Is Outfoxed one of the great political &/or TV documentaries? Probably not- it contains a kind of cheesy-ness at times (with the gimmick of making fun of Fox News' over abuse of the 'Breaking News' bulletins) in an attempt to act a little more as 'entertainment' than it needs to be. That being said, it's very well made otherwise, with director Robert Greenwald putting together interviews and clips that does bring the case based on Fox News' past several years on the air about how they may not be so "Fair and Balanced" as they say.
Pretty much all of the interviewees can agree on one thing: what the Fox News cable network, founded by ultra-conservative, corporate titan Rupert Murdoch (who is to the news world now what William Randolph Hearst was to journalism in the early 20th century), is a lot more like talk-radio put to TV than real, solid, constructive TV news and journalism. Personalities dominate their shows instead of real news anchors most of the time- Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Britt Hume, and others bring you the news and 'talking points' on a distinctive slant. A few ex-employees of Fox News go on the record in the documentary telling of having to stand down when trying to really bring the left's point of view.
Points keep getting made about the massive pull of right-wings and conservatives over the shows, and how little time (if and when they get it) the left does to share their points of view. And when it comes to 9/11 and the War in Iraq, forget about it. The most compelling story of the doc comes from a young man who went on Bill O'Reilly's show, who's father died on 9/11, and because he didn't totally trust Bush, O'Reilly blew a fuse in his head. The matching of the different recollections of this incident (one from the young man, the other from Al Franken) is right on the mark.
On just Greenwald's technique of putting the information forth, it's a successful film- whatever political persuasion you are or however you feel about the current state of the media, it tells it like it is, with footage that you won't see anywhere else (like a reporter fraternizing with President Bush in 2000 before an interview on the campaign, a huge no-no in journalism). It only lacks a director talented enough to put to good use the use of entertainment value with the information (i.e. Michael Moore). Still, it serves its purpose well, and gives much to look for from a director like Greenwald, who does his research down to the bone (one almost wishes this muckraking would go longer than it is).
Pretty much all of the interviewees can agree on one thing: what the Fox News cable network, founded by ultra-conservative, corporate titan Rupert Murdoch (who is to the news world now what William Randolph Hearst was to journalism in the early 20th century), is a lot more like talk-radio put to TV than real, solid, constructive TV news and journalism. Personalities dominate their shows instead of real news anchors most of the time- Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Britt Hume, and others bring you the news and 'talking points' on a distinctive slant. A few ex-employees of Fox News go on the record in the documentary telling of having to stand down when trying to really bring the left's point of view.
Points keep getting made about the massive pull of right-wings and conservatives over the shows, and how little time (if and when they get it) the left does to share their points of view. And when it comes to 9/11 and the War in Iraq, forget about it. The most compelling story of the doc comes from a young man who went on Bill O'Reilly's show, who's father died on 9/11, and because he didn't totally trust Bush, O'Reilly blew a fuse in his head. The matching of the different recollections of this incident (one from the young man, the other from Al Franken) is right on the mark.
On just Greenwald's technique of putting the information forth, it's a successful film- whatever political persuasion you are or however you feel about the current state of the media, it tells it like it is, with footage that you won't see anywhere else (like a reporter fraternizing with President Bush in 2000 before an interview on the campaign, a huge no-no in journalism). It only lacks a director talented enough to put to good use the use of entertainment value with the information (i.e. Michael Moore). Still, it serves its purpose well, and gives much to look for from a director like Greenwald, who does his research down to the bone (one almost wishes this muckraking would go longer than it is).