As a film, "Outfoxed" tends to drag in parts. It largely relies on talking heads, clips from Fox, and graphics. There are several laughs in the film, mostly at the expense of the hapless anchors who play off of a game plan we the viewer are aware they had little hand in forming themselves. Not as sweeping as Michael Moore's recent political documentary, it does achieve a certain strength from focusing on one subject. The consolidation of media in the hands of a few corporations, not to mention what can only be described as a loose handle on principles in the TV cable media should be worrisome even to those who subscribe to the same basic notions as Fox News. I have read some claiming other networks are "as biased" as Fox, but I'm not sure that addresses the central point in the film, that Fox seems to resemble what you and I might imagine a real news org to be in name only. Whether this awareness will trickle down to people who rely principally on cable news for their view on the world remains to be seen.

In viewing 'house parties' across the US tonight, coordinating with MoveOn.org, the left-leaning political action group, many people mass-scheduled and followed up on with a webcast where viewers could ask question of the director and other appearing in the film. I noted several large enclaves of viewers in places other than the usual Democratic strongholds, such as Texas and Florida. Participants and viewers of the webcast were encouraged to sign petitions and volunteer time to organizations that support the message of the film. In some ways, the net lets a new kind of mass media exist, where the net is a nation-wide water-cooler. Al Franken also took part and filled in some more detail on the treatment of one 9/11 survivor's son by Bill O'Reilly. So it's fair to say it is in many ways a partisan film, though it hardly seems to matter considering that a media organization that delivers news is doing a disservice to write the news before it occurs.