News Hounds

Springtime for Hitler

Reported by Donna - Fri 11:31 PM

Just thought we'd get your attention by borrowing Mel Brooks broadway show tune from The Producers. Happy springtime to all of our readers and commenters at News Hounds. We here at News Hounds have quarterly donation drives - our last drive took place during the winter holidays. Now it's spring and donation time is here once again.

We're growing and we, like your local pbs stations, have a need for periodic donation drives. We only do them 4 times a year (of course, donations are welcome anytime) but we like to focus on these four seasonal donations to keep us growing (everyone can certainly appreciate computer hardware/software going out of date in addition to various expenditures). Payments are done easily from the donation button on our front page - and if you don't like using a debit/credit card, we are also set up for checks through the same system. We've also added some exciting bonus plans for this donation season.

Big Story Proof of successful messaging

Reported by Chrish - Fri 02:23 AM

On the "Your Word" segment of The Big Story today 4/13/06 a writer to the program was Exhibit A for what happens when you get all your news from FOX, day after day. The fact that they actually read and showed the email only served to reinforce the faulty impression the woman had already gotten from FOX - a self-perpetuating cycle of ignorance.

Another Night Of Punishment For Alabama Teacher On Hannity & Colmes

Reported by Deborah - Thu 11:15 PM

Last night on H&C;, a teacher from Alabama, Steve White got the FOX treatment for showing his 8th grade a questionable video. Chrish posted about the segment and it seems that both Hannity & Colmes were calling for him to be fired. White was running for a seat in the State Senate and last night his Republican challenger was the guest on H&C; denying political motivation. Despite the fact that Democrats asked White to withdraw from the race on 4/12 and he is on leave from his job and under investigation, the lynching continued tonight. 4/13/06

Fox News: Censoring the Internet

Reported by Judy - Thu 08:06 PM

Fox NewsThursday (April 13, 2006) let a Christian activist promote the idea that a corporation should censor and gag those who use its facilities because she doesn't like the ideas being discussed.

Super Sleaze Me (and Super Piss Me Off!)

Reported by Melanie - Thu 08:00 PM

Every once in a while - maybe every six months - I see something on Fox that absolutely infuriates me. Fox does something that is so immoral, so unethical, or so deceitful that it sends me into a rage. I start to shake. I tell my husband what happened while I pound the counter and yell. I begin to type, whipping out an almost incoherent post until I realize that I need to stop, get a glass of wine, sit out on the deck for a few minutes (like, sixty), and try to calm down.

Today was one of those days.

Who's the Biggest Butt Head on Fox News?

Reported by Judy - Thu 05:30 PM

That’s a headline that has been begging for a story to go with it. Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” finally provided one on Thursday (April 13, 2006). And we've got the video to go with it.

College Aid Gap Bigger Than Ever

Reported by Donna - Thu 04:33 PM

On Studio B with Shepard Smith today he reported that the gap between college aid and the cost of going to college was at it's biggest ever. Seems cuts have been made to financial aid programs while college costs continue to rise, at a rate of over 6% last year, consistently higher than inflation.

Comment: Kim Clark from U.S. News & World Report was the guest who spoke with Smith about a child entering college today would pay on average $90,000 for a college education. For children born now estimated costs are $161,000 for attending an in-state school, $241,000 for out of state college costs and private colleges? $331,000. All this and this administration is cutting back on financial aid and Ms. Clark said the result of this is low and middle class children are not entering college and that's not good. I'll say.

Iran Nuke Showdown - Continues

Reported by Donna - Thu 04:14 PM

For the third day in a row, Studio B covered the Iran Nuke Showdown with this saying splashed across the screen and ominous music plaing in the background.

Not much new to report today, though. It seems the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency says that there is no proof that Iran is enriching uranium. Although Smith reported that he also said what was going on in Iran was 'unclear.'

Funny Segment on War on The Easter Bunny Has Shepard Smith Holding His Tongue

Reported by Donna - Thu 04:11 PM

At the end of Studio B with Shepard Smith he sometimes has the huorous segment, 'And Then There's This......' Todays' segement was about a German man suing the Easter Bunny in court for getting him hooked on chocolate. After saying there was no comment from the Easter Bunny Smith said, "Not to be confused with said war on Easter which appears each evening on ........(pause, you could see him checking himself)..........an...evening program on this channel."

Hmmmmm.....wonder which show Smith could possibly be thinking about - he certainly hesitated, was he afraid of getting in trouble with a more powerful personality on Fox News?

Fox News Spreading Panic on Iran Nuke Plans

Reported by Judy - Thu 02:11 PM

Fox News ratcheted up its support on Thursday (April 13, 2006) for Bush administration plans to bomb Iran by insisting that Iran may have a nuclear bomb any day, downplaying analysts' assessments that the country is years away from having the expertise and equipment to actually make a weapon.

Investment Advice a la Fox News: The Economy Won't Prosper Unless We "Put a Bullet" in Zacarias Moussaoui's Head & "Toss Him in the Dumpster."

Reported by Melanie - Thu 01:57 PM

Jonathan Hoenig, of the aptly named CapitalistPig Hedge Fund LLC and a long time member of Fox's "business team," made an appearance on Your World w/Cavuto yesterday (April 12, 2006). Hoenig appeared with another Fox favorite, Herman Cain, an up-and-coming African-American GOP spinmeister and the former president of Godfather's Pizza, in a segment titled, "Moussaoui Trial: Reminder of What's at Stake?"

In his intro, Cavuto reminded viewers that after 9/11 "the market" fell 600+ points and he implied it could drop that much again depending on the outcome of the Moussaoui case in The Ongoing War on Terror. Cavuto, feigning stupidity, as is his MO, asked Hoenig: Is Moussaoui, "an important reminder of just what is at stake in the ongoing war on terror?"

Building a Wall in the Wrong Spot?

Reported by Judy - Thu 01:51 PM

Fox News has been a big proponent of the cockamamie scheme to build a huge wall along the U.S.- Mexican border to keep people from coming to this country illegally, featuring representatives of a group called "We Need a Fence" on its shows in recent days. So the latest news of an immigration smuggling ring being busted was right up its alley.

Happy Iraqi Story Amongst Death - Fox is Hoping It Will Be Resolved By Monday

Reported by Donna - Thu 12:36 PM

In a story on a bombing that took place outside a mosque in northern Baghdad that killed 22, Fox News Live put the positive slant on the story.

The Sterilization of Academia: David Horowitz Wants to Expand His "Academic Bill of Rights" to Grades K through 12

Reported by Marie Therese - Thu 06:53 AM

On April 6th during an exchange with co-host Alan Colmes on Hannity & Colmes, David Horowitz, author of The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America, claimed that nowhere in his book did he attack professors for political activities or views expressed outside the classroom. In light of this, on April 10th Media Matters for America published a list of eight instances in which Mr. Horowitz slimed teachers not because of what they said inside the classroom but because of what they did outside the classroom.

Teacher scandal du jour involves Hannity, O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, and the entire Bush administration

Reported by Chrish - Thu 02:21 AM

Remember what Bush called NYT reporter Adam Clymer? Well back at 'cha, big guy - big time.

AL State Legislature candidate and science teacher Steve White is suspended and being investigated for allegedly showing his 8th grade class a profanity-laced video criticizing FOX News personalities and the Bush administration. Hannity and Colmes (4/11/06) and guest Mickey Hammond, White's political opponent, were unanimous in their belief that the teacher should be fired.

Iran's uranium enrichment not grounds for invasion, so what next?

Reported by Chrish - Thu 12:36 AM

Big Story guest Lawrence Eagleburger confirmed today 4/12/06 that Iran is at least 3-5 years away from developing a nuclear bomb, and Bush may not get to bomb them after all. Well, maybe late in this term.

Democrats are Trying to Sabotage The Stock Market!

Reported by Melanie - Wed 10:07 PM

Today (April 12, 2006) during Your World w/Neil Cavuto, Fox aired a promo for its four Saturday morning "business news" shows. The "block," as Fox calls it, is deviously titled: "The Cost of Freedom." Here's what the very excited-sounding announcer said:

Saturday! All the business news you need is on the Cost of Freedom.

Iran's nuke program progresses. Could their military might strengthen our economy? Surprising answers!

Then - some say Dems are trying to sabotage the markets to get votes. What have they done?! How far will they go?!

Mitt Romney's Dubious Claim That he "Authored" the New Massachusetts Health Care Bill

Reported by Melanie - Wed 08:06 PM

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was a guest today (April 12, 2006) on Your World w/Neil Cavuto. Cavuto immediately identified Romney as a potential Republican presidential candidate and introduced him over video of Romney signing a "sweeping" new health care bill. In the clip Fox aired, Ted Kennedy was shown standing behind the chair Romney sat in. Cavuto said the "money shot" was seeing Kennedy and Romney together. Romney responded:

As one of my sons said, Ted Kennedy supporting a bill which I authored, that's gonna be a cure to global warming because hell has frozen over.

Emphasis added.

Happy Passover

Reported by Chrish - Wed 07:38 PM

News Hounds wishes our friends, families, and colleagues a happy and warm Passover holiday.

Shepard Smith Let's Loose And Poses The Question Of Why This Administration Kept Saying There Were WMD'S

Reported by Donna - Wed 05:00 PM

There were two reports on Studio B with Shepard Smith regarding the report from the U.S. Defense Team that came out two days before the president made his speech saying we had found mobile labs containing WMD's. Wendall Goler reported that the defense team said these were not mobile labs containing WMD's. The president's answer? He never saw the report.

But what was more interesting was an offhand comment by Shepard Smith right before he went to a commercial preceding the second report.