Latest news
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June 20, 2011 12:57 pm ET by DropFox staff
In a June 16 post to the Columbia Journalism Review Campaign Desk blog, Liz Cox Barrett noted how Bolling's recent race-baiting outburst was more than just the "fast and loose" comment that Bolling suggested in his dishonest apology; it was a "team effort" by the Fox team:
This was no off-the-cuff rant. Bringing last Friday's show to air was a team effort. The segment was conceived and scripted, segment teasers were written, chyrons were created, footage was pulled, a photo of Gabon's president was located and a flashy tooth was digitally affixed. In other words, people (journalists, maybe even?) besides Bolling worked to make this segment happen last Friday.
If no one involved in the making of the segment objected to any of its content, plenty of people outside Fox Business Network have voiced objections since the segment aired. [Columbia Journalism Review, 6/16/11]
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June 17, 2011 1:30 pm ET by DropFox staff
Over the years, Fox News has demonstrated that while it claims to report the "straight news" in reality it acts like a 24 hour political operation. Today, the website Gawker reported that Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has declared Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes as a confidential adviser and argued that his communications with Christie should be protected under New Jersey's executive privilege:
Last month, after New York magazine reported that Ailes met with Christie last summer and called him this year to urge him to run for president, Gawker filed a request under New Jersey's Open Records Act seeking any correspondence between the two men, as well as any records of meetings or phone calls with Ailes from Christie's schedule or call logs.
Last week we received a rather surprising response: While declining to confirm the existence of any such records, Christie's office said they "would be exempt from disclosure...based upon the executive privilege and well-settled case law." In other words, Christie's staff refused to search for any records--which, given the undisputed reports of a dinner and phone call, almost certainly exist--on the basis that Ailes is a confidential adviser whose comments should be shielded from public scrutiny.
[...]
It amounts to a rather bald admission that Ailes provides Christie with political advice. [Gawker, 6/17/11]
Previously:
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June 14, 2011 2:40 pm ET by DropFox staff
Yesterday, in response to Fox's Eric Bolling recently accusing President Obama of hosting"hoodlum[s] in the hizzouse," Media Matters detailed how this was not an isolated incident but instead just the latest in a history of racially-charged and bizarre rhetoric from the Fox host. As Bolling's recent outburt was apparently scripted into the show, and as Fox has never complained about Bolling's previous racially-charged remarks -- or the mulititude of racially-charged remarks from Fox's other personalities, it looks like Fox is completely comfortable with having this divisive, extremist rhetoric on its networks. From the report:
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June 08, 2011 2:52 pm ET by DropFox staff
Fox News has a well-documented record of propagating misinformation about climate science, and of aggressively working against efforts to address climate change. A Media Matters for America report released yesterday illustrates how Fox News grossly distorted coverage in order to advance their anti-climate science political agenda. While covering the EPA's proposed plan to regulate greenhouse gasses, Fox stacked the deck and distorted the news by disproportionately featuring guests opposed to the agency's plans:
Media Matters analyzed television news guests who discussed the Environmental Protection Agency's role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions from December 2009 through April 2011. Driven largely by Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, results show that in 76 percent of those appearances, the guest was opposed to EPA regulations while 18 percent were in favor. Of the appearances by elected officials, 86 percent were Republican. Only one guest in 17 months of coverage across nine news outlets was a climate scientist -- industry-funded Patrick Michaels.
[...]
81% Of Fox Guests And 83% of Fox Business Guests Opposed GHG Regulation. Fox News hosted 52 guests who criticized the EPA's decision to regulate greenhouse gases. In that same period they featured only 10 supporters and two guests who took a neutral stance. Fox Business hosted opponents 65 times, compared to seven appearances by supporters. MSNBC hosted four times more supporters of EPA's action than opponents, but had far fewer guests commenting on the issue than did Fox.
The report also explains that other networks covering the issue relied far less on outside opinions, instead opting for "straight news reports:"
Coverage by CNN, ABC, NBC, And CBS Relied Less On Opinionated Guests. As the chart shows, CNN and broadcasts on network television (nightly news and/or Sunday shows) were far less reliant on outside opinions in their coverage, often featuring straight news reports without live interviews with guests. However, Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday hosted over three times more opponents than supporters of GHG regulation with more total guests commenting on the issue than the other broadcast networks and CNN combined.
Here we have more evidence that Fox News is a political operation masquerading as a news network, and yet another reason for advertisers, especially those with green brands, to drop Fox.
You can read the full report here.
Previously:
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June 01, 2011 1:23 pm ET by Christine Schwen
On May 16, a group of LGBT organizations requested that Orbitz reevaluate their advertising arrangement with Fox News due to Fox's long history of unchecked anti-LGBT bigotry. Subsequently, the League of Conservation Voters and CREDO each asked Orbitz to stop sponsoring Fox News due to Fox's deliberate propagation of climate science misinformation.
Orbitz, which prides itself on its "support" of the LGBT community and its green initiatives, refused to engage in a dialogue. Instead, Orbitz dismissed the legitimate concerns these organizations brought to their attention. Orbitz also seemingly refuses to even review examples of Fox News' vitriol and deliberate deceit.
Fox News' handling of the situation, however, is almost as strange as Orbitz's dismissal of the concerns expressed to them.
On two separate occassions, Fox News promoted stories about Orbitz and then removed them without explanation.
On May 23, Fox News promoted a story on their Fox Nation website with the headline "Orbitz backs Fox News Channel Amid Media Matters' 'Smear Campaign:'"
We contacted Orbitz regarding this story and asked for clarification. Orbitz did not respond to requests for clarification, but Fox News quietly deleted the post several hours later.
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May 27, 2011 6:27 pm ET by DropFox Staff
On May 16, a group of LGBT organizations requested that Orbitz reevaluate their advertising arrangement with Fox News.
Their letter lauded Orbitz's established relationship with the LGBT community, noted that Orbitz currently sponsors Fox News and provided Orbitz with many examples of Fox News' anti-LGBT bigotry. The LGBT organizations asked Orbitz to review the examples and then decide if they were comfortable maintaining their financial support for Fox News under present circumstances.
Unfortunately, Orbitz refused to engage in constructive conversation. Instead, Orbitz publicly characterized the LGBT community's polite letter as a "smear campaign" and dismissed the concerns as mere left-right politics. For nearly two weeks, Orbitz failed to address the substance of the letter and they seemingly refused to review the examples of Fox News' anti-LGBT rhetoric. Orbitz subsequently attacked some of the LGBT organizations involved as "shady."
In an op-ed for The Advocate, Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs calls out Orbitz for mishandling this polite request from the LGBT community:
We are asking Orbitz to renew its once-strong commitment to the LGBT community and stop spending the profits it has made off of us to pay for advertising on antigay Fox News. Period.
This is, quite simply, a matter of right and wrong, and what Orbitz is doing is wrong.
[...]
Orbitz is trying to avoid responsibility for the hateful speech and intolerance that its ad money is paying for. Oh, and did we mention that companies carefully analyze programming and demographic information when deciding where to allocate their precious ad dollars?
So again, thank you, Orbitz, for publicly expressing your love for the LGBT community. We have felt it over the years, and we've reciprocated in turn with our hard-earned dollars. But if you're going to preach tolerance as one of your core corporate values, don't be hypocritical by supporting an organization that actively promotes homophobia.Read the full version of Jacobs' compelling piece here.
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May 27, 2011 3:55 pm ET by DropFox Staff
Fox News has a long history of deliberately propagating misinformation about climate science, which you can learn about here.
This week, CREDO joined the League of Conservation Voters and members of the LGBT community in asking Orbitz to reconsider their advertising relationship with Fox News.
CREDO's letter asks Orbitz to "stand by [their] commitment to protect the planet, and stop sponsoring FOX News' dangerous anti-climate agenda:"
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May 26, 2011 1:02 pm ET by DropFox Staff
Fox News has a long history of deliberately propagating misinformation about climate science, which you can learn about here.
This week, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) joined DropFox and the LGBT community in asking Orbitz to pull its ads from Fox News.
LCV explained they were sending the letter because while "Orbitz states that it is 'committed to protecting Planet Earth, by helping raise environmental awareness'," Fox "is a driving force behind misinforming the American people about the science behind climate change. FOX's anti-climate agenda has been so successful that it is actively slowing our ability to protect the planet:"
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May 20, 2011 5:21 pm ET by DropFox Staff
Equality Matters spokesman Trevor Thomas responded today to Orbitz's recent statement on the DropFox campaign. Equality Matters was one of the original co-signers of the letter sent to Orbitz to ask the company to stop associating its brand with Fox's anti-LGBT rhetoric.
In the statement, Thomas emphasized that the letter did not attack Orbitz's solid record of support for the LGBT community, but instead simply asked them if -- as a company known for tolerance and non-discrimination -- they wanted to associate themselves with Fox's rhetoric. Thomas also included a point-by-point rebuttal of the statements from Orbitz that mischaracterized the DropFox campaign:
Equality Matters Responds To Orbitz
Statement notes that its unclear how Orbitz's policy of tolerance comports with Fox's attacks on the LGBT community
Washington, DC -- Equality Matters released the following statement from spokesperson Trevor Thomas in response to a series of attacks from Orbitz after LGBT organizations Courage Campaign, GLAAD and Equality Matters joined with DropFox in asking the company to stop sponsoring Fox News due to its long history of anti-LGBT bigotry:
I'm disappointed to see Orbitz dismiss our concerns as a mere political disagreement. We're not talking about coming out against policies; from comparing homosexuality to necrophilia to equating same-sex marriage to marrying a duck, Fox has a history of mocking and belittling the LGBT community.
It's unclear to me how Orbitz's strict policy of tolerance and non-discrimination' comports with Fox News' pattern of attacks on the LGBT community.I'm also surprised to see them claim that the letter addressed to them 'mischaracterized' their record with the LGBT community. In fact, we explicitly stated that we reached out to Orbitz because they've have been such a good friend to the LGBT community - a relationship that they characterize as one of their '5 Pillars of Global Responsibility.' We wanted to encourage them to protect themselves from being associated with Fox News when Fox inevitably airs their next indecent anti-gay screed.
I hope Orbitz will actually read our entire letter and then decide whether the examples we provided on DropFox.com meet their stated policy of "tolerance."
REBUTTING THEIR POINTS:
What they said: Orbitz spokeswoman via The Advocate Monday, May 16 at approximately 7:55 PM:
A spokeswoman for Orbitz, sent The Advocate a statement Monday, sharing that the company was disappointed that GLAAD "mischaracterized [their] relationship with LGBT consumers," especially since it has worked with the organization in the past. The company also points out that it has a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's Workplace Equality Index, and has sponsored several gay-themed events, in addition to its LGBT travel site.
"Our advertising, which integrates inclusive messaging reflective of our diverse audience, will continue to respect and serve the needs of ALL travelers no matter their politics, race, religion, sexual orientation or gender," Donahue said. [The Advocate, 5/16/11]
RESPONSE: We explicitly state that Orbitz has been a friend to the LGBT community in the letter and this is why they might want to rethink their relationship to Fox given their disturbing pattern of airing homophobic content. We have asked for clarification of what specifically has been "mischaracterized" and received none.
What they said: Brian Hoyt, VP of Communications via Twitter Thursday, May 19 at approximately 8 pm
@SpinDoctorHoyt Brian Hoyt
Don't believe the hype about @Orbitz. Tolerance and equality for all.
RESPONSE: It's precisely because of their commitment to tolerance that they need to rethink their financial support of Fox News' homophobic content.
What they said: Brian Hoyt, VP of Communications via Hollywood Reporter, Thursday, May 19 at approximately 8:43 pm:
"This is a political organization that has been funded pretty extensively to go after one network, and we aren't going to engage in that fight," Orbitz spokesman Brian Hoyt said. [The Hollywood Reporter, 5/19/11]
RESPONSE: Media Matters is an organizing devoted to fighting misinformation, hate speech, and bigotry on the airwaves. Fox is a primary offender, and so we focus on them. Our allies in this campaign are devoted to civil rights in the LGBT community. Fox's pattern of homophobic content is extensive and should not be financially supported by friends of the LGBT community.
What they said: Brian Hoyt, VP of Communications via Hollywood Reporter, Thursday, May 19 at approximately 8:43 pm:
"We have a strict policy of tolerance and non-discrimination, and that means we don't favor one political side over another. Tolerance is a two-way street," he said. "We're going to advertise on conservative TV stations, liberal TV stations and -- if there are any out there -- unbiased news broadcasts." [The Hollywood Reporter, 5/19/11]
RESPONSE: This is not about politics or policies: it's about Fox's clear history of mocking and belittling gay people.
What they said: Brian Hoyt, VP of Communications via Hollywood Reporter, Thursday, May 19 at approximately 8:43 pm:
"We haven't bowed to any boycott in the past, and we won't bow to these types of smear campaigns in the future," Hoyt said. [The Hollywood Reporter, 5/19/11]
RESPONSE: We did not call for a boycott in the letter, only that Orbitz examine the evidence in front of them and evaluate whether those statements meet their own stated tolerance policy. If not, they should reconsider their financial support of the network.
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May 16, 2011 1:16 am ET by DropFox Staff
LGBT organizations Courage Campaign and Equality Matters join DropFox in asking Orbitz to cease sponsoring Fox News due to Fox's long history of anti-LGBT bigotry.
You can sign the letter to Orbitz and add your voice to future DropFox campaigns here.
Text of the letter sent to Orbitz's CEO:
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May 16, 2011 12:50 am ET by DropFox Staff
Media Matters for America presents DropFox.com, the website for the DropFox campaign.
DropFox is a media accountability effort coordinated by Media Matters. The effort is fueled by a wide range of interest groups, advocacy organizations and demographics united in urging accountability for Fox News' political machinations, deliberate spread of misinformation and reckless vitriol.
DropFox.com will list Fox News' key advertisers, compile well researched reasons to drop Fox and coordinate efforts to urge sponsors to stop financially supporting Fox News until Fox reforms its behavior.
You can help get advertisers to DropFox by:
- Signing the letter to Fox News' sponsors
- Following @Drop_Fox on Twitter
- Liking DropFox on Facebook
