From the world of fair and balancedness, Sean Hannity came out to help Rudy Giuliani raise some cash this month in Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago. Of course any pundit/commentator is free to do whatever they like for any candidate under the sun, but spare me the bullshit about Sean being even-keeled on the issues. He is a certified winger that is loved by his wingnut followers. Even Rudy Giuliani likes to swim in the same mud that Hannity cooks up.
From The Daily News:
In a little noticed event this month, Hannity - co-host of Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes" and host of a popular WABC radio show - introduced the Republican front-runner at a closed-door, $250-per-head fund-raiser Aug. 9 in Cincinnati, campaign officials acknowledge.
In so doing, some believe that Hannity - while clearly a commentator paid to express his opinions - crossed the line from punditry into financial rainmaking for a presidential candidate whose bottom line is now better for it.
"Fox's in-kind contribution to Republican politicians in the form of softball coverage is one thing," said Steve Rendall, senior analyst at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, a left-leaning media watchdog group. "But this is the first time they have crossed this line into fund-raising."
Fox News' Bill Shine, Fox's senior vice president of programming says that Hannity is not a journalist (thanks Sherlock!) so he can do whatever he pleases. But when the shoe is on the other foot (as in the case of Dan Rather attending a Dem fundraiser in 2001), others at Fox News have cried out in agony, like one of my favorites over there, the Loofah King himself:
"Now Rather gave a speech at a fund-raiser, so money changed hands. I mean, I wouldn't do that," O'Reilly said on his own Fox show, "The O'Reilly Factor."
Hannity's leanings for Giuliani have been well-documented. The Hotline, a political journal, has noted that through July 15, Giuliani had enjoyed 115 minutes of free face time on Fox - more than half of that on "Hannity & Colmes." His airtime on Fox was 25% higher than any other Republican candidate, data show.
The Aug. 9 fund-raiser where Hannity worked the crowd for Giuliani, held at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in downtown Cincinnati, was closed to the press. No known recording of his comments exist.
Seems like another typical day for Fox News and its many personalities. Is there really anyone out there that still thinks this network offers real journalism?
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