Fox News CEO Roger Ailes: Fox And 'The Other Side' Need To Tone Down Rhetoric

[fatbuckel]

Source: Huffington Post

Fox News CEO Roger Ailes said that he has told his network to "tone it down" in the wake of the shooting in Arizona, and that he hopes the "other side" will do so as well.

Ailes' comments appeared in a conversation with Russell Simmons that was published on Simmons' website, Global Grind. He said that any attempts to connect Fox News or the Tea Party to the shooting were "bullshit," and that "both sides" were responsible for extreme rhetoric.

But Ailes did say that he had issued a warning to Fox News staff.

"I told all of our guys, shut up, tone it down, make your argument intellectually," Ailes said. You don't have to do it with bombast. I hope the other side does that."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/10/fox-news-ceo-roger-ailes-_n_806952.html

[katty]

1. hey Roger-dodger: F/U! YOU & yr on-air lunatics need to

"tone it down"!

[StarsInHerHair]

58. I call bullshit, hypocites!

nt

[Drale]

2. So does that mean when Beck doesnt turn it down

they will fire his ass?

[William769]

3. "make your argument intellectually"

This I'd like to see.

[reflection]

6. Will they actually bring live crickets in the studio

or lay an audio track over the newsfeed?

[tishaLA]

9. Hannity will become a mute

[William769]

10. That would be a nice late Christmas present.

[forty6]

15. Pretty impossible task for someone like Palin or Beck or O'Reilly!

Little of intellect in any of those bozo's

[Iliyah]

32. Its hard

for the gop aka tea bats and plus the media who help fuel the rhetoric to stop. They are the new nazis.

[CLANG]

39. LOL - like that can possibly work

On second thought, he didn't say "honestly", so it will just be kinder gentler lies. But I won't hold my breath.

[wordpix]

62. it's an oxyMORON, like the morans at Faux

[Arrowhead2k1]

4. While I applaud him for telling his staff to tone it down,

fuck him and his fallacy of false equivalency.

[Gormy Cuss]

8. +1

and Fox News toning it down? I'll believe it when I see it.

[gratuitous]

13. At least he told us that he told his staff to tone it down

Whatever the hell that means. But it does appear to follow logically (hey, a new word for Ailes!) that by so saying, he's admitting that Fox is indeed part of the apparatus grinding away every day to maintain a certain level of anger, frustration, and incipient violence. Only when it boils over does Ailes seem to acknowledge that he and his network need to tone it down.

I'm pretty sure I'm reading his remarks right; the question is, will anyone else in the Media Village read Ailes' remarks that way?

[No Elephants]

66. If and when we see them actually tone it down permanently, we'll know if he winked or not.

[apnu]

5. Surprise me Ro-Ro... really surprise me.

I'm ripe for a shock, so show me this toned down FixedNewz... Please!

[Jackpine Radical]

7. But I thought we on the other side

were the unfair and unbalanced.

[movonne]

11. Fox, you start first...and when you finally get to where the left is ...then

we will start toning down...

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

12. Go fuck yourself Jabba. How's that? nt

[AsahinaKimi]

14. Some where Rodger Ailes is secretly

Jumping for joy because all this violence against the Left is NEWS and making him money. Its HIS gladiatorial games, and he is drooling for MORE. You want a true life VAMPIRE? Its Ailes sucking the blood from the public marrow.

[kestrel91316]

16. I'm not toning a damned thing down. Fuck you, you disgusting toadie.

[Deep13]

17. When was the last time Rachel Maddow told viewers to kill someone? nt

[wordpix]

63. and when did KO put up a map with gunsights and ask his viewers to RELOAD in cap letters?

[Deep13]

68. It was about the same time Al Franken said we should use 2nd Amendment remedies. nt

[denverbill]

18. Ailes' rhetoric is frequently as bad as his nutty pundits.

He wouldn't know extremist rhetoric if it bit him in the ass.

[japple]

19. Yeah, NPR, you REALLY need to tone it down. Ya hear me, Scott

Simon and Susan Stamberg?!?!?!

[wordpix]

64. I dunno, Gwnn Ifill and Jim Lehrer are really rabble rousing radicals

:sarcasm:

[Blue State Bandit]

20. The fact that Ailes had to say "...shut up, tone it down..."

tells you everything you need to know about their culpability. The last part, "...make your arguments intellectually" exposes them to the question, "Doesn't that imply that "bombast" was rampant in your newsroom, including the use of violent rhetoric?"

[katty]

25. yeah, too bad the FCC doesn't have a "tone down the

aiding, promoting and abetting of terrorists" massive $$ FINE for Roger & his gang. If they did, this kind of crap would stop-and his idiot rightwing bobbleheads would be out of jobs. the bottom line is $$$$$$.

[forty6]

26. PRECISELY !!!! This is just like Sarah Palin taking down her web pages

and erasing her tweet..."don't retreat, RELOAD"

They ALL KNOW they are guilty, and they don't wanna be caught saying stuff.

But with the internet, and Youtube, and the magic of video recordings, we have all this stuff stored for posterity, the evidence cannot be erased.

[katty]

29. nope, it can't and Sarah EARNS HER BIG$$$ by the

piss that spews from her ignorant, vicious self.

[TygrBright]

21. IS there "another side?"

Looking at the airwaves, the television screens, and the front pages of major dailies, I don't think so...

Why are you talking at dead air, Rog? To hear the lovely sound of your own thick, phlegmy, gloating, smug, evil voice?

Thought so.

dismissively,
Bright

[JI7]

22. What is this asshole talking about with "the other side" ?

more both sides do it bs

[JBoy]

23. LOL. Is Fox News finally admitting they're on a "Side", and not "Fair and Balanced"?

[forty6]

27. Sure looks like that. Actually they admit that every day on the air, and

have made several slips like this over the past few months, where they are unusually honest.

[Posteritatis]

51. Nice catch. (nt)

[ProSense]

24. Maybe Ailes needs to tell Murdoch to have a chat with Beck

Here's Beck giving Palin advice.

Media Matters Calls On Murdoch To Rein In Beck, Palin

[Jamastiene]

28. He wants Republicans to make arguments intellectually?

Does he know who he has working on his network? That is impossible.

:rofl:

[CLANG]

43. Are you saying Steve Doucy isn't an intellectual?

[guitar man]

30. "Roger Ailes openly admits Fox News Bias"

Bwahahahaha!!! :rofl:

[Thor_MN]

52. Fox "was created to counter a perceived liberal bias in the media"

Their original mission statement containing those exact words or close enough to not matter. One can't find their mission statement any longer, since they claim to be balanced...

[RoccoR5955]

31. Doesn't he mean ClearChannel?

As the other side? I mean Rush competes for ratings with them, doesn't he?
SURELY, that's what he meant.

[The Backlash Cometh]

33. Tone WHAT down?

They need to be more specific. They're the bombastic ones.

[JBoy]

35. Apparently they've been too aggressively "fair and balanced".

[progressoid]

37. Yeah, Why would they have to tone down fairness?

They are just chock full of fair and balancey.

Now I'm confused. Maybe if I tune into Fox, they can report and then I'll decide.

[Roy Rolling]

50. The new Fox Network rant...

I'M FAIR AND BALANCED AS HELL AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!

[CLANG]

44. They're about as "balanced" as the shooter

[Kingofalldems]

34. The other side--He admits Fox is biased and republican

[Liberalynn]

42. He's also apparently acknowledging

that so far intellectualism hasn't been a part of his anchors' skill sets so far.

Good luck with that changing anytime in this century.
:sarcasm:

[RandomKoolzip]

36. Who is "The other side?"

Oh, you mean "the sane?"

[Bandit]

38. We're fair and balanced but you "on the other side"

An open admission they have taken sides......

[defendandprotect]

40. Fox ... the "Pro-Life murderer" comfort zone .... O'Reilly targeting Dr. Tiller ... !!!

Yeah -- this right wing push for violent only began yesterday -- !!!


:nuke:

[tanyev]

41. Good luck wiping that sneer off of Megyn Kelly's face.

It's frozen there now.

[CLANG]

45. She's the UGLIEST beautiful woman I've ever seen!

[Kingofalldems]

47. She was making faces at the Sheriff yesterday

[Dappleganger]

46. The other side says to go fuck yourself.

[pezDispenser]

48. I though Fox News was 'fair and balanced'

meaning they didn't take a side. What gives?

[Still a Democrat]

60. ***Excellent point****

[crim son]

49. I believe they bear the greater responsibility

and should tone down their rhetoric to "inaudible". The almost certain result would be civil discourse by all.

[Rex]

53. Name the otherside we know you are not a simplton.

So he admits that HIS side was working people over to eventually go out and kill someone - thanks Ailes...you've got a little blood on your hands there. Now, quick, name the Lefty side that does the same as you and has blood on their hands...waiting...waiting...

Republicans have blood on their hands and they can't stand the fact that the Democratic Party has none.

Must suck to get no sleep from guilt.

[samsingh]

54. ailes -show me where our side condones the murder of the rightwing?

[samsingh]

55. ailes is a fat disgusting asshole

[NYC Liberal]

56. Translation: Keep saying the same stuff, just make it sound a little better

[Initech]

57. Fux is the one that needs to tone theirs down.

Do we threaten judges and senators? No.

Do we make threats against their leaders? No.

Do we hold protests that feature violent, racist imagery? No.

[yellowcanine]

59. Fox tells hens to stop clucking in a threatening way when he is sneaking around the henhouse..

[wordpix]

61. yadda yadda, and the NRA responds with prayers. What lunatics

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0111/NRA_spokesman_offers_prayers_for_victims.html

NRA spokesman offers prayers for victims - Ben Smith: NRA spokesman offers prayers for victims
January 10, 2011

NRA spokesman offers prayers for victims

In the aftermath of the Giffords shooting, the Brady Campaign and others have been arguing that the Glock used by Jared Loughner would have been banned under the Brady Bill, which expired in 2004. Paul Helmke, the president of the Brady Campaign, told the New York Times that the weapon was only good for "killing and injuring a lot of people quickly.”

When asked about the role that the Brady Bill repeal had played in the shooting. the National Rifle Association's spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told POLITICO "Anything other than prayers for the victims and their families at this time would be inappropriate."

[UTUSN]

65. Really, Roggg?!1 n/t

[Octafish]

67. What's the 'other side' of 'False'?

"Truth" -- for those new to the subject.

[Arugula Latte]

69. nevah mind...

[savalez]

70. Interesting open letter to Fox and associates

http://www.truth-out.org/the-wrath-fools-an-open-letter-to-far-right66686

[JudyM]

71. Transparently doing this for business and liability reasons.

And as a legitimate news channel just why wouldn't they have been making their arguments 'intellectually' all along?

:crazy:

[buckrogers1965]

72. Yeah!

NPR and Democracy Now needs to tone down their message of hate and violence... Oh, wait...

The only side engaged in hateful rhetoric are the right wing nut jobs.

I am a conservative, as far as I can tell Obama and Bush have 100% identical policies as President. I didn't approve of Bushs policies. I don't approve of Obamas.

[yellowcanine]

73. How is there an "other side" if Fox is "fair and balanced?"

Ailes seems to have made a little Freudian slip.

[faz]

74. He knew his network is guilty of promoting violence

That's why the "tone down" thingy.

Shame on you ! guilty!

[Jefferson23]

75. Interesting that he doesn't deny it, and the both sides nonsense will

be agreed upon by how many Democrats in power?? That is one concern for me, end this lie there exists a Palin, Beck, Limpbaugh
or Savage on the left.

[faz]

76. How could they make their argument intellectually if they are so full of

HATE

[AnneD]

77. Wait...I am confused....

I thought Fox was once sued for libel and they said their news was not real news or was it that they didn't have to tell the facts and still be news????

So what are they doing presenting themselves as the news.

Where is the FCC?