Fox News applies censorship to … Fox News

You’re causing all sorts of trouble, pal – and you like it

Could it be that there actually are some respectable journalists working at Faux News? Believe it or not, the past few days have brought us several reports of some noted Fox anchors actually daring to criticize the likes of the increasingly insane Glenn Beck, calling him out on his use of misleading rhetoric and faulty statistics and the likes. And, of course, what’s the best way to know that their (belated) criticism is not being appreciated? When the head of Faux News himself tells them to STFU about Glenn Beck, or else to GTFO.

The head of Fox News is demanding that its staff refrain from publicly criticizing its biggest star -- Glenn Beck. Roger Ailes told staffers to stop "shooting in the tent."

A column in The Washington Post on Monday revealed that some Fox staffers are concerned that Beck is "becoming the face of the network." Ailes pointed out that members of the Fox Washington bureau leaked the information in that column.

According to the media-watching website Mediabistro.com, Ailes dropped by the bureau Wednesday before the annual Radio and Television Correspondents' dinner to give the staff a pep talk.

The topic of conversation quickly turned to Beck, whose conservative, inflammatory rhetoric has been a ratings boon for Fox. But it's recently been revealed that he's become a source of tension for the network’s other journalists who fear he is overshadowing everything else on the network.

"For the first time in our 14 years, we’ve had people apparently shooting in the tent, from within the tent," Ailes told them. "We prefer people in the tent not dumping on other people in the tent."

Ailes said there's only one option for those who can't stand being on the same network as Beck. "If I couldn’t defend the family, I’d leave,” he said. “I’d go to another family."

It’s a sad day when censorship like this is allowed to happen – in the heart of what’s supposed to be a news company. Even the few Fox journalists who do have a sense of decency and an appreciation for the truth are being forced to distort and propagate meaningless talking points. Of course, the network – by which I mean, the CEO – can’t afford to let anyone criticize his biggest star, can he? Who cares that he’s an utter raving lunatic with less journalistic integrity than Rita Skeeter – he brings in the viewers and the big bucks, and that’s all that matters, a rational view of the world be screwed.

Personally, though, considering how people tend to hate being told how to do their jobs, I’d expect a few of these more upstanding journalists to defect from Faux News sooner or later and head somewhere else. I’d imagine a mention of “I quit Fox because I got tired of their dishonest crap” on a journalist’s CV might not be too bad of a thing to show any potential employers, if it shines a light on the fact that they’re ethical and integral enough to quit a career at the largest media company to be able to stick to the facts. I know I, for one, would show little hesitancy in taking them in.

Of course, one can’t say that the hypothetical notion of these honest journalists leaving would be a crippling blow to Faux News (or, at least, its reputation) – Lord knows how the vast majority of cranks there will stay until the ship has sunk beneath the waves – but it could perhaps start a telling trend that might lead somewhere interesting. We’ll have to wait and see.

(via @todayspolitics)