Fox News Channel is really making a name for itself

The Washington Post’s media critic, Howard Kurtz, had a couple of links to some great articles about Fox News Channel and its war coverage, giving me an excuse to rant once again about the most contemptible attempts at journalism in the history of broadcast television.

First up is Dan Kennedy with the Boston Phoenix who notes that only one network continues to hype a story that’s been discredited by real journalists with other news sources.

As Kennedy describes, initial reports out of Iraq last week suggested that an Iraqi warhead was found with trace amounts of weapons-grade plutonium. While the news was initially touted by everyone, as more information became available, and journalists learned that this was plutonium already discovered by U.N. weapons inspectors that had been sealed for safety reasons, reputable networks and newspapers abandoned the story because it lacked significance.

Fox News, naturally, did not because to tone down the coverage would undermine the network’s agenda. As Kennedy explained, “As far as I’ve been able to tell, Fox News is the only major news outlet to hype this inflammatory piece of non-news. Is this fair and balanced reporting?”

Well, of course not. But since Fox News has no journalistic standards, no one should be surprised.

Also, available today is a terrific article from the LA Times’ Howard Rosenberg, in which the columnist relays several recent examples of Fox News “journalists” showing on-air disdain for just about anyone who disagrees with the network’s pro-U.S., pro-war message. If this is a topic that interests you, the article is definitely worth a look.