Roger Ailes: I hired Sarah Palin ‘because she was hot’

By David Edwards/Raw Story

Roger Ailes’ latest comments about Sarah Palin will be further proof to many that the Fox News chairman is sexist, but he probably is too rich and too powerful to care.

In an interview celebrating the 15th anniversary of Fox News, Ailes told The Associated Pressthat he hired the former Republican vice presidential candidate “because she was hot and got ratings.”

According to one Republican who is close to the Fox News chairman, Palin certainly wasn’t hired because Ailes respected her intellect.

“He thinks Palin is an idiot,” the insider toldNew York magazine earlier this year. “He thinks she’s stupid. He helped boost her up. People like Sarah Palin haven’t elevated the conservative movement.”

Given Ailes’ history, many may find it difficult to believe the conservative network even if they bother to clarify what he meant.

In a 2008 prologue to his planned book, former Fox News executive Dan Cooper recalled that Ailes liked to “talk macho and compare the anatomies of women in the office.”

“I was too scared to make salacious comments about women in the office,” Cooper wrote. “Like everyone, I had taken classes in workplace behavior. Not Roger. ‘How about those bazookas on that Indian girl, or whatever the hell she is!’ Squirm squirm. ‘Pussy masala on the menu today?’”

Inside Cable News noted that Cooper’s claims were not verifiable — but it’s hard to dispute Ailes’ history of hiring leggy blondes.

In August, Fox News’ Megyn Kelly dodged a question about whether “Fox has cultivated a reputation as a stomping ground for news babes.”

“Roger is very good at finding attractive people who are also interesting and smart,” Kelly told Marie Claire. “But you have to be careful what you’re looking at. Some on-air talent have objected that some websites will Photoshop the skirts and make it seem like the women were wearing something more like a belt than a skirt. Don’t believe it unless you’ve seen it live.”

Roger's Confession

by Ari Rabin-Havt/Media Matters

Responding to a inquiry from The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz, Roger Ailes confessed his networks' position within the political echo system. "Every other network has given all their shows to liberals," said the Fox News chief. "We are the balance."

The metamorphosis from "Fair and Balanced" to "we are the balance" is a significant admission that extends beyond simply dropping a "d." Ailes publicly embraces the misguided and long-held conservative lore that the entire mainstream media is reporting from the left. Fox's version of "balance" -- according to its president -- isn't to provide its viewers with an equal hearing of all sides. Rather, Fox's purpose is to supply right-wing bias to correct what it (wrongly) perceives to be an error in the media cosmos.

Apparently in pursuit of Ailes' version of balance, he confesses that Fox News promotes his own blend conservative ideology. It was Ailes, according to Kurtz, who "cooked up" Fox's recent Regulation Nation series. Ailes tells Kurtz that he thinks "regulations are totally out of control":

Ailes raises a Fox initiative that he cooked up: "Are our producers on board on this 'Regulation Nation' stuff? Are they ginned up and ready to go?" Ailes, who claims to be "hands off" in developing the series, later boasts that "no other network will cover that subject ... I think regulations are totally out of control," he adds, with bureaucrats hiring Ph.D.s to "sit in the basement and draw up regulations to try to ruin your life." It is a message his troops cannot miss.

This series just happened to be perfectly inline with the Republican Party's message of the week.

How do you run afoul of the network boss? By unbalancing the network and not reporting from a conservative point of view: "Ailes keeps a wary eye on anchor Shepard Smith, who occasionally backs aspects of the Obama record: 'Every once in a while Shep Smith gets out there where the buses don't run and we have a friendly talk.' "

As for the network's involvement in the Republican Primary? Some expressed surprise that Fox hasn't taken sides, crediting the network for its newfound neutrality. They quickly forget Ailes failed to recruit his preferred candidate, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, into the race. Now Ailes knows his power is based on Fox's perceived neutrality between Republican candidates. Each of the top Republican contenders made a pilgrimage to kiss their Svengali's ring. Ailes now sits in the middle, with each member of the field knowing that Fox's audience will ultimately pick the Republican who will face off against President Obama.

When the primary contest ends, nobody should be surprised when the network returns to its war on Obama. When the network does, remember Ailes' confessions:

1.  - Balance is not providing viewers with the conservative and progressive point of view, instead it is about balancing the phony notion of liberal bias in the mainstream media.

2. - Ailes' narrow ideological leanings create major portions of network coverage such as its "Regulation Nation" series, where Fox personalities -- among other things -- spoke out against child labor laws.

3. - Providing any balanced coverage earns you a sharp rebuke from the boss for getting "out there where the buses don't run."

Ailes And Beck Agree On Lunatic "Civilian National Security Force" Conspiracy Theory

From Media Matters:

As Media Matters has documented, Glenn Beck has repeatedly pushed the lunatic theory that, based on a 2008 campaign speech by President Obama calling for a "civilian national security force," Obama wants to create "his own army." It now turns out that Beck's current boss at Fox News, Roger Ailes, has reportedly pushed a similar theory, claiming that Obama proposed a "national police force."

In 2008, Obama Called For Expansion Of AmeriCorps And Other Programs

In Speech Calling For Expansion Of AmeriCorps, Foreign Service, And Other Programs, Obama Said Our "Civilian National Security Force" Must Be As Powerful As The Military. From a July 2, 2008, speech by Obama in Colorado Springs, Colorado:

Today, AmeriCorps -- our nation's network of local, state, and national service programs -- has 75,000 slots. And I know firsthand the quality of these programs. My wife, Michelle, once left her job at a law firm and at City Hall to be a founding director of an AmeriCorps program in Chicago that trains young people for careers in public service. And these programs invest Americans in their communities and their country. They tap America's greatest resource -- our citizens.

And that's why as president, I will expand AmeriCorps to 250,000 slots and make that increased service a vehicle to meet national goals like providing health care and education, saving our planet and restoring our standing in the world, so that citizens see their efforts connected to a common purpose. People of all ages, stations, and skills will be asked to serve. Because when it comes to the challenges we face, the American people are not the problem -- they are the answer.

So we are going to send -- we're going to send more college graduates to teach and mentor our young people. We'll call on Americans to join an Energy Corps to conduct renewable energy and environmental cleanup projects in their neighborhoods all across the country. We will enlist our veterans to find jobs and support for other vets, and to be there for our military families. And we're going to grow our Foreign Service, open consulates that have been shuttered, and double the size of the Peace Corps by 2011 to renew our diplomacy.

We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded. [YouTube, 7/2/08]

Roger Ailes Was Reportedly Concerned That Obama's Speech Meant He "Wanted To Create A National Police Force"

New York Magazine: Ailes "Was Concerned That Obama Wanted To Create A National Police Force." In a profile published by New York magazine on Ailes, the president of Fox News, author Gabriel Sherman reported that Ailes told Obama aide David Axelrod that he was "concerned that Obama wanted to create a national police force." From New York magazine:

For Fox, the war with the White House only stoked ratings. A Fox executive told Clemente that the White House's attacks were like "a hanging curveball" for Fox.

While Dunn and others publicly engaged Fox, David Axelrod worked back-­channel diplomacy as the good cop. About a week before Dunn's CNN appearance, Axelrod secretly sat down with Ailes at the Palm in midtown. They met before the restaurant opened to avoid drawing attention. Axelrod told Ailes they should try to defuse things and work together.

Going back to the 2008 campaign, Axelrod had maintained an off-the-­record dialogue with Ailes. He had faced off against Ailes in a U.S. Senate campaign in the early eighties and respected him as a fellow political warrior and shaper of narrative. But early on, Axelrod learned he couldn't change Ailes's outlook on Obama. In one meeting in 2008, Ailes told Axelrod that he was concerned that Obama wanted to create a national police force.

"You can't be serious," Axelrod replied. "What makes you think that?"

Ailes responded by e-mailing Axelrod a YouTube clip from a campaign speech Obama had given on national service, in which he called for the creation of a new civilian corps to work alongside the military on projects overseas.

Later, Axelrod related in a conversation that the exchange was the moment he realized Ailes truly believed what he was broadcasting. [New York magazine, 5/22/11]

Glenn Beck Repeatedly Pushed A Similar Myth, Claiming Obama Wanted To Create His "Own Army"

In September 2008, Beck Claimed Obama "Has Already Deployed An Army Of 2,200 Community Organizers." On September 5, 2008, Beck said:

BECK: This from Investors Business Daily: Barack Obama was a founding member of the board of Public Allies in 1992. You go to the website, Public Allies, and you are going to see that it's just a community organizer. That's all this is, just community organization. Barack Obama, founding member of the board of Public Allies in 1992. His wife became the executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies in 1993. Got it? Obama plans to use the nonprofit group which he features on his campaign website as the model for a national service corps.

We've heard about this national service corps, haven't we? Universal voluntary public service. When Michelle Obama said he'll never allow you to sit idly by again, he will never allow you to be unengaged. What does that mean? Universal voluntary public service, a national service corps. Quoting from the story: Our alumni from Public Allies are more than twice as likely as 18 34 year olds to engage in protest activities. Public Allies boasts in a document found with its tax filings. It has already deployed an army of 2,200 community organizers like Obama to agitate for "Justice and equality" in his hometown of Chicago and other U.S. cities including Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Washington. Cincinnati recruit Amy Vinson said, "I get to practice being an activist and I get paid for it." The Obamas' plan is to herd American youth into government funded reeducation camps where they will be brainwashed into thinking that America is a racist, oppressive place in need of social change. The pitch Public Allies makes on its website doesn't seem that radical. It promises to place young adults 18 30 in a paid one year community leadership position with nonprofit or government agencies. They will also be required to attend weekly training workshops and three retreats.

[...]

A Public Allies training seminar in Chicago describes heterosexism as a negative byproduct of capital quoting of capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and male dominated privilege, end quote. By the way, your tax dollars now fund about half of Public Allies' expenses, through Bill Clinton's AmeriCorps. Obama wants to fully fund it and expand it to a national program some say will cost $500 billion.

Obama said, quote: We have got to have a civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded as the military. Public Allies, Chicago chapter. Founding, founding member, Barack Obama. Executive director, Michelle Obama. Listen to the words in their speeches. It is all code language. It is all the language of the 1960s radicals. They have their they have their tentacles into an organization that does good things but also teaches that heterosexism is a byproduct of capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and male dominated privilege. Heterosexism! [GlennBeck.com, 9/5/08]

In July 2009, Beck Claimed Obama "Wants To Create A Civilian Army" Of "Community Organizers" "More Well-Funded Than The Military." During the July 27, 2009, edition of his Fox News show, Beck stated:

BECK: Obama handles every issue like a community organizer would, and he wants to create a civilian army. Anybody remember this from the campaign? A civilian army in the form of community organizers more well -- I'm quoting him "more well-funded than the military." Last year he said, and I quote, "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we have set. We have got to have a civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong, and just as well-funded." You got to be kidding me. If you want a government-funded civilian army of ACORNs, well you are going to be a happy camper very soon if America keeps sleeping. [Fox News, Glenn Beck,7/27/09, via Media Matters]

In August 2009, Beck Suggested A "Civilian National Security Force" Would Be Part Of Obama's "Thugocracy." During the August 27, 2009, edition of his Fox News show, Beck claimed that Obama was creating a "civilian national security force that is just as strong, just as powerful as the military." From Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: I believe, just so you know going in, that this is probably the most controversial show of the week, because you must understand the last three episodes of the show to be able to see and come to a place to where you can believe that these crazy things may actually be happening. I want you to know. I hope these things are not happening. I hope that there is some other explanation. But I needed you to see who is advising the president earlier this week and what they're doing and who they are before I could ask you to look at this phrase from Barack Obama and think that the president of the United States literally means this.

OBAMA [video clip]: We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.

[...]

BECK: I can't make this piece of the puzzle fit unless this piece is about building some kind of thugocracy. All week we have been asking tough questions. Tonight, I would just love to hear the answers for these questions and here are some: Mr. President why do we need a civilian national security force that is just as strong, just as powerful as the military? Here's why I ask that question. Who are we fighting exactly? Who internally is threatening our security? It's clearly -- I've tried to piece this together, I've tried to come up with an answer, and please America, if I'm missing it please let me know.

It's clearly not because we feel there is a threat from illegal aliens crossing the border. Nobody in the government, this administration or the last, has a problem with what's going on in the border. And anyone who would say that there has been a problem has been deemed a racist. A civilian national security force on the border is called the Minute Men. And the attitude from this administration as well as the Bush administration was that they were vigilantes. So it's not for the border.

It can't be a national civilian -- a national security force against Islamic extremists. I say this honestly, because according to this administration, we're not even at war against Islamic extremists anymore. Is this administration expecting us to believe that they're going to ask of the American people to profile and call in tips on Muslim Americans who act suspiciously? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. So who are the enemies? [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/27/09, via Media Matters]

In August 2009, Beck Said Obama's "National Security Force" Is "What Hitler Did With The SS."During the August 27, 2009, edition of his Fox News show, Beck claimed that Obama was trying to create a "national security force" like "Hitler did with the SS." From Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: Who is the enemy that we need a national security force inside? Who is the enemy? Can you come up with anybody?

DAVID BELLAVIA (vice chairman, Vets for Freedom): You. I really don't know, Glenn. You know what it comes down to though, and I want to make this comparison. I am not comparing my president to Saddam Hussein or to Hitler or anything else. I want your audience to understand something from a military point of view. When Saddam Hussein lost confidence in his army in '91, when they capitulated, when they quit, when they stopped following his orders, he created and he supported, re-supported what was called a Fedayeen -- a group of loyalists who weren't loyal to the country or the flag. They were loyal to the office of president and to the man who held that office. And what we're seeing now is a complete disconnect to the warrior class in America, to the military, and to the left. They never had a common denominator. They never had a way to understand us. So you know what? We don't need you.

If we have to enforce, let's say, I don't know, polling laws, we want to keep polling intimidation down in 2012, we'll send in our Civilian Corps. If we want to make sure the census is run correctly and the right people are counted, we'll bring in our Civilian Corps. If we want to, I don't know, take away the arms of radical militias in South Texas, bring these guys in. This is scary stuff.

BECK: But I mean, I'm finding this -- this is the hardest part to connect to because this is -- I mean look. You know, David what you just said is, you said "I'm not comparing," but you are. I mean, this is what Hitler did with the SS. He had his own people. He had the brownshirts and then the SS. This is what Saddam Hussein -- so, you are comparing that, and I mean, I think America would have a hard time getting their arms around that. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 8/27/09, via Media Matters]

In April 2010, Beck Revised His "Civilian Army" Theory: "It's Called The Unions." During the April 12, 2010, edition of his radio show, Beck claimed: "People say: 'Oh, Barack Obama's building a civilian defense force, a civilian army.' He has one. It's called the unions. The unions are his enforcers." [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 4/12/10, via Media Matters]

In October 2010, Beck Stated That Hugo Chavez's "Idea" Of A "Civilian Militia" Is An Idea "From This [U.S.] President." During the October 4, 2010, edition of his radio show, Beck stated:

BECK: After the next election, I think your radicals on the left are going to gear up. Remember, what they do best is hurt people that are in power, cause tension, stir it up, antagonize, get into the streets. They're not good at ruling. They're good at causing trouble. Well that's what -- now it's time for that. And if you think that's crazy let me just tell you that Chavez has vowed to radicalize after the election. His election, they've just lost of -- he lost a lot of power and a lot of seats, and so he said, "Fine, we're going to turn up the heat." And they've gone more radical. I believe that's what's going to happen here. Chavez says there is a new civilian militia, a new civilian army that should be armed full-time. Well, I think I've heard that from the president of the United States -- that very idea from this president before the last election. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 10/4/10, via Media Matters]

In May 2011, Beck Offered Up "Civilian Defense Force" Theory As Evidence That Obama Hates The Police. From the May 11 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:

STU BURGUIERE (producer): You know, there are some people who would say this is just stupid, it's stupid. But there's some people who say of all the stuff we talk about with the administration, and you know, sometimes you can't figure out Barack Obama, but rarely does he seem to do anything that would make you believe the opposite of that he really sees cops in the negative light. He really sees them --

BECK: Only when they act stupidly.

BURGUIERE: No, I --

PAT GRAY (co-host): What racist hater would say something like that, Stu?

BURGUIERE: Some people. We're getting calls from tea party members who are pointing out

GRAY: Oh no, hang right on up on those people. 

BURGUIERE: that of all the things you say about this administration--

GRAY: Hang up on them.

BURGUIERE: man that one seems really to the core. That one seems really to the core. It seems like he's very consistent on coming out on the strange side of cop issues. Some tea party members are saying it.

BECK: They are the oppressors. They're the oppressors. 

BURGUIERE: Exactly.

BECK: They're the oppressors, the cops. You know what we need?

BURGUIERE: What's that?

BECK: Is we need a civilian defense force that is just as well-funded. That's not my words. I'm not saying that. I wouldn't want that. You know? But if you think that the cops are all out of control.

GRAY: Then maybe --

OBAMA [video clip]: We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.

GRAY: Maybe Common could head that civilian force up.  

BECK: No, I believe that will be headed up by Van Jones. 

[Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 5/11/11, via Media Matters]

New York Mag: Ailes Has Extensive Influence On GOP Politics, Thinks Palin Is An "Idiot"

by Media Matters staff

New York magazine is out with an extensive profile of Fox News chief Roger Ailes that details the significant role he plays in conservative politics. Furthering the evidence that Fox News is simply a campaign arm of the GOP, the piece quotes an anonymous Republican aide who states that "You can't run for the Republican nomination without talking to Roger," and notes that Ailes actively encouraged Republican Governor Chris Christie to run for president. Ailes also apparently doesn't think too highly of his employee, Sarah Palin, who, according to a source close to Ailes, he thinks "is an idiot." From the article:

A few months ago, Ailes called Chris Christie and encouraged him to jump into the race. Last summer, he'd invited Christie to dinner at his upstate compound along with Rush Limbaugh, and like much of the GOP Establishment, he fell hard for Christie, who nevertheless politely turned down Ailes's calls to run. Ailes had also hoped that David Petraeus would run for president, but Petraeus too has decided to sit this election out, choosing to stay on the counterterrorism front lines as the head of Barack Obama's CIA. The truth is, for all the antics that often appear on his network, there is a seriousness that underlies Ailes's own politics. He still speaks almost daily with George H. W. Bush, one of the GOP's last great moderates, and a war hero, which especially impresses Ailes.

All the 2012 candidates know that Ailes is a crucial constituency. "You can't run for the Republican nomination without talking to Roger," one GOPer told me. "Every single candidate has consulted with Roger." But he hasn't found any of them, including the adults in the room--Jon Huntsman, Mitch Daniels, Mitt Romney--compelling. "He finds flaws in every one," says a person familiar with his thinking.

"He thinks things are going in a bad direction," another Republican close to Ailes told me. "Roger is worried about the future of the country. He thinks the election of Obama is a disaster. He thinks Palin is an idiot. He thinks she's stupid. He helped boost her up. People like Sarah Palin haven't elevated the conservative movement."

The entire article is worth a read and includes revelations that Ailes threatened to quit in 2008 if News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch endorsed Barack Obama, and that Ailes thought that Obama's call for a new civilian corp meant that the president wanted to create a "national police force," a conspiracy theory that Glenn Beck has since adopted.

Check the whole thing out here.

Fox News executive disputes claim Roger Ailes thinks Sarah Palin ‘is an idiot’

By Eric W. Dolan

An executive of the Fox News Channel said Monday that Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes does not think poorly of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

In a profile of Ailes published online Sunday, the New York Magazine cited a "Republican close to Ailes" who claimed that Ailes though Palin was unintelligent and did nothing to "elevate the conservative movement."

“I know for a fact that Roger Ailes admires and respects Sarah Palin and thinks she is smart," Fox News Channel executive vice president of programming Bill Shine told the New York Times. "He also believes many members of the left-wing media are extremely terrified and threatened by her."

"Despite a massive effort to destroy Sarah Palin, she is still on her feet and making a difference in the political world," Shine added. "As for the ‘Republican close to Ailes’ for which the incorrect Palin quote is attributed, when Roger figures out who that is, I guarantee you he or she will no longer be ‘close to Ailes.’”

Boehlert On Ed Show: If Ailes Is "Ordering Them To Tone It Down, Is That An Admission That He Knew The Rhetoric Was Out Of Control?"

Fox Reporter: Ailes E-Mail Sought To 'Silence Me' In Discrimination Claim

by Joe Strupp

A Fox News reporter who has filed a federal claim of retaliation for an age and gender discrimination suit against Fox contends that CEO Roger Ailes sought to silence her in 2008 with a staff-wide e-mail urging employees not to complain.

In a declaration filed Nov. 19 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Catherine Herridge cited an e-mail sent by Ailes on Feb. 8, 2008, to employees that hinted complaining staffers were free to work elsewhere.

The portion of the Ailes' e-mail cited in the court filing:

...The best things about those days [the early days of Fox] were the...lack of complaints...But today I sometimes hear too much selfish complaining, petty whining, and a desire to have what someone else has... As I have always said, negative people make positive people sick...you should note that there are no locks on the outside of the doors keeping us here. I would never want to hold anyone back. I decided many years ago that I did not ever want to work with unhappy people because life is too short and the first 100 years in the ground is just the beginning...If you are happy, your work experience will be fulfilling and your colleagues will like you. If you are not happy, your fellow employees will avoid you... . Some people actually find it easier to achieve success than to handle it well once they have it.

The declaration was part of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's formal response to a Nov. 4 Fox motion to dismiss the case.

The original lawsuit brought by the EEOC on behalf of Herridge was filed Sept. 16.

The initial complaint stemmed from Herridge's claim that Fox officials retaliated against her for filing internal complaints against Fox for alleged age and gender discrimination back in 2006.

In her latest declaration, which appears to tie Ailes' e-mail to the internal investigation, Herridge states that after claiming she was losing assignments and potential anchor slots because of her age (43) and her gender she was the subject of retaliation.

Her declaration states, in part:

Beginning in or around December 2007, Senior VP [Dianne] Brandi began an internal investigation on behalf of Fox, into the allegations of discrimination that I made.

Around January 15, 2008, I restated my age and sex discrimination complaint to Ms. Brandi. Ms. Brandi told me that if I did not like how things were going that I was free to go (sic) the EEOC. Later, around February 7, 2008, I e-mailed Ms. Brandi and questioned her about her investigation and expressed concerns that Ms. Brandi's investigation was neither thorough nor impartial. Ms. Brandi had informed me that she had promised to keep CEO Ailes fully informed about her investigation into my discrimination complaint. The next day, February 8, 2008, CEO Ailes sent a company-wide email (the email was sent to the entire company, not just the D.C. Bureau).

Fox did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning.

Herridge adds in her declaration:

I received the email and felt that it was in direct response to my continued complaints of age and sex discrimination. I also believed that it was meant to silence me. However, I did not confront CEO Ailes about the e-mail to confirm my suspicion because I was intimidated by the e-mail and since Ms. Brandi had previously instructed me not to contact CEO Ailes directly regarding my complaint or the investigation.

She stated in the filing that Brandi later notified her on March 17, 2008, that Fox had found no evidence of discrimination.

Media Matters: Glenn Beck is the face of Fox News

by Sarah Pavlus

To those Fox News journalists who are reportedly "worried about the prospect that Beck is becoming the face of the network": Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes have picked a side in this fight -- and it's not yours.

For months, accounts of internal tension over Beck have been leaking out of Fox News. Back in March, media critic Howard Kurtz -- then with The Washington Post -- reported that "there is a deep split within Fox between those -- led by Chairman Roger Ailes -- who are supportive, and many journalists who are worried about the prospect that Beck is becoming the face of the network. ... Beck has become a constant topic of conversation among Fox journalists, some of whom say they believe he uses distorted or inflammatory rhetoric that undermines their credibility."

In an October New York Times Magazine profile of Beck, Mark Leibovich -- who noted the "[o]ff-the-record sniping shoots in both directions" and could be related to upcoming contract negotiations -- reported: "But the friction is evident in many areas." In addition to reporting -- like Kurtz -- that some Fox News journalists felt Beck's inflammatory rhetoric undermined the network, Leibovich introduced a new twist: Ailes' support for Beck may have been flagging.

Ailes, Leibovich wrote, "has generally been supportive of Beck," but he's also "complained about Beck's hawking his non-Fox ventures too much on his Fox show" and has been "vocal around the network about how Beck does not fully appreciate the degree to which Fox News has made him the sensation he has become in recent months."

With his ratings in a slump, advertisers dropping like flies, and the reported sniping from Ailes, it seemed possible that Beck's influence at Fox might wane.

Then Rupert Murdoch stepped in.

When asked at the News Corp. annual shareholders meeting later that month about Ailes' reported frustration with Beck's use of Fox News airwaves to promote his own brand and interests, Murdoch dismissed such concerns, saying, "I don't know whether you watch Fox News, but Mr. Beck is the least of our stars who take liberties in promoting their interests."

And Murdoch was unfazed when asked at the meeting about reports that nearly 300 advertisers are boycotting Glenn Beck, responding, "That's not true. ... Maybe four or five who have been moved over to Mr. O'Reilly's program. No one has taken any money off the channel."

But perhaps most surprising was Murdoch's unprompted praise for Beck in a November interview in his native Australia, which was paired with some trash-talking aimed at Fox News ratings giant Bill O'Reilly. O'Reilly's "easy" treatment of now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an interview was "disgraceful," Murdoch said. He then lavished Beck with praise:

There's a guy on Fox who started on CNN called Glenn Beck.

He is a little bit of an actor, he looks in the camera all the time. He's very genuine, extremely well-read libertarian, doesn't make any secret of it. He says don't trust the government, don't trust me, just trust yourselves.

He's hit a nerve. Millions -- millions -- watch him at five in the afternoon!

Never mind that these days, O'Reilly regularly pulls in well over a million more viewers in his 8 p.m. slot than Beck does in his 5 p.m. slot. Or that advertisers -- by Murdoch's own admission -- have moved from Beck's program to O'Reilly's. Beck is the one Murdoch brags about.

Is Murdoch out of touch with what is happening at his own network? Is his defense and praise of Beck an accident? That seems unlikely, given that he views the network as the jewel of his empire. When asked earlier this week by Fox Business' Liz Claman what News Corp.'s best growth market is, Murdoch said, "Our best growth engine right now is in this country." When Claman pressed for specifics, Murdoch immediately responded, "Fox Business. Fox News. Seriously."

He later noted "other cable channels" -- though not by name -- and gave "Fox Broadcasting Company" a shout-out, but it's clear that he believes financial future of News Corp. as a whole is tied closely to the financial future of Fox News.

Murdoch has quite consciously pushed Beck to the forefront at Fox News, and with him the type of paranoid, incendiary rhetoric and wild inaccuracies with which some Fox journalists are growing increasingly uncomfortable.

With a directive straight from the top of News Corp., Roger Ailes quickly fell back into line as Beck's key backer at Fox News.

Ailes came roaring back to Beck's defense this week in an interview with Kurtz after prominent Jewish leaders and Holocaust survivors condemned Beck's three-day attack on financier and philanthropist George Soros.

In the special series -- which ran from November 9th to 11th and was heavily promoted by Fox News -- Beck falsely accused Soros of being a Holocaust collaborator and repeatedly attacked Soros with anti-Semitic stereotypes, referring to him as a "puppet master" and accusing him of controlling the media, the political process, and the global economy.

Kurtz, now with The Daily Beast, reported that Ailes offered a "spirited defense" of Beck in the wake of his recent attacks on Soros, and that Ailes had even reached out to the Anti-Defamation League -- one of the groups that condemned Beck's "puppet master" series -- to smooth things over.

In fact, according to Kurtz's interview, Ailes' only real gripe with Beck seems to be that Beck criticizes Republicans too much. Ailes told Kurtz: "Beck trashes Republicans every night. I've said to him, 'Where the hell are you going to get your audience if you keep this up? You're trashing everyone.'"

Kurtz added: "There's one criticism that Ailes doesn't want to hear. He admonished the staff after unnamed Fox journalists told me they are worried that the divisive Beck is becoming the face of the network. 'Yeah, shut up,' says Ailes. 'You're getting a paycheck. Go on the team or get off the team. Don't run around here badmouthing a colleague.'"

Indeed, Murdoch and Ailes have made their game plan for Fox News increasingly clear with their constant Beck boosterism. And ironically, Ailes' analysis of Jon Stewart in his interview with Kurtz seems to best apply to Fox News and Ailes himself:

"If it wasn't polarized, he couldn't make a living." ... "He loves polarization. He depends on it. If liberals and conservatives are all getting along, how good would that show be? It'd be a bomb.'"

Fox's Obama "socialism" smear comes straight from the top

From Media Matters

In an interview, Fox News chairman Roger Ailes referred to President Obama's policies as "socialism." Ailes' opinion is shared by his Fox News employees, who regularly characterize President Obama and his administration as "socialist."

Ailes smears Obama's "socialism"

Ailes: Obama was "told by the French and the Germans that his socialism was too far left." From Howard Kurtz' November 17 Daily Beast article:

"The president has not been very successful," the Fox News chairman says in a lengthy interview. "He just got kicked from Mumbai to South Korea, and he came home and attacked Republicans for it. He had to be told by the French and the Germans that his socialism was too far left for them to deal with."

The 70-year-old Ailes, dressed in a lavender shirt and tie, goes on in this vein, saying the network isn't singling out Obama for criticism but that its style "tends to be more direct" in challenging presidents. Then he offers this observation about Obama:

"He just has a different belief system than most Americans."

That seems a rather loaded phrase--different belief system--even if you strongly disagree with most of Obama's policies. It fits the view of those who are trying to paint the president as being outside the mainstream. But from the big second-floor office at Fox's Midtown Manhattan headquarters, it's the rest of the media that are using a distorted lens.

Gibbs responds: Ailes comments not "surprising" given Fox's programming

Gibbs: "if you watch most of the programming on that channel, I don't think you would find" Ailes' comments "surprising." Politico reported later on November 17:

Fox News chairman Roger Ailes's criticisms of President Obama aren't "surprising" and are similar to the views expressed on the channel, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday. "I think if you watch most of the programming on that channel, I don't think you would find many of those comments surprising," Gibbs told reporters at the White House.

Fox News regularly attacks Obama and his administration as "socialist"

All of the following examples (accessed via Nexis) are from the last three months alone.

O'Reilly: Democrats push "quasi-socialistic agenda." On the November 5 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly said: "[I]f the far left elements continue to control the Democratic Party, the president doomed. Most Americans reject the quasi-socialistic agenda they put out, but people like Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank will never admit that and so tension remains inside the Democratic Party."

Hannity: Obama has done "so much damage with his failed socialist policies" On the October 26 edition of Hannity, Sean Hannity said: "I remember when I interviewed Rush [Limbaugh] at the beginning of the Obama presidency and he said I want him to fail. It made all that news. You know what, I don't want his policies to succeed. I want him out of -- I want him to be a one term president because he's doing so much damage with his failed socialist policies."

Hannity hosted Kurtz to discuss his Obama socialism smear book. On the October 18 edition of his Fox News program, Hannity hosted Stanley Kurtz to discuss Kurtz's book, Radical in Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism. Hannity opened the interview by saying, "Now it is interesting because when conservatives such as myself and others pointed out that we felt Barack Obama had radical ties and socialist, radical views, we were laughed at, made fun of." Hannity then asked Kurtz, "Were we right?" Kurtz replied, "When I started researching Barack Obama's history after two years probing the archives, I realized that you and all the people who said he was socialist were absolutely right," adding, "Really the book that I've written vindicates what you have been saying for the last three years."

Beck: Obama "has aligned himself with these radical socialists." On the September 29 edition of his Fox News show, Beck said, "The president has aligned himself with these radical socialists. Fact. They're radical Marxist. They're militant communists. Fact." He later added, "[T]he fact is, you cannot be with radical socialist, communists and be also, you know, mom and Chevrolet and apple pie and baseball, you -- you can't. It's one or the other. That's the fact."

Beck: Obama was "left of the socialists" in the Senate. On his September 28 Fox News show, Beck said there was "strong evidence" during the 2008 election that Obama was "a socialist," adding that Obama was the "most liberal senator in 2007... past the socialist, left of the socialists. That's pretty good hint that this guy is a radical." Beck later addressed Obama: "So, what is it? Are you a socialist or not? Will you denounce socialism as a failure that it is -- or not?"

Beck directs audience to his website to "see the top 20 examples of Obama socialist ties." On the September 20 edition of his Fox News show, Beck said, "I need you to see the top 20 examples of Obama socialist ties. Go to TheBlaze.com and see it there."

Morris: Obama is "proposing socialist-style programs in the United States." On the September 17 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, political analyst Dick Morris explained high favorability ratings for Obama in Europe by saying, "They want to preserve those benefits. And as long as the United States is a free-wheeling capitalist, free-market economy, they can't, because the capital will leave Europe and go to America. So when Obama proposing socialist-style programs in the United States, they're happy because it means they can get away with them in their own country."

Varney calls Obama's economic polices "socialism" and "un-American." On the September 3 edition of Hannity, Stuart Varney claimed that "[w]e've had an 18-month experiment with American socialism" and that "we do not like it, we want to reverse it." He also claimed that the economic policies enacted in the past 18 months were "un-American."

M.C.L. Comment This is was the same network that wanted to make it a federal offense if you say anything about George W.Bush but these bastards can now call the President of the United States anything they want.. Half these twits wouldn't know what socialism is if it popped them in the mouth.

After calling health care reform unconstitutional, Ailes declares: ‘I don’t do politics, I do the news.’

By Matt Corley

Yesterday, while speaking at the Ritz-Carlton Naples Golf Resort during an event hosted by the Ave Maria School of Law, Fox News President Roger Ailes took shots at his cable news rivals and attacked the health care legislation signed by President Obama. “It doesn’t seem constitutional to me to have the government tell you you have to buy something,” said Ailes. He told a reporter after the talk, “I don’t do politics, I do the news.” Nevertheless, when Ailes was asked how Republicans could win in November, he responded, “We have got to get back to the Constitution.” In a separate interview with a local Fox affiliate, Ailes defended Fox’s conservative content, saying, “We think we are fair and balanced. We think the others aren’t.” Watch it:

In his interview with the local Florida affiliate, Ailes also defended Fox over the recent scandal involving Sean Hannity and the Cincinnati Tea Party. “Sometimes mistakes happen,” said Ailes. “If they happen, you go on the air quickly, say this is what happened, this is what we did and keep moving. And that’s what we do.” According to a ThinkProgress review of his show’s transcripts, Hannity has yet to address on-air Fox’s decision to cancel his appearance at the Cincinnati Tea Party.