Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism (2004)

Subject: A look at the distinctly conservative media bias of the Fox News Channel (FNC).

That's all it is. I don't want you to think that that made it boring because it didn't. Documentaries are usually better when they focus on one or two ideas at a time.

Robert Greenwald (director) is going to blow you away if you pick you this direct-to-video leftist luxury. He will especially blow you away if you have no idea what I am talking about when I refer to either the Fox News Channel or conservative media bias.

And, if you have conservative leanings (e.g. enjoy the National Post), you should be ashamed of your media, although real Republicans will feel nothing but pride.

Greenwald excels in keeping his camera moving in what amounts to a world of interviews and archive footage. Clever editing helps him along, though, plus graphics and music.

Which is what he criticizes the Murdoch camp for. Hmmm . . .

I suppose, though, the real criticism applies to FNC's two ad-lines, "Fair & Balanced" and "We Report. You Decide.", neither of which, I can tell you, is true and to their claim of non-partisanship while having exclusively conservative commentators on their roster.

Greenwald lost me at the end, though, with the final section entitled, "A Call to Action." Here he enlists various members of the liberal media and media watch dog groups to comment on the importance of the citizenry coming out against conservative media and the power of the individual to effect change.

I realize that a leftist denouncement of the right will have to slide that way eventually, but it just didn't jive with the rest of the movie's feel, which left me feeling a bit cold.

Also, their criticism of FNC for using basic corporate journalism practices made me wonder. The movie never claimed to be "fair" or "balanced", though, so who am I to question it?

Oh, wait, I'm the exact person they want to question it.

See, there's a little problem here that they didn't bring up. Yes, FNC has a big ol' problem with media bias. They are controlled by Rupert Murdoch, who does tell them what to report on, when to do it, and how.

Because he owns them.

But all media is corporately owned. Let's play a little game. It's called one of these things is not like the other. I want you to spot the odd one out. Here we go:

Free speech - free press - free market - private ownership.

I bet that was a tough one.

Until the public wakes up and says that they aren't going to take it anymore, the media is only going to grow more and more biased. Until we are free to run our own presses and report on the news the way it actually occurs, then we are just as well served by a conservative bias as we are by a liberal one.

I don't think I really understood that principle, though, until I saw this movie.

The movie made me understand one other thing, one which makes me pretty sad: Kerry's gonna lose.