CNN anchor Rick Sanchez again attacked Fox News on Monday’s Newsroom, implying the channel wasn’t a “real news organization,” and bizarrely labeled Glenn Beck “pudgy-faced.” Unsurprisingly, Sanchez continued his silence concerning his own network’s left-wing bias [audio clips from the segment are available here].
The anchor began the segment by summarizing his attack on the Fox News Channel from the September 18 edition of Newsroom, and then dropped his hint that his competitor was not a genuine news outlet: “Real news organizations- real news organizations- are not supposed to stage events, nor should they promote news events, nor should they hype news events. Otherwise, they lose their ability to be impartial. They’re no longer even remotely objective if they do that, nor are they being ‘fair and balanced.’”
After noting how a “pudgy-faced” Fox News anchor (he never specifically used Beck’s name during the segment) “used his radio show to tell people to go to these rallies,” Sanchez played a clip of a correspondent from the Rupert Murdoch-owned network who reported live from the Tea Party during a special edition of Beck’s TV show. He then pointed out the behind-the-scenes Fox News producer who “raise[d] her arms to get the crowd to hoop and howl on command” while the correspondent gave his report.
While Sanchez pointed out how Fox News apparently isn’t “remotely objective,” the anchor didn’t raise any objections when former CNN correspondent Susan Roesgen lashed out on-camera at Tea Party protesters at an April 15 rally in Chicago. Sanchez must think that CNN retains its status as a “real news organization” even when one of his colleagues loses her “ability to be impartial,” as Roesgen clearly did when she labeled the Tea Party “not really family viewing” and how it was being “highly promoted by the right-wing conservative network Fox.”
The transcript of the relevant portion of the segment, which began 42 minutes into the 3 pm Eastern hour of Monday’s Newsroom:
RICK SANCHEZ: When I said Friday that we covered the Tea Party rally in Washington, it was only because Fox News had taken out a full-page ad in The Washington Post telling millions of people that we didn’t cover the rally- and that was a lie, and lies should be exposed. And here’s something else that should be exposed. Real news organizations- real news organizations- are not supposed to stage events, nor should they promote news events, nor should they hype news events. Otherwise, they lose their ability to be impartial. They’re no longer even remotely objective if they do that, nor are they being ‘fair and balanced.’ Case in point again: Fox News, and that’s where we begin ‘Fotos [del Dia].’
SANCHEZ (voice-over): This is the pudgy-faced anchor, like me- who, by the way, is not a journalist- not like me- who has used his radio show to tell people to go to these rallies. This is the news reporter who says the protestors are- among others- doctors. But wait, here’s the best part. This is the producer who tells the crowd when to cheer at a rally. Watch as she raises her arms to get the crowd to hoop and howl on command at a news event- keyword, news. Now, for your viewing pleasure, here it is all together.
GLENN BECK: Fox’s Griff Jenkins is there now in Washington, D.C.
GRIFF JENKINS, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: They’re old, they’re young, they’re black, they’re white, they’re male, they’re female, they’re farmers, they’re miners, they’re doctors.
SANCHEZ: And more- Fox News says the producer in question will be disciplined. As for my request that they apologize for lying about CNN not covering the story, still no apology, though a Fox executive did say I was a ‘sucker.’ Not quite sure exactly what that means, but I’m still waiting for that apology.