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Fox Ignores Their Obama Coverage But Complains About Attacks on Palin

By: Guest ContributorJan. 16th, 2011more from Guest Contributor

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The Fox News rehabilitation of the image of Sarah Palin began with a panel discussion on Fox News Sunday where the network that demonizes Obama on a daily basis completely ignored their coverage of the President, but Brit Hume said of Sarah Palin, “She has been subject to some of the most vicious and venomous media coverage, adverse media coverage of any public figure I have ever seen.”

Even before Palin’s interview with Sean Hannity tomorrow night, Fox News Sunday got a head start on Operation Save Sarah’s 2012, with a panel discussion on Fox News Sunday that was the height of pro-Palin propaganda. After the members of the panel concluded with amazement that the only reason Palin would release the video is that she has 2012 political ambitions, Britt Hume suggest that Palin has been unfairly attacked by the media.

Hume went as far as to suggest that the “attacks” on Palin were the most vicious that he has ever seen and he invoked Palin Derangement Syndrome, “What I would say about this, Chris, is that this is the dilemma with Sarah Palin. She has been subject to some of the most vicious and venomous media coverage, adverse media coverage of any public figure I have ever seen. And it amounts almost to what some would describe as a kind of derangement syndrome about her, this level of character assassination.”

Hume claimed that Palin was not to blame for the criticism, “However, to say all that, and to condemn it, even, does not mean that it hasn’t been effective, and does not mean that Sarah Palin has not been seriously damaged by it in the eyes of a broad cross-section of the public. And the Sarah Palin problem really is a problem that she has, largely, I think, through no fault of her own, become kind of radioactive. And it does mean that when she is in a situation like this, where she is the focus of national attention, she must be extremely careful about how she reacts to it.”

Just in case we all didn’t get it, Hume concluded by hinting that the situation that Sarah Palin faces is unfair, “My sense about it is, of course, when you are going to produce a video, that that’s a somewhat unusual way to go about things. And that also suggests that you took time. This wasn’t an extemporaneous comment she made. So, I think, on balance, these things — this doesn’t help her because of the situation she is in, fairly or not.”

Mind you this defense of Palin and her 2012 aspirations comes from a network that pays her to take part in their programming, but what makes this entire protest ludicrous is the fact that Fox News would dare complain about unfair media treatment of a public figure when they spend every single day attacking the President of the United States.

Here is Sean Hannity attacking Obama in 2009 for ordering a cheeseburger with Dijon mustard:

One year ago Glenn Beck claimed that Obama wanted him dead:

Here is Beck claiming that Obama subscribes to an evil theology:

There are literally hundreds of examples of Fox News attacking Obama, but what Fox won’t admit is that Sarah Palin has largely gotten a free pass from the media. Even to this day, too many mainstream outlets report Palin’s Tweets and Facebook posts without bothering to do even the most basic fact checking and background research. Sarah Palin’s outrageous statements are often taken as fact even by so called progressive outlets like The Huffington Post, and are allowed to run unchallenged.

The idea that Palin gets unfairly attacked comes straight from the imaginations of Sarah Palin and her defenders, every moment of criticism that Palin has faced, by those few outlets that are actually willing to hold her accountable, has come as a result of her own statements or actions, but this something that those who are touting Sarah Palin as the Republican great white hope for 2012 won’t acknowledge. From a business point of view, the hypocrisy that Fox News is demonstrating is not surprising in the least.

Although they also have Mike Huckabee on the payroll, they are putting their 2012 eggs in Sarah Palin’s basket. By framing the attempts to hold Sarah Palin accountable for her own rhetoric and behavior as character assassination, News Corp is simply trying to protect their investment. The placement of a higher priority on their political investment over facts is more proof that the primary goals of Fox News are not those of a news organization, but a political operation.

Today was the first step in their campaign to revive Sarah Palin’s sagging political fortunes. Tomorrow the heavily rehearsed interview with Sean Hannity will air followed by a heavy repetition of the talking points. The push back to recover their investment has begun, and we are about to see if the powerful News Corp propaganda machine can save Sarah Palin from her penchant for political self-destruction.


Fox Ignores Their Obama Coverage But Complains About Attacks on Palin was written by Guest Contributor for PoliticusUSA.
© PoliticusUSA, Jan. 16th, 2011. All Rights Reserved

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