On Fox and Friends Today

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept Media, Women's IssuesLeave a Comment

Via Think Progress: Gretchen Carlson walked off the set of "Fox and Friends" on Thursday after fellow host Brian Kilmeade made a sexist comment. The two were watching third host Steve Doocy interview a member of a Navy band which had been all-male until 1980. “Women are everywhere," Kilmeade said. "We’re letting them play golf and tennis now. It’s out … Read More

Can Fox Get Any More Blatant?

Ken AshfordElection 2012, Right Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

This isn't a political ad produced by Romney or one of the pro-Romney pacs. This 4 minute film was produced and shown on Fox News.  In fact, it starts off with a graphic that reads, “Fox & Friends Presents.”   “The ad presented on ‘Fox & Friends’ was virtually indistinguishable from the sort of campaign videos regularly produced by Republican presidential … Read More

Conspiracy Theories and Cognitive Dissonance

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

On "Fox & Friends" this morning, Brian Kilmeade noted that good economic news matters a great deal when it comes to the president's fortunes, but only "if you believe these numbers." A minute later, Gretchen Carlson added, "Unemployment has gone down, more jobs have been created. Now, you can argue about how those numbers, some people say they've been fabricated." "If you believe … Read More

The New York Times Asks “Shall We Report The Truth?”

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

In a stunning editorial today, the New York Times ombudmen Arthur Brisbane asks TImes readers whether — hold on to your hats — whether or not Times reporters should state the facts.  He gives us an example of how it might work: …Mitt Romney often says President Obama has made speeches “apologizing for America,” a phrase to which Paul Krugman objected in … Read More

When Right Wing Media Spin Meets Reality

Ken AshfordOccupy Wall Street, Right Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

The conservative Daily Caller, yesterday, continuing its ongoing demonization of Occupy Wall Street protesters: It took a huge media push to convince people the Tea Party was dangerous, but the huge media push to convince them OWS isn’t dangerous has failed. Occupiers are really nice until you get to know them. And again, the Daily Caller, earlier today: Here’s a live feed … Read More

Don’t Know Much About History

Ken AshfordHistory, Right Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

Bill O'Reilly decided to write a history book.  Specifically, a book about Lincoln's assassination called “Killing Lincoln,” which O’Reilly co-authored with Martin Dugard.  It's #2 on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list, right behind the monstor biography of Steve Jobs. How bad is this book?  Historians are panning it.  Why?  Because it has the one thing that history books should never have: … Read More

Fox News Makes Stuff Up, Part 294

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept Media10 Comments

Fox News says: President Obama has declared Aug. 26 — which marks the 91st anniversary of the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote — to be "Women's Equality Day."  Wrong.  Congress decided that August 26th is Women’s Equality Day.  In 1971.  Obama is merely following in the path of past presidents. UPDATE:  Oh dear.  The ankle-biter over at Patterico … Read More

My Sarah Palin E-mails

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

They’re releasing 24,000 emails from the time when Sarah Palin was governor of Alaska.  And because that’s a lot of emails to sift through, many news organizations have been asking people to sign up, and help them sift through them quickly to find the fun stuff. Which I did. The emails are being released, but my batch hasn’t come in … Read More

Is America Waking Up?

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

Suddenly, the majority of Americans realize that Fox News isn't a reliable source: In the space of one year, Fox News has lost its perch as the most trusted TV news network in the US and is now average at best, a new survey has found. A poll gauging public trust in TV news has found that PBS is the most … Read More