Document Dump: The Rich Family Loses Its Lawsuit Against Fox News

Ken AshfordClinton Email Faux Scandal, Right Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

The basic issue here is that the most natural claims against Fox et al would be defamation claims on Seth’s behalf; however, only a living person can bring a defamation suit. An estate can’t. So they tried to shoehorn Intentional Inflection of Emotional Distress claims by relatives and the judge wouldn’t go for it, mainly because Fox ceased and desisted … Read More

Comedian Acts As Check and Balance To Failed White House Media

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) is taking heat the day after comedian Michelle Wolf took shots from the stage at presidential press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. A number of observers in attendance felt the former “Daily Show” comedian went over the line with her jokes, which drew heavy conservative fire on Sunday. White House national security adviser John Bolton slammed the … Read More

Why The Nunes Release Of The Comey Memos Backfired

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Right Wing and Inept Media, Right Wing Punditry/Idiocy, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

David Frum gets it right: It’s another familiar story that conservatives have built themselves a closed information system. The system generates and repeats agreed fictions, and people are rewarded according to their ability to internalize, repeat, and embellish these fictions. The system has revved itself into hyper-activity in the Trump years. And no Trump-era fiction has been more profoundly internalized … Read More

Hannity Under Fire For Journalistic Ethics

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept Media, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

… Or lack thereof.  From Politico: Just hours after the raid on the office of Cohen, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Hannity inveighed that special counsel Robert Mueller had “declared war against the president of the United States.” But Hannity didn’t disclose that he, too, had received legal advice from Cohen. Hannity’s relationship with the embattled attorney was revealed during … Read More

Kimba Wood SDNY Court: Live Tweets Revealing Sean Hannity

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Courts/Law, L'Affaire Russe, Right Wing and Inept Media, Stormy Daniels & Karen McDougal Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

McKay noted that Cohen refused to disclose the third client’s name under seal. “If he can’t disclose the client name, even to the court under seal…” McKay asks how the government can contest an overbroad claim of privilege. — Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) April 16, 2018 Cohen’s other attorney Steve Ryan says the third client is a “publicly prominent individual,” and … Read More

Sinclair Forces Local Affiliates To Send Right Wing Message

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

Sinclair is already the biggest owner of local television stations in the country — with 173 it either owns or operates. It is seeking a merger with Tribune Media, which will give Sinclair access to dozens more markets.  If the purchase is approved, Sinclair will be able to broadcast to at least 70 percent of American households. Some analysts believe Sinclair wants … Read More

Advertisers Flee Laura Ingraham’s Show After She Mocks Parkland High School Teen

Ken AshfordGun Control, Right Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

Multiple companies say they’re pulling their advertisements from conservative Fox News host Laura Ingraham’s show after she sent a tweet mocking Parkland shooting survivor and gun-control activist David Hogg. Nestle US, Hulu and Nutrish confirmed on Twitter that they are removing advertising from Ingraham’s show. Media reports say TripAdvisor, Expedia, Wayfair and Johnson & Johnson are pulling their support as … Read More

Fox Analyst Quits, Calling Fox A “Propaganda Machine”

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

Nice: A retired United States Army lieutenant colonel and Fox News contributor quit Tuesday and denounced the network and President Donald Trump in an email to colleagues. “Fox has degenerated from providing a legitimate and much-needed outlet for conservative voices to a mere propaganda machine for a destructive and ethically ruinous administration,” wrote Peters, a Fox News “strategic analyst.” “Over my decade … Read More

“Why Are You Subjecting Me To This?”

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

And a new media star is born. Moments ago, on CNN, Miami attorney Elizabeth Beck (who once deposed Trump) was on a panel, and blurted out an unusual question on the air.  “Why are you subjecting me to this?” Beck demanded as former U.S. Office of Ethics and Government head Walter Shaub spoke about the series of events around President Donald Trump’s alleged … Read More

Fox News And Many In The GOP Go Full-on Tin Foil Hat

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Republicans, Right Wing and Inept Media, Right Wing Punditry/Idiocy, Tea Party, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Work and other life things has prevented me from posting for eight days, which is equivalent to eight months in these manic-news-cycling days of the Trump era.  What did I not even comment on? Well, the government shutdown over the weekend, and arguments about DACA. Oh, and Stormy Weather. But that was ages ago it seems. Let’s start with this week, … Read More

Disney Buys Most Of Fox

Ken AshfordCorporate Greed, Popular Culture, Right Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

Big entertainment news: The Walt Disney Co. has struck a deal valued at $52.4 billion to acquire much of the Hollywood holdings of 21st Century Fox, the global television and entertainment conglomerate controlled by Rupert Murdoch and his family. The deal occurs against a backdrop of swift changes to the industry’s finances and uncertainty about succession plans at both companies. The … Read More