Fox News' Roger Ailes: "Tone it Down"

Getty Images/Peter Kramer

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Tuscon, Ariz. that left six dead and 14 injured, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Fox News President Roger Ailes is saying that his network and others in politics and the media need to "tone it down."

In an interview with Russell Simmons, published today by Simmons' website Global Grind, Ailes addressed the tragedy and the partisan rhetoric some say is to blame for the incident.

Ailes to some extent defended Sarah Palin's use of crosshairs imagery during the 2010 campaign, arguing that such rhetoric was not uncommon in politics. Palin has come under criticism in the wake of the shooting for having created a "target list" of lawmakers she hoped to unseat, including Giffords. Palin released a map featuring the 20 targeted House Democrats that used crosshairs to show their districts.

"They're using this thing... apparently there was a map from one of Palin's things that had [Giffords] targeted district," Ailes said. "So, we looked at the Internet and the first thing we found in 2007, the Democrat Party had a targeted map with targets on it for the Palin district. These maps have been used for for years that I know of."

But Ailes called the use of such imagery "bulls**t" and said "both sides are wrong, but they both do it."

"I told all of our guys, shut up, tone it down, make your argument intellectually," the Fox News president said. "You don't have to do it with bombast. I hope the other side does that."

Complete Coverage: Tragedy in Tucson

33 Photos

Congresswoman Shot in Arizona

[123wen]

Just in Sarah Palin will not be returning to TLC for 2011....
It was stated that she has a new show on Fox, similar to "Jeopardy" called " Are you Smarter than Sarah Palin..Wink(logo is an winking eye)..the only differance is that the contestants are younger than five..I say good luck chaching

[crazyname]

If the ignoramises listend to conservative talk radio and Fox they are not calling people to arms, thatis what the left tells you and you believe it. They offer the other side of what the left wants you to believe to be true and right, when they are stuffing gullable people with double speak while they have their hands in your wallets and your kids wallets, and their kids wallets. How many of you dems know that the dems have doubled the nation debt in 2 years of the Obama admnistration. The national media will not tell you that.

[GoGoUsa]

your kidding right? Bush and deregulation of the mortgage markets had nothing to do with it? People who watch FOX know nothing but distortions. Amazing, yet true.

[crazyname]

Libs use anything to jump on conservatives, teapartiers, republicans and anybody else that opposes their views. They use anything theycan to further their adjenda. I am sure they wil try to get mileage out of this by attacking talk radio, Palin, gun loby and whever else the can attack. The need to start attacking lawyers and the laws made that protect the criminals by givint them rights not deserved. There must be millions of criminals released who should be locked up for life, young and old. You can't have a safe society when the criminals have more rights than the general public has.

[northpark2]

Today in the public spotlight anything you say will be heard. It'll be tweeted, blogged or reported online. 15 years ago, being a NY citizen I would have had to really dig to know the inappropriate things Sharon Angle said during her campaign. Now that kind of news finds me and many others. We need to be sensitive to that fact.

[Calendular]

On this issue, I agree with Mr. Ailes. If all factions abandoned partisanship and focused on love of country (something every American can agree on) then a more productive and harmonious atmosphere might develop.

[northpark2]

I saw Hannity last night all up in arms about previous quotes from democrats in past elections that are much like the one's Sharon Angle uses. The things is that we've progressed in media outlets significantly where we get to hear the crazy things that are said all the time. 15 years ago, I probably wouldnt have even know the crazy things Sharon Angle said during her election. Just like I didnt hear the crazy things said at previous elections...

[BuckeyeChuck]

These radicals on the right try to justify there hate and lies by saying someone else did it first, show me?

They lie for one reason only it makes them money!

[TobyPogi]

Yeah,Insanity oops.. I mean Hannity is the most angry pathetic right winger of Fox Fix News. I wonder if no more Liberals and Democrat around for him to attack. I think Murdick wouldn't need him anymore. See how Idiot this Haniity is ,he should thankful for the Liberal does exist for him to attack. Otherwise, he's unemployed.

[lawkwfl]

You're making me laugh, radicals on the right? You must have missed all the Bury the POTUS talk during the Bush years, or the noose around the effigy of Palin in Washington State last Halloween, or Van Jones publicly declaring his hope for a revolution, Maddow and Olberman trashing the GOP on a nightly basis, the list goes on.

[cgallaway]

I think Ailes has told a little white lie....he said that the Dems in 2007 had a cross hair symbol on Palin's district......I didn't know Palin had a congressional district, considering she's never been a congress person...either at the federal or state level.

[GoGoUsa]

I looked all over for that website and did not find anything.

[Cattzen]

Most Americans do not have the time to view Fox News 24 hours a day 7 days a week. But, there are that extreme minority of individuals that will obsess and fanatically rely on a rigid diet of Right Wing Propaganda only and, could be as evident, susceptible to suggestion or call to arms as if the Network is speaking to them specifically.

[GoGoUsa]

The sad thing is that more people watch Dancing with the Stars than Hannity or Beck yet the FOX News audience is treated in the media as representational of the country as a whole. They are not.

[Rodeo_Joe]

Stop Hate-Talk.

Vote with your Remote.