Get Real Blodget; News Corp. Won't Fire Glenn Beck
In the lead post Wednesday on Silicon Alley Insider, Henry Blodget wrote a blog titled "News Corp. Should Fire Glenn Beck."
I'm a regular reader of SAI and think that Blodget often has penetrating insights into and analysis of internet and media companies. However, I think his emotions got the better of him when he wrote about Glenn Beck's stupid remarks about Obama being a racist. News Corp. not only is not going to fire Glenn Beck for his remarks, his bosses, Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes, head of Fox News, are probably going to give him a raise for generating so much publicity.
Plus, knowing that Ailes is an arch-conservative Republican operative (he worked as the media advisor for the Nixon campaign in 1968), he probably agrees with Beck. If Ailes disagreed with Beck's remarks, he would have publicly reprimanded Beck or fired him immediately and he would not be actively negotiating with Don Imus to do mornings on Fox Business News.
When Imus made his racist remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team being "nappy headed hos," MSNBC fired him. CBS also fired Imus, but waffled so long that it appeared to be kowtowing to Al Sharpton's protests. It's never good public relations to give in to the camera ravenous Reverend Sharpton, because it encourages his blackmailing techniques. Fox News won't make that mistake and defended Beck's right to voice his opinion -- in other words, supported him.
What Ailes and News Corp. want are ratings, as pointed out by Jeff Bercovici in his blog on AOL's Daily Finance titled "Sorry, Fox News boycotters -- Glenn Beck's not going anywhere." Controversy gets ratings and with all the current publicity, Beck's ratings will spike up at least for a while, maybe permanently.
Those who hate Beck, want him fired, and are urging advertisers to cancel commercials in his program should keep in mind that Beck's racist remark was stupid. Anyone with any brains at all and who watched the campaign coverage of Obama knows he doesn't hate white people -- his mother was white and he adored her. He doesn't hate the white culture -- his white grandparents raised him and he adored them.
What Ailes, Fox News, and Beck are doing is attributing their own motives, values, and opinions to other people -- in psychology it's called projection. By projecting their prejudices and racism on Obama, Fox News's intention, therefore, is meant to appeal to racist people -- Fox News's and Beck's loyal audience -- the same people who make Fox News the highest rated news channel make WWE professional wrestling the top rated entertainment program on cable TV. They seem to like and identify with overblown personalities spewing rage.
Thus, I'm sure Roger Ailes and Fox News are delighted with Beck. He reflects their values: ratings, rage, and racism.
Follow Charles Warner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CHWarner
Henry Blodget: News Corp Should Fire Glenn Beck
It's no surprise that advertisers are running for the hills after Beck's idiotic remarks about President Obama. Fox should now take the appropriate step and fire him.
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That is hilarious! So it is ok for dems to go around saying people who are upset at these town hall meetings are racist, thats alright, but as soon as someone calls Obama racist, that is not alright at all. What is wrong with people? I thought everyone was entitled to their own opinion?
Glenn Beck has the kind of ratings NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC all wish they had. Beck is one of the most effective communicators on TV . . . which is why he is being boycotted. Otherwise, no one would care. Anyway, Boycotts often backfire . . . and it seems this one will also. Just turn the channel . . . isn't that what people say? You don't have to watch it. And NO ONE should have the right to tell others what they can and can not watch or say . . . . isn't that what they call FREE SPEECH. Its hard to rally around when its something you don't want to hear, isn't it?
LOL..that'
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Beck is a commentator. He has leeway to give opinions. The so called "news" shows are supposed to report the news, but think nothing of cropping a video of a black man carrying a semi-automatic weapon so you only see the gun and then claim the racists whites are carrying guns to Town Hall meetings.
He just misspoke. Isn't that the new buzz word?
The colorofchange website says "Beck is on a campaigne to convince the American public that President Obama's agenda is serving the needs of Black communities at White people's expense. It's repulsive, divisive and shouldn't be on the air." Number one I disagree with the description, but if it were to stand the majority of those calling themselves news reporters should be taken off the air. To call for firing Beck is assinine.
The President jumps into the middle of something where all he knows is a white police officer arrested a black man and passed judgement on the situation. But he just "misspoke".
Sponsors may drop support, but consumers can boycott. We aren't as well organized, as colorsofchange but we have the money.
Beck is a commentator. He has leeway to give opinions. The so called "news" shows are supposed to report the news, but think nothing of cropping a video of a black man carrying a semi-automatic weapon so you only see the gun and then claim the racists whites are carrying guns to Town Hall meetings.
He just misspoke. Isn't that the new buzz word?
The colorofchange website says "Beck is on a campaigne to convince the American public that President Obama's agenda is serving the needs of Black communities at White people's expense. It's repulsive, divisive and shouldn't be on the air." Number one I disagree with the description, but if it were to stand the majority of those calling themselves news reporters should be taken off the air. To call for firing Beck is assinine.
The President jumps into the middle of something where all he knows is a white police officer arrested a black man and passed judgement on the situation. But he just "misspoke".
Sponsors may drop support, but consumers can boycott. We aren't as well organized, as colorsofchange but we have the money.
Really...d
The media just wants to keep it stirred. It's over and done with. There is no black, white, or yellow, etc. We are Americans and are all on the same team.
Whoops!
Amidst a pretty good Beck Ailes Murdoch racism ratings essay somehow Warner manages to drag in perennial right wing target, "camera ravenous, ...blackma
A more gratuitous, deftly crafted, racist swipe could not have been produced by Fox News fair and balanced.
Not liking Al Sharpton does not amount to racism....
As Warner well knows, shining a bright spotlight on otherwise ignored or trivialized racial injustice is one of the few effective speaking truth to power mechanisms available to minority communities. Very few public personas have the courage, or ability to do that as well as the Reverend Al, a sober and articulate voice for social justice. That effectiveness also simultaneously makes him a common, well known and easy target for racist blowback and derision.
Thus, the gratuitous belittling and demeaning of Sharpton as a blackmailer and publicity hound is a precise rendition and echoing of the racist sniping that more often comes from less learned, far coarser, but no less misguided sources.
Agreed. It could not have come across as a more gratuitous, deft, personal swipe. I guess he's just projecting his own hate for the man. While the essence of Warner's article is true, it does not address the central theme of Henry Boldget's article which is that Beck has gone beyond speech in what he is saying and has entered into an important part of the logistics required to organize the militant, racist, people that follow his show into attending the townhalls and disrupting meetings. That is far different from free speech.
you guys are a joke....no comment pending? that means that mine was dismissed and not approved because it didn't match your ideology or opinion? wow.....so much for FAIR AND BALANCED..
I can't speak to why that happened to your comment and do not represent HuffPo. That said, the entire notion of "FAIR AND BALANCED" is righty horsepuckey -- giving equal time and weight to both (A)demonstrable facts and (B)concocted nonsense, then calling the result "BALANCED" isn't the least bit "FAIR" -- it's a deliberately deceptive media strategy devised by an old hand at political deception, Roger Ailes!
Let's not forget not only did President Obama adore his white mother and grandparents but he is half white!
I'm not sure he adored his white mother or grandparents. He wrote about the black father that abandoned him and didn't attend his grandmother's funeral.
Unfortunately, I have to agree with you completely. Roger Ailes has never had any morals, so why should he start now, especially since he thinks he is winning the battle of the stations. But there are a lot of really brilliant people on the left who ought to be able to come up with a strategy to beat this guy at his own game. Unlike you, I love Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow. They do tell the truth, even if you don't like the way they deliver it. I think it is going to take someone like Bill Maher to throw enough punches that might make a dent, then it will be up to the rest of us to follow through. I realize you think it can't be done, but I am not as pessamistic, we just have to find the right way. I think Beck might trip up himself, we will see.
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