Can You Say “Internal IT Security Witchunt”?

Gawker has really done it this time. They’ve managed to (allegedly) get someone (allegedly) on the inside at FNC to pen a column on the network. Our intrepid reporter, or anonymous gutless turncoat depending on your point of view, bashes The Fox Nation and posts a never before seen video of FNC outtake footage from a Romney/Hannity interview.

Whatever entertainment value this story has, and as media writers we are plenty entertained by this, there’s the not at all funny for FNC sub plot that someone has access to archive footage and apparently isn’t afraid to use it nor do they appear all that concerned about getting caught. Which they very well could. I would not be at all surprised to find out FNC is right now running a log check on who were the last people to access that video.

Elsewhere in the video you will see the two men discussing the possibility that this very footage may one day be leaked, as they warn one another against primping too carefully. “You don’t want to have John Edwards moment,” Hannity says. “Did you see that?” Romney replies: “Oh, yeah I saw that. It’s one thing to do it for a second. It’s another thing to do it for an hour.” (And it’s quite another for Newt Gingrich’s wife to groom him like a circus walrus.)

Later, Hannity’s producers ask him to change his necktie mid-interview. Here’s a little TV trick for you: The show was splitting the Q-and-A over two nights, and they wanted to make the second night look like a fresh, new encounter rather than a rehash from last night. So they made sure to change Hannity’s tie lest eagle-eyed viewers spot the repeat. Romney, to his credit, refuses to play along. Offered a pink tie, he says, “I’m not going all Donald Trump today.” That day, Trump had announced his endorsement of Romney. In the portion of the interview that was broadcast, Romney said he was grateful for Trump’s support, and that “he is a man who’se created a lot of jobs, and he shares my concern about China.”

“So why not just leave Fox News?” you might ask. Good question! I’ve asked myself that same thing many times. And I am leaving. Sooner rather than later, I’m guessing. But I can’t just leave quietly, can I? Where’s the fun in that? So I’m John McClane-ing this shit. I’m inside the building, crawling through the air vents, gathering intel, and passing it along to Carl Winslow.