Sarah Palin, Roger Ailes, and the Murdoch Kids – The End of Fox News As We Know It?
From our “It's the Media, Stupid….” file: Here is a tasty morsel we found on Huffpo about what is going on behind the scenes at Faux News. This could spell good news for the return of truth and accuracy in broadcast journalism, and quite possibly the end of Fox as we know it…. Can it possibly be true that Roger Ailes is being shown the door at Faux News?
We're trying not to get our hopes up, but it does call to mind the old Far Side cartoon where the clothes dryer door is open, there is an arrow pointing to the door, a cat is approaching it, and the dog is behind the door thinking, “oh please, oh please…”
by Michael Wolff at Huffingtonpost.com
Part of Roger Ailes' master plan at Fox News and grand design for American politics is to get as many potential Republican candidates for president as he can on his payroll. Hence, Sarah Palin signed on yesterday as a Fox contributor.
Ailes has several operations going here. He wants to be a kingmaker – actually, he believes he is a kingmaker. He believes that conservative candidates are successful when they take up the Fox line (not vice versa)–and that they will be more successful if they follow his advice. He has, on several occasions, gotten in journalism-ethics trouble for seeming to advise conservative politicians. He solves that problem if they are his employees. He can be their personal political tutor; he's the director. Indeed, he's the boss. It should not be underestimated how good he is at this job. He can shape an incredible performance. And, finally, he wants to be paid for this. The tragedy of the political consultant, which Ailes once was, working for Nixon and Reagan, is that consultants can never fully monetize their success. Ailes has solved that problem: He's turned conservative politics into a paying show.
All this comprises an astounding development in American politics.
But the even larger development is that Ailes was fired on Sunday. Matthew Freud – the son-in-law of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch – claiming to representing the controlling shareholders of News Corp., which owns Fox News, said Ailes is, in essence, a contemptible grotesque whose association soiled the company.
News Corp. issued a statement…. saying that Freud’s opinions were his own—a tepid, even non-committal response to a bombshell. (click here to read the entire story at Huffpo)
and…
Michael Wolff at
Newser.com There are, practically speaking, now two factions inside of News Corp., Ailes and Fox News, and the Murdoch children—with Rupert caught between them. Ailes is the big money maker inside of News Corp.—all the more meaningful during a recession and when his boss, Rupert Murdoch, has hitched his star to the newspaper business and the failing Wall Street Journal—and Ailes’ power has risen accordingly (this summer and fall he helped push out COO Peter Chernin and Rupert’s flack and aide, Gary Ginsberg—both Democrats). But he can’t last against the enmity of Rupert’s children.Murdoch sometimes tries to resist his children; he believes, for the sake of the dollar, he sometimes must. But he thinks they are the most brilliant people on earth and he is desperate to be loved and adored by them (as they are by him). And, what’s more, he’ll shortly be 79—and shortly the four votes of his four adult children will control the company (and Ailes’ fate). Also, his wife, Wendi, hates Ailes. Indeed, Rupert himself doesn’t like Ailes—except for the money he makes him. (One curious question is whether Rupert knew in advance about the Freud statement—that is, whether it’s Rupert himself dissing Ailes.)
Of course, in the short term, Ailes will retaliate for the public diss.
The process of losing your job at News Corp. takes about a year. They talk about you, and isolate you, and then you understand that you’ve been exiled from the tribe.
Roger Ailes may think he’s going to be the kingmaker in the next election, except he’s just been toppled. That’s the biggest news in American politics. (click here to read the entire article at newser.com)
And we digress, but we want to share something funny we heard on the Stephanie Miller show today:
On Palin: “…you rarely see her on Glenn Beck because with that much crazy in the room, the place just might implode…”
Contact your local Glenn Beck-carrying station. Ask them to add the progressive Stephanie Miller show.
These Iowa stations all carry Glenn Beck:
Burlington KCPS-AM 1150 Ph (319)754-6698/email kcps@aol.com
Des Moines KWQW-FM 98.3 Ph (515)331-9200/email webform
Fort Dodge KVFD-AM 1400 Ph (515)955-5656/email pkolar@kiaq.threeeagles.com
Sioux City KSCJ-AM 1360 Ph (712)239-2100/email sarthur@powelliowa.com
Spencer KICD-AM 1240 Ph (712)262-1240/email dputnam@ncn.net
Waterloo KXEL-AM 1540 Ph (800)584-7024/email tim@radiogroup.net
Write – call – e-mail – go visit – your local Glenn Beck-carrying station. If they won't listen, complain to the new, Obama-appointed, public interest-friendlier FCC
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