Fox News “hit job” on investigative journalism and its environment of fear

By Mary MacElveen

September 27, 2006

 

Former President Bill Clinton in his interview with Fox News, Mike Wallace stated, “So you did Fox’s bidding on this show. You did your nice little conservative hit job on me.” What folks fail to realize is that a public health piece was squashed by Fox News.  In doing so what they did was a ‘hit job’ on the American people.

 

As I watched this presentation it is evident that Fox News squashed a public health story in which two investigative reporters whose names are Steve Wilson and Jane Akre who were first told by Fox News when hired that they “could work on any story, ask tough questions and get answers.”  But, that was not the case when it came to a story concerning human grown hormone that are injected into cows across this country and manufactured by Monsanto.

 

Jane Akre stated that the “Federal government basically rubber stamped” this growth hormone named, POSILAC®.  She also stated that Monsanto misreported the facts to the FDA or the FDA did not bother to look”  I find that very disturbing.  But what disturbs me more as I viewed this feed is that the corporate heads of Fox News stepped in basically squashing this important piece from airing.  Even their lawyers stepped in pretty much demanding how this story was to be reported.  At one point this important piece went through 83 edits in which Ms. Akre said is unheard of.

 

The scientists in Health Canada came to very conclusions as you will see in this piece and stated, “That Monsanto’s growth hormone did not comply with safety requirements.” In fact as you will see in this piece that “Health Canada came to very different conclusions than that of the FDA”

 

Steve Wilson stated, that Health Canada “saw serious human health problems” and “stood up in Canada and said we are not going to approve this because we do not believe that it is safe”

 

Upon doing my own research on POSILAC®, this is what I read on Wikipedia's web site concerning this growth hormone: While Monsanto claims that this hormone is safe as you will read by visiting that page, “A great deal of controversy within the FDA surrounded its evaluation in the late 1980's. Richard Burroughs, who had a lead role in the review process, was shocked at how few tests the agency was requiring. Burroughs ordered more tests, but was soon fired. He said, “I was told that I was slowing down the approval process.”

 

I will not get into the science of this story since I really do not fully understand it all, but what I do find highly disturbing is that Fox News found that no one should hear this story in order to make their own health decisions.  In fact by not allowing for this story to be reported, they impeded concerned citizens from contacting members of congress to look into this growth hormone and how it relates to public safety.

 

You really need to see for yourself by watching this Fox News whistleblowers piece how corporate executives, lawyers and Monsanto interfered with the public’s right to know how dangerous this hormone can be.  I say can be, because both Steve Wilson and Jane Akre did interview people from both sides of this explosive issue.

 

As I viewed this from what was reported is that the crux of this matter all boiled down to advertising dollars.  This is yet another case in which money paid out to a news corporation means more than our safety.

 

Both of these reporters were basically harassed by Fox News in the making of this story, were sent threatening letters and basically told by Fox News to shut up.  At the end of this piece Jane Akre and Steve Wilson took it to court under the Florida "Whistleblowers Statute", but lost the case.

 

In looking further into the case in Florida, I was appalled as I read, Florida Appeals Court Orders Akre-Wilson Must Pay Trial Costs for $24.3 Billion Fox Television In this ruling it states, “Jane Akre and Steve Wilson, the two former FOX Television (WTVT-13) journalists have filed appeals of a ruling that they must pay the legal costs and fees the broadcaster incurred defending itself in a landmark whistleblower case the reporters filed in 1998. The journalists estimate FOX spent than a million dollars on its defense.” The court also stated that any distortion was merely a policy.

Akre stated of this ruling, "They may call it vindication but overturning a jury’s decision on a technicality that it’s not illegal to lie on the public airwaves is not vindication in the mind of any honest and ethical journalist.”

So the safety of Americans all boils down to has the most money as Akre stated, “If we had Rupert Murdoch’s money [$5.5 Billion], we could continue the fight on both fronts," That should shake anyone to the core.

Basically by not allowing these journalists to do their job, Fox News did a “hit job” on the public safety of all Americans which is far more devastating than what they did to former President Bill Clinton.

 

If that was not bad enough, this piece will clearly show just how Fox News works from within.  We have all heard how Fox News is the mouth piece of this administration and one that does not live up to the true ethics of journalism.  Having listened to some statements made by former Fox News employees, I was shocked.

 

Larry Johnson (former Fox News contributor) had this to say of this news organization and I use that term loosely, “that it is monitored by a Stalinist system and is an environment of fear.”  So, how are journalists supposed to do their jobs when they fear coming to work to report the news?  I would call that a “hit job” on their safety if it impedes them from telling the story.

 

Frank O’Donnell (former Fox News producer, Washington, D.C.) stated that “our activities were even monitored” Doesn’t that smack of Big Brother for you?  He stated that they even monitored such things as emails.  I wonder just how many Fox News viewers know this.

 

John DuPrue (former Fox News anchor, West coast bureau) stated, “we weren’t told so much that we were a news gathering organization, but a proponent of a point of view” Now where have we heard that one before?

 

As evident in this piece, you will see how those who do not mesh with their conservative thinking are pretty much told to “shut up” as Bill O’Reilly has done on a consistent basis.  Even reporters like Geraldo Rivera who I once admired especially after he broke the Willow Brook story many years ago while working for my local ABC news program “Eye Witness News” even dismissed a guest on his show.  He did not like what this guest was saying.  So, I would like to know how this Fox News network can call themselves “Fair and Balanced” when through thuggery, they dismiss the opposite point of view.

 

Bush’s Press Secretary, Tony Snow said this of former President Bill Clinton concerning his interview that "He retorts, you decide,” In viewing these two whistleblower pieces concerning Fox News, I would say that they distort and we are not left deciding anything if news is censored and not allowed to be aired.  If they interfere with the safety of the public, then that is down right dangerous.  If reporters live in fear, then what they are airing most likely is not the real story.

 

While this could be said of any news network, this station seems to be the one many think of when the term propaganda comes to mind. 

 

For those of you who do not know, I was invited onto the John Gibson Show on Fox News radio to speak of President Chavez’s comments of Bush when he called him “a devil” Having just watched these two pieces, I count my blessings that the initiating call for me to take part in that show never happened.  With them putting my name on their web site and not allowing me to take part in that show, is not very fair and not very balanced.