Monday, October 20, 2008

Another Right Wing Hack And Washed Up Journalist Join Fox News

As far as talent goes, Fox does very well if you count the ability to sell your soul and bash Democrats for personal gain. O'Reilly, Hannity, Doocy and the rest already do a fantastic job at spreading the propaganda for Murdoch, Ailes and the entire VRWC. In the past week, Fox News has announced two more additions that fit in nicely with their particular brand of news. One is Bush Administration lackey that went to jail to protect her sources from being implicated as traitors to our country and the other is just an extremist goofball put on the wrong network.

From ThinkProgress:

Today, the Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz reveals that Fox News has hired former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who will be an on-air analyst and write stories for Fox’s website:

“She has a very impressive résumé,” says Senior Vice President John Moody. “We’ve all had stories that didn’t come out exactly as we had hoped. It’s certainly something she’s going to be associated with for all time, and there’s not much anyone can do about that, but we want to make use of the tremendous expertise she brings on a lot of other issues. … She has explained herself and she has nothing to apologize for.

Miller, however, had more problems than her stories not turning out “exactly” as she had “hoped.” Miller has been a willing participant in the Bush administration’s quest to peddle lies to the American public. She was a key player in pushing false intelligence that led the public into the Iraq war, and was central to the Valerie Plame leak scandal.

On Sept. 7, 2002, she and fellow New York Times reporter Michael Gordon reported that Iraq had “stepped up its quest for nuclear weapons and has embarked on a worldwide hunt for materials to make an atomic bomb.” As proof, she cited unnamed “American intelligence experts” and unnamed “Bush administration officials.” Subsequently, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, and Donald Rumsfeld all pointed to Miller’s story as justification for war. On April 22, 2003, she told PBS’s Newshour that WMD had already been found in Iraq: “Well, I think they found something more than a ’smoking gun.’

Glenn Beck's problem was that he was pouring Kool-Aid for a network who's primary viewers who prefer reality over right wing talking points delivered with what passes for humor. He should do much better at Fox where many that tune already have extra large straws for that sweet, sugary concoction.

Judith Miller's "analysis" will go nicely with the other hacks at Fox. She had no problem parroting what the GOP whispered in her ear while at the Times so listening to Roger Ailes and regurgitating that should go swimmingly. When it comes to hiring credible journalists, the "fair and balanced" Fox News shows their willingness to counter other news outlets that are more in tune with the reality-based world.