For all the brouhaha about the expanding power of the federal government, how come no one is out in the streets protestintg the massive expansion of the power of Fox News and its related ventures, which apparently includes the power to order confiscation of newspapers without a valid reason and otherwise restricting the rights of a free press (which seems like an odd priority for a media company, but...).
Think I'm wildly exaggerating? Not in these two disturbing cases, one on each coast.
On Monday, I reported on an incident that took place at the News Corp. headquarters building in midtown Manhattan, where three volunteers handing out copies of a New York Post parody issue were detained and their newspapers confiscated.
The episode raised a couple of troubling questions: Why did NYPD officers take it upon themselves to interfere with citizens who were exercising their First Amendment rights without breaking the law? And did News Corp. -- a journalistic enterprise that has a vested interest in defending free speech -- have anything to do with it? The answers I've gotten are not reassuring.
What happened?
But that changed sometime after 7:30 a.m., when one of her fellow volunteers succeeded in placing a paper into the hand of News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch as he entered the building. Shortly after that, says Lockwood, two police officers who had been observing from a patrol car parked nearby approached her and instructed her to stop what she was doing.
Read the whole thing -- it's hard to not to reach the conclusion that New York police officers blocked the delivery of and even confiscated copies (as pictured at top) of a perfectly legal parody edition of the New York Post, perhaps at the behest of News Corp. exexs and maybe even Rupert Murdoch himself. That's alarming, and I hope the proper authorities in NYC investigate what happened here. The news comes at the same time that Fox News is reportedly seeking to block journalism on the other coast:
There will be no press credentials for the sold-out "Welcome Home Glenn Beck" event, 7:30 p.m. Saturday at McIntyre Hall — with the exception of one member of the local press who will accompany Mayor Bud Norris.
Norris, who planned the instantly controversial evening, said the directive came from Fox News and syndicated-radio personality Beck and his representatives, and that he wasn't told why: "No, I didn't ask for a reason." Norris said he would be choosing the one reporter allowed but hadn't decided who it will be.
The event in Washington State sure sounds like a public event -- the mayor of the town where Beck grew up giving him the keys to the city -- except that you need to buy $25 tickets and the press is mostly barred. The whole thing is kind of silly -- I'm sure a few reporters will pay $25 to "infiltrate" the ceremony -- but it just shows how Fox News tries to have it both way, bragging about its commitment to journalism even though its institutional and cultural values are basically hostile to journalism and a free press. Maybe someone can hire James O'Keffe and Hannah Giles to sneak into the Beck event with a hidden camera.
Gee, I wonder if at this event, Beck will ask which women in the crowd have had miscarriages - so he can ridicule them and their husbands? --snip-- "A couple days after Kelly's wife, Terry, had a miscarriage, Beck called her live on the air and says, 'We hear you had a miscarriage,' " remembers Brad Miller, a former Y95 DJ and Clear Channel programmer. "When Terry said, 'Yes,' Beck proceeded to joke about how Bruce [Kelly] apparently can't do anything right -- about he can't even have a baby." --snip--— Talking point sleuth- Will, you expected anything less from Fox? This is what is wrong with news conglomerates -- just think of the Bond movie, "The World is not Enough" and if you cant see it eventually culminating with a news group trying to control the news, you arent looking. This is why Fox and MSNBC are not news sources; but, they are rather biased outlets for a party line. And, dont give me that either one offer true opposing viewpoints, because as soon as they get that other viewpoint, the talking head immediately derides that opinion; and, that is not what news is supposed to do. The talking head should have, in a debate, two differing opinions and then mediate the two. Fox and Mudoch have no interest in doing anything resembling that.— Master Dreamz
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The cops should have called the volunteers racists, that's the accepted way of trying to shut people up.— jmc- Comment removed.
- Will - I had to comment just to help wipe the smudge off your liberal glasses. In your mind, is it really legal to distribute copies of a fake newspaper under a trademarked name (New York Post)? In the software industry this is called "piracy". It was no more legal than if I bootlegged DVDs on Market St. As for Glenn Beck being presented keys to the city, I believe that should be public, but after that, if the city wants to hold a private event, again, this should be allowed. I think you're just upset that you're not getting the keys to Philadelphia for all of the great contributions you make to society with your, uh, blog.— roger511
Wow, this is this is the best thing you can write about? A company evicting someone ridiculing them from their building? Or are you jealous that nobody would waste paper ridiculing the PNI papers due to their low circulation?- Comment removed.
- Will, were they in the building distributing the newspaper? If so the owners of the building have every right to kick them out. Plus you really dont do yourself any favors, complain about how the news industry has changed and is threatening the livelyhood of journalists, and then point out how intentionally biased the news industry is. And seriously, its just as biased on the other side, you just view the liberal bias with rose colored glasses. So lets see, newspapers and print media are dying, the news outlets are biased, of course intellegent people who want the news are going to go other sources while those who remain watching the traditional news outlets arent as bright and are more concerned with celebrity tabloid news, which fills up more of the new services program, and only serves to further allienate intellegent viewers. I tell you what, for the press being the paragon of unbiased honesty and watchdog over the government, you are doing a bang up job of reporting only what fits your agenda and filling the rest of the time with stories about dim witted "celebrities" and their pathetic excuse for social lives.— Greg S
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- I thought FOX News dominated cable TV and that is why people attack them? Everyone hates a winner.— Manny Trillo
- I just realized- after scanning this blog, this is another liberal, blathering blog, which blames George Bush for everything, and makes no comment on the current president, who seeems to be failing miserably?— Manny Trillo
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Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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