Is this news graphic an outrageous insult to Bill Clinton?

[nuxvomica]

Or am I just overreacting? I happen to watch the local Fox affiliate 10 o'clock news the other night and I was surprised to see this graphic introducing a story about Pres. Bill Clinton appearing at a pre-Presidents Day event in Albany, NY:



First of all, the headline is "Clinton Comes", meaning Clinton comes to Albany, but it seems they were careful to make it a double-entendre, emphasizing the single aspect of Clinton's presidency that RWers like to focus on. Secondly, the lighting in the picture of Clinton emphasizes the bags under his eyes and the shadow under his nose looks almost like a moustache. This alone wouldn't be remarkable except that there is some video noise at the upper right of his head that looks like a bang, rendering the image reminiscent of Hitler. I haven't doctored the image. You can see the video by going to the following link, searching for "Clinton" and clicking on the link that says "Bill Clinton in Albany."

http://www.fox23news.com/mediacenter/local.aspx

So tell me if I'm crazy. :shrug:

[BlueEyedSon]

1. It's Fox, I would assume the worst

[Warren DeMontague]

2. The Republican Party is the land of "we haven't had a satisfactory, guilt-free orgasm in years"

so I'd suspect they're just Jealous.

[Psephos]

8. heh heh, not so fast, you might want to read this ABC news report

Primetime Live Poll: More Republicans Satisfied With Sex Lives Than Democrats
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/News/story?id=180291

From the article:

Of those involved in a committed relationship, who is very satisfied with their relationship?
Republicans — 87 percent; Democrats — 76 percent

Who is very satisfied with their sex life?
Republicans — 56 percent; Democrats — 47 percent

The poll analysis also reveals who has worn something sexy to enhance their sex life:
Republicans — 72 percent; Democrats — 62 percent

When asked whether they had ever faked an orgasm, more Democrats (33 percent) than Republicans (26 percent) said they had.

<snip>

Remember, I'm just passing this along. Be kind to the messenger. :-)

[ConsAreLiars]

16. Republicans are also much more likely to lie and live in a world of fantasy.

Candor and honesty, or insight, are not their strongest features. They lie about everything. They can't help it.

[Butterflies]

49. Yes, you're 100% right!

They dishonestly brag about whatever would make them look good while hiding the sad reality. I've seen to over and over and over (unfortunately I've known many right-wingers).

[aquart]

23. How did the numbers break down in male and female?

BTW: was that, perhaps, a John Stossel story?

[Psephos]

43. That's a good question

If more women than men identified themselves as Dem, that could explain some of the disparity. Women usually rate their sex lives a bit lower than men, and that would skew the poll.

This poll is hardly scientific, anyway...I found the article amusing, but you know what they say about fools and statistics. :-)

As for the other question, no, it wasn't Stossel.

[Warren DeMontague]

27. We DO know they're scrupulously honest.... of course.

Nope. Just like good music, good film, good art... Most hard-core conservatives wouldn't know good sex if it bit them on the ass... (of course, the ass-biting would have to be missionary position, and take place in the context of a Christ-Centric marriage)

Note, I'm not really talking about the fiscal wing of the GOP; some of those folks' attitudes on some things may be morally reprehensible, but I'd suspect they're more capable of enjoying themselves. No, I'm talking about the glassy-eyed, theocratic, "Dinosaurs on Noah's Ark" Talibornagain wing.

What passes for steamy and hot in Red State Jesusland is just downright silly. These are the kind of people who still think mixing up food and sex a la "9&1/2 Weeks" is really kinky and not just a sticky pain in the ass. People who think they're getting wild when they leave the lights on...



or, hell, when they talk dirty about falafel on the phone to some poor, unsuspecting co-worker.

[jollyreaper2112]

39. hah!

That's the exact comment I was about to make.

[Catherine Vincent]

3. It's A Fox affiliate.

They'll do whatever they have to do to make President Clinton look bad. Lord knows they are tired of the unphotoshopped pics of that doofus pResident Bush.

[dysfunctional press]

4. it's fox...what do you think...?

nt

[Rhiannon12866]

5. This was a definite slam. I would complain.

I have, to CNN, but never bothered with FOX. What else do you expect of them? This is an unflattering pic, a nasty title, and you're right, it's Hitler-esque. We saw him in Glens Falls and he was both brilliant and inspiring. But you know that the Freepers are obsessed with Hillary, and afraid of her, so they would also take shots at Bill, since he's her best asset.

[nuxvomica]

11. Rather than complain directly, I may send it to the TU blog

The crazy thing is, I almost never watch the tabloid-like local news on this channel but I was too lazy to change the channel after American Dad. For all I know they are doing this sort of thing at every opportunity.

[Rhiannon12866]

13. The TU blog may be the right decision.

I think that Gillibrand got a lot of support from them which probably contributed to her decisive victory over Sweeney. Well, that, and the fact that Bill Clinton came here to campaign for her, twice. ;-)

[WinkyDink]

6. I think "Clinton Arrives" or "Is Here" would be better. It's definitely smart-ass.

[Bucky]

7. Don't think for a second only Fox would pull this shit

No, you're not crazy. No one runs a headline like that unless they know what they're doing. It's not a common idiom or a normal way of phrasing a headline for a VIP visitor. Don't think the awkward squinting photo used with the graphic is happenstance either.

[nuxvomica]

22. I thought the local affiliates weren't on that short a chain

It's a typical tabloid-style local newscast whose promos leeringly promise coverage of things like strange, unnamed horrors that might reside in your bathroom. But I didn't think they'd sink to this.

[Synnical]

9. That man can come hither on me anytime he wants

Insulting to whom? The man is a Rock Star.

[Rhiannon12866]

12. We saw him in Glens Falls, NY, just before the election, about an hour North of Albany.

He came to our burb to campaign for our Democratic Congressional candidate, who beat out a long-time Republican incumbent, BTW. As I said in my earlier post, he was both brilliant and inspiring. He definitely did not deserve this. You're right, he is a rock star, and that's the reason that the Freepers are afraid of him. :scared:

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nuxvomica]

19. I think my subject line should've read "slur against"

"Insult to" has a slightly different meaning.

[Rhiannon12866]

26. It's both a slur and meant to be an insult.

These are the type of pix that they love to post on FR, and then comment about them, which should tell you everything. :-(

[Richard Steele]

10. Of COURSE that's not an accident.

The digital noise may just be digital noise,
but the rest of the pic is NOT the product of
simple "bad lighting".

Someone spent some time in Photoshop doing some
very selective 'enhancing' to get that result.

[nuxvomica]

14. The image is what struck me at first

I'd been napping and was a little blurry eyed so I did a double take cuz I thought at first it that was a picture of Hitler. I would've shrugged it off had I not noticed the headline. This is not just dirty, it's cowardly dirty. :mad:

[LoveMyCali]

21. One of the things that first struck me in this picture

is that he looks somewhat toothless which would make him look like a backwoods hillbilly from Arkansas.

Good Lord, he didn't even have bags that bad immediately following his bypass surgery.

[Rhiannon12866]

25. Sorry, you made me laugh, but you're right!

What a terrible pic! I saw him, in person, just before the election, and you saw the pix... He looked great and was inspiring to all of us who heard him. Here, he looks like a toothless little old lady who would inspire no one. I know FR and they love these pix.:grr:

[jwirr]

15. The bad photos of almost all Democratic leaders in deliberate.

[NewJeffCT]

18. innocent mistake - just like all those Obamas becoming Osamas

or the labeling of Mark Foley as a Democrat.

[sandnsea]

20. FCC Indecency Complaint

Make them pay one of them several hundred thousand dollar fines.

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475B.cfm

[nuxvomica]

30. Unfortunately, I don't think it meets their indecency standards

I read the FAQ and their indecency definition doesn't seem to cover this incident. If it had aired before 10:00 pm, it might've been a different story.

[Forkboy]

24. An insult? Yes. Outrageous? Not really

I find it kind of funny,but I'm strange like that :)

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. par fo the course

it is Fox, I no longer expect anything less from them

[Cooley Hurd]

29. It seems intentional to me...

There are many different ways they could have said it (Clinton in Albany, et al), but chose the most salacious description.

I guess it could've been worse - the headline could've read "Clenis Attacks NY Capital Region.";)

[The Gunslinger]

31. Very obvious

I'd expect to see that on the news segment on Saturday Night Live.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Richard Steele]

33. If I ever meet the inventor of the 'alert' button, I shall kiss them full on the lips! nm

[LostinVA]

34. Liberty Baptist College start Spring Break early?

[sniffa]

35. doooood, you're everywhere

[Richard Steele]

36. And he's absolutely FIXATED on "the gays", in a 12-year-old FReeper kind of way...

Things that make you go "hmmmmm"

[otherlander]

37. ROFL

Uh, yep.

Did anyone see the NYT article last week about the Libby trial? They had a picture of Reagan and a picture of Clinton and the caption was about previous people who testified by video. Right next to the picture of Clinton, there was an ad with the word SEX written ten times bigger than any other word in the ad.

[woo me with science]

38. The caption is bad, for sure.

I don't see the Hitler thing, personally. It's an unflattering photo, but that is par for the course.

[nuxvomica]

40. Did you look at the video?

If I squint my eyes it looks to me like Der Fuherer. What bothers me is the video noise. I bet that happened by accident and they decided to keep it rather than clean it up because it looked like a bang. A professional media organization would've cleaned it up to have a clean presentation. I'm going to email the news director tonight just to see what he has to say.

[flying_wahini]

41. of course it is deliberate, It's Faux noise!

nt

[Auggie]

42. It could be worse. There could be a phallic symbol.

[nuxvomica]

44. PLEASE READ: Fox23 responds

I had written an e-mail to the station's general manager last night and I received this reply today:

First of all, thank you for taking the time to e-mail me and for watching FOX23 News. I did not see the story when it aired, but I have since watched it and spoke to the newsroom to get some answers.

Let me assure you that, contrary to your assertion, we were in no way intentionally slurring former President Clinton. While I agree that the video still used was not flattering, it was actual video from his Albany appearance (not some anti-Clinton stock photo we use to make him look bad). It did not look like Hitler to me, but agree we could have used a better video still (though he did have bags under his eye in the entire video). We have a new weekend graphic artist and the News Director has spoken to him about that particular graphic.

As for the "Clinton Comes" only on the graphic, please know that the words "to Albany" were on the graphic but it projected off of the screen (again an error of the new graphic artist). If the graphic had the complete sentence I don't think you would have thought we were intentionally and disrespectfully using "Comes" in a dirty way, any more than Santa Claus is coming to town is dirty.

Finally, the "video noise" you refer to was the result of a bad choma key. The graphic is actually projected onto a green screen (much like the weather is done at most stations). We have had problems lately with that shot and are working on it, but it was particularly bad during the Clinton graphic. Normally when out of sync the "video noise" is only visible on the edges of the graphic. I assure you that it was not intentional as that function is handled by technical staff who have no news or editorial input.

For the record, FOX23 is owned by Clear Channel Communications, not News Corp. We're not a right wing mouth piece for the FOX News Channel (or anyone else for that matter).

Thank you again for your e-mail and for watching FOX23.

Jeffrey J. Whitson
V.P./General Manager
FOX23 WXXA-TV/DT
23.2 VTV The Variety Channel
www.fox23news.com

edit: added intro.

[Rhiannon12866]

45. This is really excellent, since it sounds as if you really called them out

and they're aware that people are watching for this sort of news bias. The guy who wrote back to you sounds sincere and as if he took this seriously and looked into it. As for the graphic artist, I think that they'd better keep an eye on him...;)

Good work and one for our side.:yourock:

[nuxvomica]

46. This was my reply to him:

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. We live in a time of heightened political sensitivity as you are probably well aware and your speedy reply and obvious concern is very welcome.

I think it's important to engage the press on these issues and to use a civil tone. (Even if you end up using bad diction: I should've have written "are very welcome". :D) Tom Hartmann is always saying we should write to the press when we have an issue with coverage. That's what the RWers have been doing for years and it's had an effect.

[Rhiannon12866]

48. This is very good! This guy knows that they are now on notice and people are watching their news

coverage for any sign of bias, let alone something blatant like this. And that he'll have to keep a close eye on the graphics guy...;)

I agree that being civil is the only way to go, and also that we have to speak out. You're right that the RW has long been screaming about the "liberal" bias in the media, which is hardly the case, as we know. We need to speak up, as well. Great job!:applause:

And, considering the kind of thing that they probably normally receive, I don't think he'll have an issue with your diction.:-)

[Eurobabe]

47. Pretty suggestive

[Rhiannon12866]

50. I agree, my friend.

Bill Clinton came to visit our little burg just before the election, to campaign for our Democratic congressional candidate (who won, against the odds!) and he was extremely impressive! We got to see him, in person, and it was very memorable! I'd vote for him, again, in a heartbeat, LOL.:D

How is your Mom's cat doing?:shrug::-)

[Eurobabe]

52. Hi Rhiannon, Biddy is fine, she changed their cat litter

type and he seems to have stopped peeing outside the box. Magellan is better too, turns out she was o'ding them on hairball/fiber, and that could have caused their problems. Thanks for asking :hi:

[Skip Intro]

51. Not an accident.

Those words were pondered and chosen. No "whoops" defense to it.

Some real slimeballs out there.

[mainer]

53. They left out the second two words of the graphic:

AND BUSH CAN'T.

[helderheid]

54. JEEBS!