Project Censored List

Posted on September 23, 2004 in Journalists & Pundits

I like the new feature that prints a short list of entries that I had written on this date in past years. Clicking through one of these brought me to a story about Project Censored’s suppressed stories of 2003-2004. The item that most disturbs me is entitled “#11: The Media Can Legally Lie”. An appeals court affirmed the right of Fox News to distort the news if it wishes and to fire employees who refuse to go along. But what is worse is this:

the Fox station then filed a series of motions in a Tampa Circuit Court seeking more than $1.7 million in trial fees and costs from both Akre and Wilson. The motions were filed on March 30 and April 16 by Fox attorney, William McDaniels—who bills his client at $525 to $550 an hour. The costs are to cover legal fees and trial costs incurred by FOX in defending itself at the first trial.

The whole purpose, of course, is to put the screws on any other employee who might be tormented by conscience as they toe the iron line of Fox News. One hopes that the motion is thrown out of court.