The dictionary defines “values” as “a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life.” Because “corporations are people, my friend,” companies also have values. Since hitting the cable dial in 1996, Fox “News” Channel values have been on full display: Anti-truth chief among them. Even when caught in flat-out lies, Fox “News” rarely issues apologies. Which is why it’s so ironic that Fox & Friends Tries To Smear Jon Stewart Over Police Shootings Error. To his credit, and unlike Fox “News,” Stewart did a full mea culpa, apologizing for what he got wrong. In arguing that his single mistake didn’t negate his larger point about police across the nation being trigger happy, Stewart made a brilliant point:
But see, that’s what’s so tough about working in media COUNTER ERRORISM.
The Daily Show has to be right 100% of the time. Fox only has to be right once.
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When Jon Stewart Apologizes to California DA, Tells Fox’s Kilmeade to ‘F*ck Off’ one can sense his anger at himself for having made this mistake. Watch the entire segment:
This week another display of Fox “News” core values — or lack thereof — came whenever it covered the confluence of Michael Brown and Eric Garner news. Segments in which Bill O’Reilly accuses George Soros and unions of orchestrating Eric Garner and Ferguson protests and/or Bill O’Reilly, Russell Simmons Go Head-To-Head Over Violence In Black Communities clearly demonstrate how The Falafel King — who has done segment after segment Whitesplaining why White Privilege is a not real thing — can dismiss any experience that he didn’t personally experience.
Not content to leave the race-baiting to Loofah Lad, Bully Boy Bolling: Garner Grand Jury Wrong, But Black Leaders Just ‘Stoking the Race Flames’ and Fox’s Bolling to NFL Players: Keep Your Garner Protests Off the Field demonstrates he values football over the killing of Black folk, because he can so easily dismiss any experience that he didn’t experience himself.
Then there’s the Fox Fashion Maven — who famously weighed in on Trayvon Martin’s sartorial choices: Fox’s Rivera: LeBron James Should Wear “Be A Better Father” Shirt Instead Of “I Can’t Breathe,” in which Media Matters notes: “Geraldo Rivera Attacks “Victimization Mentality” Of Black Community Following Choking Death Of Eric Garner By Police Officer.” See? Even a Latino can dismiss any experience that he didn’t personally experience.
How easy is it for Foxites to dismiss any experience they don’t personally experience? So easy that even when Montel Williams takes on Fox: You can ‘not talk about race all you want, but it’s just a game’, those 4 idiots who #Outnumbered Williams, proceeded to dismiss everything he had to say . . . right to his face!!! Nothing he said penetrated beyond their ears because they whitesplained the problem right back to Montel. WATCH:
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Video courtesy of Raw Story
Maybe the core Fox “News” Family Values™ is nihilism, because — while it preaches the exact opposite — nothing demonstrates the terrifying dark ugly at its black heart than how it rushed to defend torture this week after the Senate Torture Report was released. As Johnny Carson used to say, “You buy the premise, you buy the bit” and Fox “News” bought into Bush’s Iraq War, lock, stock, and both barrels. Now it’s forced to defend torture, a direct product of its war-mongering.
Initially the Fox “News” reaction to the report was horse sh*t, literally, because As the CIA Torture Report Broke International News, Fox’s Leading Story Was About Horse Manure. However, after Fox “News” got its collective sh*t together, it hosted Dick Cheney [who] Says Senate Torture Report That He Hasn’t Even Read Is “Full Of Crap” [a reoccurring theme in this paragraph.]
Giving [alleged] War Criminal, and proven War Profiteer, Cheney airtime to defend himself is akin to giving OJ Simpson a forum to trash Nicole Simpson Brown and Ronald Goldman. And, speaking of kin, the next day — while it was still playing the previous night’s Cheney ‘crap quote’ seemingly on an endless loop — Fox “News” hosted failed political candidate Liz Cheney to defend her father, because she’s not biased at all.
One need only read The Five Worst Examples Of Fox News Hosts Trivializing Torture to see how little empathy Foxites have for any experience that they’ve not personally experienced. But for sheer lunacy no one at Fox “News” could top The Tarantula this week. She equated torture to ‘Merkin ‘Ceptionalism™:
• Fox News host on torture report: “America is awesome” • Fox News’ Andrea Tantaros Goes On Bizarre Rant About Torture: ‘We Are Awesome!’ • Fox Host Lose It Over Senate Torture Report: ‘We Are Awesome!’ •
The best reaction — to Tantaros and the entire cast of torture defenders — came when Colbert Agrees with Fox: Torture Is Cool and ‘America Is Awesome.‘ WATCH:
With only 4 shows left, Colbert’s original point of view will be missed by Friday Fox Follies.
Meanwhile, is it any surprise that Bill O’Reilly [says]: Torture Is ‘Morally Correct’? Even if McCain to O’Reilly: We Shouldn’t Engage in ‘Spanish Inquisition Methods of Torture’? No, because he’s never personally experienced torture. And, he refuses to heed those who have experienced it. In fact, he rejects the truth about so many things, like when Fox’s Rosen Tries to Correct O’Reilly; O’Reilly Snaps: ‘Don’t Be a Pinhead.’
Also missing the point this week: Megyn Kelly Helps Spin CIA Torture As Courageous.
The only humanistic view found among the On Air Personalities was Fox’s Shep Smith: ‘Sad and Horrifying’ That We’re Still Debating Torture, but then he’s already on record as being against torture.
Loofah Lad’s Lad: Is the future of Fox “News” exemplified by Jesse Watters? Nothing demonstrates the lack of new ideas than the continued elevation of Jesse Watters at Fox “News.” He went from editing Fox Nation — the place where Fox “News” viewers can openly express their misogyny, xenophobia, and racism on comment threads without fear of deletion — to becoming Bill O’Reilly’s ambush guy, a bit as old as Mike Wallace and the ’50s. Then he was given his own Factor segment “Watters World.” Here’s the basic premise: Ask average folks questions and only use the stupid answers. Comedy gold, right? RIGHT!!! Which is why comedians have also been using that bit since the ’50s.
Having demonstrated little original thinking up to now, it was only a matter of time before he combined his two biggest tricks. This week O’Reilly Factor’s Jesse Watters Hijacks NYC Mayor’s Presser, Gets Booted Out. Watch:
I can’t wait to see how the No Spin Zone spins this when it puts these Fox “News” values on display.
Fox Bytes: Those Foxy Friends on ‘Fox & Friends’ flips out over report that Justice Dept. employee maybe mentioned ‘white privilege’ and Fox segment on ‘ridiculous’ climate change devolves into talk of humans living with dinosaurs are just two examples of Curvy Couch Values that Friday Fox Follies has no room to explore.
Headly Westerfield operates the Not Now Silly Newsroom, where he is serializing his book, Farce Au Pain.
