Fox News boss: It's not warmer until we say it's warmer

Anyone who watches Fox News all day long, as I sometimes do, marvels at the remarkable discipline. The cable news leader finds a topic it wants to work over and then pounds it — with the language and tone remarkably uniform from one program to the next.

In recent days, one of the men behind the one-station, one-message rigor has come into public view: Bill Sammon.

Sammon is a Fox News vice president and Washington managing editor who worries about semantics on the network conservatives love best. And, according to Sammon e-mails recently obtained by the liberal media watchdog Media Matters, the Fox boss particularly worries about making sure the on-air talent uses language favorable to the conservative point of view.

First to be revealed was a Sammon e-mail telling Fox personalities not to call the healthcare reform preferred by Democrats “the public option.” The news executive said he preferred “government-run health insurance” or “government option.”

Republican pollster Frank Luntz had previously noted that the problem with the "public option" language was that, well, the public didn't find it so objectionable. The reaction turned more negative when the reform -- actually an exchange of private insurance companies overseen by the government -- was deemed to be "government run."  Howard Kurtz noted as much in a Daily Beast column.

Next out of the gate, Media Matters revealed a Sammon e-mail regarding the language of climate change. Sammon asked Foxsters in the e-mail, dating to last December, to “refrain from asserting that the planet has warmed (or cooled) in any given period without IMMEDIATELY pointing out that such theories are based upon data that critics have called into question.”

The directive came about a year ago, just minutes after Fox White House correspondent Wendell Goler reported from the Copenhagen climate summit that 2000 to 2009 was “expected to be the warmest decade on record.”

After the Sammon e-mail had been issued, Goler and others on Fox adopted more skeptical language.

One of the peculiarities of the Sammon directive is that even most climate change skeptics don’t contest the notion that global temperatures have risen in recent decades. They tend to suggest, rather, that the temperature changes were not caused by man or that they are rendered insignificant when viewed against much longer-term trends.

But by denying data confirmed by the federal government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA),  Fox props up the sort of misinformation that makes any rational debate about climate more and more difficult.

The Union of Concerned Scientists issued a statement Wednesday noting that Fox News has a policy “to engage our audiences and enable them to find ways to reduce carbon emissions in their own lives.” The group called Sammon’s directive “an apparent violation of that policy.”

Sammon has commented only to media writer Howard Kurtz about the controversy over the healthcare e-mail. (He and Fox have not addressed complaints about their politicking on global warming.)

While opposing “public option” in the healthcare debate, language-sensitive Sammon suddenly became obtuse about who came up with the alternative language. He disingenuously told Kurtz that he had “no idea” that “government-run plan” was the term preferred by Fox's Republican allies.

One of Sammon’s Christmas wishes no doubt will be for a more secure e-mail account.

-- James Rainey

Twitter: latimesrainey

Comments

[Doug in Toronto]

Some of the outstanding minds of the 17th Century work for Fox News.

[Jebadiah Yoders]

So this is the best that Media Matters can come up with? A VP at Fox news advising his employee's of the verbiage he would like to see used it two diff stories? I would be embarrassed if I were Media Matters and so aggressively persue Fox news and come up with this. I am not biased of one news agency or another, but can someone tell me where either of these instructions are incorrect? The last that I checked it was a "Goverment run" option and if they want to correctly point out that warmer temps and global warming theories are questionable, isnt it their station to do so??? Im pretty sure they are not making anything up or leading people the wrong way. they are facts! Once again some more hard hitting investigative reporting masterpieces from the folks at media matters. Not only did I waste 4 minutes of my life that I will never get back reading a irrelevent blog about an irrelevent story from an irrelevent news source...I now spent 4 more typing out this irrelevent comment. These people are so weak, they have lost all of their viewers to Fox and instead of reporting things that people care about in an honest fashion...they dig through personal emails of their competition. news flash: All this does is make you look worse than you already do. Media Matters will be dismantled very soon and then hopefully the net will be a little less saturated with weak-minded jealousy of doing things the "Right" way.

[Larry Croft]

Doesn't matter to me. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Fox fan and proud of it.

[robertaviles]

I have posted this already here before You guys should stop complaining because, one the health care we have now isnt as good as it was supposed to be. also the law has just been signed so give it some time. so if u want to say u have the right to choose tell that to ur congress men or state official. If you do not have insurance and need one You can find full medical coverage at the lowest price check search online for "Wise Health Insurance" If you have health insurance and do not care about cost just be happy about it and believe me you are not going to loose anything!

[Mike]

Nothing in this is false, Fox fans do not care. I never listen to Fox and would like to hear some of the things the conservative republican party has to say. However this and the fact that they deny being the voice for conservative republican party and pretend to be fair and balanced means I can not believe anything ever said on Fox news.

[Jack]

This article with its misleading title is the reason I'm no longer a LA Times subscriber. People are now waking up to the global warming scam, trying to con Americans out of billions of dollars annually.

Tax payers don't fall for this scam.

[Christian Toto]

I like the fact that a news org goes beyond the talking points to reassess what terms like 'public option' mean. I'm certainly not a fan of doing so in order to please its so-called base if that can be proven.

What does gall me is how 98 percent of the media accept the global warming movement as is, without a scrap of cynicism/investigation. Reporters take it as gospel rather than using the essential tools of their trade - skepticism and an truly open mind.

The Climate Gate scandals certainly were revealing, but they also showed a press more than eager to cover up news it collectively finds 'inconvenient.'

[john bear]

So much for the Fox claim of being "fair and balanced".

[jacksmith]

REALITY!!

( Health Care Budget Deficit Calculator -- http://www.cepr.net/calculators/hc/hc-calculator.html )

( Briefing: Dean Baker on Boosting the Economy by Saving Healthcare http://t.co/fmVz8nM )

START NOW!

As you all know. Had congress passed a government-run robust Public Option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one, our economy and jobs would have taken off like a rocket. And still will.

The message from these midterm elections is clear. The American people want real healthcare reform. They want that individual mandate requiring them to buy private health insurance abolished. And they want a government-run robust public option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one. And they want it now.

They want Drug re-importation, and abolishment or strong restrictions on patents for biologic and prescription drugs. And government controlled and negotiated drug and medical cost. They want back control of their healthcare system from the Medical Industrial Complex. And they want it NOW!

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL NOT AND MUST NOT ALLOW AN INDIVIDUAL MANDATE TO STAND WITHOUT A STRONG GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE! AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.

For profit health insurance is extremely unethical, and morally repugnant. It's as morally repugnant as slavery was. And few if any decent Americans are going to allow them-self to be compelled to support such an unethical and immoral crime against humanity.

This is a matter of National and Global security. There can be NO MORE EXCUSES.

Further, we want that corrupt, undemocratic filibuster abolished. Whats the point of an election if one corrupt member of congress can block the will of the people, and any legislation the majority wants. And do it in secret. Give me a break people.

Also, unemployment healthcare benefits are critically needed. But they should be provided through the Medicare program at cost, less the 65% government premium subsidy provided now to private for profit health insurance.

Congress should stop wasting hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on private for profit health insurance subsidies. Subsidies that cost the taxpayer 10x as much or more than Medicare does. Private for profit health insurance plans cost more. But provide dangerous and poorer quality patient care.

Republicans: GET RID OF THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE.

Democrats: ADD A ROBUST GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION TO HEALTHCARE REFORM.

This is what the American people are shouting at you. Both parties have just enough power now to do what the American people want. GET! IT! DONE! NOW!

If congress does not abolish the individual mandate. And establish a government-run public option CHOICE! before the end of 2011. EVERY! member of congress up for reelection in 2012 will face strong progressive pro public option, and anti-individual mandate replacement candidates.

Strong progressive pro "PUBLIC OPTION" CHOICE! and anti-individual mandate volunteer candidates should begin now. And start the process of replacing any and all members of congress that obstruct, or fail to add a government-run robust PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE! before the end of 2011.

We need two or three very strong progressive volunteer candidates for every member of congress that will be up for reelection in 2012. You should be fully prepared to politically EVISCERATE EVERY INCUMBENT that fails or obstructs "THE PUBLIC OPTION". And you should be willing to step aside and support the strongest pro "PUBLIC OPTION" candidate if the need arises.

ASSUME CONGRESS WILL FAIL and SELLOUT again. So start preparing now to CUT THEIR POLITICAL THROATS. You can always step aside if they succeed. But only if they succeed. We didn't have much time to prepare before these midterm elections. So the American people had to use a political shotgun approach. But by 2012 you will have a scalpel.

Congress you could pass a robust government-run public option now during your lame duck session. You know what the American people want. You already have several bills on record. And the house has already passed a public option. Departing members could leave with a truly great accomplishment. And the rest of you would solidify your job before the 2012 elections.

President Obama, you promised the American people a strong public option available to everyone. And the American people overwhelmingly supported you for it. Maybe it just wasn't possible before. But it is now.

Knock heads. Threaten people. Or do whatever you have to. We will support you. But get us that robust public option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one before the end of 2011. Or We The People Of The United States will make this midterm election look like a cake walk in 2012. And it will include you.

We still have a healthcare crisis in America. With hundreds of thousands dieing needlessly every year in America. And a for profit medical industrial complex that threatens the security and health of the entire world. They have already attacked the world with H1N1 killing thousands, and injuring millions. And more attacks are planned for profit, and to feed their greed.

Spread the word people.

Progressives, prepare the American peoples scalpels. It's time to remove some politically diseased tissues.

God Bless You my fellow human beings. I'm proud to be one of you. You did good.

See you on the battle field.

Sincerely

jacksmith – WorkingClass :-)

[Cosmic Ray]

Does anybody remember the LATimes coverage of Climategate?