Should the FCC look into whether Fox News is really news?

[babylonsister]

http://mediamatters.org/blog/200911200035


Should the FCC look into whether Fox News is really news?

November 20, 2009 4:05 pm ET by Eric Boehlert


John Amato at Crooks and Liars thinks so. His angle? With Fox News now routinely getting caught doctoring video and airing the misleading clips in its news reports, Amato thinks Rupert Murdoch's 'news' channel might be running afoul of FCC regulations.

Specifically, Amato points to this FCC language:

“Hoaxes. The Commission's prohibition against the broadcast of hoaxes is set forth at Section 73.1217 of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R. § 73.1217.

This rule prohibits broadcast licensees or permittees from broadcasting false information concerning a crime or a catastrophe if: (1) the licensee knows this information is false; (2) it is foreseeable that broadcast of the information will cause substantial public harm; and (3) broadcast of the information does in fact directly cause substantial public harm.

[Kitsune]

1. The FCC doesn't regulate cable. *nt*

[thereismore]

2. Fox news = false advertising. There are laws against that. Unfortunately, they do

report some news, so it would be hard to get them on it.

[dysfunctional press]

7. is there a legal definition of 'news' that they are not in accordance with?

:shrug:

they can call themselves whatever they choose.

[ConnorMarc]

3. Yes...They Should

But, sadly...they won't.

The media and many other institutions are sadly still quite afraid of the voices from the Right.

[timeforpeace]

4. No need . White House says they're not. I assume President Obama said as much in his Fox News

interview.

[HopeHoops]

5. FUCK NO - everyone with an IQ greater than their shoe size knows it is propaganda.

No intelligent person would bother to consider it in the realm of "news".

[Ruby the Liberal]

6. MediaMatters and Crooks & Liars should know better.

This is a CABLE station. FCC has no jurisdiction.

[FreeJG]

8. Congress IS the iron fist over cable industry...let me explain...

case example:

Conspiracy of Silence

A documentary scheduled to be aired, listed in all the TV Guides around the US for a Sunday at 8pm on the Discovery Channel was pulled two hour prior to airtime. A payment was made for the cost of production and to destroy all copies. Or else, a committee in Congress threatened them with fees they would never be able to pay. You can read the story in a book called The Franklin Cover Up, written by state senator John DeCamp. The story of boys used, including those from Father's Flannigan's Boys Town were used, for pedophiles in government. The story went all the way up to the White House, the Reagan/Bush white house...and accusations of HW Bush being a pedophile. Many in office are compromised this way...know you no why NOTHING ever changes, no matter who is in charge. You can see a old copy of the movie...it's a grainy copy all over the Internet....Here is a link for you...
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=conspiracy+of+silence&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#q=conspiracy+of+silence&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f&qvid=conspiracy+of+silence&vid=866739408240639313

Conspiracy of Silence
A BBC Documentary

Conspiracy of Silence - Highest Quality Version
51:48 - 2 years ago video.google.com

This is the best quality version of Conspiracy of Silence available on the Internet. The sound is greatly improved over the earlier version. This is a video made which delves ... video.google.com

[dysfunctional press]

9. what crime or catastrophe have they knowingly published false info about?

that rule seems to be about specific incidents.

[Blue For You]

10. The best way to deal with Fox News is to cancel cable/satellite

programming. Anyone that supports Fox through a cable/satellite package is enabling them to spew their lies and propaganda. Nothing happens on a given day that can't be covered on 30 minutes of evening news.

[Codeine]

11. Fox News is none of the FCC's business.

FCC regulates broadcast media, not cable.

[Generic Other]

12. is sarah palin technically a crime or a catastrophe?

I think she's a catastrophe, but I guess it all depends on one's definition of the term.

[Capn Sunshine]

13. Can't-- Fox Lies are covered under the First Amendment

Fox sued and won the right to lie some time ago.
Their argument before the Apellate Court was based in the First Amendment