by STEVE RENDALL
A front-page story in today’s New York Times strongly suggests that Roger Ailes–the News Corp executive who runs the Fox News Channel, the Fox Business Network, and Fox broadcast stations–urged a witness to lie to federal officials in order to protect friend and politician Rudolph Giuliani.
If true, what may be most remarkable about the story is how unsurprising it is coming from Fox. Other networks surely harbor biases, but it would be surprising to find, say, that a top ABC News executive had suborned perjury in a partisan ploy to protect a politician.
But if the allegations against Ailes are true, it’s only the latest glimpse of the culture of lying that pervades Fox and its News Corp parent.
In addition to a well-documented habit of on-air distortion, it’s important to remember that Fox has argued in court that that the First Amendment gives broadcasters the right to lie.
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting for more
(Thanks to reader)