Dave Weigel vs. Megyn Kelly…
Dave Weigel guest writes on Andrew Sullivan’s blog about Megyn Kelly…
I don’t really get a chance to watch TV in Unalaska, and the one thing I miss is Megyn Kelly of Fox News. The last week or so of her work — her one woman crusade against the New Black Panther Party — has been truly riveting television. Kelly widens her eyes in a way that bespeaks both horror and anger at the subject she’s reporting on. “Shocking new video,” she’ll say, introducing a clip of the Panthers acting like idiots and yelling about “crackers” at a Philadelphia street festival. “We have a DOJ whistleblower alleging there is a discriminatory policy at the DOJ voting rights section,” she’ll say, “and no one seems to give a darn.” It’s the “darn” that ties this together — she’s not just a journalist, she’s a concerned citizen who has to bring you this story before it’s. Too. Late.
The people who grab these videos for the web use the same cliches to title them. “Megyn Kelly DESTROYS Kirsten Powers on New Black Panther Case” says one of them; “Megyn Kelly schools lib pundit over New Black Panthers Party.” But why is she doing so many stories on the Panthers? It’s because Fox News uses the Panthers the way that Phil Donohue used to use the KKK or G.G. Allin. They’re good on TV. The difference between the Panthers and other freakish groups that look good on the air, of course, is that that they threaten white people.
How often does Fox bring on the Panthers, or talk about them? A Lexis-Nexis search finds 68 mentions of “Malik Zulu Shabazz,” a leader of the NBPP. The majority are appearances on Fox News, where Shabazz is repeatedly brought on to act as a foolish, anti-Semitic punching bag. Among the segment titles: “Professor’s Comments on Whites Stir Controversy” and “Black Panthers Take a Stand on Duke Rape Case.” Here’s one example of a Shabazz appearance during the Jeremiah Wright controversy. Fox was the only network to book him; Sean Hannity conducted the interview.
July 14, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Spud
What do you think would’ve happened coverage wise if it were the tea partiers caught on tape doing what the NBPP were doing and the Bush admin dropped the civil case? when they had it won?
Weigel is full of ****
July 14, 2010 at 2:46 pm
This is so pathetic. Its Eric Holder and Obama who are the racists.
Look how the MSM went ape over a black man at a tea party holding a gun. Of course the real IQ brainchilds like Contessa would point out the gun at Tea Party but fail to notice the guy was black.
Look how the MSM went all crazy because a Congressman “claimed” he was called the “N” word. Yet, Breitbarts $100K offer is still unclaimed.
Perhaps O Keefe should stage video during the next election. While the panthers can dress in the para military garb and hold nightsticks lets see how the media would act if you put some people in white robes and hoods with baseball bats outside of polling stations in urban areas. Or not even a bat just standing there. Perhaps they should just be playing with a rubics cube while standing there. Would the MSM claim they were “intimidating” voters?
Red Eye pointed it out perfectly the other day. The whole MSm dismissed the Tea Parties and didn’t cover them yet there was CNN covering a “Coffee Club” meeting with 4 people there and 2 of them were employees. But the thousands upon thousands of Tea Partiers don’t matter.
July 14, 2010 at 2:56 pm
I saw this live. Kelly looked like a fool. Not because she did not know facts, it just seemed like she was out of control.
July 14, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Kelly was upset because Powers had no idea or clue what she was talking about Kelly would have been much better off just cutting her off and talking to Tantaros. Let Powers come back after she had actually read the decision and familiarized herself with the case.
July 14, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Lurker & Star: The new Black Panther Party is a bunch of nutbars that must number 10-12 people in the entire USA. They have racist beliefs and like many tea party movement like to wear funny costumes in public and threaten people who have opposing views.
The tea party movement; if you believe what its members say; is a nation movement numbering in the tens millions who plan to “take back the government” in the next election.
Your suggestion is that the media should treat both groups as if they were equal in influence and relevance in our daily lives and that the government should give them a platform to spout there crazy views because Fox News is not doing a sufficiently good job in spreading those views or giving them a higher profile and thus allowing them to recruit more members.
Good idea guys.
July 14, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Powers made an excellent point – that the degree of screaming and outrage over this is ridiculously out of proportion to the actual event. A handful of guys from one fringe group? Really? But that’s how Fox News does – they don’t want to invest much money in newsgathering so they latch on to a story like this, declare that it’s shocking and explosive and on and on, and try to wring as much airtime and outrage out of it as they can.
If Red Eye pointed out that the whole MSM ignored and didn’t cover the Tea Parties they’re flat out wrong. They’re lying to you if they claimed that. But only Fox News went to the trouble of anchoring some of their opinion shows (and some of their news shows – Cavuto was there) from the site of Tea Party rallies, that’s true.
July 14, 2010 at 5:04 pm
It’s not even abot the NBPP hahahaha
It’s about the DOJ dropping the case when they’ve already won it.
Corruption in the DOJ!
Geeeezzzzzz…
July 14, 2010 at 5:23 pm
No, its about showing incendiary video and interviewing black racists and to try and tie Obama and his administration to their insane views.
Fox is looking for the 2010 version of Rev. Wright and they think they may have him in the NBPP and this bozo Shabazz.
Star may have a point in dressing up O’Keefe as one of these BP guys and sending him undercover to polling stations. He would fit right in and he could take his own video.
July 14, 2010 at 5:24 pm
AlinDC makes a good point about the size of the idiot Panther group. This could’ve been said for the Tea Party movement before Fox hopped on their bandwagon. FNC does an excellent job of turning selected little things into Big Things, then asking why others are behind the curve on covering the Big Thing they created.
July 14, 2010 at 5:27 pm
…and he could take his own video.
…and edit it.
July 14, 2010 at 5:30 pm
lurker Says:
July 14, 2010 at 5:04 pm
So true, this would not even be that big of a story if the justice department didn’t drop the case. It would have been reported on and that’s it, the story would have probably been old news now. but since they didn’t people have to find out why, and that it is big.
And turning a little thing into a big thing? Would you be saying the same thing if it was a KKK member with a cross or a noose? I don’t think so.
July 14, 2010 at 5:46 pm
And turning a little thing into a big thing?
I’m referring to the group itself. I agree the story has merit as a news story, but FNC’s attempts to make the NBPP something other than the tiny bunch of loons it is are transparent. And the attempts to blow the DOJ story out of proportion are transparent as well. Voter intimidation is almost never prosecuted – rightly or wrongly – and one racist with a club in front of a predominantly black precinct wasn’t likely to become the exception.
July 14, 2010 at 6:18 pm
I agree, joeremi. Fox is also good at taking a complicated story and making it very simple – and misleading their audience in the process. Such as this story, telling Fox viewers that the Obama DOJ makes decisions based on race.
What if the DOJ dropped the case because career civil servants with expertise in these issues considered it, and determined that was the appropriate decision based on legal precedent and available resources.
But the second story wouldn’t let Megyn Kelly spend tons of air time talking up explosive accusations about scary black men, so Fox won’t tell it.
July 14, 2010 at 7:12 pm
-What if the DOJ dropped the case because career civil servants with expertise in these issues considered it, and determined that was the appropriate decision based on legal precedent and available resources. -
There’s the rub and why it’s a big story. The career DOJ lawyers with expertise in voting laws are the ones who decided this case had merit. It was a political appointee who halted it.
Now, just because it was a political appointee who made a political decision doesn’t automatically make the decision “wrong”. It is not wrong to follow the president’s agenda… unless the president’s agenda (or the AG’s on behalf of the president) violates the law or the constitution. If the appointee’s decision to drop the case was based on race, it was probably illegal. It is certainly an impeachable offence (for the appointee, not the POTUS).
July 14, 2010 at 7:17 pm
alindc– no offense (jes** but, i know how easily folks take offense around here), but Fox doesn’t “mislead” their audience– they simply tell it from a rightwing perspective– tell me why Dennis Miller is not creditable or Charles Krauthammer?– maybe Steve Hayes is not believeable?– i look and listen to this guy and i believe him–
July 14, 2010 at 7:40 pm
joeremi Says:
July 14, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Oh that’s much much better, then on that count I mostly agree with you.
July 14, 2010 at 7:48 pm
hey jack– i’m just wondering what u watch?– i’m guessing it isn’t Fox– i’m guessing it’s a healthy dose of MSNBC and/or CNN– yes?–
July 14, 2010 at 8:17 pm
other people may see it another way Al–
July 14, 2010 at 8:18 pm
America Live with Megyn Kelly is billed as news not opinion. That should make a difference. It doesn’t .
July 14, 2010 at 8:19 pm
come on glount– tell me u don’t love Megyn Kelly– try to tell me… please–