Tuesday, March 30, 2010

@FoxNews cuts away from an @BARACKObama speech for ... pretty much anything

Media Matters for America


http://mediamatters.org/items/201003300040

Fox News continues to put its credibility as a news outlet on the line by repeatedly cutting away from major Obama administration events to provide commentary on those events, cover non-essential news stories, or show its regular programming.

Happening Now cut away from Obama to cover airplane that "had no problem landing." On the March 30 edition of Fox News' Happening Now, host Jane Skinner cut away from President Obama's speech prior to his signing of the historic health care and education reconciliation bill to show a plane that "may have" had "flap issues," but apparently "had no problem landing."

America Live cut away from Obama health care speech for reports on Toyota Prius crash, "Erin Andrews Peephole Stalker." On March 15, in the last week before the historic health care vote, America Live host Megyn Kelly cut away from Obama's health care speech, gave her own summary of his comments, and directed viewers who wished to see the speech in its entirety to FoxNews.com. She then moved on to discuss a pending news conference about a Toyota Prius that had crashed -- a week earlier.

On Twitter, Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz reported, "Fox breaks away early from Obama health care speech, MS & CNN still with it." He later added, "Now on Fox (instead of Obama): Erin Andrews Peephole Stalker to be Sentenced This Afternoon. Hasn't even happened yet!"

Fox cut away from Obama-GOP Q&A but airs GOP "response" in its entirety. During President Obama's question and answer session with Republican members of Congress at the GOP House Issues Conference, Fox News Channel was the only cable news network to cut away and not show the exchange in its entirety, instead providing commentary on the event. However, Fox News subsequently aired all of the "Republican response" press conference held by House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) after the question and answer session with Obama.

Fox cut away from terrorism press conference to show Glenn Beck. Fox News contributors spent several days criticizing the Obama administration's response to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's failed attempt to bring down a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day. However, Fox News responded to the administration's January 7 press conference about its handling of the incident -- featuring Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, whom several Fox News personalities had called to step down -- by cutting away to commentary on the event and then its regular programming: Glenn Beck, and its host's attack on the progressive movement and its "hundred-year time bomb."

Contact:
Fox News Channel

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http://twitter.com/foxnews

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