{"article":{"id":92799,"heading":"Fox News:Miles from 'fair and balanced'","author":"Tim Rutten","created":"2003-11-04 19:01:37","modified":"2003-11-09 07:50:40","last_modified":"Sun, 09 Nov 2003 14:50:40","article":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>Los Angeles Times <br>  <br> November 1, 2002 <br><br>  <br>  <br> REGARDING MEDIA <br><br> Miles from 'fair and balanced' <br><br> By Tim Rutten <br><br> A veteran producer this week alleged that Fox News <br>  <br> executives issue a daily memorandum to staff on news <br>  <br> coverage to bend the network's reporting into <br>  <br> conformity with management's political views, <br>  <br> refocusing attention on the partisan bias of America's <br>  <br> most watched cable news operation. <br><br> The charges by Charlie Reina, 55, whose six-year tenure <br>  <br> at Fox ended April 9, first surfaced Wednesday in a <br>  <br> letter he posted on an influential Web site <br>  <br> (www.poynter.org\/column)maintained by Jim Romenesko for <br>  <br> the Poynter Institute, an organization that promotes <br>  <br> journalistic education and ethics. <br><br> Concerns about Fox, which styles its news coverage as <br>  <br> \"fair and balanced,\" begin with its owner, Australian- <br>  <br> born Rupert Murdoch. The corporate boards and family <br>  <br> investors who control most of the American news media <br>  <br> generally feel obliged to maintain a wall of separation <br>  <br> between news and editorial opinion. Murdoch, by <br>  <br> contrast, operates in the style of the traditional <br>  <br> Fleet Street proprietors, who dismiss such distinctions <br>  <br> as inconvenient fictions. <br><br> And as a deeply conservative man, he is willing to put <br>  <br> his money where his politics are: Murdoch, a <br>  <br> naturalized U.S. citizen, subsidizes publication of the <br>  <br> Weekly Standard, one of the country's most influential <br>  <br> right-wing journals. According to a forthcoming book by <br>  <br> the New Yorker's Ken Auletta, he loses as much as $40 <br>  <br> million a year maintaining the New York Post as an <br>  <br> outlet of conservatism in Manhattan. <br><br> As Fox's founding president, he hired Roger Ailes, a <br>  <br> shrewd Republican political operative who earned a <br>  <br> well-founded reputation for bare-knuckle campaigning <br>  <br> while working for Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. As <br>  <br> one of the architects of the elder George Bush's media <br>  <br> strategy in his campaign for president against <br>  <br> Democratic rival Michael Dukakis, Ailes helped devise <br>  <br> the notorious Willie Horton commercials. As he told <br>  <br> Time magazine in August 1988, \"The only question is <br>  <br> whether we depict Willie Horton with a knife in his <br>  <br> hand or without it.\" <br><br> The late Lee Atwater, another Bush aide, described <br>  <br> Ailes as having \"two speeds - attack and destroy.\" <br>  <br> Before joining Fox, where he serves now as chairman, <br>  <br> Ailes produced Rush Limbaugh's short-lived television <br>  <br> talk show. <br><br> According to Reina's letter, \"Daily life at [Fox] is <br>  <br> all about management politics\".Editorially, the FNC <br>  <br> newsroom is under the constant control and vigilance of <br>  <br> management. The pressure ranges from subtle to direct. <br>  <br> First, it's a news network run by one of the most high- <br>  <br> profile political operatives of recent times. Everyone <br>  <br> there understands that [Fox] is, to a large extent, <br>  <br> 'Roger's Revenge' against what he considers a liberal, <br>  <br> pro-Democrat media establishment that has shunned him <br>  <br> for decades. For the staffers, many of whom are too <br>  <br> young to have come up through the ranks of objective <br>  <br> journalism, and all of whom are nonunion, with no <br>  <br> protections regarding what they can be made to do, <br>  <br> there is undue motivation to please the big boss.\" <br><br> Fox News spokesman Rob Zimmerman told The Times that <br>  <br> \"these accusations are the rantings of a bitter, <br>  <br> disgruntled former employee. It's unfortunate that <br>  <br> Charlie's career ended the way it did, but we wish him <br>  <br> well.\" Asked whether Reina's quotations from the memos <br>  <br> were inaccurate or taken out of context, Zimmerman <br>  <br> said, \"All we are saying is that these are false <br>  <br> accusations.\" The Times' request to speak with Ailes <br>  <br> was denied: \"Roger is not addressing this and is not <br>  <br> available,\" Zimmerman said. <br><br> Reina, who told The Times he left Fox in a dispute over <br>  <br> salary and workload - not politics - hardly comes <br>  <br> across as a knee-jerk liberal. He is at pains, for <br>  <br> example, to say that he believes his former employer's <br>  <br> cable rivals - CNN and MSNBC - also air news reports <br>  <br> riven with bias on both ends of the political spectrum. <br>  <br> At Fox, he not only produced the network's weekly media <br>  <br> criticism show, \"News- Watch,\" but also a series of <br>  <br> specials on Newt Gingrich and a talk show with <br>  <br> conservative religious commentator Cal Thomas. <br><br> Still, Reina, whose 30-year career includes stints at <br>  <br> the Associated Press, ABC News and CBS, said Fox's <br>  <br> ideological problems begin with Ailes. <br><br> \"Roger is such a high-profile and partisan political <br>  <br> operative that everyone in the newsroom knows what his <br>  <br> political feelings are and acts accordingly. I'd never <br>  <br> worked in a newsroom like that,\" he said in an <br>  <br> interview. \"Never. At ABC, for example, I never knew <br>  <br> what management or my bosses' political views were, <br>  <br> much less felt pressure from them to make things come <br>  <br> out a certain way. I'm talking about news bias, and I <br>  <br> never experienced it there. At CBS or the AP, if a word <br>  <br> got in that suggested bias - liberal or conservative - <br>  <br> it was taken out. <br><br> \"At Fox it was all about viewpoint. I'm not talking <br>  <br> about the nighttime personalities. I'm talking about <br>  <br> the news report. Fox executives will say their network <br>  <br> only appears conservative because it is fair, when <br>  <br> everyone else is liberal and biased. That's bull. Fox <br>  <br> doesn't 'seem' conservative and Republican. It is <br>  <br> conservative and Republican.\" <br><br> In his letter, Reina wrote that \"the roots of [Fox's] <br>  <br> day-to-day on-air bias are actual and direct. They come <br>  <br> in the form of an executive memo\" written by John <br>  <br> Moody, the network's vice president for news, and <br>  <br> \"distributed electronically each morning, addressing <br>  <br> what stories will be covered and, often, suggesting how <br>  <br> they should be covered. To the newsroom personnel <br>  <br> responsible for the channel's daytime programming, The <br>  <br> Memo is the bible. If, on any given day, you notice <br>  <br> that the Fox anchors seem to be trying to drive a <br>  <br> particular point home, you can bet The Memo is behind <br>  <br> it. The Memo was born with the Bush administration, <br>  <br> early in 2001, and, intentionally or not, has ensured <br>  <br> that the administration's point of view consistently <br>  <br> comes across on [Fox]\". <br><br> \"For instance, from the March 20th memo: 'There is <br>  <br> something utterly incomprehensible about [U.N. <br>  <br> Secretary-General] Kofi Annan's remarks in which he <br>  <br> allows that his thoughts are 'with the Iraqi people.' <br>  <br> One could ask where those thoughts were during the 23 <br>  <br> years Saddam Hussein was brutalizing those same Iraqis. <br>  <br> Food for thought.' Can there be any doubt that the memo <br>  <br> was offering not only 'food for thought,' but a <br>  <br> direction for the FNC writers and anchors to go? <br>  <br> Especially after describing the U.N. Secretary <br>  <br> General's remarks as 'utterly incomprehensible'?\". <br><br> \"One day this past spring, just after the U.S. invaded <br>  <br> Iraq, The Memo warned us that anti-war protesters would <br>  <br> be 'whining' about U.S. bombs killing Iraqi civilians <br>  <br> and suggested they could tell that to the families of <br>  <br> American soldiers dying there. Editing copy that <br>  <br> morning, I was not surprised when an eager young <br>  <br> producer killed a correspondent's report on the day's <br>  <br> fighting - simply because it included a brief shot of <br>  <br> children in an Iraqi hospital\". <br><br> \"These are not isolated incidents at Fox News Channel, <br>  <br> where virtually no one of authority in the newsroom <br>  <br> makes a move unmeasured against management's politics, <br>  <br> actual or perceived. At the Fair and Balanced network, <br>  <br> everyone knows management's point of view, and, in case <br>  <br> they're not sure how to get it on air, The Memo is <br>  <br> there to remind them.\" <br><br> Av Westin, a longtime ABC news executive who is now <br>  <br> executive director of the National Television Academy, <br>  <br> examined Reina's letter and said: \"Nothing about this <br>  <br> surprises me. The uniform smirks and body language that <br>  <br> are apparent in Fox's reports throughout the day <br>  <br> reflect an operation that is quite tightly controlled. <br>  <br> The fact that young and inexperienced producers <br>  <br> acquiesce to that control by pulling stories is further <br>  <br> evidence that nonjournalistic forces are at work in <br>  <br> that newsroom. <br><br> \"Roger runs the place with an iron hand and he was put <br>  <br> in place there by Murdoch, who selected him for his <br>  <br> politics. In that sense, what's happened at Fox is a <br>  <br> carry-over from all Murdoch's print publications, where <br>  <br> the publisher's politics and editorial preference is <br>  <br> reflected in the news hole to an extent that isn't true <br>  <br> anywhere else in American journalism.\" <br><br> Reina is out of television news these days, supporting <br>  <br> himself in New York with a small woodworking business. <br><br> Looking back on his time with Fox, his greatest concern <br>  <br> is for its young staff. \"Many of them wanted to be on <br>  <br> television but not necessarily in news. They haven't <br>  <br> had the benefit of traditional journalistic training, <br>  <br> so they're easily molded. <br><br> \"Time after time I watched what management's politics <br>  <br> did to the young anchors. As they near the time to get <br>  <br> their own show, the hair gets blonder and the bias gets <br>  <br> clearer.\" <br><br>  <br>  <br> Copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times <br><br>   <br>  <br> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/features\/lifestyle\/la-et-rutten1nov01181420\">http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/features\/lifestyle\/la-et-rutten1nov01181420<\/a>,1,7939167.story<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"LA Times article on bias at Fox News, and who's responsible.","numcomment":17,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2003\/11\/92799.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":92817,"heading":"Fox News","article":"\r\n\r\nWhat is interesting about FOX and other right-leaning news sources is their immense appeal among the working class. Yes, those very same working class folks the left claims to represent are increasingly moving right, especially when you go outside of the East and West coasts. The only place where the left retains a foothold is in the academy, it certainly is not present in the workplace. As long as this remains this case, the left will remain politically moribund and impotent. IMHO, this impotency is what fuels the extremism prevalent at indydmedia and among the communist\/anarchist left. They realize that the subtance of their ideas holds no weight with their supposed constituencies. ","author":"ex-leftist activist","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-04 20:23:50","modified":"2003-11-04 20:23:50","fileurl":""},{"id":92821,"heading":"axiomatic","article":"> Yes, those very same working class folks the left claims to represent are increasingly moving right<\r\nAnd the moon is made of green cheese.","author":"Grimm","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-04 21:01:56","modified":"2003-11-04 21:01:56","fileurl":""},{"id":92827,"heading":"Very funny...","article":"I am used to people like you repsonding to the truth with funny statements. But keep putting your head in the sand, that seems to be what the left does best.","author":"ex-leftist activist","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-04 21:56:48","modified":"2003-11-04 21:56:48","fileurl":""},{"id":92833,"heading":" ex-leftist activist","article":"you are funny.  Just where did you get this shift over to the right?\r\nFox news or Rush?","author":"Grimm","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-04 22:52:59","modified":"2003-11-04 22:52:59","fileurl":""},{"id":92842,"heading":"Grimmy","article":"I'm guessing he just started to think.\r\n\r\nTry it, you'll like it!","author":"nonanarchist","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-04 23:26:19","modified":"2003-11-04 23:26:19","fileurl":""},{"id":92853,"heading":"Hey daveman","article":"when I need an idiot's opinion I'll ask you for yours.\r\nor Bush Admirer's.","author":"Grimm","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 00:36:07","modified":"2003-11-05 00:36:07","fileurl":""},{"id":92855,"heading":"WVP=an idiot's opinion","article":"Or dingo if he's still around.  There's an idiot for you.","author":"oregon trail","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 00:39:22","modified":"2003-11-05 00:39:22","fileurl":""},{"id":92856,"heading":"Aaargh!","article":"Wow, you got me with that one, Grimmy.  Cut me to the core!\r\n\r\nThanks for proving my theory that NOT A SINGLE Leftist or anarchist has a sense of humor.\r\n\r\nSheesh, it must be boring to hang out with you people.","author":"nonanarchist","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 00:41:05","modified":"2003-11-05 00:41:05","fileurl":""},{"id":92858,"heading":"yup, I noticed","article":"He was waxing the floor with you idiots.  That's why he was targeted.\r\nI've gone through his threads and he slaughtered you morons.\r\nEach and every time.","author":"Grimm","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 00:43:03","modified":"2003-11-05 00:43:03","fileurl":""},{"id":92861,"heading":"grimster","article":"dingo was nothing.  If you believe he defeated any of us, you're as looney as he is.\r\n\r\ndingo is alive at this very moment because of the good graces of people like me.  Keep that in mind.\r\n\r\nStick around.  We can do the same for you.","author":"gladflystone","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 00:46:38","modified":"2003-11-05 00:46:38","fileurl":""},{"id":92864,"heading":"well then, fucking bring it on","article":"That would make my day.  Got some party favors just for you.","author":"Smarmster","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 00:48:38","modified":"2003-11-05 00:48:38","fileurl":""},{"id":92865,"heading":"Grimm's Dictionary","article":"Dingo was brilliant.  That's why he posted personal information on the Internet.\r\n\r\nFace it, Grimmy:  Dingo was a pompous stuffed shirt who confused vocabulary with intelligence.\r\n\r\nThat you think he won his debates says something about you.\r\n\r\nAnd it's not complimentary.","author":"nonanarchist","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 00:49:11","modified":"2003-11-05 00:49:11","fileurl":""},{"id":92866,"heading":"grimster","article":"Bring it on?  What is that macho crap all about?\r\n\r\nIt never works that way.  Time in on my side.\r\n\r\nDon't call us, we'll call you.","author":"portlandarea","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 00:51:03","modified":"2003-11-05 00:51:03","fileurl":""},{"id":92868,"heading":"Hey smarmster...","article":"You need to call the fat lady. She's on in five...","author":"the Riddler","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 00:56:23","modified":"2003-11-05 00:56:23","fileurl":""},{"id":92870,"heading":"Time in on my side.","article":"You pinheads are nothing but threats and bad wind.\r\nYou have no idea.\r\nThat could change quickly.  I'll just wait and watch.","author":"Right.","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 01:02:15","modified":"2003-11-05 01:02:15","fileurl":""},{"id":92871,"heading":"The Doors","article":"I'm a changling, see me change........","author":"Jim Morrison","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 01:05:49","modified":"2003-11-05 01:05:49","fileurl":""},{"id":92964,"heading":"Grimm","article":"&quot;Just where did you get this shift over to the right? Fox news or Rush?&quot;\r\n\r\nI actually don't watch much t.v. When I do, I prefer the BBC World Service. Once in a while I watch French and Italian news broadcasts. I also check out a lot of foreign newspapers on the web.\r\n\r\nI've never liked Rush. He's a simple minded idelogue. His form of &quot;analysis&quot; is actually quite similar to what passes as analysis at this website. His lame comments regarding &quot;Femi-Nazis&quot; come to mind...\r\n\r\nWhat I was writing about was how I've observed (in research and in my personal life) a shift to the right by many working class voters. I first noticed it with the &quot;Reagan Democrats&quot; back in 1980 and its been happening ever since. Fox et al. have only accelerated the process.\r\n\r\nAs far as my personal political orientation, I used to be a lefty but today am more of a liberal with some libertarian inclinations. Like most of the regular (leftist) posters here at indymedia, I do not consider liberals as leftists given our pro-market orientation.","author":"ex-leftist","parent_id":92799,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-05 16:01:39","modified":"2003-11-05 16:01:39","fileurl":""}]}