Political Hotsheet
By

Leigh Ann Caldwell /

CBS News/ May 30, 2012, 8:44 PM

Fox News under fire for campaign ad-style anti-Obama video

WH addresses arming Syrian opposition, engaging Russia
(CBS News) Fox News is under fire for a campaign ad-style four-minute video highly critical of President Obama, which ran twice on the cable channel's morning program "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday morning.

Co-host Gretchen Carlson introduced the video, saying "let's take a look back" at the president's term with the graphic "looking back at four years of 'change'" on the bottom of the television screen.

The video opens with crowds chanting "O-ba-ma," followed by words on the screen saying "Fox & Friends presents 'Hope and Change.'"

About 30 seconds in, ominous music begins and continues throughout the entire video that is interspersed with Mr. Obama's speeches and dire-sounding news anchors talking about the debt, the economy and the cost of gas.

At the end of the ad, the three co-hosts thank producer Chris White for doing a "great job" and the "tremendous amount of research" put into creating the video.

The video was posted on the Fox News website earlier in the day, but it appears to have been taken down.

Liberal media watch-dog group Media Matters, which is often critical of Fox News, first drew attention to the segment. A blog post that contains the video says, "While Fox & Friends has long been a home for some of the most vicious, misleading, petty, and dishonest attacks on President Obama, they crossed a new ethical line today by producing and airing what is essentially a four-minute anti-Obama attack ad."

Meanwhile, conservative blogger Ed Morrissey did not jump to Fox News' defense, writing in his Hot Air blog: "If anyone wanted to look for evidence that the overall Fox News organization intends to campaign against Obama rather than cover the campaign, this video would be difficult to refute as evidence for that claim."

In response to the controversy, Fox News Executive Vice President of Programming Bill Shine released a statement to TV Newser: "The package that aired on FOX & Friends was created by an associate producer and was not authorized at the senior executive level of the network. This has been addressed with the show's producers."

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
193 Comments Add a Comment
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AjentOranje says:
Oh cry us a river CBS. You've been in the bag for the Democrats forever, and are nothing more than a mouthpiece for Obama.

All you do is post lies and BS about Republicans and Fox. And you take the radical left wing Media Matters as your source?

Good lord you are pathetic.
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slownewsday_6000 says:
by tafhdyd May 31, 2012 5:02 PM EDT
The largest percentage of those watching Fox are only watching for the novelty of it or to see how far off of reality the right is. I agree with slownews on this one, it makes it real easy to stir up my right wing friends.

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What's kind of sad is that they all parrot the same thing, but if you ask a related question for which they haven't yet been instructed by Fox and Rush to answer, their faces go completely blank!

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slownewsday_6000 replies:
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I have, many times, which is why I made my statement.
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slownewsday_6000 says:
by hillzhavays May 31, 2012 5:06 PM EDT
I'm sure that a small number of highly motivated liberals watch Fox and listen to Rush so they can get all indignant and riled up, ranting about all the "lies".

I can't say I like all the distortions put forth by Obama's networks, but I don't bother watching them. It usually just takes a cursory look around to see that reality doesn't reflect their stories much.

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I know many liberals who watch Fox, in order to know what lies and distortions to expect. Personally, I'm libertarian, and still can't believe the lack of sanity on Fox "News".

It is better called "Fox Opinion Channel".

You say you judge some other network you don't watch.... hmmmm. Are you a magician, perhaps?
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ge556 replies:
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You don't have to be a magician to have uninformed opinions.
slownewsday_6000 replies:
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Spot on, ge556!!
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lovethiscountry says:
The video was great!!
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slownewsday_6000 replies:
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I can't wait to see them be Fair and Balanced when they come out with their Romney video!
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metairieman55 says:
Damn you, Fox News. How dare you tell the truth and go against everything the MSM--ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, et. al., is telling us to believe. Have you no shame? Next you'll probably start telling us some stupid things said by Biden, Pelosi and Reid--like we should believe that tripe--but unfortunately, 24 hour days are not long enough to contain all those gaffs either!
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slownewsday_6000 says:
by USA_is_back- May 31, 2012 4:48 PM EDT
Dan is a Cafeteria Catholic. He picks and chooses what parts of catholicism he follows, depending on what benefits him personally. He is against everyone else using the pill, except his own family. He is against divorce, except his own! Not following the laws of your church dan - I guess we know YOU are hellbound!

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Spot on. The sad thing is that hypocrites like Dan are so sure that the rules don't apply to them that they fail to examine their beliefs, and completely miss their own hypocrisy.
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slownewsday_6000 says:
by Dan1706
I think the 10 commandments are what are important.

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No, you don't.

2nd Commandment: no graven images, yet you have them throughout your house, and your Church does, too

4th Commandment: I have seen you repeatedly be on here and attack others on the Sabbath

8th Commandment: you have lied about others repeatedly and intentionally, and you have born false witness against me and others by becoming an imposter.

So.... try again.
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slownewsday_6000 replies:
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My soul is pure as the driven snow, Dan.

You shouldn't bother with confession, as you think it's a license to go do the same exact sin again.
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slownewsday_6000 says:
by Dan1706

Slow, the Ryan plan will save this country and the poor.

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That wasn't my point.

Your CHURCH says it's wrong.

RUSH says it's right.

My entire point: You throw out your supposed religious beliefs the second Rush or Fox disagrees with them.

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slownewsday_6000 replies:
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You can't judge me, Dan, if you've read the Sermon on the Mount.

If you think the Ten Commandments are important, why don't you pay attention to the 2nd Commandment?

Why don't you pay attention to the 8th Commandment, and insist on lying about me and bearing false witness by being an imposter and calling me a lib?
slownewsday_6000 replies:
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by Dan1706
I see many people like you here. It is a mental health care organization. I hear one screaming across the hall right now.

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Oh, great, now Dan thinks he works there instead of being a patient!
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slownewsday_6000 says:
USA-is-back - good to see you - it's been a while, it seems like.

Rush is FOR the Ryan plan.

Dan's Church is AGAINST the Ryan plan:
http://www.catholicfreepress.org/national/2012/05/03/federal-budget-debate-brings-new-attention-to-churchs-social-teaching/

Guess who Dan believes - his God, or Man?
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slownewsday_6000 replies:
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Dan - sitting there collecting your welfare check isn't "working".
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slownewsday_6000 says:
by Dan1706
I have heard YOU dis the Church many times. You are hellbound for your views.
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Actually, it's the Church which is hellbound, for its protection of child molesters, and for those who know that and still contribute money.
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AjentOranje replies:
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Unions and politicians protect more child molesters every single year than in all of the Church's history....TEACHER's molest more children every single year than all the priests combined.

Wake up and stop the BS war on religion.
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