Salon: Fox News: The Inside Story

[kskiska]

A former Fox producer describes the ways -- both subtle and blunt -- that top executives impose a right-wing ideology on the newsroom.

By Tim Grieve

Oct. 31, 2003 | When veteran television journalist Chris Wallace announced this week that he was leaving ABC for Fox News, reporters asked him whether he was concerned about trading in his objectivity for Fox's rightward slant. "I had the same conception a lot of people did about Fox News, that they have a right-wing agenda," Wallace told The Washington Post. But after watching Fox closely, Wallace said, he had decided that the network suffered from an "unfair rap," and that its reporting is, in fact, "serious, thoughtful and even-handed."

It was all too much for Charlie Reina to take. Reina, 55, spent six years at Fox as a producer, copy editor and writer, working both on hard news stories and on feature programs like "News Watch" and "After Hours." He quit in April, he says, in a fit of frustration over salary, job assignments and respect. Since that time, he has watched the debate over whether Fox is really "fair and balanced." He held his fire, bit his tongue. But then he heard Chris Wallace -- an outsider to Fox, for now -- proclaim the network fair. Reina couldn't remain silent any longer, and so he fired off a long post to Jim Romanesko's message board at the Poynter Institute. In his view, he was setting the Fox record straight.

"The fact is," Reina wrote, "daily life at FNC is all about management politics." Reina said that Fox's daily news coverage -- and its daily news bias -- is driven by an "editorial note" sent to the newsroom every morning by John Moody, a Fox senior vice president. The editorial note -- a memo posted on Fox's computer system -- tells the staff which correspondents are working on which stories. But frequently, Reina says, it also contains hints, suggestions and directives on how to slant the day's news -- invariably, he says, in a way that's consistent with the politics and desires of the Bush administration.

Before starting work at Fox in 1997, Reina had a long career in broadcast journalism. He worked on the broadcast wire at the Associated Press, wrote copy for CBS radio news and worked on ABC's "Good Morning America." Along the way, he says, no one ever told him how to slant a story -- until he started working at Fox. At the "fair and balanced" network, Reina says, he and his colleagues were frequently told -- sometimes directly, usually more subtly -- to toe the Republican Party line.

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http://salon.com/news/feature/2003/10/31/fox/index.html

[liberalnurse]

1. It appears Chris Wallace has just sold his soul....

he must be in a goulish trance now.....forever lost into the abis.

[tom_paine]

2. But the money's good...

Many quislings, from Clarence Thomas to Dennis Miller, have discovered that a wad of cash (and perhaps a promise of POWER) can stifle the cries of an anguished conscience, if they even had one to start with.

[benfranklin1776]

5. Yep their raisin shriveled souls sell cheap.

Thirty pieces of silver or a Fox anchor contract its the same prinicple.

Loved those "Editorial Notes" didn't ya with those "helpful" suggestions on how the story was to be spun i.e. who was to receive the brunt of the days "ten minute hate." But of course as the man said those directives from the Ministry of Propaganda weren't usually needed since it was always understood by the staff what the keepers of the media matrix wanted, namely a story in which Democrats were evil and Republicans were good, unless it was a RETHUG like Lott Bush wanted to get rid of. Yes Winston Smith would have felt right at home rewriting reality there at the organ of the RNC.

[Democat]

3. Those against bias should pay this guy a lot of money to write a book

An expose on Fox news would be a huge seller and it would help people understand what a fraud they are!

[Grins]

4. Fox responds..

He's a disgruntled employee! Here is their slam back at him. No argument. Just ad hominem attack.

"10/30/2003 5:30:53 PM
Posted By: Jim Romenesko

From SHARRI BERG, VP-News Operations, Fox News Channel:
Like any former, disgruntled employee, Charlie Reina has an ax to grind. He was employed at Fox News Channel for six years as the Producer of NewsWatch and of many different specials, including shows on MLK, Robert F. Kennedy, John Glenn and Newt Gingrich. During that entire period, we were unaware that anyone at Fox News was holding a metaphorical gun to his head.

Earlier this year, Mr. Reina objected to an adjustment in his assigned duties -- duties which he was qualified to perform and paid to do. That very inaction is what affects morale and sends the wrong message to the entire newsroom. If you asked any of the people he refered to as "grunts" but we refer to as "producers," "writers," "desk assistants," they resent his characterization. One of them said this morning, "Charlie actually NEVER had a job in the newsroom. He worked out of some space up on 17 or 18 reserved for overpaid feature producers on career life support. The 'grunts' knew him mainly as one of any number of clueless feature producers who would call the desk at random and ask 'do we have...' The kind of calls where after you hang up you say to the phone 'go f-k yourself.' In fact, its not editorial policy that pisses off newsroom grunts -- its people like Charlie."

How could Mr. Reina have worked at this company for six years if the picture he paints of life at Fox News is true?

Mr. Reina's premise about "the memo" is unfounded. People are proud to work here. They are proud of the product we produce and understand our daily and future goals. Among many, many others, Mr. Reina's memo has a glaring omission, in that Fox News Channel has a very low turnover rate and very high morale. In other words, people who work here WANT to work here.

Nice language sweetie. You truly are a pro - of one sort.

Here's the site: <http://poynter.org/forum/?id=letters#berg>
Go to the site and read some of the comments back on Sharri Berg's defense of Fox. One of them scooped me with the definition of "ad hominem" attack. I'm vindicated! (Note: The most current responses are at the top; so find Rein's memo and scroll UP.