When his corpulence, Roger Ailes, fell and died of a a blood clot just up the road, I remarked that I had nothing bad to say about him because I had said it all during his lifetime. In print.
Since the first day I laid eyes upon Fox, I knew what a sham it was. I had just come from a decade as a News Writer in the CityPulse Newsroom in Toronto, where we practiced real journalism. I couldn’t believe the lies Fox told after I moved back to the YEW ESS EH!
Ten years ago I discovered the revealing documentary Outfoxed. Nine years ago I found NewsHounds, and, by 8 years ago, I was already writing Fox “News” criticism under the nom de troll Aunty Em Ericann. I’ve been on this beat ever since.
As much as I hated Roger Ailes because he helped James Rosen cover up Richard Nixon’s treason in 1968, I recognized his genius immediately. Before Fox “News” came along news stations — and news programs — attempted to be FAIR & BALANCED. It was kinda like a mission.
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Roger Ailes’ epiphany was when he realized ‘Merkins would embrace that empty slogan if he convinced them all the other media was lying to them. The phony, fake anti-media meme may have started with Fox “News” and Roger Ailes, but Emperor Trump rode it right into the Oval Office.
That’s why I agree with Eric Wemple, who says, Roger Ailes’ “scourge will live for decades.” My editor here believes Ailes’ death “perfectly symbolizes the dying state of Fox News And The GOP, while Matt Taibbi succinctly says:
Roger Ailes Was One of the
Worst Americans Ever
EV-AH!!! When the history books are written, ‘Merka will never forget that Roger Ailes was a sexual predator, who protected another sexual predator with cash payments, and successfully elevated an unfit man into Pussy-grabber-in-Chief. Not that the Reich Wing reads history books.
BLACK BAG OPERATIONS: In the aftermath of Ailes death what happens to all the scandals, and lawsuits, and unsettled claims left behind? I predict blame will now be uploaded on the dead guy.
And, let’s not forget where the original cover-up started to unravel:
Former Fox News Star Gretchen
Carlson Does Not Believe in
Reporting Sexual Harassment to HR
And her fight isn’t only on paper. Carlson has agreed to testify before Congress about forced arbitration, a common clause in employment contracts requiring employees to renounce their rights to litigation, agreeing instead to settle all employment disputes via arbitration.
I bet she also blames the dead guy.
THE WORLD REAX: There were a lot of reactions to the dead guy being dead. Some were heartfelt, some were hypocritical, some were laughable, and some were just hateful. I’m here to make fun of them all.
Demonstrating all reactions at once: Bill O’Reilly: Roger Ailes endured hatred ‘and it killed him. That is the truth.’ Take it straight from the horse’s ass:
https://youtu.be/gCQm_jIUSjo
But, who started the hatred that is now diving the country? Fox “News” and Bill O’Reilly, of course. Using a phony patriotism — and a laughable War on Christmas — the cultural wars they started will resonate for decades. The hatred kindled by the station leads to Unhinged Fox viewers flood NYC councilman with hate calls after his clash with Tucker Carlson.
Never forget: Bill O’Reilly claimed sexual predator “Roger Ailes had my back at Fox News“, until USA Today changed that headline when the innertubes had a good laugh. And, because he’s not done helping destroy rational discourse, Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck Are Joining Forces to ‘Unite Our Powers For Good’. No, really.
Other reactions to the dead guy include the respectful:
Fox hosts, media figures pay
respects to Ailes on Twitter
To the snarky:
MSNBC’s Matthews eulogizes
Ailes while taunting Fox:
‘Rachel beats them every night’
To the most heartfelt (because of all the on air bubbering) when Fox & Friends hosts tearfully eulogize Roger Ailes: ‘He saved this country by starting the Fox News channel’. Watch:
https://youtu.be/mdlFFlIxyns
WAIT WHAT? Saved this country? Nope. Divided it, is more like it.
However, my favourite reaction was from the hypocrite named Geraldo, who feels that the worst thing is the dead guy’s timing because if Ailes died 11 months earlier, before all the scandal came out, “he would be on Mount Rushmore”. Roll the tape:
https://youtu.be/zksGeRrUiNw
OOOOPS!!! Wrong video.
https://youtu.be/XV9ghRhD8q8
Listen to him opine on Russiagate:
I think it’s a load of crap. But, you can get killed when a load of crap spills on you. And, he has to be very careful now not to fall into what they constamntly do. It’s never the crime. It’s always the cover-up. Remember: It is my contention that there is no crime at the heart of Russiagate.
But, stay for his eulogy for Roger Ailes if you want a load of crap spilled on you.
Here’s a nice read:
Exclusive: After Ailes’s Shocking
Death, Fox News Grieves—
and Breathes a Sigh of Relief
By the top of the nine A.M. hour, after Fox & Friends had concluded, Fox News broadcasters shared their personal remembrances of Ailes. They read Sean Hannity’s glowing testimonial to his friend, and then reiterated Beth Ailes’s statement. They talked about how much Ailes, who cut his teeth working for Richard Nixon and paved the way for Donald Trump’s victory, was a true patriot. The assessment rang somewhat true with people who knew Ailes. “He did think he was doing all this, everything at Fox, for the country,” said a former employee. “The irony is that Roger Ailes foisted Donald Trump on us,” this person continued. “In his last act, he gets to leave, and we are stuck with Donald Trump, who he created.”
But then, something surprising happened. The co-hosts moved on—first to the selection of Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate the ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, then to President Trump’s newscaster lunch, then to his 3:45 press conference, the congressional investigation into Russia, the latest Jason Chaffetz theatrics, and so forth. It seemed that Ailes, whose instincts dominated the news cycle for a generation, was reduced to a blip—a point even those close to the network conceded. “The news cycle is on steroids thanks to our president, so they couldn’t give him more than 90 seconds,” a former staffer who was watching the show told me.
That’s really because Ailes is already yesterday’s news and the less Fox says about the ignominious Roger Ailes, the better.
IRONY ALERT!!!
Progressive guest runs circles around
Fox host and right-wing editor —
and they don’t even know it
“I’m looking for facts,” MacCallum complained. “We’re trying to stay in ‘Fact Land.’”
“We would love facts,” Sussman said.
‘We’re Trying to Stay in Factland’:
Fox News’ MacCallum Spars With
Panelist in Heated Trump Debate
Fact Land? Surely not on Fox.
APOLOGY CENTRAL:
Family of slain DNC staffer demands
retractions from Fox News, local TV station
Mom Tells CNN’s Tapper She Wants an
Apology From Fox News for Mocking Her Son
THE SPECIALISTS: They call this ratings disaster The Specialists. I call it Bolling for Ratings, as he gets desperate by booking racist Ted Nugent. Roll the tape:
OOOPS! Sorry. Wrong video. Someone in the control room’s gonna get fired. That’s merely the proof of why Bolling loves him some Nugent. This is what The Nuge said on Fox & Friends this morning:
Sounds like the start of a election campaign to me.
PASSAGES:
BREAKING NEWS!!!
The Five is looking for a new fifth wheel because Bob Beckel is unemployed again:
Fox News Fires Bob Beckel
After Racism Accusation
A Fox News spokesperson issued the following statement: “As Mr. Wigdor knows, Fox News made the decision to terminate Mr. Beckel after a prompt and thorough investigation. His client raised the complaint to Kevin Lord, EVP Human Resources, on Tuesday evening via email and within 7 minutes Mr. Lord responded and began the investigation. Today, Fox News delivered that message to Mr. Beckel and facilitated an apology from Mr. Beckel to the employee minutes after he was terminated. No one tried to persuade Mr. Wigdor’s client to withdraw his complaint.”
This isn’t the first time Fox kicked Beckel to the curb, but I bet it’s the last.
Meanwhile:
Kimberly Guilfoyle Says She’s In Talks
to Replace Sean Spicer as Press Secretary
Fox News Announces Plans For
New, Centralized Newsroom
Fox News to hire more journalists
for new “cutting-edge” newsroom
More journalists? Surely not on Fox?
NO SELF-AWARENESS WHATSOEVER: I’ve made the observation that Steve Doocy looks exactly like a dipsomaniac when the sound is muted. Try it. It’s fun.
Fox & Friends complains that Trump and
Russia are “all we talk about every morning”
I blame Emperor Trump.
TUCKING IT IN: Any other week this would have been good for a few hundred words, especially the death hoax. and the impending sale of his $2.2 million dollar pad. Follow the linkages:
The Fraudulent Populism of Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson Reveals Crippling Fear
Of Penn Station Restrooms On Live TV
Because he’s a man of the people, just like Roger Ailes.
Headly Westerfield has also written about Roger Ailes — not to mention the online hate he engendered — at the Not Now Silly Newsroom.
