Outfoxed
Encyclopedia
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism is a 2004
documentary film
by filmmaker Robert Greenwald
that criticises the Fox News Channel
, and its owner, Rupert Murdoch
, claiming that the channel is used to promote and advocate right-wing views. The film says this pervasive bias
contradicts the channel's claim of being "Fair and Balanced", and argues that Fox News has been engaging in what amounts to consumer fraud.
The documentary was not released theatrically, but rather was distributed in DVD
format by the Political action committee
MoveOn.org, and sold online through Internet
retailers such as Amazon.com
, where it was a top-seller in July 2004. MoveOn.org had helped promote the DVD release by taking out a full-page advertisement in The New York Times
.
considerations, and evaluates the effect of having one person in control of a large media conglomerate
on freedom of the press
. Outfoxeds analysis includes:
Former Fox News journalists appear in the film critiquing the methods and perceived integrity of their former employer. For example, Jon Du Pre, a former reporter for Fox News' West Coast bureau, said that he had been suspended by Fox News management because his live shots from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
on Ronald Reagan
's birthday — which Du Pre described was like a "holy day" to Fox News' hierarchy — were not "celebratory enough." A former Fox News military contributor, Larry C. Johnson
, also claimed that he was in high demand to give on-air analysis on the "War on Terrorism
", until he called into question on Hannity & Colmes
whether or not the United States could fight two wars (in Afghanistan
and Iraq
) simultaneously, an incident after which Johnson says he was promptly ignored as a potential Fox News contributor.
's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11
, adding that without the "media spotlight" that surrounded Moore's film, Outfoxed "appears unlikely to reach beyond a liberal
audience with an already vehement aversion to Fox News' partisan coverage."
Megan Lehmann wrote in the New York Post
that the movie was a "narrowly focused, unapologetically partisan documentary," and that it "is so one-sided, it undermines its own integrity." News Corporation owns both Fox News and the New York Post.
Howard Kurtz
of The Washington Post
praised Greenwald's uncovering of "...a handful of memos from a top Fox executive", which he argued suggested network bias over the war in Iraq and the investigation of the September 11 attacks. However, Kurtz was highly critical of how Greenwald's allegations relied on "orders, or attitudes, of an unnamed 'they'...", and was critical of the filmmaker for making "...no effort at fairness or balance himself. Not only did he avoid contacting Fox, and indulge in some misleading editing, but the film also features a parade of the network's liberal detractors."
It also said the film misrepresented the employment history of four people identified as former Fox News employees. Fox News said Alexander Kippen and Frank O'Donnell had actually been employees of WTTG
, the Fox owned-and-operated station in Washington, DC, and not employees of Fox News Channel. It said that Jon Du Pre, identified as a former anchor in the film, had actually been a reporter and that his contract had not been renewed because he was "a weak field correspondent and could not do live shots." It said that Clara Frenk, identified as a former producer in the film, had actually been a "pool booker" who "expressed no concern about the editorial process" while employed there. Fox also pointed out that Frenk had been a volunteer for Bill Clinton's
1992 Presidential campaign. Frenk denied Fox News' charges that she was not a producer, saying she was the co-producer of a segment called "Beltway Buzz", served as a field producer for dayside news and was detailed to be a segment producer on Fox News Sunday during sweeps.
Fox News challenged any news organization that thought this was a major story to "put out 100 percent of their editorial directions and internal memos [and] Fox News Channel will publish 100 percent of our editorial directions and internal memos, and let the public decide who is fair."
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by filmmaker Robert Greenwald
Robert Greenwald
Robert Greenwald is an American film director, film producer, and political activist.-Early life:Greenwald was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ruth and Harold Greenwald. He attended the city's High School of Performing Arts...
that criticises the Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, and its owner, Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
, claiming that the channel is used to promote and advocate right-wing views. The film says this pervasive bias
Media bias
Media bias refers to the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the...
contradicts the channel's claim of being "Fair and Balanced", and argues that Fox News has been engaging in what amounts to consumer fraud.
The documentary was not released theatrically, but rather was distributed in DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
format by the Political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
MoveOn.org, and sold online through Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
retailers such as Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, where it was a top-seller in July 2004. MoveOn.org had helped promote the DVD release by taking out a full-page advertisement in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
Assertions
The film examines the global growth of Murdoch's media enterprise in the context of concentration of media ownershipConcentration of media ownership
Concentration of media ownership refers to a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media...
considerations, and evaluates the effect of having one person in control of a large media conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
on freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
. Outfoxeds analysis includes:
- Review of Fox News' coverage during the lead-up to, and the aftermath of, the 2003 invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. - Interviews with former Fox News journalists, exposing incidents where Fox News asked journalists to lie, and when they refused, they were fired. When the reporters sued Fox in court, providing proof of their claim, the court ruled that there is no current law against lying on a news program.
- Instances where Fox News commentators such as Bill O'ReillyBill O'Reilly (commentator)William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
and Sean HannitySean HannitySean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
attempt to intimidate guests with whom they disagree, such as author and activist Jeremy Glick. - Studies which evidence more airtime and coverage is consistently given to RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politicians, particularly those in the George W. Bush administrationGeorge W. Bush administrationThe presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
, than to DemocratsDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. - Inspection of whether Fox News' premature result-calling of the 2000 presidential electionPresidential electionA presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is president.- United States :The United States has elections on the state and local levels...
contributed to George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
officially being elected, - Scrutiny over Fox News management, including Murdoch and president Roger AilesRoger AilesRoger Eugene Ailes is president of Fox News Channel, chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group. Ailes was a media consultant for Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W...
, both conservatives, in controlling the network's content, and editorial control from Murdoch down ensuring which stories and issues are covered and the strongly conservative perspective of such coverage, - Discussion of suspensions and other reprisals meted out to reporters and producers for not promoting the channel's political point of view.
- Highlights of Fox News tendency to pick strong confident, conservatives and weak-looking complacent liberals to appear on it.
Former Fox News journalists appear in the film critiquing the methods and perceived integrity of their former employer. For example, Jon Du Pre, a former reporter for Fox News' West Coast bureau, said that he had been suspended by Fox News management because his live shots from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs is the presidential library and final resting place of Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. Designed by Hugh Stubbins and Associates, the library is located in Simi Valley, California, about northwest of...
on Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's birthday — which Du Pre described was like a "holy day" to Fox News' hierarchy — were not "celebratory enough." A former Fox News military contributor, Larry C. Johnson
Larry C. Johnson
Larry C. Johnson is a former analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, who moved subsequently in 1989 to the U.S. Department of State, where he served four years as the deputy director for transportation security, antiterrorism assistance training, and special operations in the State...
, also claimed that he was in high demand to give on-air analysis on the "War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
", until he called into question on Hannity & Colmes
Hannity & Colmes
Hannity & Colmes was a live television show on Fox News Channel in the United States, hosted by Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes, who respectively presented a conservative and liberal perspective. The series premiered on October 6, 1996, and the final episode aired on January 9, 2009. It was the...
whether or not the United States could fight two wars (in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
) simultaneously, an incident after which Johnson says he was promptly ignored as a potential Fox News contributor.
Participants
- Robert W. McChesneyRobert W. McChesneyRobert Waterman McChesney is an American professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication. His work concentrates on the history and political economy of communication, emphasizing the role media play in democratic...
, Founder of Free Press/ Author of "The Problem of the Media" - Jeff CohenJeff Cohen (media critic)Jeff Cohen is a journalist, media critic, professor, and the founder of Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting , a media watchdog group in the US. He was formerly a lawyer for the ACLU and authored or co-authored five books that criticize media bias, mainly written with Norman Solomon...
, Former MSNBC/Fox News Contributor - David BrockDavid BrockDavid Brock is an American journalist and author, the founder of the media watchdog group, Media Matters for America, and a Democratic political operative...
, President/CEO of Media Matters for America - Gene Kimmelman, Sr. Dir. of the Public Policy & Advocacy Consumers Union
- Frank O'Donnell, Former Fox News Producer, Washington DC
- Dave Burnett, Former Fox News Reporter, Washington DC
- Diana Winthrop, Former Fox News Producer
- Walter CronkiteWalter CronkiteWalter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
, Former CBS Evening News Anchor - Larry C. JohnsonLarry C. JohnsonLarry C. Johnson is a former analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, who moved subsequently in 1989 to the U.S. Department of State, where he served four years as the deputy director for transportation security, antiterrorism assistance training, and special operations in the State...
, Former Fox News Contributor - Jon Du Pre, Former Fox News Anchor-West Coast Bureau
- Clara Frenk, Former Fox News Producer
- Dave Korb, Former Freelance Fox News Writer
- Av Westin, Former Vice President of ABC News
- David Hnatiuk, Former Fox Music Supervisor
- James WolcottJames WolcottJames Wolcott is an American journalist, known for his critique of contemporary media. Wolcott is the cultural critic for Vanity Fair and contributes to The New Yorker. He also writes a blog....
, Former Staff Writer for the New Yorker/Cultural Critic for Vanity Fair - Peter HartPeter D. HartPeter D. Hart is the chairman of Peter D. Hart Research Associates since 1971, and is a Senior Counselor to . Together with Robert Teeter or Bill McInturff, Mr. Hart and his company have provided NBC News and The Wall Street Journal with polls since 1989. More than 40 U.S...
, Media Analyst for FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) - Steve Rendall, Senior Analyst, FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting)
- Rep. Bernie SandersBernie SandersBernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives...
, Independent Congressman from VT since 1991 - Joseph A. CafassoJoseph A. CafassoJoseph Anthony Cafasso, Jr. is a former Fox News consultant on military and counterterrorism issues who left the network after allegations surfaced that he misrepresented his military record.-Early life:...
, Former Fox News Military & Counter-terrorism Editor - Al FrankenAl FrankenAlan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
, Air America Host - Jeremy Glick
- Eric AltermanEric AltermanEric Alterman is an American English teacher, historian, journalist, author, media critic, blogger, and educator. His political weblog named Altercation was hosted by MSNBC.com from 2002 until 2006, moved to Media Matters for America until December 2008, and is now hosted by The...
, Media Critic, Author of "What Liberal Media?" - John NicholsJohn Nichols (journalist)John Nichols is an American journalist and author. He is a political correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times. Books authored or co-authored by Nichols include: The Genius of Impeachment and The Death and Life of American Journalism.- Biography :Nichols holds a...
, Author of "Dick: The Man Who Is President" - Chellie Pigree, President of Common Cause
- Jeff Chester, Exec. Dir. of Center for Digital Democracy
- Alexander Kippen, Former Fox News Reporter, Washington DC
- Larry IrvingLarry IrvingClarence “Larry” Irving, Jr. wasVice President of Global Government Affairs for Hewlett-Packard Company, the largest technology company in the world. He joined the company on September 9, 2009 and left in 2011...
, Former Asst. Sec. of Commerce for Communications & Information - Len Hill, Independent Producer
- Malkia Cyril, Exec. Dir. of Media Youth Council
- David GoodfriendDavid GoodfriendDavid Goodfriend is an American children's attorney and former Clinton Administration aide, where he served as Deputy Staff Secretary to President William J. Clinton. Goodfriend's politics and government career also includes staff positions with Rep. Charles B. Rangel, Sen...
, Founder of Air America Radio - Wally Bowen, Founder and Exec. Dir. of the Mountain Area Information Network
Reviews
Outfoxed received mixed reviews. Variety.com reviewer David Rooney writes that the film "provides stimulating evidence of how thoroughly news can be skewed, political agendas served and a climate of fear created by a news net selling itself as an objective information service." He compares it favorably to Michael MooreMichael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
, adding that without the "media spotlight" that surrounded Moore's film, Outfoxed "appears unlikely to reach beyond a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
audience with an already vehement aversion to Fox News' partisan coverage."
Megan Lehmann wrote in the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
that the movie was a "narrowly focused, unapologetically partisan documentary," and that it "is so one-sided, it undermines its own integrity." News Corporation owns both Fox News and the New York Post.
Howard Kurtz
Howard Kurtz
Howard "Howie" Alan Kurtz is an American journalist and author with a special focus on the media. He is host of CNN's Reliable Sources program, and Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast. He is the former media writer for The Washington Post. He has written five books about the media...
of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
praised Greenwald's uncovering of "...a handful of memos from a top Fox executive", which he argued suggested network bias over the war in Iraq and the investigation of the September 11 attacks. However, Kurtz was highly critical of how Greenwald's allegations relied on "orders, or attitudes, of an unnamed 'they'...", and was critical of the filmmaker for making "...no effort at fairness or balance himself. Not only did he avoid contacting Fox, and indulge in some misleading editing, but the film also features a parade of the network's liberal detractors."
Fox News response
Fox News called the film "illegal copyright infringement" for its use of clips from Fox News Channel programs.It also said the film misrepresented the employment history of four people identified as former Fox News employees. Fox News said Alexander Kippen and Frank O'Donnell had actually been employees of WTTG
WTTG
WTTG, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
, the Fox owned-and-operated station in Washington, DC, and not employees of Fox News Channel. It said that Jon Du Pre, identified as a former anchor in the film, had actually been a reporter and that his contract had not been renewed because he was "a weak field correspondent and could not do live shots." It said that Clara Frenk, identified as a former producer in the film, had actually been a "pool booker" who "expressed no concern about the editorial process" while employed there. Fox also pointed out that Frenk had been a volunteer for Bill Clinton's
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
1992 Presidential campaign. Frenk denied Fox News' charges that she was not a producer, saying she was the co-producer of a segment called "Beltway Buzz", served as a field producer for dayside news and was detailed to be a segment producer on Fox News Sunday during sweeps.
Fox News challenged any news organization that thought this was a major story to "put out 100 percent of their editorial directions and internal memos [and] Fox News Channel will publish 100 percent of our editorial directions and internal memos, and let the public decide who is fair."
See also
- Fox News Channel controversiesFox News Channel controversiesCritics of Fox News Channel have accused the network of having a bias favoring the political right and the Republican Party. Fox News has publicly denied such charges, stating that the reporters in the newsroom provide separate, neutral reporting....
- List of documentaries
- Orwell Rolls in His GraveOrwell Rolls in His GraveOrwell Rolls in His Grave is a 2003 documentary film written and directed by Robert Kane Pappas. Covered topics include the Telecommunications Act of 1996, concentration of media ownership, political corruption, Federal Communications Commission , the controversy over the US presidential election...
External links
- Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism - Outfoxed on Google Video.
- Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism - The critical documentary's website.
- Outfoxed streaming DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
VPRO documentary by Tegenlicht. Introduction, several seconds, in Dutch with story itself in English and Dutch subtitles; 50 min. Broadband internet needed.