Fox Insiders Consider Franken Lawsuit a "Public Relations Train Wreck"

Al Franken: Throwing Punches and Punch Lines

By Howard Kurtz

(snip)

The view inside Fox News is that the suit -- which called Franken "shrill" and "unstable," among other choice adjectives -- was a public relations train wreck that embarrassed the network and boosted Franken's book, which is being rushed into stores to capitalize on the publicity. These sources say that top executives, including Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, argued against the suit, but that O'Reilly was so loudly adamant that the network went along to placate its prime-time star.

As Franken sees it, "this was about one of their anchors being in an infantile rage and demanding that they do this. They miscalculated that a news organization probably shouldn't be trying to suppress free speech." Fox dropped the suit Monday after a federal judge rejected its request for an injunction.

Even O'Reilly conceded that "we never thought we were going to win the lawsuit. We wanted to expose the vicious tactics being used by the far left."

(snip)

Here, according to "Lies," is the Franken analysis: "The mainstream media does not have a liberal bias. . . . ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, the New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Newsweek and the rest -- at least try to be fair."

But the right-wing media -- Fox News, the Washington Times, the New York Post, the Journal editorial page, talk radio -- are "biased," the book declares. They have "an agenda." They are "not interested in conveying the truth." They "concoct an inflammatory story that serves their political goals. ('Al Gore's a liar.') They repeat it. ('Al Gore lies again!') They embellish it. ('Are his lies pathological, or are they merely malicious?') They try to push it into the mainstream media. All too often they succeed." They used such tactics "to discredit Gore and put Bush into office," and now "to silence Bush's critics."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56418-2003Aug27.html

It was a train wreck and didn't they all just deserve it. Delicious!

for malicious prosecution. Give him a 10 day deposition and make him answer questions according to the rules of evidence. He'd explode.

but there's nothing quite as sweet as Republicans self-destructing, while Democrats watch benignly.

In their hearts they know they're full of shit and it drives them crazy.

HaHa!
Even O'Reilly conceded that "we never thought we were going to win the lawsuit. We wanted to expose the vicious tactics being used by the far left."

These vicious tactics being, "telling the truth". No spin O'Reilly looks like Linda Blair in the Exorcist, besides an infantile crybaby.

Hmm. If you didn't expect to win, I would guess it's crossed your mind that the law is not on your side. Sounds like a frivolous lawsuit to me.

I thought O'Cryley was against frivolous lawsuits.

Spin this.

Smite them all with the wrath of mighty Rule 11!

Seriously, there ARE legal penalties for prosecuting a lawsuit that you know to be bullshit. I would like them inflicted, please.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

Huh? Why isn't that prosecutable? They filed a lawsuit they knew had no basis in the law. Shouldn't they have to compensate the local authority for the court costs, etc? And, given they admitted the suit was frivolous, isn't this an invitation to a class action by the taxpayers?
The Professor

see above. I hope to see it prosecuted, too.

moohoohahaha,

THe Plaid Adder

"Even O'Reilly conceded that "we never thought we were going to win the lawsuit. We wanted to expose the vicious tactics being used by the far left.""

Bwah ha ha ha HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAH


:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

After all, ol' Howie depends on the pundit gravy train as much as any other screaming/groveling head, so he bends over backwards to suggest that someone questioning Uncle Rupert's creed is disingenuous. I wish they had honesty transfusions for the likes of Kurtz...

and those shrill, lying blowhards on the right can BITE ME, because I think AL IS funny.

Their new slogan.

They better trademark that sucker fast,
before some unscrupulous shrill and unstable
satirist steals it right out from under their
fat asses!!! Gosh but I'd hate to see them
out foxed again.

that I wonder if Franken and O'Reilly aren't secretly buddies! I can imagine Franken calling up O'Reilly and asking, "Hey, could you do me a favor? The promotional budget for my book is pitiful. Could you give my book a boost and sue me?"

On the NY Times hardcover nonfiction best-seller list, Treason is 4th, and Lies is nowhere to be seen (i.e., worse than 35th).

On the Amazon best-seller list, Lies is 1st, and Treason is nowhere to be seen (i.e., worse than 25th).

I figure they measure it differently, but would not expect such a difference.

I'm pretty sure. It looks like NY Times doesn't take into consideration online sales.

It's curious that on Amazon there's not yet a customer review. I would have expected a fake review or two from the deranged freepers already.

I believe that indicates that many of the sales were bulk sales, done in order to put her book on the bestseller list, the Amazon list, lists actual sales by real people. Not right wing billionaires with deep pockets.

Franken's Lies hadn't been published yet....

I thought you guy's would appreciate a Britsh Ed-Op from the Independent on this subject. Very well written, I've just been laughing out loud in the office :-)

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=438014

on the drudge report, the book is expected to be #1 on sept 7 release of the NYT best seller list

Thanks.

I loved the questions asked by the judge during the trial. Where's the courtroom cameras when we need them?

Thank you for your post. I really enjoyed it.

That was a fun read!

this was an entirely self-inflicted wound by Fox. Not just the fact of the suit, but the unethical name calling in the complaint.