Friday Fox Follies – Birthing The Birther

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Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:14 pm

The biggest Folly this week (even though it happened last week and Fox has been trying to ignore it ever since) is when Donald Trump dropped his quixotic Birther conspiracy. While Fox “News” was the Birther midwife, it was ex-CEO Roger Ailes that knocked her up.

This week Full Frontal gave Samantha Bee 2 delicious segments taking down birtherism (here and here), followed by 2 MUST SEE segments on how Roger Ailes and Fox “News” birthed Trump. Watch both to see how Roger Ailes has distorted and twisted what used to be known as democracy over the last 5 decades:

History as comedy.

Ailes may be gone, but Fox News’ Reaction To Trump’s Birtherism Was Predictably Terrible: From ignoring its own complicity, to deciding it in no way was even a little bit racist. Not only did Loofah throw shade at birther coverage elsewhere, but didn’t ask about it when he had the chance.

AILES AGAIN: Whether the Rogers Ailes Era was a force for Media Good or Media Evil will be debated for generations to come. For 50 years he’s been the Wizard behind the curtain (or as Bee calls him: The manatee behind the curtain) shaping GOP policy, and the Wizard behind the curtain at Fox “News” — also shaping GOP policy.

Meanwhile, articles like these are why the story won’t go away any time soon:

Inside the Final Days of Roger Ailes’s Reign at Fox News

Why She’s Suing Fox News
Andrea Tantaros brought a $49 million suit against Fox
News, Roger Ailes, and some of his lieutenants, alleging that
the company was run like the Playboy Mansion, not a
newsroom. Here, she reveals her full story for the first time.

The steady drip, drip, drip ensures the Ailes legacy will be tainted.

WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD: Naturally the so-called news station wants to put this all behind them and put on the best face possible with a PR campaign:

How Fox News Has Weathered Storm in
What Will Be the ‘Biggest Sales Year Ever’

James Murdoch Says Fox News Ratings Are
‘Stronger Than Ever’ After Roger Ailes’ Exit

While ratings are measured continuously — 24 hours a day — James Murdoch knows that rating trends are measured over the long haul. Let’s see where Fox’s ratings are next year at this time, especially after the Fox audience splinters further in the blame game following Trump’s upcoming drubbing in the election. <fingers crossed>

SAME AS THE OLD BOSS: There may be new people in charge, but Fox still wants to help Tyrant Trump get elected:

Fox News Is Throwing A Tantrum As The
Media Begins To Tell The Truth About Trump

With His Poll Numbers In Decline, Donald
Trump Goes Into Hiding On Fox News

Then there’s the way the station rushed to defend Trump’s unworkable, not to mention unconstitutional, Stop & Frisk policy this week and then allowed him to clarify when he sounded too much like the Stasi.

How else did Fox help Agent Orange? Gave him a shout-out during NYC terrorist coverage, allowed him to trash competitor CNN, let him extol his winning temperament, let him threaten the NYT for quoting him, ignored all Trump Foundation jiggery-pokery, profess a fondness for Trump-branded Skittles, and covered for a Trump spokesface, after the fact.

Then check out how Fox is helping Trump in segment, after segment after segment, after segment in lowering Monday’s debate expectations. If Trump shows up he wins. But best is how those Foxy Fiends [sic] on Fox and Friends allow him to work the debate refs while pretending he’s not working the refs. Watch:

HEIGHT OF HACKERY: While Fox is selling tickets on the Trump Train, Hannity is ordered by Fox — after the fact — not to appear in any more Trump campaign commercials. BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!!!

Trump Spits In Black Faces (Again)
By Choosing Hannity To Host
African American Town Hall

Sean Hannity’s History Of Race-Baiting And
Promoting Trump’s Attacks On Minorities

Donald Trump says he voiced his
Iraq War opposition to Sean Hannity

None of that is really the height of hackery. This is:

In the same week that Mass. High Court Says Black Men May Have Legitimate Reason To Flee Police, Sean Hannity [announces that he] Considers Freddie Gray The “Lowest Scum Parasite In The World”.

SEAN HANNITY In the Freddie Gray case, who runs from a police officer on a bicycle at 8:30 in the morning? Who would run from a — let me see, I’m standing at the bus stop, I’m hanging out with my buddies, we’re playing stickball. A cop on a bicycle. Now, why is somebody going to take off and run? What reason could you possibly have? Oh, he was a known heroin dealer, Freddie Gray. That’s right. Oh, I forgot that. Poisoning the minds and hearts of people in the community. And we care about people in the community? I do. What do you consider somebody — I consider the lowest scum parasite in the world somebody that would sell a drug like heroin that you know is killing somebody to make a profit.

Freddie Gray had no drugs on him. Only a hack of the highest order smears a victim by making stuff up.

THIS WEEK IN FOX ISLAMOPHOBIA:

Pete Hegseth Attacks “Unassimilated”
MN Somali Muslim Community

Fox’s Meghan McCain: Fear Of Refugees Is
“Completely Rational And Based In Reality”

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT’S DUE: Or even a stopped clock finds a dead squirrel once in a while:

Watch MN Police Chief Shut Down Fox
News’ Fearmongering About Somali Immigrants

Watch This Fox Host Demand
Accountability From The Trump Foundation

On Fox News, Mark Fuhrman Gets Called
Out For His “Negative Perceptions
About African-Americans” Right To Protest

THERE’S A RIOT GOING ON: Whenever there’s a story like this Fox News fans race to the bottom of the deplorable barrel (a basket is no longer big enough). This as one host blames the victim, Geraldo blames Rap, and Hannity and Giuliani blame Obama. This as Fox airs the predictable Rudy Giuliani and David Clarke segments, while other Black folk either yell at each other, wish for suicide by cop, or tarnish their family’s reputation again.

Just like Fox “News” a riot is all heat and no light.

PASSAGES: The strangest news this week is that Megyn Kelly is producing a sitcom about a fictional presidential campaign. Meanwhile, a judge has just taken the Bill O’Reilly divorce to another level by fining his ex over child visitation.

LOOFAH LAFFS: Aside from blind devotion to Donald Trump, The Falafel King is just blind:

Bill O’Reilly Bashes Washington Post Editorial Page For Criticizing Trump • Bill O’Reilly Makes Presidential Debate Predictions • O’Reilly: Voter ID Disenfranchisement “Is A Total Myth” • Lil Wayne and Bill O’Reilly don’t get racism and sexism. Boycott them until they do, by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Headly Westerfield is so happy to promote fellow Canadian Samantha Bee. He also has issues with Roger Ailes dating back 50 years, just one topic found at the Not Now Silly Newsroom.