The hilarious and outrageous "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" was released in the heat of the 2004 presidential race. Does that mean the documentary's charge - that the Fox News Channel replaces legitimate journalism with opinion, misinformation and right-wing propaganda - is dated today? Hardly. A 2010 Program on International Policy Attitudes found that Fox News viewers were "significantly more likely" to be misinformed (the same results the program's 2003 study found). In 2011 a Farleigh Dickinson University poll found that Fox News viewers knew less than people who simply don't watch news.
Many sources give their perspectives here, including former Fox employees - some of whom were too scared to appear on camera - and contributors; David Brock, CEO of Media Matters for America; analysts for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), "What Liberal Media?" author Eric Alterman; radio host turned senator Al Franken; Sen. Bernie Sanders; and legendary newsman Walter Cronkite.
Rupert Buys a News Station
The origins of Fox News can be traced to the mid-1980s, when Rupert Murdoch purchased WTTG 5 in Washington, D.C. Former employees say they were able to do their jobs uninterrupted in the early years of Murdoch's ownership, but eventually partisan politics crept in. That became clear when aides of Murdoch - a devoted fan of Ronald Reagan - ordered the station to cut away from its regular programming and air a Reagan tribute at the Republican National Convention.
In Like a Fox
Fox News officially launched in 1996. CEO Roger Ailes is seen at a press conference dismissing concerns about his background working with prominent Republican politicians. "We just expect to do fine, balanced journalism."
Not exactly.
Just how accurate is Fox's famous slogan "fair and balanced"? Not very, according to a FAIR study discussed in the movie. A 25-week analysis of one-on-one interviews on "Special Report with Brit Hume" found that Republicans appeared five times as often as Democrats. Not that Fox reporters have much choice in the matter. We learn about the daily instructions sent out detailing what the network is and isn't allowed to cover. One concerning the 9/11 Commission is particularly telling: "Do not turn this into Watergate."
Laughs in the Wrong Places
Of all the anecdotes offered, the funniest involves an anchor sent to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to do live shots on Reagan's birthday. The occasion was "akin to a holy day" for Fox viewers, he says, but there was no organized celebration going on and few visitors. His bosses are furious about this, and suspend him, apparently believing it's his fault that there's a poor turnout. It's hilarious to see him informing viewers, "Since dawn they've been streaming in."
Even funnier is simply watching Fox reporters at work. They make statements too outlandish for "The Daily Show," let alone an allegedly legitimate news network. Perhaps most entertaining is a series of vicious attacks against John Kerry, up to and including calling him French, seen near the end. These scenes are not only humorous but maddening - maddening because such absurdity is being printed as fact, and because so many people believe it.
Still Hungry for Power
No matter how much we may want it to, Fox News is unlikely to leave any time soon. In the 2008 presidential election they launched the same attacks against Barack Obama they had used against Kerry ("too liberal," "elitist," "arrogant") and threw in a few new ones as well (speculation about his middle name and false allegations that he's a Muslim), many of which can be viewed on YouTube. Obama's victory only increased the level of vitriol, which will surely climb higher as we near the 2012 election.
Despite some technical limitations, including graphics that look like they were stolen from a PowerPoint presentation, "Outfoxed" is an entertaining and provocative documentary. The only real complaint: Why hasn't there been a sequel about Fox's antics during the Obama administration?
Sources
"UMD Report: Regular Viewers of Fox News More Likely to be Misinformed." 17 Dec. 2010.
"Fox News Viewers Know Less Than People Who Don't Watch Any News: Study." 21 Nov. 2011.
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