Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Cheeriest story of the year: City of Paris to sue Fox News … by gimleteye

I've been advocating that people turn off Fox News for a long, long time. No other media operation has been so destructive of democracy that the unfair and unbalanced network owned by Rupert Murdoch and run by Roger Ailes. Nevertheless, the fear, hysteria and baiting that is the core driver of Fox News programming is highly successful with white, lower and middle class America and advertisers who covet Fox's market share.

After the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, Fox sensed a great marketing opportunity in once again pressing the popular panic button, and charged off in the direction of alerting viewers to the Holy War brewing in European capitals with Muslims to blame.

Paris came under Fox's hysterical eye; a city under siege according to Fox with "no go" zones patrolled by radicals. It was a theme resonant of the network's general disdain for all things "French" including French fries.

As a result, the City of Paris is going to sue Fox News and I couldn't be more delighted.

Fox News network has been subject of ridicule by comics in the US. "The Daily Show with John Stewart" has an entire team of writers and researchers mining comedic and ratings gold from Fox's blatant lies. Anything that gets more Americans to understand what crap Fox pushes gets a favorable vote from Eye On Miami.

Politico: City of Paris to sue Fox News
By DYLAN BYERS | 1/20/15 12:13 PM EST
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is planning to sue Fox News for its inaccurate reports on Muslim "no go zones," she told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday.

"When we're insulted, and when we've had an image, then I think we'll have to sue, I think we'll have to go to court, in order to have these words removed," Hidalgo told Amanpour in an interview. "The image of Paris has been prejudiced, and the honor of Paris has been prejudiced."

When asked to clarify which network she planned "to take to court and sue," Hidalgo replied: “Fox News, that’s the name.”

Hidalgo's remarks come after Fox News ran multiple reports describing areas of Paris (and England) that were governed by Sharia law and off-limits to non-Muslims. The network has since apologized for making "regrettable errors on air regarding the Muslim population in Europe—particularly with regard to England and France."

"This applies especially to discussions of so-called 'no-go zones,' areas where non-Muslims allegedly aren't allowed in, and police supposedly won't go," anchor Julie Banderas said in one on-air apology. "To be clear, there is no formal designation of these zones in either country, and no credible information to support the assertion there are specific areas in these countries that exclude individuals based solely on their religion."

Fox News has yet to weigh in on the matter, and spokesperson Irena Briganti has yet to respond to a request for comment.

Fox News' coverage of the "no go zones" was widely mocked by Parisian comedy programs such as Le Petit Journal, France's equivalent to The Daily Show. One segment featured Le Petit Journal staff visiting the "no go zones" in question, only to find typical Parisian citizens living typical Parisian lives.

UPDATE (4:33 p.m.): Fox News EVP Michael Clemente has issued the following statement:

"We empathize with the citizens of France as they go through a healing process and return to everyday life. However, we find the Mayor’s comments regarding a lawsuit misplaced."

3 comments:

Jswcat said...

Again, "Fixed" news for the 1%

Anonymous said...

MSNBC is no Better but of course you like what they have to say. I Don't Watch FOX I Don't Watch MSNBC, I watch CNN sparingly. It's no longer news its entertainment and not very good at that.

Gimspierre once again you show your true revolutionary colors by advocating against freedom of expression. The Jacobin's and Sans Culottes are proud.

Anonymous said...

Since Fox News is part of the entertainment arm of Murdock's empire, are they subject to the same libel issues as a real news station would be?