Simpsons parody upset Fox News, says Groening

[rjbcar27]

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1073216,00.html

Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel threatened to sue the makers of the Simpsons over a spoof news ticker, the show's creator Matt Groening has claimed.
Mr Groening said Fox News raised the unlikely prospect of suing a show broadcast by its sister channel, Fox Entertainment, because it wanted to stop the Simpsons parodying its famously anti-Democratic party agenda.

The row centred on a parody of Fox News' rolling news ticker, which included headlines such as "Do Democrats cause cancer?"

Mr Groening said the news channel backed down because it would have caused Fox to bring a lawsuit against itself.

:eyes:

[knight_of_the_star]

1. And I thought

They couldn't get any dumber than that! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!

[soupkitchen]

2. A Fox smells it own A-holes

[Meshuga]

3. The simpsons are cool!

I love the simpsons. Especially when grandpa simpson was surprised to receive big paychecks in the mail for a job and he thought he was getting the big checks because he thought democrats were back in control in DC.

[brainshrub]

4. "Study: 92 per cent of Democrats are gay...

JFK posthumously joins Republican Party... Oil slicks found to keep seals young, supple..."

All true! LOL!

[MrPrax]

5. Ailes is deranged...

First the embarassment over the 'fair and balanced'...now suing the Simpsons...
Who will the sue next...DU for providing 'entertainment' royality free?

assholes

[adriennel]

6. the Simpsons saved Fox Network!

...I guess the Fox network folks forgot it was the Simpsons that kept their fledging network from going under...
talk about gratuity!

[Brian Sweat]

8. Damn you, now two of my all time favorite shows are now my least favorite.

The Simpson
Married with Children

If it were not for those two shows, we probably wouldn't have Faux news today.


The irony is that "In Living Color" probably helped out too.

[Terwilliger]

10. Fox News is NOT Fox

do you not understand? Fox News was created and paid for by Murdoch...Fox network was created in the mid-80's, which Murdoch later bought.

So, i.e. Simpsons/MWC success = Fox News is not accurate

[adriennel]

15. YOUR post is inaccurate

I'm not sure where you get your information, but it is incorrect.

A timeline of Murdoch's holdings reveal:

"1986 launches Fox television network in US" --not that he purchased it from someone.
http://www.ketupa.net/murdoch2.htm

"Who Owns What" Fox Broadcasting Corporation -- you will clearly see Fox News Channel listed as a holding of Fox Broadcasting Corp--they are the same company!
http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/newscorp.asp

[adriennel]

16. do you not understand...

that Fox and Fox News are the same company?

[spooky3]

12. I love those two shows and Mad TV

The only shows on TV that make me laugh. How ironic.

[ComerPerro]

7. Now that is just downright psychotic

I mean, I know they are going lawsuit happy to defend their right to be ultra-conservative and pretend to be moderate, but suing their own network????

And the Simpsons? The show that built Fox????

Come on!!!!!!!!!

[Terwilliger]

9. LOLOL

"Do Democrats cause cancer"??? BWAAAAAHAHAHAH

[Bandit]

11. For someone who supposedly hates law suits they sure file a lot

Conservatives can't do a thing unless it involves hypocrisy.

[spooky3]

13. Wonder when we'll see a Faux special on "our litigious society."

[atre]

14. Litigiousness for the purpose of harassment is a grave sin

I wonder if the judge in the "fair and balanced" case sanctioned the Fox lawyers for bringing that case to court. Even if he didn't, it's highly possible that they were reported to their respective state bars for disciplinary action.

The purpose of the law is to rectify injustice, not to cause it. The Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the Rules of every state specifically prohibit this type of conduct.