Fox News Mole: Conservatives are Blackballed in the News Industry
It is almost common knowledge that at national, mainstream news organizations, reporters are overwhelmingly liberal. As several surveys show, in a typical presidential election at least 85% of the newsroom will vote for the Democrat. Further, the surveys are probably understating the true figure. For a number of reasons, the true number, as I discuss in my book, is probably more like 95% or higher.
Conservative critics are quick to suggest that this is evidence that conservatives are being excluded from the newsroom--that news executives and producers discriminate against conservatives when they hire reporters. I've been reluctant to believe that. Instead, I've suggested that the main culprit is self selection--that conservatives are generally choosing not to pursue careers in journalism.
However, Joe Muto, the "Fox News Mole," suggests that I'm wrong. In an interview with Howard Kurtz yesterday, Muto, a self-proclaimed liberal said that managers at the non-Fox cable news outlets actively discriminate against conservatives.
Specifically, Kurtz asked him, "If you felt so uncomfortable with your situation at Fox News, why stay there and draw a paycheck for eight years?"
His reply:
You know, I tried to leave many times. I sent out dozens and dozens of resumes. I think CNN must have gotten twenty resumes from me. And the truth of the matter is I was blackballed within the industry, that people… hiring managers see Fox News on your resumé and say, ‘This guy’s a conservative. This guy’s a nut. We don’t want him in our organization.’ I was completely blackballed within the cable news industry.
While part of me wants to believe Muto's blackballing claims, another part reminds me that he does not appear to be a very honest person. Besides his entire scheme to deceive his employer, he did not strike me as very honest in his interview. Note that he persists in putting forth the meme that top executives at Fox direct reporters to report in a conservative fashion. Yet when he discusses that meme, he only speaks in broad generalities and unsupported claims. He never gives any details that he learned as an insider at Fox that might support those claims. I suspect that he really didn't see any evidence of his general claims when he was at Fox. Those general claims are often repeated by the far left. His motivation for repeating those claims, I suspect, are simply to ingratiate himself with the far left. As Howard Kurtz suggested in the interview, one reason might be to obtain a book deal. Another is that he now needs to find another job.
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Comments:
Jul '10
Re: Fox News Mole: Conservatives are Blackballed in the News Industry
It worked for David Brock, why not this weasel?
Sep '10
Re: Fox News Mole: Conservatives are Blackballed in the News Industry
He'll need that book deal, if he gets one. I can't imagine why anyone in any business--liberal or conservative--would want to hire a guy who publicly betrayed his previous employer.
Apr '12
Re: Fox News Mole: Conservatives are Blackballed in the News Industry
Tim - I think both factors are in play, but they do not contradict each other. Stossel describes being discriminated against by the employees and management of ABC News in his new book, "No we can't."
At the same time, Muto seems to be, as you say, ingratiating himself to the left by repeating what they already believe. This doesn't mean he's not being discriminated against based by other employees based on "Fox Derangement Syndrome."
I think it's more likely is that Muto is simply not very good at his job, and people don't want to hire him for that reason. If he's as bad at his position as he is at being a mole, in any case. I think the rest are just phony excuses for his poor ability.
Edited on April 16, 2012 at 7:56pmDec '11
Re: Fox News Mole: Conservatives are Blackballed in the News Industry
The sad thing about Joe Muto is that he does not see his "blackballing" as a problem. He probably also feels that people who work at Fox are conservatives and nuts. He complained that Fox was supporting the Republican in the last election cycle but anyone could see that most of the MSM was severely slanting their coverage for Barach Obama. He is a victim of his own prejudices. But the question that goes over in my mind is, "How stupid can a man be?" To be a mole in a news organization is really dumb.
I did laugh though when he said in the interview that his only place on cable might be Current TV. Well at least he has a sense a humor.
Jul '10
Re: Fox News Mole: Conservatives are Blackballed in the News Industry
I don't follow the network or cable news, nor glaciers advancing neither, so I'm probably not the one to do it, but it seems to me that Muto has provided us with a falsifiable hypothesis.
Is Fox really the last stop for everybody that goes there? EJ? Anybody?
(Anyone providing a visualization of Fox News as the Hotel California and/or a roach motel gets my vote for post of the week.)
Edited on April 17, 2012 at 3:24amJan '12
Re: Fox News Mole: Conservatives are Blackballed in the News Industry
Liberals show leadership by continually making news by continually bringing up issues which the media can use to sell their products.
Conservatives react to the news and are not in a leadership position and their disagreement is played on by the media.
Journalists know that their jobs rely on a continuous stream of new issues entering the daily arena. Am I surprised they are Liberal Luvvies?
Mar '12
Re: Fox News Mole: Conservatives are Blackballed in the News Industry
10 cents: The sad thing about Joe Muto is that he does not see his "blackballing" as a problem. He probably also feels that people who work at Fox are conservatives and nuts. He complained that Fox was supporting the Republican in the last election cycle but anyone could see that most of the MSM was severely slanting their coverage for Barach Obama. He is a victim of his own prejudices. But the question that goes over in my mind is, "How stupid can a man be?" To be a mole in a news organization is really dumb.
I did laugh though when he said in the interview that his only place on cable might be Current TV. Well at least he has a sense a humor. · 23 hours ago
I thought it was odd that he was not bothered by his blackballing. Fox was willing to have him even if on the other side. They only fired him when he became the mole. Other media, however, didn't care about what he actually though. Guilt by association was enough. Yet Fox is narrow-minded?