have deluged the mayor’s and city council’s office with e-mails “asking him to stop this charade.” Though there are no plans to actively protest at the parade, Fischer said, “as of noon Thursday our records show that the mayor and city council had received 12,300 e-mails asking them to stop the parade.”

I've often wondered what media outlet would be the first to quote Fischer in a story like this and if they'd even bother to mention his long history of viciously anti-gay and all around crazy statements.

I guess it should come as no surprise that the answers were: Fox News ,and No.

But in good news, Fayetteville's Mayor is refusing to bow to the AFA's pressure and Saturday’s parade will go on as scheduled.

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Fox News: "Fair and Balanced"

Submitted by Kyle Mantyla on May 21, 2010 - 9:25am

On Tuesday, we received a media request from Fox News, asking if someone from People For the American Way would be willing to appear on their program "America’s Newsroom" the following morning to discuss what they are calling "Texas Textbook Wars."

As we have been following the issue closely, we felt prepared to discuss it while being fully aware that Fox's coverage of the issue has been, top date, somewhat less than objective. Nonetheless, we agreed to appear on this segment, only to be informed shortly thereafter that the segment would have to be bumped from Wednesday's program, due to the need to cover the results of Tuesday's various primary elections. 

That seemed entirely reasonable and when Fox asked if we'd be willing to re-schedule the segment for the same time on Thursday, we agreed.  But then, late on Wednesday, we were informed by Fox that the segment was being dropped entirely and that we wouldn't be appearing on the program to discuss this topic. 

Again, that was perfectly understandable as these things happen. 

But all of that took place behind the scenes at PFAW, leaving me was unaware that our participation in the segment had been canceled.  As such, I tuned into Fox's "American's Newsroom" yesterday morning expecting to see our Senior Fellow Peter Montgomery on the program discussing this issue ... but instead, this is what I saw:

Fox had dropped us from this segment and instead decided to just give "concerned parent" Terry Ann Kelly three minutes to explain how conservatives simply want to add some "balance" to the curriculum by teaching children about their religious freedoms.  

Of course, Kelly is a bit more than just some "concerned parent":

Terry Ann Kelly has an expansive background in public speaking, radio and television. Over the past twenty years she has been the host for numerous local, regional and nationally syndicated radio programs. She has taught public speaking and Business Communication classes at the university level for Baylor and Dallas Baptist University.

Inspiring audiences to impact their world, Terry Ann enjoys speaking to organizations and women’s events across the country on topics varying from home and family life to moral and social issues. She has appeared on programs such as Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, seen by over 5 million viewers. She is the co-author of the book, The Power of a Positive Friend (Howard Publishing) and writes articles for magazines and newspapers. She founded Students Standing Strong in 2004.

So after asking us to come on to debate this issue, Fox canceled on us, telling us that they weren't going to run the segment ... and then proceeded to still run the segment, with only the conservative side represented.

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Flashback: Bill O'Reilly Hearts Kevin Jennings' GLSEN and ‘Patriot’ Hilary Duff [video]

Submitted by Anonymous on October 7, 2009 - 1:36pm

Fox News was against anti-gay bullying before it was for it. Or so it would seem.

Anyone who’s been watching Fox lately knows that GLSEN – which promotes tolerance and safety in schools and was founded by Obama school safety “czar” Kevin Jennings – is supposedly engaged in a secret plot to turn straight kids gay. That’s why right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin was so surprised when she saw a GLSEN ad on Fox yesterday:

Interesting. (Un)safe schools czar Kevin Jennings's GLSEN is running public service ad on...Fox News.

But she shouldn’t have been surprised. Just a year ago Fox News headliner Bill O’Reilly lavished praise on the group’s anti-bullying ad campaign and ‘patriot’ Hilary Duff:

But now that Kevin Jennings has a political target painted on his back, Fox is making GLSEN out to be public enemy #1. That’s just hypocritical nonsense.

GLSEN’s work is crucial and straightforward. It promotes tolerance and safety for all children, regardless of sexual orientation. Nothing more, nothing less. Even Fox has recognized the value of the group’s work.

Meanwhile the bashing of Kevin Jennings goes on, with Fox, the Washington Times, Limbaugh, and right-wing blogs taking turns. But the Obama Administration has given Jennings its full support. And the only way to defeat bullies is to refuse to give in to them.

[Jason Linkins at Huffington Post also reported on this story]

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Right-Wing Census Paranoia [VIDEO]

Submitted by Anonymous on September 25, 2009 - 9:36am

There are many unanswered questions about the tragic hanging death of Bill Sparkman, a US Census Bureau employee, in rural Kentucky. But one thing is clear. Right-Wing leaders like Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and media outlets like Fox News have whipped up hysteria and paranoia over the 2010 Census.

Mr. Sparkman's untimely demise may or may not have been the doing of an anti-government fanatic, but it’s clear that the Right is creating an environment that is hostile to Census workers and the Constitutionally-mandated Census.

A steady stream of conspiracy talk by Beck, Bachmann, and others on Fox News has legitimized and propelled conspiracy theories among many everyday Americans who are now terrified of their own government. Talk of rounding up dissidents into concentration camps and nefarious plots by ACORN to steal Congress has fed anti-government sentiment, which could boil over at any moment.

This should be an important wake-up call to those national outlets that have employed fear in pursuit of ratings.

Here is a video compilation of recent Fox News coverage of the 2010 Census -- featuring Beck and Bachmann among others -- along with three amateur YouTube videos created by Americans who fear the Census:

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