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The conservative-leaning network has hired Larry Noble, a well-known attorney at the firm Skadden Arps, to defend itself against a suit filed during the height of the 2010 campaign by the Democratic Governor's Association.
In a filing with the Ohio Elections Commission in late November, Noble argued that the allegations leveled by the DGA were not just baseless but also designed to have a "chilling effect" on future press coverage.
In early August, the Democratic campaign arm accused Fox of illegally helping to raise money on behalf of incoming Ohio Governor John Kasich (R-Ohio) by running a chyron featuring his website at the same time that he was soliciting donations during an interview on Bill O'Reilly's show.
Filed shortly after it was reported that Fox's parent company, NewsCorp. had made a million dollar donation to the Republican Governor's Association, the DGA's complaint seemed politically-motivated. And in his response, Noble makes the case that there was little precedent to interpret campaign finance law with such sweeping conclusions.
"If, based on this thin complaint, the Commission finds a violation or allows this matter to proceed, the Commission's decision will raise serious Constitutional questions and have an immediate chilling effect on the news media's ability to report and comment on Ohio state elections and candidates," Noble writes.
[...]
Asked for a response, DGA Executive Director Nathan Daschle defended the initial complaint on its merits. Other networks, he insisted, don't publish the campaign websites of candidates for the express purpose of not violating campaign finance restrictions. And besides: "Why doesn't [Fox] do the same for Democrats?"
Daschle main argument, however, was more self-evident. If Fox thought the suit was baseless, would they have turned to Skadden and Noble for a defense?
"The fact that they had to call in one of the nation's most preeminent law firms and this response has been submitted by one of the preeminent campaign finance lawyers means this is not the trivial matter they suggested it was," he said.
Perhaps so. But it's hard to judge the gravity of a legal matter strictly by the quality of the firms or lawyers hired to argue it.
Fox News Lawyers Up, Responds To Allegations Of Campaign Finance Law Violations
Article Source: The Huffington Post- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (89)
Underpinning the legal back-and-forth between the DGA and Fox is a far more interesting political saga. There is a growing acceptance among Democratic officials to treat the television network not as a news outlet but, rather, as a functioning arm of the Republican Party.
This will be a very interesting case to watch.
- 47 votes
#1 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 4:02 PM ESTWell FOX is the unofficial Official voice of the Republican Party, might as well call em as we see em
- 40 votes
True enough. It has become near impossible to decide if FOX is the Republican party cheerleader, or one long endless Republican ad campaign.
- 24 votes
Woah! Wait a minute! Did someone actually say "Conservative" in relation to Fox? Pardon while while I pick my jaw up off the floor. For Fox to be considered "conservative", that tells me society has gotten really really depraved and wicked. And who do you think led the way in the downgrading of morality on television? FOX!
In 1981, I came home from college at a little after 1 p.m., and a new station in Seattle was showing it's 1 o'clock afternoon movie. As I watched a man chased down a woman in a miniskirt and raped her on the street in broad daylight. I sent this network a letter telling them that I thought it was inappropriate for 1 o'clock in the afternoon, what with little kids at home, Mom busy doing housework, etc;
What I got back was my original letter, the lower right corner torn off, and a hastily scrawled message stating that they were really glad that most people weren't idiotic nuts like me, and denying that they would show such a movie.
That new station was Fox Mountain. And I thought, just wait and see...and sure enough, they introduced Cops, and the other networks raced to keep pace. The we got Hill Street Blues that showed partial nudity on prime time tv.
Nothing conservative about Fox.
- 5 votes
That's like saying Republicans aren't conservative when they lie, cheat (on their taxes, wives, etc), steal.
Morality/Family Values is to Conservatism as Capitalism is to a brick.
- 9 votes
Where was/is the F.C.C. in all this, playing cozy bedfellows, smelling the foxfarts?
- 10 votes
With Republican appointed judges, corporate and billionaire funded politicians, and a willfully ignorant and belligerantly active viewership FOX Newsganda has a pretty good chance of being totally "vindicated" by a yeasty combination of self-righteous intimidation, campaign largess, and ideological judicial activists.
"Conservative" in relation to Fox? Pardon while while I pick my jaw up off the floor. For Fox to be considered "conservative", that tells me society has gotten really really depraved and wicked. And who do you think led the way in the downgrading of morality on television? FOX!
Fox Entertainment was nothing more than a vapid primary sugar. It was through this venue that Murdoch was able to grow an acceptance of his owning more and more news services. His alliance with "conservative" and other greedy politicians okayed and codified this arrangement of rapidly swallowing up independent venues. Fox Newsganda is the kitchen in which Rupert Murdoch is baking a very special cake - it's ingredients well combined. A Teazombie nation. A nation of blissfully ignorant and easily manipulated people who's thinking so relies upon his that to them no other sources of information but those that agree with his are to be even considered is the final product; a well baked cake of sweet sweet eyecandy puffed up with the hot air of contrived populism and lavishly coated with a thick frosting of misinformation, manipulation, and malignancy.
What passes for "conservatives" today are nothing more than the thronging frosting plastered faces and empty calory addled brains that generally comprise FOX's most ardent and eager swallowers.
Cynic said a mouthfull.
FOX is the unofficial Official voice of the Republican Party, might as well call em as we see em
Right on the money C. Right on the money.
- 15 votes
Hey all you Republicans, tell them Democrats - I vote Independent 'cuz there're not right (from) where I'm at...Ok, and the Dems can tell the Repubs the same, too...
Nothing conservative about Fox.
Actually you're right. Fox is playing both sides of the fence. They are profiting by creating conflict on both sides. If people were smart, then conservatives would boycott Fox because of Fox TV and Liberals would boycott fox because of Fox News. Fox is nothing more than an arms merchant who makes money off of the Liberal Conservative conflict.
- 7 votes
Thanks, Carloz.
It will be interesting indeed.
- 18 votes
I wonder if FOX will cover their own trial, or will be told to shutup about it until its over.
- 7 votes
What trial
you have to be indicted before you go to trial....
and FOX hasnt..
hell as far as we know there not even under investigation..
- 1 vote
You don't have to be indicted in a civil lawsuit, you just have to be sued, and this article is about a lawsuit.
- 11 votes
Carloz
So FOX is being Sued...and they respond by getting a LAWYER
SHOCKING.
HAHAHAHA
move along nothing to see here....but the usual LIBERAL DRIVEL..
- 1 vote
Jorge, if you'd taken the time to actually read the article, or at least the excerpt posted on this seed, you could have gotten that comment out of the way and moved along a long time ago.
- 10 votes
Carloz
I read it...
and laughed at the time and energy you LIBS put into hating fox
Here is a thought..... beat fox in the ratings....thats the worst thing you could do to fox
FOX stock holders get rich off our guys hate..just like PALIN does..
Instead of spending time whining about FOX like your heros OLBERDUMB and his minnie me Maddow do
why doesnt MSNBC just provide better programing and Beat Fox in the ratings..
AS long as MSNBC continues to push the LIBERAL LINE..its going to lose to FOX and even CNN in the ratings.. and continue to WHINE about it..
MSNBC parenty corporation GE, .recieved 16 billion in TAX PAYERS money.. at the same time as MSNBCs talking heads were defending the corporate bail out.
Did MSNBC ever once provide a statement saying
" BY THE WAY as our Talking heads OLBERDUMB, SCHULTZ, MADDOW, etc were defendng the CORPORATE bail by the OBAMA admin , the company that pays their salaries was getting 16 billion of your money"
No conflicting interests there....HAHAHHAHA
MSNBC has jumped the shark...
and will not exist with in 5 years as we know it..because EVEN GE is not going to continue to LOSE money supporting the liberal line no matter how much TAX PAYERS cash they get to keep MSNBC alive.
and FOX will continue to prosper
- 1 vote
I had no idea that because they have good ratings they could bend campaign finance laws.
- 11 votes
They are like all republicans, they think they are above the law. They whine about morals, then have none.
- 10 votes
Jorge,
Just be glad we libs don't put as much time into mangling our opponents names into forms that wouldn't even cut it on a playground. Olberdumb? minnie me Maddow? Jeez.
Keep watching Fox and the rest of the entertainment that passes for news these days. You are now partially responsible for the demise of civil and intelligent political discourse. After a while it becomes tiring trying to get a thoughtful response out of a person who only wants to throw feces.
- 10 votes
Jorge, we'll see how much you'll laugh after Faux has completed it's RNC funded and mandated transformation into the US equivalent of Iranian State Television...not that it has that far to go.
"Faux News: It's not real news, it's just some **** we made up"
- 7 votes
Crazt
Was is MSNBC other then the mouth piece of the OBAMA admin?
Jorge, all you are doing is, talking about MSNBC, the seed is about a possible lawsuit against FOX news, for finance law violations, you need to stay on topic. Why don't you get your friends together, and write your own seed, o, sorry, you don't have any friends. Never mind.
- 5 votes
BTW
This seed uses the term "Lawyer up" incorrectly
its not "lawering up" to hire a lawyer when your sued, its smart
Its "lawyering up " when questioned by the police you invoke your 5th amendment rights and refuse to speak with out a lawyer.
which is also smart.
StevG
The mean old conservative buggin you?
HAHAH sorry to disturb your MSNBC echo chamber.
Jorge, nice attempt at a re-direct... "Next up on Faux: Rush and the whirling dervishes of the RNC"
- 6 votes
Fascinating. While I certainly don't begrudge anyone the right to representation, I find myself wondering whether Fox keeps attorneys on retainer (they must), and why THEY aren't handling the case if it's the slam-dunk they imply.
- 20 votes
#3 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 4:12 PM ESTRainkiss:
Fox has staff lawyers for personnel issues, FCC and viewer issues, etc. But Skadden Arps is THE Wall Street law firm ($2.2 billion in revenues). Bring a big gun to court to scare the little government attorneys. More than likely, FNC thought it could run a crawl in violation of campaign finance laws. Skadden will try to hold off until RepubliCorp takes over in the Senate and the whackadoodles get plum committee assignments in the House.
- 4 votes
...uh...weren't WMDs in Iraq ALSO a "slam dunk"?
- 20 votes
#4 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 4:30 PM ESTThe "Weapons of Minimal Destruction" we found all of those. Housewives everywhere were hiding kitchen knives in their own kitchens! *gasp!* [/sarc]
Oh... you mean WMDs as in Weapons of Mass Destruction! Oh no, there weren't any of those. Anyone with half a brain could have told them that.
- 8 votes
I think someone with a half a brain DID tell them they were there!
- 2 votes
All this talk about brains reminded me of a good joke from a few years back...
An Israeli doctor says 'Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man, put it in another, and have him looking for work in six weeks.'
A German doctor says 'That is nothing; we can take a lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in four weeks.
A Russian doctor says 'In my country, medicine is so advanced that we can take half a heart out of one person, put it in another, and have them both looking for work in two weeks.'
The Texas doctor, not to be outdone, says 'You guys are way behind, we took a man with no brains out of Texas, put him in the White House for eight years, and now half the country is looking for work.'
- 4 votes
' The Texas doctor, not to be outdone, says 'You guys are way behind, we took a man with no brains out of Texas, put him in the White House for eight years, and now half the country is looking for work.'
LOL....and Perry seems to want to follow in those footsteps
- 2 votes
chilling effect on the news media's ability to report
I doubt Fox's ability to report could get any worse.
- 19 votes
#5 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 4:36 PM ESTnot being allowed to run your your news organization like a money drive should only make it easier to report. it's like saying that not being allowed to lie will have a chilling effect on the truth
- 3 votes
This is not about law. Money talks. there is no such thing as a concrete law that can not be challenge. It is always the case. I sincerely lawmakers made mostly of lawyers see to it that loopholes can be inserted in every law so that they can propagate their profession.
This is one profession who are capable of seeing to it that the truth can be bent, squeezed and practically trimmed to suit their needs. It is the lifeline of a lawyers profession. without that ability to do the above a lawyer would be a useless piece of s&^%#hit . Unfortunately, most judges are also lawyers.
- 3 votes
#6 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 4:50 PM ESTimmediate chilling effect on the news media's
Than this should have no affect on FOX what so ever! Will, however, prove interesting to follow.
- 8 votes
#7 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 4:52 PM ESTIt would much simpler if News Corp would simply come out of the closet and publicly admit that they have regressed into a political action committee. "FOX PAC" sounds much more realistic.
- 16 votes
#9 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 5:14 PM ESTHas MSNBC ever reported on the 18 billon in FED GOVT bailout their parent CORPORATION, GE, recieved?
#11 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 5:50 PM ESTJorge, what's the point of your claim?
Oh, by the way, here's a story on MSNBC.com
- 3 votes
oldecranky
The fact MSMBC was pushing for Corporate bailout ...it benefited from..
oDLECRANKY
point is As OLBERMAN was supporting the Corporate Bail out would have been nice of him to say
"by the way I get some of this money"
Murdoch and Alwaleed bin Tal get there moneys worth from Fox news.
I bolded Alwaleed bin Tal so that are moral friendly Fox news viewers know they are watching a channel thats owned by a Suadi who funds radical Islam groups. The more you watch the more money that is used to kill our Allys in Israel and our Soldiers. Why do Fox news viewers hate America?
- 11 votes
YAWN
I'm sorry if my post was not as exciting as "Obama's 200 million dollar a day India trip" you seeded.
- 10 votes
Interesting. Rather than 'yawning', I find the whole idea shocking and offensive. Strange how FOX viewers don't.
- 9 votes
damama
your right I Find RHazes bigotry offensive also..
Just because a man is an ARAB is assumes he is connected or funds terrorists..
Bigotry and ignorance.
Just because a man is an ARAB is assumes he is connected or funds terrorists
Isn't that what fox news viewers always say? All Muslims are terrorists?.
The stridency with which Fox News personalities attack the downtown Islamic center â red meat for the millions who tune in each night â is an example of the often uneasy relationship and occasionally diverging interests between many of News Corp.'s properties, in this case Fox News and its parent corporation. For example, News Corp.'s second-largest shareholder, after the Murdoch family, is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the nephew of Saudi Arabian King Abdullah, and one of the world's richest men.
Through his Kingdom Holding Co., Alwaleed owns about 7 percent of News Corp., or about $3 billion of the media giant.
The Kingdom Foundation, so you know, is this Saudi organization, headed up by the guy who tried to give Rudy Giuliani $10 million after 9/11 that was sent back, funds radical madrasas all over the world.
In an interview with Deborah Solomon of The New York Times Magazine in 2006, the prince said his attempt to give $10 million to victims' families after the Sept. 11 attacks — which was returned because he also suggested that the United States should "adopt a more balanced stance toward the Palestinian cause" — was part of his attempt "to bridge the gap between Christianity and Islam and Judaism."
- 6 votes
It wasn't RHazes I found offensive. It is the lack of caring about the facts presented I find offensive. The use of funds provided by ads produced by viewership I find offensive.
I value the lives of the men and women in our military. And while I may not agree with or like much of Israel's politics, those are real humans over there on both sides of that conflict.
- 9 votes
Rhazes
Fox news viewers always say that? really
another baseless factless..generalization...
I was referring to the Fox news viewers who post here. You know the ones that justify Israeli snipers shooting 7 year olds that are playing soccer or using them as human shields claiming all Muslims are terrorists and that the children are terrorists in training.
I could spend a few hours here and find 400 posts from Fox viewers that support my claim to every 1 that doesn't.
- 6 votes
RHAZES
you labeled an ARAB a terrorist supporter based on ZERO INFO
thats bigotted..
deal with it..
I'm just using the info Fox news has given me. After all they brought this up they just mistaken left out that the person they claimed funds a radical Muslim Iman is the second largest share owner of Fox news.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/saudi-royal-backs-imam-and-fox-news/
Watch the video of Jon Stewart if your trying to see where I'm coming from.
- 5 votes
I watch fox news and have been trained to think all Muslims are terrorist's
- 3 votes
Name one person at Fox News who said that all muslims are terrorists.
lee no he didnt
your need to LIE says it all
Rhazes and when you graduate college, and stop usin the DAILY SHOW, as a source for news we can talk
until then its rather pointless for me to discuss an issue with some one who gets their "news" from a comediane
Adults read the paper, preferably several different papers, LA TImES, NYTIMES, your local, throw in the USA TODAY...
maybe even go crazy and read a foreign paper online once in awhile just to get a different perspective
I know its not as "fun" as gettin your info from the DAILY SHOW...and it takes "reading" but if you want to grow up and be an informed american adult its what your have to do
you should try it sometime
Jorge, your spelling and grammar is especially bad today. Have you been hitting the pipe or something?
- 2 votes
Name one person at Fox News who said that all muslims are terrorists.
The reference was to this statement by Brian Kilmeade from Fox and Friends:
Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims," Kilmeade said.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/10/fox-host-muslims-terrorists-keep-job/
- 1 vote
What part of "Not all muslims are terrorist"
dont you get
- 1 vote
The same ones that people that listen to fox forget....american terrorists...Mcveigh or Roeder or do they get a pass because they practice a different religion or is it because they dont look like them
- 3 votes
Its either Rupert in the news or Soros. couple of rich guys with an agenda to make more..
Fox sports brodcaster suck also!!
- 3 votes
#14 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 7:03 PM ESTYou forgot about Buffett. The rich guy who has been in the news for taking the other greedy @!$%#s to task, promoting higher marginal tax rates for the top earners, and donating his fortune to worthy causes. There is hope out there.
- 8 votes
Dare I hope that Fox will get the legal comeuppance they so richly deserve? I could never, never understand how a sleaze like Rupert was ever given citizenship. This person should be thrown out of the country, with his fat friend right behind him.
- 3 votes
#16 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 8:45 PM ESTComing from the Huffington Blowhard, has to be really credible.
#18 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 9:12 PM ESTWell then, try this...
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/254481/fox-news-lawyers-matthew-shaffer?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
- 4 votes
Imagine that, corroborating information from another source.
- 1 vote
I am waiting for the truth to come out.....let me turn it to fox to see if they will report and we will decide or mabe it will be Fair and Balanced<sarc>
- 2 votes
DS12, sad to say you will have a LONG wait for the truth from that source, but I give you points for the attempt :-) /sarc recognised/
- 2 votes
Repubs are not above the law ...just ask Tom Delay ..Bush /Cheney outing a CIA agent sets a fine example for the brown shirt jr neocons
- 6 votes
#19 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 10:53 PM ESTRepublicans with out fox news would be like Germany without Hitler.
Destroy fox news and stop the American Political Holocaust?
Good-luck with that.
No pressure, but, 70% of America is counting on you.
- 6 votes
#20 - Fri Dec 3, 2010 11:50 PM ESTDestroy fox news and stop the American Political Holocaust?
Winning a battle, even a critically important one, doesn't mean the war is won. Republicans and other "conservatives" know this; they fight each battle with the same ferocity and single-minded determination as the next.
I've long felt this an important distinction between non-"conservative" Democrats and the hinterland right.
Democrats are often so satisfied with winning a battle that they lose sight of the war going on. After a big win during the '08 election they almost uniformly went about acting as if they'd won a war rather than just a single battle in an long and ongoing war while the right just considered the results a setback and so continued to fight without pause. The GOP leadership kept identifying targets and their supporters rallied to harry and harrass those targets. The Democrats did not and their supporters were left to defend against numerous pushes, thrusts, and salients almost entirely on their own. Without cohesion and some sort of comprehensive leadership those supporters lost ground almost as quickly as their leadership ceded point after point and high-ground after hill to opponents who weren't about to seek either peace nor compromise.
I've a strong suspicion that had it's leadership been strong, continued actively fighting, and had not been satisfied with winning a big battle then the mid-terms would've been a whole different story.
A thumb up for the thought but there are a lot of fortified strong-points that "conservative" regressives hold with an almost fanatical religious fervor. Not a single one of them is the lynchpin of their continuing strategic offensive. FOX Newsganda is an important rallying point and right-wing propaganda source but it is far from being the only one.
- 4 votes
so what else is new. hs students do it, actors do it, people do it--so so
#22 - Sat Dec 4, 2010 9:50 AM ESTwhat else is new- people, children thugs, criminals, ball players do it, so what else is new
#23 - Sat Dec 4, 2010 9:51 AM ESTFox took part in organizing political events for the GOP/TP, then reported the stories as fact.
- 3 votes
#26 - Sun Dec 5, 2010 10:21 AM EST12/10/10
Can anyone tell me which news station we should believe, as for campaign funds or any of the illegal BS stated in the above article, why would that surprise anyone you've got to be kidding me I'm sure if investigated it's been going on for years with every news station (media). Who knows what really happens especially behind closed doors and I'm refering to the White House, I would love ot be a fly on the wall when ever any of our great Presidents have had meetings behiond closed doors and especially when he is meeting with a President form another country so don't worry about our media news stations worry more about what the BIG guys who run this country are planning....Obama is only a puppet he is told what he can and can't do by the people who run the US of A=
- 2 votes
#27 - Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:50 AM ESTYou're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
