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Thursday, May 11

The peculiar mating habits of American political animals

by Mike on Thu 11 May 2006 10:48 PM EDT

I always feel like I should object when I hear people proclaim that CNN and FOX News are pretty much the same. I think it’s probably just "wishful thinking" on my part, as I still get a large portion of my television and web-based news from CNN. It’s still a force of habit for me, but an ever-eroding habit for sure.

In the not too distant past, the similarities between CNN and FOX News were less apparent to everyday, run-of-the mill viewers. Most regular viewers might not be too likely to dwell on the fact that both of these networks are controlled by super-rich moguls with ties to political machinery on both the left and the right of mainstream American politics. And most regular viewers might not reflect too long on the fact that these “news organizations” would gladly censor or edit the content of their "news" reports and programming at the behest of their sponsors and parent companies. This stuff is generally in the backs of our minds when we watch the news, but it’s easy enough to forget (or ignore) from time to time.

Nowadays, the similarities between the two networks are much more apparent, as is the overt politicization of infotainment as a whole in America. For example, FOX News no longer has the market cornered on obnoxious right-wing talking heads. A few months back, CNN picked up former Reagan cabinet official WIlliam Bennett despite a torrent of public outcry over insensitive and bigoted comments made by Bennett on his talk radio show.

More recently, CNN gave a prime time television slot to Glenn Beck, one of the most crassly offensive right-wing radio hosts in America. Leading up to his May 8th debut, CNN shamelessly paraded Beck on shows like Anderson Cooper 360 (summary 1 | summary 2), Nancy Grace (summary), and American Morning (summary) to promote his new show. Beck’s brand of rhetoric often borders on "hate speech," but perhaps that is giving him too much credit. Maybe it would be better to call it "hate shtick." Whatever the case, Glenn Beck is CNN’s new Golden Boy for the time being. Media Matters has compiled a short list of some of Glenn Beck’s most offensive bits here.

But while CNN moves to the right, FOX News is moving a bit left to embrace a rather strange bedfellow. On May 9, it was reported that FOX News CEO Rupert Murdoch will host a political fundraiser for Hillary Clinton later this year (full story). Murdoch is allegedly an admirer of Clinton’s work as a Senator despite the fact that FOX News and other Murdoch media organs have vilified and antagonized the Clintons for the better part of the a decade. Murdoch and Clinton seem to be at work building their own little "mutual admiration society" as of late. Both Bill and Hillary Clinton recently made an appearance at the gala celebration for the 10th anniversary of the FOX News Channel. There was a time when right-wing contempt for the Clintons was the singular raison d'être of FOX News. This was also back when folks still called CNN "The Clinton News Network."

We're definitely through the looking glass now. Can it get any weirder? Stay tuned.