Fox News is the most factually challenged cable news channel. Earlier this month, Jon Stewart took Sean Hannity to task for using misleading video footage of a rally. Hannity claimed it was a mistake. Then a few days later, Fox did it again.
Now, according to a "leaked" memo, Fox News executives are going to start cracking some skulls if employees don't tighten up their quality with a quickness.
The authenticity of the memo has not yet been verified. There author is unknown and it's riddled with grammatical and typing errors, so take it with a grain of salt.
If it is for real, executives are saying that "jobs are on the line."
"Effective immediately, there is zero tolerance for on-screen errors." According to the memo, punishment may include "warning letters to personnel files, suspensions, and other possible actions up to and including termination."
That's strong language, but this memo could be a hoax. Or it could have been intentionally "leaked" in an attempt by Fox News executives to create the illusion that they're dedicated to accuracy above everything else.
But while Fox News leads the other cable news channels in opinion and fact-averse journalism, MSNBC is nipping at their heels while CNN limps along trying to figure out what to do.
The cable news landscape is pretty sorry all around.
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Here's the full-text of the memo published by FishbowlDC. On FishbowlDC the memo is one big block of text and difficult to read. I formatted it will paragraph breaks.
Subject: Quality Control We had a mistake on Newsroom today when a wrong book cover went on screen during a guest segment, the kind of thing that can fall through the cracks on any day with any story given the large amount of elements and editorial we run through our broadcasts.
Unfortunately, it is the latest in a series of mistakes on FNC in recent months. We have to all improve our performance in terms of ensuring error-free broadcasts. To that end, there was a meeting this afternoon between senior managers and the folks who run the daytime shows in which expectations were reviewed, and the following results were announced: Effective immediately, there is zero tolerance for on-screen errors.
Mistakes by any member of the show team that end up on air may result in immediate disciplinary action against those who played significant roles in the "mistake chain," and those who supervise them.
That may include warning letters to personnel files, suspensions, and other possible actions up to and including termination, and this will all obviously play a role in performance reviews. So we now face a great opportunity to review and improve on our workflow and quality control efforts.
To make the most of that opportunity, effective immediately, Newsroom is going to "zero base" our newscast production. That means we will start by going to air with only the most essential, basic, and manageable elements.
To share a key quote from today's meeting: "It is more important to get it right, than it is to get it on." We may then build up again slowly as deadlines and workloads allow so that we can be sure we can quality check everything before it makes air, and we never having to explain, retract, qualify or apologize again.
Please know that jobs are on the line here. I can not stress that enough. I will review again during our Monday editorial meeting, and in the days and weeks ahead. This experience should make us stronger editorially, and I encourage everyone to invest themselves one hundred and ten percent in this effort.
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Comments
I think it is good to be strict and hold networks responsible. Opinion and forecasting is one thing but lies or false "facts" are unacceptable and should be corrected.
Fox may be a giant in the cable news world but they must be accurate in the facts. I like opinions news but i dont want phony information or representation.
"Fox News is the most factually challenged cable news channel. "
YOU LIE! There is NO study you can cite to back that idiotic statement up.
And you even ADMIT the FNC is upset at a few mistakes so don;t yo think they are on the ball?
I keep thinking about a man named Rather and a forged document weeks before an election.
Tightening up on errors is always a good thing. When FOX uses wrong footage, they should be called on it.
Both FOX and MSNBC engage heavily in “opinion and fact-averse journalism.”
I disagree that MSNBC is nipping a FOX’s heels. The ratings seem to put them at a somewhat distant second….
Live + Same Day Cable News Daily Ratings for November 23, 2009
P2+ Total Day
FNC – 1,385,000 viewers
CNN – 376,000 viewers
MSNBC –372,000 viewers
CNBC – 194,000 viewers
HLN –265,000 viewers
P2+ Prime Time
FNC – 2,848,000 viewers
CNN – 520,000 viewers
MSNBC –825,000 viewers
CNBC – 129000 viewers
HLN –520,000 viewers
Link: www.tvbythenumbers.com/category/ratings/cable-news
Yeah Norm I didn't mean MSNBC is nipping at their heels in terms of ratings but in terms of shoddy journalism. Fox News is trouncing everyone on cable news.
Oh, OK Keith...sorry about that.
Yeah both sides are getting crazy on us.
It would seem that both think "the end justifies the means."
Dear "Libs Suck!"
You need to read the entire post before shooting your mouth. Like I said, just because Fox News leaks a memo claiming that they're cracking down on "mistakes" doesn't mean that they're going to be cracking down on "mistakes."
Perhaps you've never worked for corporation before, but they say lots of things and often do quite the opposite. Do you want to be lead around like a sheep? It seems like it.
And what the heck does Dan Rather have to do with this story? First of all we're talking about cable news. Secondly, what the heck does Dan Rather have to do with this story?
The right-wing radical response to everything they don't like is: "Liberals sucks! The news media are all liberals and suck too! Glenn Beck is the smartest man alive. I'd marry Rush Limbaugh if I wasn't against gay marriage."
Dial it down and think it through. Just because you can read and write doesn't mean you have a valid opinion.
“I'd marry Rush Limbaugh if I wasn't against gay marriage."- I laughed so hard when I read this that Diet Coke shot out of my nose!
I think that “Libs sucks” was referring to the fact that documents have seemed to surface that Dan Rather either knew or had good reason to doubt the authenticity of the documents about Bush. I think his producer (or maybe editor) brought it his attention before he went to air with it.
The BIG difference between Beck, Hanity, Oberman , Madow, etc. and Dan Rather is that he was (supposed) to be a journalist (as opposed to a pundit.) His job did not allow him the luxury of having an on-air opinion.
Nevertheless, Dan Rather’s career paid the ultimate price for it.
A highly opinionated site that you may already know about: www.ratherbiased.com
I'll just say this about Dan Rather. He's irrelevant to this conversation. He wasn't on cable news. Was Rather a liberal or just a crappy journalist? I'd go with the later, but I don't know and don't care.
It is funny that I can't even name a single person that works on any of the cable news networks that I'd call a journalist. There probably are some out there, but not a single name comes to mind.
When we think of cable news we usually think of commentators.
The closest, I guess, is David Shuster on MSNBC or Chris Wallace on Fox? But not really, Shuster is a tool and Wallace ... pfft whatever.
Oh I almost forgot about CNN, but judging by their ratings, so did everyone else. I guess they have prematurely gray Anderson Cooper, oh and Rick Sanchez. Yeah.
Why doesn't anyone want to do news anymore? I know it's kind of boring, but geez cable TV stations fitted news with cement galoshes, pumped two in the back of its head and dumped the body in the Hudson.
Keith,
Sadly, most people today watch the news for wrong reason…they seek affirmation, not information.
Most people don’t even realize they are doing it and get ANGRY if you try to tell them.
:(
You're right Norm. The entire media landscape is in a really sorry state right now. I don't know how it's going to turn out, but I don't think it's going to be very good.
I'm a proponent of partisanship, I think it can be good, but the level of anger, bitterness and divisiveness is really quite alarming.
There's something happening here. What it is an exactly clear.
Happy Thanksgiving. Eat. Drink. Be merry.
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