Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

July 14, 2004

Ah, Fox News. Where else does "fair and balanced" means partisan and shrill? The two people in America who watch Fox News and didn't realize that it has an ideological spin, should watch the new documentary Outfoxed. Those of us who know that Fox News is biased should probably watch the film, too, in order to learn about the spin Fox puts on the news.

The film premiered yesterday at the New School and will "open" nationwide on Sunday in a series of house parties planned by MoveOn.org, followed by a chat with Al Franken and director Robert Greenwald. (BRR is considering hosting a screening of Outfoxed, but not on Sunday.)

Salon.com reviews the film: Happy talk from hell

prooted from the happy everyday babble of cable TV, the network looks more and more like a total propaganda system: Murdoch and his drones have created a dense and sophisticated weave of sound and image, drenched in the American flag and overloaded with authoritative-seeming info nuggets, whose exclusive goal is the dissemination of fear, confusion and disinformation designed to serve the ends of the governing regime.

NYT mag: How to Make a Guerrilla Documentary

The film is an obsessively researched expose of the ways in which Fox News, as Greenwald sees it, distorts its coverage to serve the conservative political agenda of its owner, the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. It features interviews with former Fox employees, leaked policy memos written by Fox executives and extensive footage from Fox News, which Greenwald is using without the network's permission. The result is an unwavering argument against Fox News that combines the leftist partisan vigor of a Michael Moore film with the sober tone and delivery of a PBS special.

Editor & Publisher: Fox Fights Back Against 'NY Times' Over Film Story

In a statement handed out at the press conference by an unidentified woman, Fox News declared, "The illegal copyright infringement actions of moveon.org in cooperation with The New York Times, including 'cutting a deal' not to give Fox News Channel adequate time to react, is unprecedented." The Times, it said, in "taking orders from" a George Soros-funded Web site, "corrupts the journalistic process. This is the real story." It described Soros as "a left-wing billionaire currency speculator who funds many liberal efforts."

The Nation's David Cole experiences first hand the fun of being on "The Factor": My First (and Last) Time With Bill O'Reilly

Apparently O'Reilly does not like being called "the pot." He exploded, repeatedly called me an "S.O.B." and assured me that he would cut my accusation from the interview when the show aired. He also said I would "never ever" be on his show again. At this point, I wasn't sure whether to take that as a threat or a promise.

Wonkette has the whole batch of Fox News memos which are mentioned in the film and finds, "There's actually something kind of refreshing and admirable about just how blatant Moody's directives are."

The NY Times' A.O. Scott reviewed Outfoxed: Spin Zones, Flag Waving and Shouting to Catch a Fox