Radio Host Mark Levine: Fox News’ Cameramen Have A Conservative Bias

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by Frances Martel | 7:14 pm, April 27th, 2010

» 28 comments

It isn’t the first time Fox News is accused of conservative bias, but this may be one of the wackier theories on how they do it. Today on America Live, Megyn Kelly hosted a discussion on protests in the media and, rather than attack their TV personalities for positive Tea Party coverage, radio host Mark Levine argued that FNC’s cameramen engaged in partisan cinematography to make illegal immigration protesters appear violent.

Upon displaying images of a Washington, DC Tea Party rally and an Arizona protest, the latter in which riot police had to be called in and protesters were physically attacking law enforcement, Kelly had Levine and fellow talk radio veteran Mike Gallagher discuss why tea partiers were protrayed as racist and violent while the illegal immigration protesters received a more positive evaluation. Gallagher argued that there was an inherent bias against tea partiers in most media outlets, while Levine turned the tables on Fox– namely, the Fox News camerapeople– claiming that when the immigration protesters are shown, “the camera angle’s all jaunty, it’s shaking, it’s up and down, it looks really raucus, and then you show the Tea Party people, and it’s very calm. No!” He argued that footage of tea partiers spitting and cursing at Congressmen could be made to look equally violent with the right direction.

Levine’s evoking of the repeated accusations that tea partiers spit and launched racial epithets at minority Congressmen– none of which is on film– caused Gallagher to remind Levine that Andrew Breitbart still has a six-figure reward out for any footage of such activity. Upon being asked to produce the footage, Levine swatted away the question and continued to assert that it was the cameramen who made the protests seem violent.

Watch the segment below:

conservatives, fox news, immigration protest, Mark Levine, Megyn Kelly, Mike Gallagher, protests, riot police, riots, Talk Radio, Tea Party

Olby Sucks

Is this another furlough day for the editor? Jeez!
Olby Sucks

That’s not The Great one!
Moderate

The protests in Arizona are becoming violent.
Rocks and bottles and trash being thrown at policemen.
Have you ever seen participants in Tea Party protests acting like this?
Yet the out-of-the-mainstream media portrays them as fomenting hatred and violence.
Are the same accusations being leveled against Arizona protesters who are getting out of control and who are ACTUALLY resorting to violence?
MichelleF

I continue to be amazed at what this site decides to run and what it blatantly ignores.
Olby Sucks

Michelle, they have an agenda. A progressive agenda.
SteveMG

Well, the producers and film editors who show the film on Fox (or MSNBC et cetera) may be biased but the cameramen (persons?) film what they see. And if they see violent activitiy, they’re obviously going to film it.

If the producers or editors take that film out of context, that’s their bias. But it’s not the cameramen’s fault.

Why do I feel like I’m talking to a bunch of fourth graders with this point?
timzank

Mr. Levine is not a well man by any stretch of the imagination.
MichelleF

I know olby, but I will continue to call them on it, day, afer day.

Dan,
Really, have you not shame at all? If you will just admit your site is Daily Kos light, I swear I will leave you alone.
Cactus

I continue to be amazed that people come here every day and point out on almost every post how lousy this site is. I figure they then go to Chipotle every day and complain about lousy the food is, right before they go for their daily visit to Best Buy to complain about how lousy the prices are. They then go home and invariably sit down to watch Jay Leno and bitch about how lousy he is…

There IS help out there for those suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, you know.
MarkStr82Hell

Cactus says:
April 27, 2010 at 8:09 pm
I continue to be amazed that people come here every day and point out on almost every post how lousy this site is. I figure they then go to Chipotle every day and complain about lousy the food is, right before they go for their daily visit to Best Buy to complain about how lousy the prices are. They then go home and invariably sit down to watch Jay Leno and bitch about how lousy he is…

There IS help out there for those suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, you know.

More like major depression. Some with psychotic features and some without
http://www.facebook.com/people/Brian-Rogiers/1426705964 Brian Rogiers

It’s those racist Fox camera men, dontchaknow! They get caught up in a riot, then jiggle the camera to give the appearance of chaos. And that bottle that hit the cop in the head? Camera tricks! Selective editing!

How can you compare that to the violence and criminal activity of the Tea Party Protests! Someone actually said that someone else hurled a racial slur! Won’t someone think of the children?
MichelleF

Cactus says:
April 27, 2010 at 8:09 pm
I continue to be amazed that people come here every day and point out on almost every post how lousy this site is. I figure they then go to Chipotle every day and complain about lousy the food is, right before they go for their daily visit to Best Buy to complain about how lousy the prices are. They then go home and invariably sit down to watch Jay Leno and bitch about how lousy he is…

There IS help out there for those suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, you know.

I’m sorry it bugs you so. I actually do like the site, but HATE that they try to act balanced and they are anything but. Hyporcrisy run amuck!
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

We must CONTINUE to REGISTER our DISGUST with the LIB HACKS who write for this blog — to simply read a blog that we ENJOY would be admitting DEFEAT!!1 True American Patriots like me MichelleF will NEVER STOP our fight against the OLBY LOVERS who work for MediaSPITE!!1

Right-Thinking Americans continue to DOMINATE this website and, indeed, the NATIONAL CONVERSATION with our INTELLIGENCE, MATURITY, SANITY, and in the case of our newest Conservative Superstar, MarkStr82Hell, BLATANT RACISM!!1 We are a giant RED, WHITE, and BLUE STEAMROLLER and we’re just getting STARTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

Leaving the politics aside, I thought Megyn Kelly was supposed to be a straight journalist, but pretty much everything she says in this report sounds like strong advocacy for one point of view from her introduction, through pshawing the Jon Stewart reference, calling out ABC for perceived bias, all the way through to the bitter end.
Bania

You’re Gold karl !!!!!2 Gold !!!!!!2
ImNotBlue

Cactus says:
April 27, 2010 at 8:09 pm

Out of curiosity… how does you “need help” theory apply to the FOX haters, who complain, and whine, and complain, and whine about all things FOX, day in and day out?

Of course, one might also respond saying: If you think those people need help, why are YOU complaining about them? Isn’t it hypocritical to complain about folks who are complaining? Aren’t you essentially doing exactly what you’re complaining about them doing?

Magister says:
April 27, 2010 at 9:34 pm

Perhaps you’re projecting…

____

Yet another curiosity question… does anyone know if they were FNC cameras, or were they an affiliate’s? That’s would kind of show whether or not Levine was speaking out his rear, or… um… well, speaking out his rear in a different way.

Funny, though… this is one of those debates that folks like to pretend (or lie about) never happening on FNC. If this was MSNBC, Kelly would be replaced and the 8pm host would be “dreadfully sorry” for allowing Levine on the air in the first place!
Frances Martel

@ImNotBlue Megyn says in the clip that they were not Fox News cameras. I’m not sure whose they are– probably an affiliate’s or some citizen journalist’s– but no, they’re not Fox News’ according to the clip, which doesn’t help Levine’s case.
StewartIII

Mark Levine is suffering from a huge case of FOX News Derangement Syndrome! And someone needs to tell him that The Daily Show is NOT a real news program, so says Jon Stewart.
ImNotBlue

Frances Martel says:
April 27, 2010 at 11:14 pm

…but no, they’re not Fox News’ according to the clip, which doesn’t help Levine’s case.

That’s an understatement! If they’re not FNC’s cameras, how can he accuse FNC of having right-wing camera people?

Myth-busted!
HanzoSword

I wonder how Fox camera men can stand it when Fox bashes unions and they’re all unionized.
ImNotBlue

HanzoSword says:
April 28, 2010 at 12:09 am

I wonder how Fox camera men can stand it when Fox bashes unions and they’re all unionized.

Actually, FNC is non-union (at least most of their workers). And I’m sure they enjoy the extra dollars they get to keep each pay period, that a union would have been happy to steal… er, I mean, “charge.”
Big_F-ing_Deal

Without getting into whether the media is covering the protesters equally, I will admit that it is idiotic to blame the Fox cameramen. No matter what lens you view that incident through, water bottles were still being hurled at police officers, and I wont condone it just because it comes from my side.
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

@ImNotBlue: I’m not sure what you think I’m “projecting”, but “fair and balanced” is “here’s one guy to say one thing and another guy to say another – I’ll be in the middle”, while there’s not a point in this clip, when you don’t know how Ms. Kelly feels or where she comes down on any of the questions.
MichelleF

ImNotBlue says:
April 28, 2010 at 12:01 am
Frances Martel says:
April 27, 2010 at 11:14 pm

…but no, they’re not Fox News’ according to the clip, which doesn’t help Levine’s case.

That’s an understatement! If they’re not FNC’s cameras, how can he accuse FNC of having right-wing camera people?

Myth-busted!

And Frances, why is it even a story, under those circumstances?
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

@IMB, @Frances & @MichelleF: I’m not seeing the raw footage on their website with nothing more than a glance, but the Phoenix Fox affiliate (KSAZ) is an O&O.
writer

How can a camera make someone ‘appear’ violent?
ImNotBlue

Magister says:
April 28, 2010 at 8:46 am

I think you’re taking Kelly’s “devil’s advocate” roll as evidence of something other than strong journalism.

Magister says:
April 28, 2010 at 9:56 am

@IMB, @Frances & @MichelleF: I’m not seeing the raw footage on their website with nothing more than a glance, but the Phoenix Fox affiliate (KSAZ) is an O&O.

Even if it’s an O&O, that doesn’t mean there’s any connection to FNC. MSNBC works with NBC’s national news division… but not the local guys, unless a story requires it. Same for FNC… their interaction with O&O’s is limited to stories happening in that area. They have no editorial control or financial connection. It’s idiotic to think FNC had anything to do with this, except replaying the local station’s video.
http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

@ImNotBlue: There is a financial connection between NewsCorp owned and operated stations and their parent, as there is a connection between FNC and the same conglomerate. Not to mention that last I heard, Roger Ailes was both the President of Fox News and the Fox television group.

Again, I’m not necessarily saying that Fox featured misleading video. I’m just pointing out that though the video may have come from their local affiliate (under the auspices of shared ownership and because there is a contractual relationship), it may not be entirely separate.

And, you can play the “devil’s advocate” card if you’d like, but there’s no mistaking Ms Kelly’s point of view. Not only does she express it through her line of questioning and her ready defense, but as Jon Stewart has pointed out on another occasion — The phrase “questions are being raised” in her introduction is a fairly standard Fox trick, where they (and only they) ask the “quesions”, then they answer it and keep repeating the thing until somebody else picks it up.