Documentary on reported Conservative bias of the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News Channel (FNC), which promotes itself as "Fair and Balanced". Material includes interviews with former FNC employees and the inter-office memos they provided.
Jen Senko, a documentary filmmaker, looks at the rise of right-wing media through the lens of her WWII vet father who changed from a life-long, nonpolitical Democrat to an angry, right-wing... See full summary »
A documentary that explores the rise and fall of the late Roger Ailes, from his early media influence on the Nixon presidency to his controversial leadership at Fox News.
Director:
Alexis Bloom
Stars:
Tony Waag,
Babette Bombshell,
Catherine Corcoran
A major hit in Japanese theaters since its release in June, 'Okinawa: The Afterburn' is the first documentary film to provide a comprehensive picture of the 1945 Battle of Okinawa and the ... See full summary »
Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.
Michael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11; and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In this documentary feature, filmmaker Robert Greenwald chronicles the Bush Administration's case to invade Iraq following the events of Sept. 11, 2001. The film examines the ... See full summary »
Director:
Robert Greenwald
Stars:
David Albright,
Robert Baer,
Milton Bearden
Documentary on reported Conservative bias of the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News Channel (FNC), which promotes itself as "Fair and Balanced". Material includes interviews with former FNC employees and the inter-office memos they provided.
The movie's DVD release preceded its theatrical release. The film was initially distributed via internet DVD sales, but strong viewer demand led to a post-DVD theatrical release. See more »
It is an oversimplification to blame the Bush administration entirely for the sadly effective dismantling of our democratic processes. First, the editors of the nonpartisan Web site, www.spinsanity.org, came out with a revealing book effectively dissecting the empire of media manipulation with "All the President's Spin: George W. Bush, the Media, and the Truth". Now filmmaker Robert Greenwald pinpoints one the most egregious perpetrators, examining the Fox Network's purported hypocrisy in the wholesale undermining of journalism for political purposes. With quite a team of fact finders and investigative reporters supporting him, Greenwald's documentary provides the viewer with a valuable primer on propaganda techniques, proving once again how the subversive goal of creating fear and uncertainty in the minds of viewers is achieved by use of language and repetition. It's very much the same point raised by George Lakoff in his amazing book, "Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives". Here, Greenwald reserves his focus on one powerful man, Rupert Murdoch, and the media empire he has created. Through all the media outlets of his company, News Corp, he can reach a throat-catching 280 million people in the United States! While "Outfoxed" does present a fairly strong case against Murdoch and the Fox News Channel, so much information is presented with great haste, not allowing much time for a viewer to absorb Greenwald's findings. That's why DVD is the ideal format as some can simply pause when they start getting overwhelmed by the onslaught of facts, figures and testimonials by former Fox employees and even renowned newscasters such as Walter Cronkite. In fact, Cronkite says in the film that Murdoch never had any intention except to build a right-wing network, but that seems highly suspect given the aggressively posturing media stars that have risen since its debut. Unsurprisingly, Fox News' top host Sean Hannity comes across as an unmitigated bully, but Bill O'Reilly, arguably the network's biggest star, reveals himself in the film as someone with obvious issues around anger management and journalistic integrity. In what has to be the most revealing moment in the film, a son of a worker killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11 appears as a guest on O'Reilly's show, and he takes the host on and refuses to be intimidated by his insistent berating. When O'Reilly senses his leverage diminishing, he loses his temper, makes nasty accusations and then unprofessionally pulls the plug on his microphone. Fast and furious, this is no-hold-barred film-making. And unlike many other documentaries produced in a rush before the election, this one actually has legs afterward. Highly recommended viewing.
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It is an oversimplification to blame the Bush administration entirely for the sadly effective dismantling of our democratic processes. First, the editors of the nonpartisan Web site, www.spinsanity.org, came out with a revealing book effectively dissecting the empire of media manipulation with "All the President's Spin: George W. Bush, the Media, and the Truth". Now filmmaker Robert Greenwald pinpoints one the most egregious perpetrators, examining the Fox Network's purported hypocrisy in the wholesale undermining of journalism for political purposes. With quite a team of fact finders and investigative reporters supporting him, Greenwald's documentary provides the viewer with a valuable primer on propaganda techniques, proving once again how the subversive goal of creating fear and uncertainty in the minds of viewers is achieved by use of language and repetition. It's very much the same point raised by George Lakoff in his amazing book, "Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives". Here, Greenwald reserves his focus on one powerful man, Rupert Murdoch, and the media empire he has created. Through all the media outlets of his company, News Corp, he can reach a throat-catching 280 million people in the United States! While "Outfoxed" does present a fairly strong case against Murdoch and the Fox News Channel, so much information is presented with great haste, not allowing much time for a viewer to absorb Greenwald's findings. That's why DVD is the ideal format as some can simply pause when they start getting overwhelmed by the onslaught of facts, figures and testimonials by former Fox employees and even renowned newscasters such as Walter Cronkite. In fact, Cronkite says in the film that Murdoch never had any intention except to build a right-wing network, but that seems highly suspect given the aggressively posturing media stars that have risen since its debut. Unsurprisingly, Fox News' top host Sean Hannity comes across as an unmitigated bully, but Bill O'Reilly, arguably the network's biggest star, reveals himself in the film as someone with obvious issues around anger management and journalistic integrity. In what has to be the most revealing moment in the film, a son of a worker killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11 appears as a guest on O'Reilly's show, and he takes the host on and refuses to be intimidated by his insistent berating. When O'Reilly senses his leverage diminishing, he loses his temper, makes nasty accusations and then unprofessionally pulls the plug on his microphone. Fast and furious, this is no-hold-barred film-making. And unlike many other documentaries produced in a rush before the election, this one actually has legs afterward. Highly recommended viewing.