Posted on 03/21/2007 7:07:47 AM PDT by Mike Bates
In another indication of its leftward drift, the Fox News Channel has hired liberal former Democratic Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. as a political commentator and analyst. Ford lost his Tennessee Senate race to Republican Bob Corker last year.
Ford was the recipient of incredibly favorable coverage by Fox News during his Senate campaign. Fox News portrayed Ford as a moderate or even a conservative.
The news about Fox hiring Ford was expected. Bartholomew Sullivan of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that "The move to the conservative network run by News Corp. media mogul Rupert Murdoch was no surprise to Washington cognoscenti, who have read speculation about the move for weeks. Well before the November election, The Commercial Appeal noted News Corp.'s support for Ford's Senate bid. At least 18 senior News Corp. or Fox executives, including Murdoch, were contributors to his campaign."
Indeed, Ford received a financial contribution from Murdoch himself. AIM questioned Murdoch about it at last year's News Corporation shareholders meeting, where Murdoch claimed he was contributing to both sides in that race. But a Murdoch contribution to Corker doesn't show up in the Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. There is, however, a $500 contribution to Corker from Paul A. Jackson, listed as director of government relations for News Corporation in Washington, D.C.
AIM was not able to verify the complete figure of 18 News Corporation/Fox News executives contributing to Ford, but FEC records did confirm the following, in addition to Murdoch: Peter Chernin, president of News Corporation; Gary Ginsberg, Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications at News Corporation; Codie Brooks, a Fox News Channel researcher; Timothy S. Carry, a Fox News Channel executive; and Suzanne Feldman, a Fox News sales executive.
(Excerpt) Read more at aim.org ...
UGH! Another liberal microphone? Like there aren't enough of them on MSM stations.
So they ditched that hot chick and got the Ford boy instead. Hmmmm.....
FOX News is liberal...so this is no surprise.
They had Ford debating Santorum yesterday.
Fox? Do they still broadcast?
I just can't keep my interest up for the latest car chase/Ana Nicole Smith/missing white girl/celebrity meltdown, channel.
He's just a fill in until Glen Beck's contract expires at CNN. (:^D
Actually, that was pretty good - Ford excelled at not saying anything although I was a bit disappointed that Rick didn't take it to him.
The first time Ford tells a lie or spins the truth - Freep the heck out of Fox.....Fair and Balanced is one thing but diluting the nation’s rare news channel of truth with liberals like Ford is dangerous. Rick Santorum is also new and forthcoming with the facts – looks like another Hannity and Colmes lash up
He is not a big name liberal. This was a great catch for Roger Ailes. Fox will attract more middle of the roaders with commentators like Ford to comment on the Democrats. Do you just want to keep preaching to the choir??
You are exactly right.
Fox sucks!
>>>He is not a big name liberal.<<<
I'm not sure I understand your post and why it was directed at me.
Do you know who Glen Beck is?
Do you think that Glen Beck, (the highest rated show in CNN's evening lineup), is a liberal?
With the exception of Brit Hume and Neal Cavuto, Fox News isn't news at all. Their morning show is unwatchable. Nothing but touchy, feely "what happened on American Idol last night" nonsense. Shep Smith isn't much better....
Wasn't Harold Ford supposed to be the Magic Negro before David Ehrenstein (LA Slimes) told us that.."EVERY CARBON-BASED life form on this planet surely knows, Barack Obama, the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, ..is running for an important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination — the "Magic Negro."
Of all the Democrats, Ford was the easiest to listen to.
But remember, after the Kerry loss, it was Ford who came out to talk to the press- not Kerry, not his manager, etc. etc.
Also remember, it is all about the Benjamins for Murdoch. Brett looks like he is ready to retire, Tony is gone and who is left. The young males, hmmm, what young males? The eye-candy women aren't ready for prime time, either.
Think about it.
Ford is a crook. His family are crooks. Fox is going left.
which hot chick got ditched? you mean Kiran?
FAIR & BALANCED
YOU DECIDE
what is so hard to understand about this? If you want nothing but right wing talk then there are plenty of places to go for your red meat. If you want to at least hear both sides then go to Fox.
The arguments stand or fall on their own merit. Perhaps that's why you never see anything of a conservative perspective from CNN/NBC/CBS, etc
I can't stand to hear most of the libs that Fox has on, and this will be another time I change channels or just turn it off. It's happening more and more.
Not when the Libs are allowed to perpetuate their lies unchallenged......happens all the time on Fox.
Fox TV is an extension of Murdock's tabloid enterprise, devoid of any ideological purpose. It is a business, and it peddles what sells.
Blabbering babes (female and male) generate ratings even if they all talk at the same time. That is the only thing that matters to the shareholders.
Trashy Fox "personalities" are no different from other networks' - just talentless whores, jumping from ship to ship in their pursuit of a meal ticket. The whole thing is a pathetic carney show.
Conservatives do not have true representation in mass media.
All delivered by the endless parade of blonde creampuffs, anchors and commentators. If I want to see hot chicks on TV, I'll watch the Spice Channel. I don't want these girls telling me about world events.
I'm watching History Channel more and more these days.
yes
Ford is being hired as a magic political commentator and analyst.
bump....
"Shep Smith isn't much better...."
Shep Smith?! She's the worst! Ok, well, Shep and Greta could have a cat fight to see who's worst.
BTW, Shep wears so much mascara, I don't know how she keeps it from running.
Yeah I wonder if FOX will ever get into the Ford family funeral racket in Memphis.
National media (including so-called conservative talk radio) is bound up with political correctness so much so that they would never mention it.
Fox is getting worse by the day. They forgot what made them. They are becoming just another outlet for crap.
They hired Santorum too, so where is the leftward drift?
Fox is UNWATCHABLE because of all these LIBERALS on it!
Glenn Beck has the BEST show on TV!!
Fox has to go to a special place to find so many stupid women (a bit less so for the men). Yes, I am a woman....and I would love to applaud a bright, intelligent female news person - but there isn't one around. Stupidity like I see on Fox isn't "off the shelf" - they must go out to special places to find it.
The last female anchor I've seen that I liked was at CNN - Daryn Kagen - she seemed to be politicaly neutral - had a pleasant voice and wasn't so obviously ignorant.
No, there's a special School for Ignorance that Fox has a lien on.
And waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much pop culture and car chases. While CNN is doing a serious (if biased) news story, Fox is doing a Kidman DNA update as Breaking News.
Or three hours of the Boy Scout Has Been Found Alive. He's alive....I'm glad he's alive - end of story. Should take about 90 seconds.
So, after we watch the first few minutes top of the hour news catchup (the latest earthquake - the latest bombing) we turn on Animal Planet and watch "The World's Funniest Animals."
Those animals are clever....and unbiased....and didn't attend "School for Stupid."
It's a lot more interesting watching some cute pup chase its tail than some car chase in LA.
FOX's production values are such rubbish, that it's unwatchable most of the time anyways. If CNN/MSNBC had as many conservatives (not squsihies like Tucker and Joe) as FOX had liberals, I might actually give them an eyeball once in a while.
Is Richard Mellon Scaife still alive? Can he start a right-wing network? Please?
Exactly! And they took them both off in the late evening time slots where I used to watch them. So I never watch Fox anymore unless I happen to be home when Beltway Boys comes on on Saturday.
With 24 hours a day to fill, and even with rerunning its prime time stuff later in the evening, they've gotta milk stories for all they're worth. And then some.
Agreed. Ford was hired as an analyst, that is to provide a democratic point of view. He won't be reading the news or deciding what stories to cover. If Ford tries to lie or distort the truth there are plenty of good conservatives on board, like Santorum, to correct him.
Fox News is the indeed the only fair and balanced option out there.
OTOH, Junior is finally getting a real job.
This is good news. more people to just sit and lie. Fortunately I have a TIVO with multiple tuners so fast forwarding the lies is a piece of cake. Pity the poor folks that have to watch.
Liberals are so predictable, any subject any time, same lies.
And, he's finally off the taxpayer rolls.
What do they think they're doing? Everyone knows that Fox News is the mouthpiece for the Bush administration.
At least, everyone at the Democratic Underground and on campus. . .
"Fox has to go to a special place to find so many stupid women ..."
Naw, they're easy to find, and plentiful.
"With 24 hours a day to fill, and even with rerunning its prime time stuff later in the evening, they've gotta milk stories for all they're worth. And then some."
Well sure, if your approach is 100% tabloid.
An alternative could be investigative reporting with educational content. The hows and whys of things beyond just the basic... here's what happened. You could do news magazines a la 60 minutes only with stories without the slant. Maybe some informational type things, a close up on China, what's really going on there? India? Interviews with influential people who aren't on the cover of People magazine all the time.
Naw.
I like Fox news!
One exception was the fall of 2001 after the terrorist attacks the MSM went back to real news for a while. Turned it off at the first utterance of the name 'Condit' in late 2001.
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