News Hounds

Bill O'Reilly's Sleazy Threat: NY Times' Keller & Rich "have led lives and if they want to attack people personally ... then we're gonna have to just show everybody about their lives."

Mon 10:00 PM

In a move that indicates the level of desperation that must be roiling through the White House, FOX News pundit Bill O'Reilly crossed a line tonight and threatened to reveal personal information about New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller and opinion columnist Frank Rich. Here's the exchange that occurred on the O'Reilly Factor tonight at 8:14 PM EST during an interview with Juan Williams and Mary Anne Marsh, two Democrats who were there simply to be rubber stamps for what looks to be an escalation in the smear campaign tactics so characteristic of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid media outlets.

Fox's Molly Hennenberg Parrots The President & Pushes The 'Leak' Being More Important Than The Fact That The President Is Spying On Americans Without Obtaining Warrants

Mon 09:57 PM

Today on Studio B with Rick Folbaum substituting for Shepard Smith, he went to a segment about President Bush's spying on Americans without a warrant, which was covered by Molly Hennenberg.

Hennenberg simply repeated words from the president instead of presenting the story, as they would say, 'fair and balanced.' They did go to Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at the end of the segment, but his time was but a small percentage of the time that Hennenberg and the president received.

They're Back!!!!

Mon 07:57 PM

Watching the first 40 minutes of Studio B with Rick Folbaum filling in for Shepard Smith, I thought I was watching the weather channel. There was some coverage of the miners trapped in the mines in West Virginia, but a majority of the first 40 minutes were spent on the weather.

Fighting off falling asleep I did get some amusement from a cross promotion done on one of the commercial breaks.

Fox Does its Evil Work - It Obfuscates the Wiretap/Leak Issue

Mon 06:21 PM

Fox News is down in the trenches these days, doing its frightening, unAmerican, dangerous work and obfuscating the issue of whether or not George Bush's wiretaps are legal. On Fox, the issue isn't about legality at all, but about allowing George Bush to do whatever he wants to fight the war on terror while at the same time dealing with the treasonous behavior of the "liberal media" (the New York Times being the leader of that pack), Democrats, and groups like the ACLU.

'Happy New Year' Thanks To All For Donating During Our Holiday Donation Drive

Mon 07:30 AM

Happy Monday, January 2, 2006! It already feels funny writing that year. So, Happy New Year, this will be the last Monday of our Holiday Donation Drive. We'd like to thank all who have donated to News Hounds so far. We're running our Donation Drive thread on Mondays and Monday, January 2 will be the last time we put our holiday post up. So, if you have any money left after the holidays (yeah, right) don't forget the News Hounds. It's been so nice to hear from so many of our regulars. Have a great week, all.

Happy Holidays to all of our News Hound faithful and new alike! We’ve been around for about a year and a half now and we are glad to bring you the truth about Fox News so that you don’t have to watch it.

The Year on FOX: News Hounds Reflect on 2005

Sun 11:59 PM

from all of the News Hounds to all of our wonderful supporters!

Our various and sundry ruminations on the year just past are published below. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoy your feedback!

- Chrish, Deborah, Donna, Ellen, Janie, Judy, Marie Therese, Melanie and Nancy

2005 In Review - Studio B

Sun 09:25 PM

It' been great to be here this year with the News Hounds. Everyone has welcomed me and covering Fox always brings a steady supply of new surprises. Here are a few of my favorite posts. I started posting on January 23, 2005, so my one year anniversary is coming up.

During that time I believe I've covered the facts when it comes to Studio B. I've brought up instances of bias and given kudos when deserved. Too bad the kudos didn't match the posts that were biased.

Be sure and check below for other year end reviews from our other News Hounds.

2005 in Review: Top Ten Lists from a Year of Watching the FOX

Sun 08:22 PM

Happy New Year to one and all from VERY soggy northern California! For our New Year's edition, I was going to write up a lengthy and erudite post entitled "Bill O'Reilly's War on Christmas as a Metaphor for the Right-Wing Agenda." However, Mother Nature intervened. The lights went out yesterday, the result of damage from the awful storms that have battered California this past week. (As I write this a fourth storm is dumping even more water into our overloaded streams and hillsides. And there's a fifth one on the way! Those of us who are old-timers contend these rains are worse than those that caused the Great Flood of 1982!) To make a long story short - there will be no long-winded, overly analytical post. Instead, here are some Top Ten lists culled from the 276 posts (gasp!) I wrote in 2005. Thank you for supporting News Hounds in its quest for truth, justice - and a better media pundit!

2005 in Review - Fox News Live Takes "Tabloid News" to New Lows

Sun 06:44 PM

So many themes, so little time. As I posted over & over again, FNL is a mishmash of slash-&-burn, rapid-fire, content-free, hit-&-run, miniblurbs that is best described as "Infotainment for the Attention-Span-Impaired." The full FNL treatment: multiple teasers, short clips & 2-minute interviews, mini-blurbs & excessive repetition, sort of like Hit-&-Run News. While largely content-free, FNL "news" always has a message, & that message is usually "Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid. Of Everything & Everyone."

2005 in review - trumpeting the White House message and muddying issues: Fox "News" IS #1!

Sun 06:16 PM

When I think of what I've seen and heard on Fox this past year a few things leap to mind. First I am amazed at how so many people can be so brainwashed into believing this propaganda is "fair and balanced". I am also struck by how obvious the pro-administration slant is and how willing viewers are to accept it as viable journalism. I'd find it laughable if it wasn't having such damaging consequences in this country and around the world.

It would be impossibly long to select the worst of FOX over this past year, so I'll just take a quick look back at some of my personal milestones and favorites.

2005 In Review: A Low Mark For Fox's Culture War

Sun 06:12 PM

On March 21, 2005, Sean Hannity planted himself in front of Terry Schiavo's Hospice in Florida creating a grotesque media circus for nine nights on Hannity and Colmes.Each night Hannity and a bizarre cast of characters demonized Michael Schiavo, distorted Schiavo's medical condition, and rallied the right wing foot soldiers who came in droves to surround the hospice. Chanting with their hateful signs these protestors even tried to send their children inside with cups of water for Schiavo who no longer could swallow. Alan Colmes remained in New York trying to inject some sanity and balance to the massive hysteria but the frenzy was out of control .

2005 in Review - Your World w/Neil Cavuto - A Filter for the Bush Administration

Sun 06:08 PM

After watching Your World w/Neil Cavuto for the past year (and more), the aspect of the program that impresses me most is the near total lack of actual "business news" relayed to Cavuto's gullible, naive, and unsophisticated audience. If one considers the mail Cavuto reads at the end of each show, most of his viewers believe they are watching a business news program, one that Fox claims is "the most watched business news program on the planet;" and one that, "offers news and insight on Wall Street and other market activities, while wrapping up the business news of the day."

Your World may well be the "most watched" but it certainly isn't a "business news program" and it doesn't wrap "up the business news of the day," particularly when the business news is bad news for the Bush administration.

2005 in Review--Katrina

Sun 04:00 PM

A few times during 2005, Fox News' pundits let slip exactly how they feel about people less fortunate than they. These were comments that were stripped of ideological window-dressing typically used by conservatives to justify their selfish policies toward the unrich. The Hurricane Katrina disaster provided a few such candid moments.

News Hounds more popular than Bill O'Reilly!

Sun 01:15 PM

FOX is always bleating about their cable news status, boasting "most watched", "Number 1", "most powerful", etc. Their pride and joy is Bill O'Reilly's "The Factor", the WWE equivalent of a serious news program.

News Hounds Stats for December

Sun 06:12 AM

Back in October, we changed the way we track our site statistics, & began tracking numbers of subscribers to our weekly digest & number of subscribers to our RSS feed. We now have 3 months' worth of data, but I'm still not convinced they accurately capture much useful information. Nevertheless, for your interest, here are the statistics for the past 3 months. For traditionalists, I've also included the year's summary of the stats we previously tracked. I've also updated the list of other countries where we have readers.

Happy and Safe New Year's Eve to all our readers

Sat 07:16 PM

Please be safe and smart tonight. We want you back in 2006!

"If you drink, don't drive. If you drive, don't drink."

"See" you in the New Year!

2005 Beltway Boys Awards

Sat 06:43 PM

Mort Kondracke and Fred Barnes must have lost their seasonal spirit a bit early this year judging by their award choices and nasty comments during their 8th Annual Year End Awards Show.

Hope Springs Eternal

Sat 03:10 PM

After a year of claiming that the stock market was soaring under George Bush, did Fox News Channel's "Bulls and Bears" close the year on Saturday (Dec. 31, 2005) by looking at what really happened? Or did they merely move on to more optimistic hyperbole about 2006? If you were a blind Bush lover, what would you do?

Grapevine Whine - Where Old News Is New News

Sat 12:25 PM

Jim Angle, still substituting for anchor Brit Hume on Special Report, wrapped up the week on the Grapevine segment with an unsubtle attack on the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), one of FNC's favorite targets. On Friday night (12/30) he led off the segment with an item that dragged up a year-old lawsuit over a 3-year-old Transportation Security Administration pilot program in behavioral screening, & pretended it was all happening now.

Mailbox Unfunnies - "Bah Humbug!" Edition

Sat 08:41 AM

The last time I posted a collection of these hate mails I called it Instant Payback. Well, the payback is still going on, but the holiday season seems to have made a dent in it. The usual idiots ... er, correspondents must have been off fighting the war on Christmas. As always, identifying info has been deleted to protect the ignorant. So let's end the year with a bang, & enjoy the latest batch!

WARNING: Most of these are pretty mild, but there is some vile language in a few, so if you're offended by that sort of thing, please don't read this thread.