Megyn Kelly and Howard Kurtz gave Fox's Republican primary debate props for having a woman as one of the moderators. But nobody noted, much less lamented, the lack of any people of color.
Before they got to diversity, Kelly once again promoted the canard that she’s a neutral journalist. “I don’t think that my history as a journalist supports bias on my part toward either party,” she said.
As I wrote when Variety fell for this baloney:
Show me a segment where Kelly yelled at and disrespected a Republican as much as she did Rep. Al Green (D-TX)… Or, for that matter, show me where Kelly apologized for her utterly bogus (and now forgotten) accusations that former Attorney General Eric Holder condoned black voter intimidation of white people out of racial prejudice. …And she continues to present the same source as a credible pundit to attack Holder.
Compare that with her fawning treatment of Republican candidate Mike Huckabee, and likely Republican candidate for mayor of Milwaukee, Sheriff David Clarke, e.g.
Predictably, Kurtz did not challenge Kelly on her own self-assessment.
Later, Kurtz asked if, as the only woman debate moderator, Kelly felt “any special pressure or responsibility” to ask “certain kinds of questions."
Kelly's answer suggests that "somewhat diverse" is good enough for a "fair and balanced" news network's debate.
KELLY: No, but I think the reason it’s good to have a panel that is somewhat diverse and people will make this argument in other contexts as well when it comes to race or religion or what have you. You just bring a different set of experiences with you so maybe the questions I came up with were interesting to me because I’m a woman, I don’t know. I asked about the things that I thought were interesting and would advance the debate and whether gender factored into that or not, I can’t tell you.
I think you could have asked that same question that I asked on gender even if you were a man and I think it’s a fair question no matter who asks it. But I think it’s important to have somewhat of a diverse panel because we all came with different life experiences.
“Right,” Kurtz agreed. “And that is why it’s good not to have just a bunch of white guys… in a situation like that.”
Apparently, these two seemed not to care a fig about including the black perspective, which has been in the news so much, nor the Hispanic perspective which candidate Donald Trump has made such an issue.
Could that be why the subjects of voting rights and police brutality were largely ignored by the moderators?
Watch Kelly and Kurtz pat themselves on the back, above, from the August 9 MediaBuzz.
Crossposted at News Hounds.
We watch Fox so you don't have to!
