Trouble is, the democracy-challenged folks that watch Fox's propagandist drivel, will
blame the liberal media, viciously attack McClellan, deny everything, while playing the victim and whining, like only the right wing can.

The follow up question should have been...

"Gee, Scott, were these people rewarded with access to the White House or like Armstrong Williams, were these people just cut a check for their 'helpfulness and patriotism'?"

Too many people in the past 7 years have said too stupid things for them not to have been paid to say them.

aw, come on, he's just bitter. Bitter I say!

hardly surprising. Fox propoganda network isnt news, its a 24 hours republican/right wing propoganda machine. They do not report news (except large breaking news like 9/11), their sole purpose, which has been admitted by their leaders, is to elect Republicans and push the neo-con position and viewpoint.

Lets all drop the pretense.

Well, well, WELL!!

I'll bet no trolls will visit this post.....can't blame this one on Obama's FISA vote. LOL.

That's not the Scotty that the W.H. used to know and love. What have the librul media done with the real Scotty?

joeedugan @ 14:

That's not the Scotty that the W.H. used to know and love. What have the librul media done with the real Scotty?

Throw somebody under the bus, and guess what they get angry.

I'm surprised Scotty hasn't mysteriously died from some kind of heart attack or car accident. I still think he's holding back a LOT, or they never let him get too, too close, but he's still trying to say that Bush is a good guy.

The definition of a Fox News moral crisis: When the Whitehouse talking points vary from the morning memo.

Anybody else remember this?

Six weeks before the 2006 elections:

Media Matters (Mon, Sep 18, 2006):
White House soiree: Boortz, Hannity, Gallagher, Medved and Ingraham were reportedly invited to meet with Bush in the Oval Office

In a September 16 posting on his weblog, nationally syndicated radio host Neal Boortz wrote that he had been invited to "the West Wing of the White House" for a "30-minute meeting with the President in the Oval Office [which] turned into 90 minutes." Boortz added that the "other invitees were [conservative radio hosts] Sean Hannity, Mike Gallagher, Michael Medved and Laura Ingraham." As the weblog Think Progress noted, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in a September 17 posting on its website that conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has been invited to the meeting but could not attend.

From the AJC article referenced at Media Matters (registration required):

Ann Coulter's dinner speech to the Georgia Christian Coalition Saturday night was one of the year's hot tickets for conservatives ..

.. Coulter found herself in the uncharacteristic position of being upstaged by her introducer, Mike Gallagher.

He told the audience he was fresh back from an hour-and-45-minute session which President Bush held in the Oval Office Friday afternoon with him and four other conservative talk show hosts: Atlanta's Neal Boortz, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and Michael Medved. Rush Limbaugh couldn't make it, he said.

Though he said this session was supposed to be off the record, Gallagher described it at some length, including Bush's observation to the right-wing radio jocks that the War on Terror has to be about right versus wrong, "because if it's about Christianity versus Islam, we'll lose."

"Remind me never to invite you to an off-the-record session," Coulter said after his introduction.

This caught my eye, too. It deserves broadcasting wide throughout the blogosphere and beyond.

Opens questions. Lots of questions. Who are the journalists at Fox and who are the commentators?

Did the journalists know the commentators were getting talking points scripted for them?

Will Howie Kurtz care?

These and other burning questions will be answered.....um....nevah?

i'm wondering if it's possible to sue those freaks for something like false advertising, or fraudulent representation... or anything which forces them to drop "news" from their title...

Umm... the "Cheetos Brigade" already knew this.

klunk @ 26:

i'm wondering if it's possible to sue those freaks for something like false advertising, or fraudulent representation... or anything which forces them to drop "news" from their title...

good point, confronting Faux directly is like banging head against a brick wall, slow and painful.
forcing them to rename themselves due to false advertising would be a good tactic.

Trawled Alien @ 29:

but not by a whole news channel. Well until Fox came along.

when that 'news' channel is run by a Republican hack, then its predictable.

SCHRODINGER'S CAT @ 31:

tr @ 23:

gosh, who would have thought.

I agree .
But I am , at the same time . "shocked.'.

And in additiion , I have checked the latest polls and it seems
that in at least 12 states ( as a minimum) McCain leads by 8% to 20 %.

Can anyone comment.
because McCain may win , in November.

then America loses, and we are all in for some pain.
McSenile wont last beyond three months in the job tho, ides of march, his VP and all that.

Nice to have it confirmed, but I think anyone with half a brain knew that

Trawled Alien @ 33:

SCHRODINGER'S CAT @ 31:

tr @ 23:

gosh, who would have thought.

I agree .
But I am , at the same time . "shocked.'.

And in additiion , I have checked the latest polls and it seems
that in at least 12 states ( as a minimum) McCain leads by 8% to 20 %.
Then Americans are more stupid than I thought
Can anyone comment.

McCain WILL win in Nov. Obama isn't electable in this country yet. I hate to say that but it's true. People will say one thing but they will vote the opposite, and if Dems are counting on the youth vote their fooling themselves again.
because McCain may win , in November.

As a radical, I supported Bush in 2004, and support McCain in 2008 - the best men to run the Empire into the ground, good and hard.

My only regret is that Dubya can't do an FDR, and serve 4 terms.

moniker @ 19:

So the advertisers are in effect making a political contribution.

My whole family watches that shit network and they've been turned into salt.

seattlepete @ 37:

klunk @ 26:

i'm wondering if it's possible to sue those freaks for something like false advertising, or fraudulent representation... or anything which forces them to drop "news" from their title...

Rachel Maddow stated several times on Countdown tonight that what Faux did is illegal.

It sure as hell would seem so, but, IOKIYAR.

White House gave FOX commentators talking points

Sean Hannity has made a career out of repeating White Hosue talking points.

No kidding, Fox News is run by George Bush's first cousin, Roger Ailes.

Why didn't they use CNN or MSNBC? Oh, that's right, those networks were already in the tank for the Democrats.

klunk @ 26:

i'm wondering if it's possible to sue those freaks for something like false advertising, or fraudulent representation... or anything which forces them to drop "news" from their title...

Hahah! You're kidding, aren't you? Been there/done that--twice.

1. Fox has already been sued for using the slogan 'fair and balanced.' Fox won the case. The holding was basically that, in the entertainment industry, you can claim just about anything you want, and it doesn't matter. If Captain Kangaroo can call himself a Captain when he has no Master Mariner's certificate, Bill-O can certainly call himself a journalist, and Fox propaganda can call itself a 'news' network, etc.

2.Al Franken consulted his lawyer on behalf of Jeremy Glick to see if Glick could sue O'Reilly for slander for distorting what Glick had said on his show. The lawyer said that, in order for you to sue somebody for slander, they have to be credible in the first place, and the lie or distortion has to be the exception rather than the rule. But when you're dealing with somebody who habitually lies and distorts, you can't really sue them because they're not credible to begin with. (Or, at least not to anybody with an IQ higher than a goose.)

And it took him until he left the Bush W.H. to figure out they were bad... unethical... douchebags. Whatever Scotty.

I am Shocked! I would have never thought that would happen!

Faux News - Bush's propaganda outlet.

SCHRODINGER'S CAT @ 31:

tr @ 23:

gosh, who would have thought.

I agree .
But I am , at the same time . "shocked.'.

And in additiion , I have checked the latest polls and it seems
that in at least 12 states ( as a minimum) McCain leads by 8% to 20 %.

Can anyone comment.
because McCain may win , in November.

I really doubt that McCain could even manufacture a win. He's going to drop the ball way before November.

Trawled Alien @ 29:

As usual Mathews doesn't do very much digging on a pretty big claim by Scotty Boy. Yes most of us know Fox isn't a legit news organization (not that there are many left in this country) but Mathews should have started digging real hard on this topic. He should have asked:

- what stories exactly were fed to Fox?
- who was the person/persons in contact with Fox and how exactly would it take place? Was it a phone call directly to Hannity and Bill O' or was it to the producers?
- how often was this done?
- was Fox the only news channel that received this kind of attention or were there other networks/persons that were also contacted and given talking points?
- was Fox given questions that were written by the WH to ask at press conf. to make the administration look better?
- Did the president and or vice president know this and/or were they also actively involved in it?
- what if any kickbacks were given to Fox for their loyalties - money, access, personal favors?

Of course every administration has a go to guy or gal in the media that they try and use/abuse to get their message out. This is usually done by a reporter who is looking to climb the ladder and will do anything to get to the top (see NYT reporter J. Miller) or someone the adm. feels can be easily duped (see VP Cheney and MTP host T. Russert) but not by a whole news channel. Well until Fox came along.

I'd also like to know what range of topics these talking points covered. I think most of us assume that they would be the official White House line on things like the Plame cover-up, the torture cover-ups, domestic spying, the Iraq occupation, etc-- but I'd like to have it defined.

I'd also like to know just how petty it could get. Did the White House specifically direct their propaganda network to describe critics as "disgruntled employees", for instance. Did they direct Fox to make specific attacks on Democratic candidates, etc., etc.

It's probably safe to assume so, but still-- specifics would be good.

Yellow Cake is for Twinkies @ 48:

No kidding, Fox News is run by George Bush's first cousin, Roger Ailes.

No, Fox News is run by Roger Ailes, who was a hired Republican media consultant for Nixon, Reagan, and Bush Sr., and was one of the campaign managers (along with Lee Atwater) for Bush Sr.s election in 1988. You're probably thinking of John Prescott Ellis, who is Bush's first cousin, and who was running the Fox News election coverage on election night 2000, and who was the first (and only) network election news manager to call the election for Bush in Florida, and hence the election itself. The other 'real' news networks had already called the election for Gore.

But hey, just because the network is run by a Republican campaign manager, and the election news manager is Bush's first cousin does NOT mean they can't be fair and balanced.

whjatever scott's motivation, he is giving a heck of a lot of fodder that still has to be denied. When they deny what someone in the know is divulging they just come out looking very ignorant themselves. the veins on o'reilley's neck must be ready to burst.

harley @ 49:

jitter @ 47:

After 2001 FOX News became the official state party propaganda outlet. Sort of like TASS was in the seventies.
To their credit, I don't think they ever denied that fact. With the exception of Bill Oreilly, who's so delusional it's actually entertaining to watch him sometimes.

Only channel Cheney will watch.

It strokes his ego to hear his own words broadcast to the masses every day.

Everything Scotty has told us we already knew. Now it is pretty much verified. But the repugs think we are all too ignorant to have figured it out when all of Fox's pundits kept using the same "key" words and talking points. Bet they thought we would never figure it out. That has been the admnistration's mistake for years, we are smarter than they give us credit for. Just nothing we can do about their criminal activities. We can talk and complain til we are blue in the face and nothing happens. Never has, never will. "Just keep sending us your tax money boys and girls and we will run things. Don't bother your pretty little heads about it." Look where that got us. And things won't change when Mclame gets elected. And elected he will be. There are too many idiots and racists in this country to have it any other way. I already know I will be crying on election night because our country is doomed. God help us.

This truth now, after the fact, being revealed about the Republican side of the two-party, 'Vichy' facade of democracy, hiding the ruling-elite 'corporate financial Empire' that controls our entire country, and its 'Vichy' media, working hand in glove, to deceive all but the elite, is EXACTLY why the supposedly minor issue of Murdoch's NY Post running a racist cartoon about the shooting of a monkey IS a big deal, and should not be viewed by some white 'blue collar' (or 'white collar') Americans as "just a minor, unrelated slip-up" by the cartoonist himself, or the editor. It's neither, it's the murderous ruling-elite Empire doing what empires always do to 'divide and conquer' real people --- working class people --- the people that empire wants to keep down, fearful, and quiet!

This revelation about FOX taking 'talking points' from the Repugs is only half the story though. News flash to the quiet liberals, and upper middle-class: the EXACT same thing is being done to YOU, but it's being done by the othe side of the ruling-elite's 'Vichy' media, and it's being done by the Democratic side of this totally 'fair and balanced' 'Vichy' facade of democracy that's set-up much better than Hitler & Goebbels ever dreamed to fool BOTH sides of the political spectrum, with the modern miracle/nightmare of a two-party 'Vichy' facade for the the Empire (way beyond the old, thinly veiled 'Vichy' France facade of phony government to hide murderous EMPIRE)!

Everything, EVERYTHING, that average Americans can hear, view, or read through the 'Vichy' media is phony --- just like EVERYONE in a Three Card Monte scam (other than the rube) is a deception! This applies to all the media; that which appears to be superficially left/Democratic, JUST AS WELL AS that which appears to be that awful right/Republican media that all we 'smart' people laugh at ---- (while we are being lied to by a higher class of propaganda).

So, it's not the "talking points" issue, and it's not the cartoonist, or even the Post that is really at the heart of this crap --- it's the Empire, people.

Nothing is any more representative of the arrogant, detached, guileful, murderous 'corporate financial Empire' that has totally taken over our country behind the facade of its 'Vichy' two-party sham of democracy and 'free market' fundamentalist tribal theology than Rupert and his shilling News Corp NYPost and FOX. This side of the Empire is more obnoxious, and more easily visible as the 'hand of empire'. But, remember, the Empire also has a 'second team', a 'blue team', for when the red-meat approach is too obvious and starting to fail --- and that more subtle, sophisticated 'blue team', that 'neoliberal/Democratic team' of media whores is even more dangerous --- because even people who think they're "wicked smart" are the Empire's target now.

If you don't confront Empire, it won't moderate its behavior, and it certainly “won't go away by asking NICELY”, but rather like the last fascist/corporatist empire (the Nazi Empire) it will keep increasing and expanding its oppression, tyranny, and murder to support its insatiable (and ultimately unsustainable) need for 'economic power' --- over all but the tiny, tiny elite inside the halls of the Empire itself. So. "don't be fooled again" you upper middle class college guys and gals, who don't take action about the symbol of the black monkey on the sidewalk bleeding to death, because the tow-trucks with wire-rope nooses are coming for you too this time if you keep your silence ---- your deadly silence. Just ask the ordinary, upper middle class Germans what happened to them in dealing 'reasonably' and politely feeding into the Empire's bloody maw.

That’s simply what Economic Empire does --- and all empires are (always) an economic pathology first and foremost.

Gee, maybe congress should investigate. They are so good at that.

Anyone who has gone to school for marketing would recognize that the Bush administration has communicated with the public with the approach of an ad campaign. Perhaps it's Karl Rove's style.

The talking points are distributed, and the talking heads chime in unison, on queue. Town hall meetings, packed with sycophants, and "spontaneous" press conferences (actually rehearsed) was other aspects of the marketing. It's marketing, like I've never seen before out of the White House.

drunkbryan @ 71:

This is no different than Chris Matthews on his anniversary stating that someone from the vice presidents office calls them on a daily basis to state what they should or should not say. Not surprised our news is being suppressed. Hopefully none of you are surprised as well. I turned off my television 2 years ago. I had a strong addiction to 24 hour news channels and found myself quoting people I now loath. Once I began to search for my own news the truth came before me. We have lost our constitutional right to free press. The organization (reporters without borders) that rates press freedom places us today as of 7/25 between Nicaragua and Togo in their index. Are you okay with that?

I turned my tv off six years ago.

Even BBC radio produced for NPR sounds somewhat like American dribble. Perhaps they think we expect it.

Ruthless People @ 65:

Bush had plants at FOX, in Florida and on the Supreme Court. How could he not "win" the election?

You forgot about the plant in Gore's own campaign headquarters. A rubber-faced shape-shifter named Leiberman.

Errrr... Scotty, I hate to be the one to break this to ya but ummmm.... some of us pretty much had that figured out. As in it was obvious.

So is it now finally safe to say Fox News is a state-run organization? I mean, when the state is controlling the output of a 'news' outlet, is that not a step further towards complete totalitarianism?

truthseeker @ 83:

So is it now finally safe to say Fox News is a state-run organization? I mean, when the state is controlling the output of a 'news' outlet, is that not a step further towards complete totalitarianism?

Yep... Faux is a state-run organization and therefore, as many have known for years, is only a propaganda spewing machine. Not one of the talking heads has two brains cells to chat with each other. They've got their hands out waiting for the green and that's it. Sold their souls for the 30 pieces of silver.

I am sure the FOX 'journalists' are/were professional, and not influenced by Rupert and Ailes. The problem is, there are not any known ones to exist. They are as rare, as dinosaurs who know calculus.

and how many of those talking points were out and out lies? I remember Sean Hannity talking about a discovery in Iraq of nuclear fuel being proof of WMD's one afternoon on his show. Earlier that same day it was reported that this was a cite that had been noted and sealed off earlier by the UN inspectors. I believe it was spent fuel and no longer weapons grade but Hannity kept the lie going all during his show.

There are two legitimate reasons to cancel the license of Fox News to broadcast:

1. They are and were a propaganda tool of one political party.

2. They preach and spread hatred and false information.

Will Obama and Congress work to cancel their license? They should.

You would think that Andrea Mitchell, Chris Mathews, Lou Dobbs, Wolf Blitzer and all the rest of these jack asses, would spend some time on this issue, instead of starting all the shit they can muster up on Senator Obama.

If this man was socking it too the a democratic president, you could not shut them up.

I have to admit, I was very pleased to hear this . That this admin had their own Pravda( as Rachel so eloquently put it) was something that we have all believed for so long now that it's almost become common place and , well, just accepted. But I'm also saddened by this. That this country has slipped through our fingers. That this admin has done basically the unthinkable. And tuned this country into a soviet state.That may be a slight exaggeration. But not by much.
{ Edited, We have a thread with that topic. Post it there.SiteMonitor}

Seriously are any of us surprised.

Now the White House and the Republicans have to find other venues to pollute their propaganda through.

I have been watching and so far I would add Candy Crowley and Andrea Mitchell on to this list.

Andrea Mitchell behavior since Clinton wrapped up her non-presumptive democratic nomination and been despicable.

• I watched her try to diminish General Wesley Clark to protect her fabricated War Hero John McCain
• I have watched her whine about not having access to Senator Obama when he was visiting the troops
• I have watched her whine about the Military’s Press Coverage and the Pictures taken of Senator Obama
• I have watched her try to control the Iraq Story by rushing to Iraq before Senator Obama got their but only for her to be big footed by the Obama campaign when he chose to go Afghanistan first instead
• Lets be honest this story and trip should have been Lee Cowan’s. He has been with Senator Obama from the beginning and now Andrea Mitchell wants to come along and steal away from him what everyone now knows is a better story. Lee Cowan’s has always been fair in his reporting where as Andrea Mitchell demonstrated her ability to funnel Republican talking points and propaganda through her reporting.

Candy Crowley, I have now begun to watch since Clinton wrapped up her non-presumptive democratic nomination and for a person who was actually fair during the primaries has slowly started to report in a very slanted negative way towards Senator Obama; tactfully trying to manipulate the American People’s perception towards a negative light; tying to create the narrative negative story against Senator Obama, hoping that Americans will see something wrong with other countries liking and respecting America and their Citizens once again; Crowley subtle way of trying to unconvince Americans that Senator Obama is Strong, Highly Respected enough to be our Commander and Chief.

When watching Ms. Crowley interview Senator Obama can someone explain to me the reasoning for bringing up Hamas. Watching her, I wondered where did that come from, Hamas? Once again she had to bring up the word “Muslim” and he looked a little bewildered but once it went down that line there was no point in taken the interview seriously because there was a hidden agenda there on Crowley’s part. Hamas, Candy where you just looking to create a story because all the other questions had been asked.

Come on women get it together between Andrea Mitchell her portal of the Victim Journalist, and Candy Crowley ridiculous Hamas question and Katie Couric and CBS News protection coverage of Senator McCain this has not been a great week for Women Journalist.

So when Scott McClellan say propaganda was funneled through Fox News how are we to know there is not the same thing going on through selective reporters on different news channels when we have watched was has taken place with these women over this past week.

SCHRODINGER'S CAT @ 31:

tr @ 23:

gosh, who would have thought.

I agree .
But I am , at the same time . "shocked.'.

And in additiion , I have checked the latest polls and it seems
that in at least 12 states ( as a minimum) McCain leads by 8% to 20 %.

Can anyone comment.
because McCain may win , in November.

He will win. I am convinced! The american voter is the dumbest bastard on the face of the earth!

Full me once, shame on you. Fool me 20 times, must be a republican voter.

liberAL @ 70:

Everything Scotty has told us we already knew. Now it is pretty much verified. But the repugs think we are all too ignorant to have figured it out when all of Fox's pundits kept using the same "key" words and talking points. Bet they thought we would never figure it out. That has been the admnistration's mistake for years, we are smarter than they give us credit for. Just nothing we can do about their criminal activities. We can talk and complain til we are blue in the face and nothing happens. Never has, never will. "Just keep sending us your tax money boys and girls and we will run things. Don't bother your pretty little heads about it." Look where that got us. And things won't change when Mclame gets elected. And elected he will be. There are too many idiots and racists in this country to have it any other way. I already know I will be crying on election night because our country is doomed. God help us.

85% say the country is in disastrous shape and blame Bush's policies.
45% support McSame.

Due the math, that's 90,000,000 mind-numbingly stupid people in this country! Ninety million clueless fucking idiots! After eight years of Bush, how could anyone making less than $100,000/yr support anyone or anything republican?

WELL, DUH!

And we are hearing about this now for the first time?

how come no on eis bashing chris mathews???

Everyone here calls him right wing or in the tank for bush when he asks
someone on the left tough questions.

but now he is cool?

i think Mathews is really fair and balanced

Inspired by a Crooks and Liars commenter, We at Media Crashers have come up with a suggestion for a new netroots movement to take on fox:

Protect The Box From Fox

Why do most people on websites like this ignore the obvious fact that Democrats have been using ABC, NBC, CBS, the NY Times and every other willing section of the media to advance THEIR agenda?

They have only been doing so for over 60 years!

If you are truly outraged, spread the outrage equally.

Either that, or quit whining just because the Republicans have their own voice.

The repubs and Fox Noise have been accomplices' walking hand in hand on hallowed ground paved with our Constitution. We are now a communist country thanks to the repubs. America is dead, freedom is dead, and all who have paid the ultimate price have done so in vein. Wake up my fellow citizenery, it is time to take back our lost Country! Hannity, Limbaugh, Bush, Cheney, and all the traitors be dammed!

Hey m-anthony! You are an obvious example of those brainwashed moron sheep who actually bleat in belief of Fox Noise. Freedom?? We have none. Remember the "patriot act" that Fox so supports? Our own governmnet is spying on we citizens for example. You are an Un-American traitor, a sheep who can only follow blindly the right-wing communist Nazis. Baaaaaa! Baaaa!

jerry mac Says: Why do most people on websites like this ignore the obvious fact that Democrats have been using ABC, NBC, CBS, the NY Times and every other willing section of the media to advance THEIR agenda?

They have only been doing so for over 60 years!

If you are truly outraged, spread the outrage equally.

Either that, or quit whining just because the Republicans have their own voice.

As Senator Moynihan has said, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts".

Fox is nothing but a shameless propaganda network. Sorry Repukes, we know reality isn't to your liking, but that doesn't mean you get to make up your own special version of reality.

You guys can lie to each other all you want. But it's laughably absurd to think anyone is required to lend credibility to your lies. You are free to believe whatever you want, but we are likewise free to believe you are an idiot.

As if this isn't common practice will all presidential administrations... get a grip on reality.

Hmmm ... so McClellan has apologized to O'Reilly ... so you liberal morons better start looking for other lies to believe in. How about Nancy Pelosi's "I am out to save the world"? I'm sure you believe that.