[lbo-talk] Rupe: no bias at Fox News!

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Tue Oct 26 09:28:44 PDT 2004


Murdoch denies Fox bias in US political coverage, backs Bush foreign policy

Tue Oct 26, 1:02 AM ET

ADELAIDE, Australia (AFP) - News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch denies his Fox News Channel is biased towards US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) but says his newspapers will continue to back Republican foreign policy.

Fox is the subject of a documentary entitled "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's war on journalism" alleging the news service is slanted against Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) but Murdoch denied it had an agenda.

"We're not in the least bit biased, we're a fair and balanced company, our slogan is fair and balanced," he told reporters at News Corp's annual general meeting in the Australian city of Adelaide.

Murdoch said Fox News was redressing the imbalance of coverage by other US networks.

"It's full of Democrats and Republicans, the others only have Democrats," he said. "We don't take any position there at all."

"With our newspapers, we have indeed supported Bush's foreign policy and we remain that way."

Murdoch said he had "no idea" what would happen to the US economy if Kerry was elected.

"He says he has plans but he won't tell us what they are," Murdoch said.

The media mogul said a Bush win would give a lift to the market and would mean continuing low interest rates and tax reduction.

Murdoch, who dropped his Australian citizenship to obtain a US passport in 1985, said both candidates would be "prisoners of circumstances to other events".

Earlier this month, Fox's chief political correspondent Carl Cameron was disciplined by the channel for posting a fake news item on its website featuring Kerry purportedly gushing over his "metrosexual" appearance.



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