My question in the headline can be taken a couple of different ways. First off you may be one of the many Americans that has taken the news you receive from the Fox News channel as “Fair and Balanced,” you also may be one of the many that has recently purchased the current number one DVD Outfoxed from Amazon.com, either way the question remains the same.
The DVD went on sale over at Amazon.com on July 13th and has since surpassed sales for the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD and Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, CNN reported on July 22nd that the DVD, in nine days, has surpassed the 6,200 units sold mark over at Amazon! So what is all the fuss about?
Outfoxed is a documentary that is certainly gaining awareness thanks to, not only the subject matter of the doc, but also the recent success of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, which recently topped $100 million at the box-office.
The film takes an extreme look at Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News and shows just how the media can influence the American public by providing an in-depth look into Fox News and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public’s right to know.
I wanted to write an article about this over a month ago when I first heard about the DVD, due to my thoughts of the current administration and the support this movie was sure to get, but I wanted to wait until I saw it, and now that the people over at Outfoxed.org were so gracious to send me a copy I had the chance.
I can tell you that my reaction was of shock and laughter as clips are continuously shown of the news anchors over at Fox News consistently contradicting themselves and reporting anything other than “balanced” reporting, even Walter Cronkite weighs in with his opinion discussing the far right wing nature of the Fox News channel.
This is not a documentary that takes the information and distorts it, about 85% of the show is clips from Fox News and the other 15% is interviews from several sources, many ex-Fox News reporters.
The film was partially produced by the online political movement MoveOn.org, which describes itself as an organization working to bring ordinary people back into politics. With a system that today revolves around big money and big media, most citizens are left out. When it becomes clear that our “representatives” don’t represent the public, the foundations of democracy are in peril. MoveOn is a catalyst for a new kind of grassroots involvement, supporting busy but concerned citizens in finding their political voice. Our nationwide network of more than 2,000,000 online activists is one of the most effective and responsive outlets for democratic participation available today.
It took about $300,000 to make and is currently selling for about $9.95 at Amazon.com. As with most documentaries with an agenda on beating down one source there is really no “other side” in this debate and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the same tactics being used at other news sources, but the evidence presented in this film against the Fox News Channel is undeniable.
Included on the DVD is also one special feature that takes you behind-the-scenes of the making of the doc, and it leaves you with one really important message and that is to get your news from a variety of sources. This is a must, especially if you are the type of person that is extremely influenced by something you have heard on TV or the radio, etc. If you hear something that enrages you see if other news sources are citing the same information.
Outfoxed is not only out to get the Fox News Channel it seems to be more of a call to news sources to be more responsible and unbiased. The clips shown describe irresponsible news reporting and point out the idiocy of Bill O’Reilly who shouldn’t be allowed to speak ever again unless he were to give us agenda as a disclaimer before his face ever hits the screen or his voice comes across the airwaves.
The worst example of Fox’s blatant disregard for responsible and unbiased journalism has got to be the instances during their countdowns to the 2004 vote as they would precede their segments with, “Only X number of days before Bush is re-elected.” The first time the documentary shows that you sort of gloss over it, but after hearing it several times thereafter it is undeniable that something is up over at Fox News.
To order yourself a copy of the DVD click here and to check out the official Outfoxed website click here.
