Making the news

The wall between objective journalism and partisan politicking at Fox News clearly and completely fell when it became apparent that Fox News staff contributed to the orchestration of the Republican-led 39-hour Senate talk-a-thon intended to counter a Democrat filibuster.

A recently leaked memo appeared in a Washington political paper The Hill, exposing the relationship between Republican leadership and Fox News: As reported in The Hill, the leaked memo was from a Fox staffer to a staffer for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. It read:

“It is important to double efforts to get your boss to S-230 on time … Fox News Channel is really excited about this marathon and Brit Hume at 6 would love to open with all our 51 senators walking onto the floor – the producer wants to know will we walk in exactly at 6:02 when the show starts so they get it live to open Brit Hume’s show? Or if not, can we give them an exact time for the walk-in start?”

So there it is. Political discourse has been reduced to spectacle and entertainment, designed for maximum impact on a so-called news show. Is news reported on Fox News? Yes, it is. But it is shaded with an almost constant interjection of viewpoints by the news anchors and the reports may well have been written by the government. On a recent Fox morning news show, during the Medicare debate, one anchor suggested a blood pressure monitor be hooked up to Sen. Kennedy and the other anchor replied that he’d like to see Kennedy keel over right on the floor of the Senate. Imagine if Walter Cronkite or David Brinkley had said anything similar about Barry Goldwater?

For some time, right-wing commentators have claimed a liberal bias on the part of the media. However, any independent review of news coverage in the past 12 years has noted a distinct and increasingly right-wing slant. What if the Clinton administration had outed a CIA operative as a revenge measure for the spouse having exposed an outright lie in the State of the Union speech. The howls of the Republican Congress would have been covered for days and weeks. An independent prosecutor would have been appointed quickly and the hunt for the scoundrel who exposed the CIA would be on. As it is, protests by Democrats have received scant coverage, there is no independent prosecutor and instead is being investigated by none other than John Ashcroft.

Many of Fox’s “journalists” were recruited from the staff of Republican politicians or conservative think tanks. They are hardly trained journalists and do not subscribe to the tenants that most journalists are trained in. The following is a portion of the Society of Professional Journalist’s Code of Ethics:

The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility.

Deliberate distortion is never permissible.

Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.

Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.

Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events.

Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.

Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.

These are just a few of the precepts an ethical news organization follows. A free and independent media that seeks to serve and inform the public is a cornerstone of our democracy. A blatantly biased, misleading news organization like Fox that works hand in glove with administration officials does not serve democracy.

Everyone is free to watch whatever news one wants. However, news and commentary have long been separated for obvious reasons in a news organization. At Fox, that line was never drawn and truth is the casualty.

Phil Bailey is a Hancock County resident, and volunteers for MoveOn.org and Dean for America. Documentation available at: www.moveon.org/mediacorps/fairandbalancedsources.html