Fox News had a double whammy on Monday when two contributors made outlandish comments about President Obama resulting in two-week suspensions for both.
The suspensions — one of former “Clueless” star Stacey Dash for saying President Obama “could give a shit” about terrorism and the other of Lt. Ralph Peters for calling Obama a “total pussy,” were rare penalties imposed by the network.
“It seems pretty clear Fox News has separate rules of conduct based on its star system,” Media Matters’ senior fellow Eric Boehlert told TheWrap.
Boehlert, whose organization chronicles Fox News bias — and Fox condemns as a far-left joke — pointed to 2009, when Glenn Beck claimed President Obama was a racist “with a deep-seated hatred for white people,” yet suffered no punishment.
“Of course that move came back to haunt Fox after an advertiser boycott campaign was started and eventually Fox found it almost impossible to find advertisers who’d buy Beck’s show,” he continued. “If Fox had quickly suspended Beck for a week or two, it’s doubtful that boycott ever would have happened.”
Boehlert concluded that only “C or B-list” Fox players get reprimanded for crossing the line, but Fox stars get miles more rope.
Here are seven more instances in which network figures crossed the line, but stayed on the air.
1. Obama’s “terrorist fist jab”
Former anchor E.D. Hill teased a segment displaying an image of then-candidate Obama bumping fists with wife Michelle.
“A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently,” she said.
Five months later, SVP of Programming Bill Shine told TVNewser that he “chose not to renew E.D.’s latest contract.”
2. Bill O’Reilly to Son of 9/11 Victim: Shut up!
Things got heated when Bill O’Reilly and Jeremy Glick, whose father died in the September 11th terrorist attacks, debated the wisdom of the Iraq War.
“Shut up. Shut up,” O’Reilly screamed. “Cut his mic. I’m not going to dress you down anymore, out of respect for your father.”
3. Analyst Jokes About Assassinating President Obama
Fox analyst Liz Trotta grouped President Obama and Osama bin Laden together, suggesting both should be taken out.
“And now we have what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama, uh Obama. Well, both, if we could,” she joked.
4. Geraldo Rivera Blames Trayon Martin’s Hoodie for Death
Discussing the death of Trayvon Martin, Geraldo Rivera pointed to the hoodie worn by the African-American teenager as the reason he was killed.
“I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was,” Rivera said in 2012 after Zimmerman shot and killed the unarmed Martin. “Leave the hoodie home.”
5. Dr. Keith Ablow Blames Jews for Not ‘Actively’ Resisting Holocaust
Fox contributor and psychiatrist Keith Ablow thinks if Jews in Germany had more “actively resisted the Nazi party” they would’ve stood a much better chance of avoiding their eventual extermination.
He wasn’t suspended and has appeared on the network since — although a Fox spokesperson says that his airtime has been “dramatically reduced.”
6. #BlackLivesMatter Members Are “Sub-Human Creeps”
The network’s resident sheriff, David Clarke, who’s been booked as a guest many times in the last year but is not an official contributor, equated members of the Black Lives Matter movement with C.H.U.D.s.
“The police can show up and arrest these sub-human creeps for creating a disturbance,” he said. Clarke has appeared on Fox numerous times since.
7. Obama’s Birthday Is a “Hip-Hop BBQ”
Fox Nation, the network’s community website, characterized President Obama’s 50th birthday party, attended by Jay Z, Chris Rock and Charles Barkley, the “Hip-Hop BBQ” in a headline.
Jesse Watters, a Fox host and “O’Reilly Factor” correspondent who ran the website, was not punished for the incident.
Fox News didn’t respond to TheWrap’s request for comment regarding whether hosts and guests will be given guidance from the network following Monday’s suspensions.