Fox News exposed on its own turf
What happens on Fox “News” if you challenge one of their most-cherished narratives?
If you’re Tom Ricks, author, Pulitzer Prize winner and former military affairs reporter for The Washington Post, the interview ends abruptly and you’re sent quickly packing, probably ensuring that you will never see Fox air again.
Nicely done, Mr. Ricks. (Transcript below).
It got me to thinking, though. Back in the day, David Allan Coe had a country hit titled “You Never Even Called Me by My Name,” which he claimed was damn near the perfect country song. All it lacked was a mention of “momma, or trains, or trucks, or prison or gettin’ drunk.” So Steve Goodman, who had co-written the song with John Prine, sat down to write Coe a new closing verse. It went like this:
“Well, I was drunk the day my momma got out of prison,
And I went to pick her up in the rain.
But before I could get to the station in the pick-up truck,
She got runned over by a damned old train.”
So … what would be the perfect Fox “News” non-story? If you were a Fox “News” producer, and you wanted to dream up the segment that would punch every button for your audience, what would it be?
The Benghazi attacks were carried out by the New Black Panthers to recover evidence that Obama had really been born in Kenya?
—————
TRANSCRIPT:
JON SCOTT (co-host): Pressure mounting on the Obama administration over its response to the deadly attack on our consulate in Benghazi, as [Fox News correspondent] Catherine Herridge reported just minutes ago. Several top GOP lawmakers are backing off their criticism of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, instead focusing on the White House. Two senators even expressing concerns about a possible White House cover-up. Let’s talk about it with Tom Ricks. He is author of The Generals. He has spent decades covering our military. He joins us now.
Senator John McCain said in the past he would block any attempt to nominate Susan Rice to become U.N. — I’m sorry, secretary of state. She’s currently the U.N. ambassador. He seems to be backing away from that. What do you make of it?
RICKS: I think that Benghazi generally was hyped, by this network especially, and that now that the campaign is over, I think he’s backing off a little bit. They’re not going to stop Susan Rice from being secretary of state.
SCOTT: When you have four people dead, including the first dead U.N. ambassador — U.S. ambassador in more than 30 years, how do you call that hype?
RICKS: How many security contractors died in Iraq, do you know?
SCOTT: I don’t.
RICKS: No. Nobody does, because nobody cared. We know that several hundred died, but there was never an official count done of security contractors dead in Iraq. So when I see this focus on what was essentially a small firefight, I think, number one, I’ve covered a lot of firefights. It’s impossible to figure out what happens in them sometimes. And second, I think that the emphasis on Benghazi has been extremely political, partly because Fox was operating as a wing of Republican Party.
SCOTT: All right. Tom Ricks, thanks very much for joining us today.
RICKS: You’re welcome.
– Jay Bookman
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567 comments Add your comment
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
November 27th, 2012
8:52 am
Corbin Sharpe. I think, therefore I am…I think.
November 27th, 2012
8:46 am
Can’t disagree but the Irish offense that I have seen is suspect…defense wins championships but I don’t see them shutting down either SEC schools…they maybe better than we give credit but I go with SEC anyday. My understanding is that the line will be between -5 and -9 for SEC school
I’ve tried to prepare myself for the worst…it never works as I’m still bummed out the same when we get beat..at least we have a shot this time…
JohnnyReb
November 27th, 2012
8:54 am
JohnnyReb is a moniker of anti-statisim.
Why you Lefties don’t get that is puzzling since you seem soooo intelligent.
Besides, I only had three slaves and was able to replace them by paying less than minimum wage. I still treat them badly.
Mick
November 27th, 2012
8:57 am
recon
Just pointing out the obvious, this election was supposed to be the republicans for the taking. I mean all the little games in repub dominated states with voter suppression tactics – failed. The people spoke, loudly by close to 3 million votes in favor of obama. His team outsmarted, outhustled the opposition. I want that team in charge, not the loser who tried in vain to tack to the center in the last month, people were not buying but you were all in and pretty sure in that final week, reality hits hard…
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
November 27th, 2012
8:57 am
USinUK – not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
8:52 am
Both sides lie although Romney did have an advantage in that area…FOX was no more a GOP cheerleader than MSNBC was cheerleading for Obama…it’s all the same…
Remember how much the left and their mouthpieces for month pushed the “massive offshoring” and vulture capitalists garbage despite the award of 4 pinocchios on many fronts? What about how they suggested the exaggerated battle cry of “he will dismantle Medicare and SS resulting in granny getting screwed…Hyperbole…both sides same crap..
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
8:58 am
JohnnyReb – you seem to be under some misguided notion that we actually care.
Welcome to the Occupation
November 27th, 2012
8:59 am
decibels:
Had me at Ray
mbtc
November 27th, 2012
9:02 am
Catherine White
November 26th, 2012
5:37 pm
I’m with Stevie Ray. It says a great deal in favour of the network that they had the interview at all.
Um…no. It would have said a great deal in favor of Fox had they continued and finished the interview.
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:03 am
I’ve tried to prepare myself for the worst
_________
Always hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.
If that doesn’t work, try this one;
If you don’t expect anything you won’t be disappointed.
TaxPayer
November 27th, 2012
9:03 am
Big mistake is that the general public can’t distinguish between news and entertainment..
Truth in advertising requirements do not apply to Fox “news” so we have to continue to use quotation marks.
JKL2
November 27th, 2012
9:03 am
Reagan made you proud to be an American. obama is embarrassed to be one and freely admits to wanting to change our country. The difference in leadership is so great it’s hard to measure with current technology.
Corbin Sharpe. I think, therefore I am...I think.
November 27th, 2012
9:04 am
Stevie Ray,
Ought to be interesting indeed, but One can only hope that ‘Bama is looking ahead to the Irish…Honestly though Georgia needs to employ the old Special Forces axiom. “Observe, Improvise, Overcome” Misdirection, play action, naked boot leg, etc. Have to spread ‘Bama’s defense all over the field. Run off of pass formations, pass of of run formations. If you can’t keep ‘Bama’s defense guessing, you will lose.
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:05 am
Um…no. It would have said a great deal in favor of Fox had they continued and finished the interview.
___
I agree. If you start down a road, keep going until you finish. Sopping midway just really is not good form.
It really showed them as totally unprofessional.
alex
November 27th, 2012
9:06 am
Saw that Nate Silver wrote a book about stats, anybody read it?….
Watched Ralphie and his Red Ryder carbine action 200 shot range model air rifle last night: you’ll shoot your eye out kid….GREEEAAATT movie
TaxPayer
November 27th, 2012
9:07 am
Republican businessmen rejoice. Slave labor in Bangladesh is cheap. I hear they go for $1200 apiece. Offshore now while the price is right.
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:07 am
Appears there are a lot of people who learned nothing from the results of the election. Too bad.
Those who don’t learn from history are bound to repeat it.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
9:08 am
“Both sides lie although Romney did have an advantage in that area…FOX was no more a GOP cheerleader than MSNBC was cheerleading for Obama…it’s all the same…
Remember how much the left and their mouthpieces for month pushed the “massive offshoring” and vulture capitalists garbage despite the award of 4 pinocchios on many fronts?”
Stevie Ray –
There is a WORLD of difference between campaign spokespeople perpetuating a story and the ANCHORS OF A NEWS CHANNEL
Corbin Sharpe. I think, therefore I am...I think.
November 27th, 2012
9:08 am
JKL2
November 27th, 2012
9:03 am
It was not hard to grab at straws after the Viet Nam and Carter years, and Reagan was a straw. Overall, he screwed this country.
Goldie
November 27th, 2012
9:08 am
Bwaaaa — FOX NOISE! “They Deceive, Who Believes???”
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:08 am
Georgia will need to pick up some turnovers. If Bama truns the ball over, then Georgia is in the game.
mbtc
November 27th, 2012
9:09 am
JKL2
November 27th, 2012
9:03 am
Reagan made you proud to be an American. obama is embarrassed to be one and freely admits to wanting to change our country. The difference in leadership is so great it’s hard to measure with current technology.
With comments like that I can see why you need a mythical leader like Reagan to make you feel good about yourself.
jconservative
November 27th, 2012
9:09 am
Interesting debate.
I would have thought that Fox would have lost a major portion of its viewing audience after their performance re the polls in the presidential election. Fox and its “experts” on the polls were either lying to their viewers or just plain incompetent. Either way, why would anyone watch Fox, especially Fox only? Multi news sources generally results is more truth than single news sources.
TaxPayer
November 27th, 2012
9:09 am
I shall enjoy four more years of Republican whines. No! Wait! I Object! You Lie! HAHAHAHAHA!
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:11 am
Overall, he screwed this country.
_________
Take a look at a chart of the growth of the nation debt. It started to go up when RR took office.
Borrowed too much and spent to much and that started the trend.
Once started, it’s hard to change.
TaxPayer
November 27th, 2012
9:11 am
MSNBC had trouble finding anything good to say about Mitt! NO! Tell me it ain’t so! I wonder why that would be.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
9:12 am
“Watched Ralphie and his Red Ryder carbine action 200 shot range model air rifle last night: you’ll shoot your eye out kid….GREEEAAATT movie”
Frageeeelay … it must be from Italy! (my favorite line in the movie)
DannyX
November 27th, 2012
9:12 am
“Reagan made you proud to be an American.”
Does Reagan’s Earned Income Tax Credit make you proud JKL2? You know the bill he signed that allowed “moochers” to pay no payroll tax? How about his expansion of “socialist” Medicare? His many tax increases? His amnesty? His deficit spending? Does that make you tingle?
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
9:13 am
“Overall, he screwed this country.”
and if he was in office today, the GOP true believers would HATE him.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
9:14 am
Oscar 0 9:11 – WOLVERINES!
godless heathen
November 27th, 2012
9:14 am
Frageeeelay … it must be from Italy! (my favorite line in the movie)
Flick. Flick, who?
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:15 am
TaxPayer – I couldn’t find anything good to say about Mitt either. Let’s try. Well, the good thing is that if he took a position you didn’t like, you knew it would soon change to something you did lke. But the bad news was, you also knew it would change back the other way to what you didn’t like.
I guess that’s a wash.
There must be something.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
9:17 am
“I couldn’t find anything good to say about Mitt either. Let’s try. ”
he and his wife were incredibly fertile.
(too bad their boys are such pillocks)
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:17 am
USinUK 0 Sorry, I don’t have a clue. could I have a hint.?
mbtc
November 27th, 2012
9:18 am
Yep, when Ronnie was pres I remember saying that if you gave me hundreds of billions of borrowed money, I, too, could have had an appearance of prosperity.
Welcome to the Occupation
November 27th, 2012
9:18 am
By the way, did you catch that the Obama team is at it again, negotiating with themselves before they even get started … http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/plouffe-lays-out-wh-thinking-on-fiscal.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter.
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:19 am
WOLVERINES??
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
9:19 am
“Sorry, I don’t have a clue. could I have a hint.?”
about what?
Rabbit
November 27th, 2012
9:19 am
“In another sign of a housing market rebound, home prices posted the biggest percentage gain in more than two years in the third quarter, according to the closely followed S&P/Case-Shiller index.”
Wonder how Georgia’s numbers compare with the new national numbers?
mbtc
November 27th, 2012
9:20 am
dang, jay, doncha think these sheets have outlasted their usefulness?
TaxPayer
November 27th, 2012
9:21 am
I, too, could have had an appearance of prosperity.
I’m reminded of those quasi-upscale communities with the brick facade on the front of the houses and vinyl siding on the other sides.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
9:22 am
Oscar – (gasp!!!!) you don’t know Wolverines???!!!
Sorry, but you can’t talk about the Reagan era without referencing the classic Red Dawn (where the Soviets decide to attack one of the square states in the middle … for some reason)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_I4WgBfETc
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:22 am
about what?
The Wolverines comment.
SBinf
November 27th, 2012
9:23 am
This just in, Rmoney receives 47% of the popular vote.
lololol
This grows more delicious each day!
mbtc
November 27th, 2012
9:24 am
Ho hum, anyway I was thinking recently that in a remake of the Wizard of OZ, Newt should be cast as the man behind the curtain. Not that there aren’t lots of possibilities out there. Would love to see the line at auditions.
Aquagirl
November 27th, 2012
9:24 am
Oscar – (gasp!!!!) you don’t know Wolverines???!!!
That man is a card-carrying Communist.
Cosby
November 27th, 2012
9:28 am
Ricks was a reporter???, Pulitzer prize winner – that tell you he is biased before you even talk with him. He had a beef with Fox and made HIS opinion known without discussing any facts that were not skewed. typical of the left..take a taling point and make it the truth. Now what about the real story..Obama took over with military action in Iraq and Afganistan..now, under his watch, the entire middle east is in flames, millions have been slaughtered and no peace in site…yep now that would be a story
Brosephus™
November 27th, 2012
9:28 am
Georgia will need to pick up some turnovers. If Bama truns the ball over, then Georgia is in the game.
Bama doesn’t make many mistakes. They play like a python. They squeeze their prey harder and harder as the game goes on. One or two mistakes is all it takes, and then the prey succumbs to the pressure.
ROLL TIDE!!!
mbtc
November 27th, 2012
9:29 am
And the cowardly lion? Any card carrying chicken hawk would do the job. Cheney comes to mind.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
9:29 am
“That man is a card-carrying Communist.”
thank god they have cards for those kinds of things …
he needs to go back and watch Normal’s Communist Christmas video earlier, I tells ya!
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:29 am
Wolverines.
__
I noticed the ad for the link below and got distracted. Where exactly were we.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqJpf6tidn0&feature=endscreen&NR=1
GT
November 27th, 2012
9:30 am
Serious journalism eventually rises to the top because people do not want to be just entertained 24/7 and they need to know when it is really raining as opposed to when the power brokers want them to think it is raining. How do you find serious journalism? By comparing the news to reality. If Fox says the polls are tiled to the Democratic side yet when the election comes, the left’s projections are right on the money, I return to the source that was obviously correct. If you were betting on information given by Fox how often would you lose your bet? Fox is an entertainment channel; if we perceive it as that it makes sense.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 27th, 2012
9:31 am
“Obama took over with military action in Iraq and Afganistan..now, under his watch, the entire middle east is in flames, millions have been slaughtered and no peace in site…yep now that would be a story”
yeah, because it was all … (what’s that great expression? oh, yeah) … unicorns and rainbows before he was elected
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:31 am
Bro – That’s true about Bama. But, that’s why they play the games.
mbtc
November 27th, 2012
9:33 am
” I return to the source that was obviously correct.”
That would be The Daily Kos. Haha.
Brosephus™
November 27th, 2012
9:35 am
Oscar
Indeed, and I always look forward to watching the games. Saturday will be well worth watching.
fair and balanced
November 27th, 2012
9:37 am
Ok Jay – Are your journalistic skills up to going further with this angle on Fox News and the Benghazi debacle? Or is this just a punch line to some song that needs to be ridiculed?
“”"”"Martha Mitchell’s blunt revelation {about Watergate and her husband’s involvement with Nixon]and the way it got ignored comes to mind as we wait for the follow-up to Paula Broadwell’s assertion that two prisoners were being held at the CIA “annex” near the consulate in Benghazi at the time of the assault that left Ambassador Christopher Stephens and three other Americans dead.
Thanks to Fox News we know that the “annex” near the consulate in Benghazi was actually the largest CIA station in North Africa (you’d think the largest would be in Egypt) and that the CIA was hurriedly relocating prisoners prior to the attack on the consulate. It had become apparent that many of the Libyan rebels the U.S. government had helped overthrow Qaddafi, after a few days of “celebratory gunfire,” regarded the U.S. as an occupier, not an ally.
Given that the CIA was holding prisoners in Benghazi, the goal of the Sept. 11 action at the consulate may have been an effort to free them. The attack may have been payback for their detention. And everybody involved in that detention, including CIA Director David Petraeus, was committing a crime.
Unfortunately for Jennifer Griffin of Fox News, the rightwing politicians who are looking for ammunition against Obama can’t make use of her Benghazi reporting because it exposes their 4-star hero (who never saw combat or commanded a division) as a perjurer, and the CIA as a rogue agency”"”"”"”"”"http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/11/27/paula-broadwell-whistleblower/
Of course the cons only see this as a coverup by Obama and not by Petreus with the floozie as a whistle blower and Fox News exposing highly classified information. Or is that what the Pentagon Papers incident was all about???????????Takes a skilled journalist to cover this one properly.
Another CON - spiracy
November 27th, 2012
9:37 am
IF CONS spent more time worrying about what happens in
this country instead of worrying about countries that will
never change…………..
America would be in a better place.
Joe Hussein Mama
November 27th, 2012
9:38 am
Cosby — “Pulitzer prize winner – that tell you he is biased before you even talk with him.”
It also tells you that no one at FNC is fit to shine his shoes and that they’re all jealous of him.
Iluvnutella
November 27th, 2012
9:44 am
Im so confused……
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:46 am
I’m so confused……
++++++++
If you were not confused, it would mean you were not paying attention.
Oscar
November 27th, 2012
9:49 am
I thought the Wolverines were a football team. Go MIchigan.
Donovan
November 27th, 2012
9:52 am
You little commies just hate any kind of opposition to the truth. That clown who was interviewed on Fox is a liberal who writes for one of the biggest liberal news rags in this country and was awarded a liberal prize by one of the biggest liberal organizations out there. Yeah, we are supposed to be accepting of his viewpoint…right.
Once again, Jay, thanks for bringing one of those little gems attacking conservative thought to all of us out here starving for news. The only people gulping down that crap are the likes of the US chick hiding out in the UK and Joe Hussein.
Unlike your left wing idiots on MSNBC, Fox News brings on opposite thinking news hacks to get their side of the story only to show their HUGE audience how embarrassing the left’s thinking is. You liberals control all the other news media programs, but can’t stand to have one TV network oppose your propaganda arm. How can one distinguish between your liberal news media and the Communist Party? You can’t.
Whether you “progressives” like it or not…Benghazi is a bone fide coverup. The timelines of the attack and the explanations given thereafter are all wrong. Your little “bump in the road” or gun running from Libya to Syria was a black eye to the reelection of the Obama regime. Now you Obama goose-steppers are doubling down with the cavalier attitude of dismissing the facts. Shameful actions by shameful Democrats.
Ben The Independent
November 27th, 2012
9:56 am
Jay; you are correct in stating Fox News has a conservative bias. You on the other hand have a very even hand when writing about political issues if viewed thru a liberal prism. Don’t worry about FNC as you more than counter-balance them. Keep up your good liberal spin as it is always amusing.
clem
November 27th, 2012
10:00 am
donovan and ben the new frick and frack
GT
November 27th, 2012
10:06 am
The right is constantly trying to dictate the discussion of the news. We had thousands blown up on their watch; never dawn on them that maybe the Bush administration blew that one, never dawn on the left to drag the country through a sewer to gain political points, they lead a positive response. Now 4 people knowing they were in harm’s way like soldiers die on O’s watch, and the first weak livered response is not to the violation of us as a country but an attack on the O administration. Immaturity is the password of the Republican Party.
Mick
November 27th, 2012
10:21 am
donovan
You can have your foxhole of a network, just remember that truth seeks its own level and that no news organization has a monopoly on it.
Oh yeah, one more thing, we are all part of the same hypocrisy, just don’t think yours smells any better…
Partisay
November 27th, 2012
10:36 am
“Don’t worry about FNC as you more than counter-balance them.”
So Ben compares a columnist in a daily newspaper (which also has another columnist that writes the opposing view) to a major news network??? Wow, Jay, you should ask for a raise. Did you realize you are so powerful that you swing the bias of fox news (I refuse to capitalize it) back to the balance?
You the man!!!
Joe Hussein Mama
November 27th, 2012
2:47 pm
Donovan — “The only people gulping down that crap are the likes of the US chick hiding out in the UK and Joe Hussein.”
Poor, jealous Donny. Nobuddy am give him a Poo-Litzer. Nobuddy am give Fox one neither. Poor Donny.
(laughing, pointing)