The new documentary Outfoxed, directed by Robert Greenwald was shown in many (perhaps 20-30,000 screening parties across the US today. It's probably a revelation to no one that Fox News is partisan. Thus I went in to view this movie thinking perhaps not much would be revealed. What was more disturbing was the way that the producers and higher ups at Fox decide in advance of any actual newsgathering both what the story will be and what to emphasize in the story. In fact, it's difficult to say anything displayed in the movie on Fox could be called journalism. Instead, it seems to be a kind of impersonation of journalism. The recitation of talking points is amusingly portrayed on the Murdoch-owned network, as the hosts of shows repeat the same phrases over and over as though they were facts. The seamless blend between what seems to be reportage and what is undeniably commentary certainly leaves an unpleasant taste, for those who would like something resembling journalistic integrity in the professional news.

Bill O'Reilly comes in for a brutal treatment, but he can find no one to blame. In fact the impression of him grows worse and worse each time he appears in the film. From browbeating a 9/11 son's survivor on his talk show, to peddling blatantly untrue stories about what that son said on his abbreviated appearance, the appeal of O'Reilly's show is lost on me, politics aside. To put it simply, he doesn't seem to be saying anything of interest, and the repeated recitation of talking points indicates either how little he thinks of the intellectual strengths of his viewers, or his own limited thought process. As a news-gathering organization, Fox generally comes across as foolish at best, and the doublethink behind their "Fair and Balanced" slogan is mind-numbingly insincere. However, the fact that other networks try to "outfox" Fox by overbooking Conservative guests versus liberal ones in pursuit of profit does not help their reputation much either. I guess I can understand someone wanting to watch Fox to have their own views confirmed repeatedly, though I have a difficult time imagining wanting to actually get news from it.