On Thursday night, Media Research Center President Brent Bozell appeared on Fox News’ Hannity to promote the MRC’s Notable Quotables “Worst of the Worst 2014" awards.
During the segment, Bozell highlighted Chris Matthews winning the “Ku Klux Con Job for Smearing Conservatives with Phony Racism Charges” for arguing that Republicans supporting voter ID laws was “murder in broad daylight.”
Sean Hannity wondered “is there anything that the folks over there at NBC News don’t think is racist these days?” to which Bozell retorted “do they have any limits? Do they have any limits on decent expression?”
The MRC president detailed how “there's a reason why Fox's polls show that 53% of Americans believe that race relations are worse. It's because of this. It's because of this kind of dishonest repugnant reporting.”
Hannity then introduced “The Audacity of Dopes Award for the Wackiest Analysis of the Year” which went to Eleanor Clift for insisting that Ambassador Chris Stevens “was not murdered. He died of smoke inhalation in the safe room in that CIA installation.”
The segment ended with Bozell pointing out how “we shouldn't consider this funny but this is monumentally stupid. I mean, it's like saying John Lennon died of a back ache. It’s like saying JFK wasn't murdered, he had a headache. This man was murdered. They're in such undeniable spin control for Hillary Clinton. They're capable of saying stupidity like that.”
The full list of the 2014 winners can be found here.
See relevant transcript below.
Fox News’ Hannity
December 19, 2014
SEAN HANNITY: You have your year-end awards. And you have some pretty funky names for these things. For example, you have the MRC’s “Ku Klux Con Job for Smearing Conservatives with Phony Racism Charges.” And the winner is?
CHRIS MATTHEWS: This is rotten stuff isn’t it?. The Republican effort to kill the black vote in state after state. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida, Texas.We can all see what they're doing. Believing they can't convert the African-American vote they decided to slaughter it. Early voting shrink it down to nothing or kill it altogether. Sunday voting that “souls to the polls” thing, slam the door on it. Same day registration, you’ve got to be kidding. That's like putting down a welcome mat for African-American voters. Look, this is murder in broad daylight.
HANNITY: Is there anything that the folks over there at NBC News don't think is racist these days? Everything's racism.
BRENT BOZELL: Or do they have any limits? Do they have any limits on decent expression? Do you think that Fox News would ever -- on your show you would ever say that about a liberal? I don't care how left wing that person was, there's a reason why Fox's polls show that 53% of Americans believe that race relations are worse. It's because of this. It's because of this kind of dishonest repugnant reporting. Chris Matthews.
HANNITY: It’s not helping NBC News and it's not helping the country. And it didn't help Democrats in the election but it will come up every election cycle, I guarantee you. Alright, one last one,. You have what you call “The Audacity of Dopes Award for the Wackiest Analysis of the Year.” And the winner is?
ELEANOR CLIFT: Every media organization has investigated this to death. This animates the right wing of the Republican Party. And I would like to point out that Ambassador Stevens was not murdered. He died of smoke inhalation in the safe room in that CIA installation.
HANNITY: Not murdered.
BOZELL: I mean, we shouldn't consider this funny, but this is monumentally stupid. I mean, it's like saying John Lennon died of a back ache. It’s like saying JFK wasn't murdered, he had a headache. This man was murdered. They're in such undeniable spin control for Hillary Clinton. They're capable of saying stupidity like that.
HANNITY: Unbelievable. All right, Brent Bozell. Look forward to the rest of the awards coming up. Appreciate you being with us.
BOZELL: Thank you, Sean.
