Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
Film Screening and Discussion

October 24, 2004
Summary by Phoebe Hoss

On Sunday, October 24, at 1:00, the Peace Task Force presented this documentary about Fox News, the American flagship of the Australian Rupert Murdoch's vast media empire. Unfortunately it is also the primary source of news for all too many Americans.

This film was directed and produced by Robert Greenwald, who has been responsible for many television movies, miniseries, and features and for the documentary films "Uncovered," "Unprecedented" and "Unconstitutional." "Outfoxed" is based on testimony by former reporters and producers on Fox News and by other news analysts and consultants, including Bob McChesney, of Free Press, Jeff Cohen of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Chellie Pingree of Common Cause, Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, and David Brock of Media Matters. Volunteers helped in the development of the documentary by watching Fox News for six to eight weeks and providing the information to the filmmakers who were recording it simultaneously.

In "outing" Fox News as a source of distortion and propaganda rather as being "Fair and balanced," as it claims, this film thoroughly backs up the statement of one of its media experts, Bob McChesney, that "the more you watch the mainstream media, the less you know and the more you support the government."

On Fox News, reporters and analysts are overtly ordered to carry right-wing propaganda. The program echoes the administration line, and anyone seen as its enemy is "an enemy of the state." Many reporters have some family connection with Bush. There is intense discussion of wedge issues: God and abortion, same-sex marriage, the Ten Commandments -- with the aim to divide America. Employees are monitored for loyalty and for how far their stories stick to the message. The war in Iraq is consistently presented as a success. News and commentary are so blended as to muddy the facts, and facts are distorted -- with the omnipresent American flag in the background. Fear is especially promoted: of immigration, of further attacks, of anthrax, especially of terrorists: "We're going to kill the bad guys."

Guests on Fox News are pseudo experts or faux liberals. Five times as many Republicans as Democrats appear on the program. Anyone who argues is interrupted and/or denigrated in some way (as was Richard Clarke). Bill O'Reilly even attacked Jeremy Glick, the son of a man who died on 9/11, for being antiwar, calling him "warped" and "out of control" and saying that his father wouldn't be proud of him.

The danger isn't merely that many people watch Fox News. It's also that it, along with the other four media corporations -- AOL TimeWarner, Viacom, GE, and Disney - pretty much control the information the American public gets about what is going on at home and abroad.

This message of this documentary is that we must act to change the situation. Hanan Watson handed out a list of resources, among which are: www.MoveOn.org (you can sign up to become a media watcher), Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (www.fair.org), or Free Press (www.mediareform.net). See Links on the web site for detail.