Bizarre, Media, Politics, Society

Fair and Balanced . . . and Staged? Fox Producer Found Rallying 9/12 Protesters

Fox News has announced that it has punished a producer who is captured on this video rallying crowds in a 9/12 protest. According to Huffington Post, the employee is Fox News producer Heidi Noonan.


Here is the clip from Fox on the make-up of the crowd:

It is not clear whether Fox is equally concerned over the rallying conduct of the reporter.

This involvement of journalists in protests has occurred on the left as well as the right, here. Other reporters succeed in being both drunk as well as biased, here.

For the story, click here.

35 thoughts on “Fair and Balanced . . . and Staged? Fox Producer Found Rallying 9/12 Protesters”

  1. When I see the stagehands exposed behind the curtain of the propaganda machine, it reminds me of Chomsky’s comments over the years on the false choices presented to Americans. People really do believe that the two parties are somehow in diametrical opposition to each other. As a result, we quickly endorse and overvalue “bipartisanship” as something inherently moderate and reasoned between these two so-called extremes. While the screaming between Left and Right (or Republican and Democrat) reaches a fever pitch, real choices are never even discussed.

    http://www.stumbleupon.com/s/#2lRDo4/www.chomsky.info/interviews/20081010.htm/topic:Politics

    SPIEGEL: So for you, Republicans and Democrats represent just slight variations of the same political platform?

    Chomsky: Of course there are differences, but they are not fundamental. Nobody should have any illusions. The United States has essentially a one-party system and the ruling party is the business party.

    SPIEGEL: You exaggerate. In almost all vital questions — from the taxation of the rich to nuclear energy — there are different positions. At least on the issues of war and peace, the parties differ considerably. The Republicans want to fight in Iraq until victory, even if that takes a 100 years, according to McCain. The Democrats demand a withdrawal plan.

    Chomsky: Let us look at the “differences” more closely, and we recognize how limited and cynical they are. The hawks say, if we continue we can win. The doves say, it is costing us too much. But try to find an American politician who says frankly that this aggression is a crime: the issue is not whether we win or not, whether it is expensive or not. Remember the Russian invasion of Afghanistan? Did we have a debate whether the Russians can win the war or whether it is too expensive? This may have been the debate at the Kremlin, or in Pravda. But this is the kind of debate you would expect in a totalitarian society…

  4. eniobob,

    Here is another quote:

    “People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster”

    James Baldwin

  6. “We used to be a nation in which the Arab would share with the Turkman and the Kurd and the Assyrian and the Sabean and the Yazid his daily bread. And the Shia would pray with the Sunni in one line. And the Muslim would celebrate with the Christian the birthday of Christ. This despite the fact that we shared hunger under sanctions for more than a decade.

    Our patience and our solidarity did not make us forget the oppression. But the invasion divided brother from brother, neighbour from neighbour. It turned our homes into funeral tents.”

    We can stop this from happening, but only by staying calm, staying informed and sceptical and purging the desire for turning on our neighbors from our hearts.

  7. There seems to be a great deal of manipulation of our population going on right now. If you couple that with the economic situation, you have a very dangerous situation. I believe our ruling elite knows quite well what everyone’s hot botton issues are. They are using them to turn us against each other and keep us from either focusing on who’s really screwing us over (them) or more importantly, joining forces to combat the screwing over of the poor, the working class and the middle class.

    I want to quote from one paragraph written by the man who threw the shoe at Bush in Iran. If you think neighbor cannot be turned against neighbor in the US, think again. We must refuse this strategy. We have to work with other people. Diplomacy is the way out–that means sitting at the table with people you think are evil and insane. It’s what some Jews and Palestinians do, It’s how they resolved things in Ireland and it’s the only way the U.S. will avoid complete social disentegration as described in Iraq:

    Here’s the link and I will post the quote in the next box.

    http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/09/18-5

  8. Just for the record, I read buddhas’ post suggesting I was either republican or a staunch supporter of the Bush/Cheney Administration. I voted for President Obama and am a Democrat. I have voted republican before, but I vote for the man, not necessariliy the party…

  9. Bdaman, I live in SoCal, I have caught Univision and Telemundo. This is how I have become bilingual living in the great state of California!

  11. It appears Ms Noonan was on the phone getting directions from someone. It’s obvious she wasn’t having a conversation.

  15. Hey, look at some of the cuties that work at “FOX”. I watch this network because some of the pretties women on TV make ham-handed attempts at journalism. What’s that song by the Eagles, “Dirty Laundry”……

  16. Methinks Ms. Noonan isn’t being punished for rallying the crowd–but for getting caught on film while rallying the crowd.

    Heidi couldn’t be a relative of Peggy–“Some things in life need to be mysterious”–Noonan by any chance, could she?

  17. I get into many an argument with friends that believe FOX is “fair and balanced.” They also tell me that the Networks and CNN are liberal. Many of them say they voted for President Obama, so what can you do? I must admit that with all my years of therapy and as a therapist, I see red when I hear stuff like that and have to make an effort not to snarl in reply.

  19. One would think that Ms. Noonan would be applauded for her efforts. After all, Fox put a lot of time and money into orchestrating these things. They ought to be able to get a little bang for the buck.

  20. Balanced news went out when Ronald Reagen became president. But as the last words that Ollie North wanted to hear: “I do not recall” after he was charged with that infamous crime called the Iran Contra Affair. But then again, I may not be able to recall either as that was the 80’s.

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