Tuned In, TV Blog, Television Reviews, James Poniewozik, TIME

May 9, 2008 12:48

Fox Newser Discloses Self Out of Job

Posted by James Poniewozik | Comments (10) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This

When Time's not breaking news, we're making news! After last night's big Time 100 bash in Manhattan—which neither I nor fellow Timeblogger Lisa Cullen attended—a Fox News production assistant got her walking papers for telling Sen. John McCain she voted for him in the primary, reports TV Newser. (Link via Romenesko.) "I voted for you in the primary," she reportedly told the Senator, "you're going to win." The remark was caught on videotape; Fox reportedly took action promptly.

Mmmmmyeah. Because that incident just totally changed my perception of Fox News.

Seriously, this just goes to show one thing I've been saying about the journalistic fetish for keeping our voting preferences secret: it's about protecting the news organization, not serving the reader/audience. This was an embarrassment, and Fox punished the embarrasser; but does anyone out there think of Fox differently because of it?

(By the way, for those of you who have not yet read my broken-record disclosures, I wrote a column this year arguing that journalists should be allowed to disclose their votes, in which I noted that I voted for Barack Obama. Also, in 2000, I voted for McCain in the Republican primary in New York. At least I'm pretty sure I did, if he was still in the race at that point. I registered Republican that year specifically to vote for him in New York's closed primary.)

Sphere Related Blogs & Articles

Reader Comments (10)

Keith:

Hmmmmm, that's odd. Evidently making fun of candidates ala "Campaign" Carl Cameron is okie dokie with Fox while endorsements by no-names are not. Duly noted.

Posted by Keith | May 9, 2008 1:06 PM

Molly:

Someone at Fox News voted for the Republican front-runner? I never would've guessed...

Posted by Molly | May 9, 2008 1:18 PM

Lulu Lulu:

So...wait. She got fired for an offhand remark to a candidate that happened to be captured on camera? That seems sort of fascist. It's not like she announced it staring at the camera while on official business for the news org. She was at a party and talking politics!

And Molly, I'm with you. It's a bit rich for Fox, whose conservative bias is part of their raison d'etre, to fire this woman for admitting she voted conservatively.

Posted by Lulu Lulu | May 9, 2008 1:32 PM

James Poniewozik:

@Lulu: Another question worth asking is whether she was fired for making the remark at all, making it with a camera present, or making it *to John McCain.* Then again (1) I don't think one reason is better than another (2) I assume McCain is the reason a camera was present, so maybe a moot point.

Posted by James Poniewozik | May 9, 2008 1:39 PM

Moonwolf

Out of the three options, I think the camera catching it was probably the kicker.

But the firing seems to me to be nothing more than a cynical exercise in trying to appear neutral, when everyone knows full well Fox News coulodn't pull off "neutral" if it tried.

Unless, of course, they're afraid of upsetting Mike Huckabee :P

Posted by Moonwolf | May 9, 2008 2:50 PM

Keith:

Everyone just calm down.....it is well established (wink wink nod nod) that Fox is fair and balanced.

Posted by Keith | May 9, 2008 2:57 PM

CMR:

During this primary season Fox has been a lot more fair and balanced than the Obama Network - MSNBC.

Posted by CMR | May 9, 2008 3:02 PM

Keith:

MSWHO?

Posted by Keith | May 9, 2008 3:54 PM

Robson:

Someone at Time voting Republican? I don't think so....
At Fox News they have quite a few Democrats as commentators.

Posted by Robson | May 10, 2008 5:07 PM

neltahir:

Anyone interested in the people in the media disclosing their own views should check out the moblogic podcast or website: http://www.moblogic.tv/

Moblogic is a webshow produced by cbs, but it seems very dettached from its parent company.

Posted by neltahir | May 11, 2008 3:01 PM

About Tuned In

James Poniewozik writes TIME magazine's Tuned In column, about pop culture and society. Tuned In, the blog version, is about the stuff we used to call "TV," whether it's in your living room, on your computer or--once the networks figure out the technology and line up the advertisers--in your dreams themselves.