Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:03 pm
The Rupert Murdoch strategy: Just play dumb.
When asked at a forum last night by Media Matters if it was appropriate for Fox News to be so openly supporting the Tea Party, the CEO of Fox’s parent company Rupert Murdoch said that Fox should not be supporting any party, and that he wanted to investigate the matter, so as an attempt to help along Rupert’s “investigation” here are some videos of Fox’s Tea Party advocacy.
Here is Murdoch from last night:
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In case you couldn’t understand the video, Murdoch said, “No. I don’t think we should be supporting the Tea Party or any other party. But I’d like to investigate what you are saying before condemning anyone.”
If Rupert is serious about an investigation, he should probably start with his best boy Glenn Beck who referred to the tea parties last April as, “FNC Tax Day Tea Parties.” Ouch:
Here is video of Fox promoting the Tea Party rally in Searchlight, NV:
And more Fox News Tea Party promotion during the 2 pm news hour:
Here is Neal Cavuto promoting his Tea Party coverage on Fox News:
It would seem that his cubs have been up to some mischief if you believe the explanation provided by papa bear Rupert Murdoch, who could very well “investigate” Fox News, but his investigation is certain to come to the conclusion that his network is only providing legitimate coverage of the Tea Party. In Rupert Mudoch’s alternate reality, Fox News really is fair and balanced, and they don’t support any political party or ideology.
On its surface Murdoch’s statement is correct, Fox News should not be supporting any political party. He didn’t bother to address the fact that they are. Interestingly enough, the above clips also shatter the idea that Fox News is composed of both a news and an opinion division. If FNC is composed of two divisions, why is the news division promoting Tea Party events? The answer is that all areas of Fox News get their talking points from management, and that is what will be talked about for the day across both news and opinion programming. Remember, Rupert Murdoch said that Fox News should not be supporting the Tea Party. He didn’t say that they would stop.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
