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Bowe Bergdahl is Fox News' perfect villain for the propaganda machine Bowe Bergdahl is Fox News' perfect villain for the propaganda machine
(2 months later)
Booking Booking guests for cable news can be a taxing job. You're underpaid, overworked and constantly on deadline. It's no surprise, then, that most bookers form a symbiotic relationship with PR people, "fixers" who specialize in connecting producers with the right expert, in possession of the right point-of-view, right away. The pitfall, of course, is that when someone is desperate to go on television, it's usually a safe bet that they have an axe to grind. Ideally, the booking producer acts as a gatekeeper, to filter out those who are pushing an agenda.
guests for cable news can be a taxing job. You're underpaid, There's no such filter at Fox News Channel, where pundits are not only allowed to push an agenda but are very much expected to do so. Guests at Fox are booked specifically to advance the latest anti-government narrative – be it Obamacare or Benghazi, the Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy or now the released Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl ... or on some nights, all of the above.
overworked and constantly on deadline. It's no surprise, then, that most bookers I say this as someone who spent the better part of Obama's first term tracking down guests for the O'Reilly Factor: when you're a guest on Fox, having an axe to grind is kind of the whole point.
form a symbiotic relationship with PR people, "fixers" who specialize in One of the driving forces behind Fox's all-out, week-and-a-half-long campaign to paint Bergdahl as a traitor is reportedly the PR firm run by Richard Grenell, a GOP operative who worked for the George W Bush White House and Mitt Romney campaign – and a Fox News contributor. Grenell has been busily connecting soldiers from Bergdahl’s unit ("pro bono", as if that mattered) with media organizations, most of which have included disclaimer that the interviews were facilitated by “strategists”.
connecting producers with the right expert, in possession of the right But in Week Two of Bergdahl-gazi, Fox has apparently decided that disseminating the propaganda is more important than informing viewers about the identity of those pushing it.
point-of-view, right away. The pitfall, of course, is that when someone is Case in point: Josh Cornelison, a medic who served alongside Bergdahl, went on Fox News Sunday to declare that "the American people need to be educated that Bowe Berdgahl is not a hero". But host Chris Wallace made no mention that the soldier – the same one with whom the New York Times arranged an interview by way of those "Republican strategists" – also happened to be employed by his network.
desperate to go on television, it's usually a safe bet that they have an axe to No one is saying that the opinions of the Bergdahl's fellow soldiers should be discounted simply because they've affiliated themselves with a partisan minder, but it's information that Wallace's viewers deserve to have.
grind. Ideally, the booking producer acts as a gatekeeper, to filter out those who are I consider Wallace a serious and generally tough journalist who should know better – when I was at Fox, he had a reputation for pushing back against the company line, and refusing to get involved in the blatant partisanship that the rest of the anchors casually trafficked in – so it was surprising to see him so credulous.
pushing an agenda. Now I have no such lofty expectations about Sean Hannity, and true to form, he did not disappoint. On Saturday night he hosted a hastily-put-together special on Bergdahl, featuring a panel of no less than 15 regular Fox contributors, pundits and guests, all of whom – including Grenell himself in the front row – were arrayed on bleachers facing him like the world's saddest pep rally audience "to help us investigate".
There's no such filter at Fox News
Channel, where pundits are not only
allowed to push an agenda but are very much expected to do so. Guests at Fox are booked
specifically to advance the latest anti-government narrative – be it Obamacare
or Benghazi, the Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy or now the released Sergeant Bowe
Bergdahl ... or on some nights, all of the above.
I say this as someone who spent the
better part of Obama's first term tracking down guests for the O'Reilly Factor: when you're a guest on Fox, having an
axe to grind is kind of the whole point.
One of the driving forces behind Fox's all-out, week-and-a-half-long campaign
to paint Bergdahl as a traitor is reportedly the PR firm run
by Richard Grenell, a GOP operative who worked for the George W Bush White House and Mitt Romney campaign –
and a Fox News contributor. Grenell has been busily connecting
soldiers from Bergdahl’s unit ("pro bono", as if that mattered) with
media organizations, most of
which have included disclaimer that the interviews were facilitated
by “strategists”.
But in Week Two of Bergdahl-gazi, Fox has apparently decided that disseminating
the propaganda is more important than informing viewers about the identity of
those pushing it.
Case in point: Josh Cornelison, a medic
who served alongside Bergdahl, went
on Fox News Sunday to declare that "the American people need to be educated that Bowe
Berdgahl is not a hero". But host Chris Wallace
made no mention that the soldier – the same one with whom the New York Times arranged an
interview by way of those "Republican strategists" – also
happened to be employed by his network.
No one is saying that the opinions of
the Bergdahl's fellow soldiers should be discounted simply because they've
affiliated themselves with a partisan minder, but it's information that
Wallace's viewers deserve to have.
I consider Wallace a serious and
generally tough journalist who should know better – when I was at Fox, he had a
reputation for pushing back against the company line, and refusing to get
involved in the blatant partisanship that the rest of the anchors casually trafficked
in – so it was surprising to see him so credulous.
Now I have no such lofty expectations
about Sean Hannity, and true to form, he did not disappoint. On
Saturday night he hosted a hastily-put-together special on Bergdahl,
featuring a panel of no less
than 15 regular Fox
contributors, pundits and guests, all of whom – including Grenell himself in the front row – were arrayed on bleachers facing
him like the world's saddest pep rally audience "to help us investigate".
Hannity started the show with a quick survey of the panel:Hannity started the show with a quick survey of the panel:
I have I have interviewed many of those that served with Sergeant Bergdahl. Every one of those says he was a deserter, and maybe worse. How many think maybe worse?
interviewed many of those that served with Sergeant Bergdahl. Every one of About two-thirds of the panel raised their hand, as did the host himself.
those says he was a deserter, and maybe worse. How many think maybe worse? "Wow," Hannity exclaimed, seemingly shocked that his hard-working booker's hand-picked panel of Bergdahl detractors would somehow believe the worst about the soldier.
About two-thirds of the panel raised The "wow" was noticeably absent on Monday, when a neighbor of the two white supremacists accused of shooting police in Las Vegas claimed they bragged about having visited the Bundy ranch. (Bundy's son said they'd been kicked out.)
their hand, as did the host himself. Could Hannity's weeks-long lionization of Bundy and his "revolution" have inspired two unstable "patriots" to go on an anti-authoritarian shooting spree? There's certainly a stronger case to be made for that scenario than there is for the specific soldier deaths for which some on the right are blaming Bergdahl – a claim even Fox News' own reporting is casting doubt upon.
"Wow," Hannity exclaimed, seemingly shocked that his hard-working booker's hand-picked
panel of Bergdahl detractors would somehow believe the worst about the soldier.
The "wow" was
noticeably absent on Monday, when a neighbor of the two white supremacists
accused of shooting police in Las Vegas claimed they bragged about having visited the Bundy ranch. (Bundy's son said they'd been kicked out.)
Could Hannity's weeks-long lionization of Bundy
and his "revolution" have inspired two unstable "patriots" to go on an
anti-authoritarian shooting spree? There's certainly a stronger case to be made
for that scenario than there is for the specific soldier deaths for which some on
the right are blaming Bergdahl – a claim even Fox
News' own reporting is casting doubt upon.
Fox switches whip to different dead horse: "Obamacare" mentions fall to 184 as "Benghazi" crescendo rises to 1132. pic.twitter.com/BsigXiwsZZFox switches whip to different dead horse: "Obamacare" mentions fall to 184 as "Benghazi" crescendo rises to 1132. pic.twitter.com/BsigXiwsZZ
Fox's latest foray into the fever swamp Fox's latest foray into the fever swamp is not unexpected – it's been a rough couple of months for the network. As a diversion from the growing success of the Affordable Care Act, Fox switched to Plan B: shouting "Benghazi" as loudly and frequently as possible.
is not unexpected – it's been a rough couple of months for the network. As a diversion from the Despite hours of airtime, desperate flailing from the usual suspects and breathless teasing of a "smoking gun" email, Americans weren't buying it: a poll last week found that Fox, even with all its hyperventilating, has been unable to move the needle – the same percentage of people doubt the administration on Benghazi as they did a year ago.
growing success of the Affordable Care Act, Fox switched to Plan B: shouting "Benghazi" as loudly Next came Bundy, a states-rights hero and a symbol of liberty and the Second Amendment who appeared on the network so many times it seemed he was days away from being handed Greta Van Susteren's time slot.
and frequently as possible. Then he had to ruin everything by going on a rant about "the Negro" in front of a New York Times reporter.
Despite hours of airtime, desperate With the entire network slowly slinking away from the unrepentantly racist Bundy, the outrage machine was in need of something new to stoke it. And as Bill O'Reilly was fond of pointing out during my time at Fox,the only thing that drives more viewers than a hero ... is a villain.
flailing from the usual suspects and breathless teasing of a "smoking gun" email, Americans And Bergdahl makes for a surprisingly good villain. There is the email he wrote that he was "ashamed to even be [A]merican]", the video of him performing ballet, a father with a beard that O'Reilly says "looks like a Muslim". Add these to Obama vouching for him, and Bergdahl never had a chance: Fox viewers and hosts alike generally love soldiers, but Bergdahl just didn't fit the mold. He was an independent thinker who dared to question his insane circumstances – in the eyes of Fox, that's traitorous in and of itself.
weren't buying it: a poll last week found that Fox, even with all its hyperventilating, has been unable to move the needle – the same Now, as the White House tries to control the message by trotting out military officials of its own, all of Fox's favorite friends seem to be colliding at once: Hillary Clinton's book is raising new questions about Obamacare, Benghazi and Bergdahl ... who still dominated Fox's primetime shows on Monday. ("That is our focus tonight," Hannity said.) As for the militia-loving, white supremacist disciples of Cliven Bundy, whose alleged shooting spree can arguably be traced to Fox's doorstep? I think the bookers are mostly going to leave that one alone.
percentage of people doubt the administration on Benghazi as they did a year
ago.
Next came
Bundy, a states-rights hero and a symbol of liberty and the Second Amendment who appeared on the network so
many times it seemed he was days away from being handed Greta Van
Susteren's time slot.
Then he had to ruin everything by going on a rant about "the Negro" in
front of a New York Times reporter.
With the
entire network slowly slinking away from the unrepentantly racist Bundy, the
outrage machine was in need of something new to stoke it. And
as Bill O'Reilly was fond of pointing out during my time at Fox,the only thing that drives more viewers than
a hero ... is a villain.
And Bergdahl makes for a surprisingly
good villain. There is the email
he wrote that he was "ashamed to even be [A]merican]", the video of him performing
ballet, a father with a beard that O'Reilly says "looks like a Muslim". Add these
to Obama vouching for him,
and Bergdahl never had a chance: Fox
viewers and hosts alike generally love soldiers, but Bergdahl just didn't fit
the mold. He was an independent thinker who dared to question his insane
circumstances – in the eyes of Fox, that's traitorous in and
of itself.
Now, as the
White House tries to control the message by trotting out military officials of its
own, all of Fox's
favorite friends seem to be colliding at once: Hillary Clinton's book is
raising new questions about Obamacare, Benghazi and Bergdahl ... who still dominated Fox's primetime shows on Monday. ("That is our focus tonight," Hannity said.) As for the militia-loving, white
supremacist disciples of Cliven Bundy, whose alleged shooting spree can arguably be traced
to Fox's doorstep? I think the bookers are mostly going to leave that one
alone.