Is anyone really surprised that the Fox network has stated that it will not air President Obama’s press conference on Wednesday 29th, but will air an episode of Lie To Me instead? There’s an irony-tinged joke in there somewhere, but I’m too polite to go for it. Write your own jokes. Fox makes it easy.
Naturally, most Conservatives are rolling their eyes and admonishing some folks for being annoyed over what is clearly not a big deal. I mean, it’s not like Fox has ever shown a bias against Democrats or for Republicans. They would never stoop that low, would they? No one could possibly think that at an outfit like Fox, with it’s “fair and balanced” news show, would refuse to air a Presidential Address for political reasons? It simple business, nothing more. The President of the United States is cutting into Rupert Murdoch’s bottom line, and surely any reasonable person understands that profit is more important that anything the President has to say. After all, he’s already made a couple of addresses this year. When is enough enough?
Well, I’ve tried, but I have a hard time mustering up any sympathy for Fox. I’m sorry folks, but as long as you have Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck on your payroll, it’s hard to have any credibility when it comes to refusing to air a Presidential Address. Forgive me if it doesn’t quite soothe my suspicions that you’ve pointed out that it’ll be airing on other networks, and that if I want to see it I can always change the channel.
Actually, come to think of it, I’ll do just that. I’ll change the channel for good. Sure, I avoid Fox News like the plague, but I’ve been seduced into lesser evil fare such as American Idol and, yes, even Lie To Me. I was perfectly willing to overlook Rupert Murdoch’s Neo-Conservative agenda as long as Fox’s politics were kept neatly contained within their Fox News unit. But this decision is embarrassingly political. However Conservatives might like to spin this, the fact remains that the issue is not so much that a television network has refused to air President Obama’s address, but that it was Fox that refused to do so. Anyone who believes that’s not an issue, given the networks incredible history of anti-Democratic bias, is living in a fantasy world. The next thing you know, they’ll expect us to believe that George W. Bush was one of the most popular presidents in American history. Oh, wait. They’re already working on that one, aren’t they?
Sorry, Rupert. Your fingerprints are all over this one. It’s a bit late in the game to contend that much ado is being made over nothing. You’re the one who set the tone in regard to what we expect of Fox. And you’re the one bears the responsibility for how this looks.
Is this really any surprise? I don’t even take the Faux network seriously as any sort of organization. They have become a parody of themselves.
BTW, ironies always escape people with no critical thinking skills. Just look at the teabaggers. A whole bunch of people missed the connection there. For them to make a connection between refusing to air the President’s speech by airing “Lie to Me” instead, would take rational thought, which they obviously don’t have.