It took 12 days, but it finally happened. With CNN and MSNBC going wall-to-wall with Malaysia Airlines “breaking news” that is in no way breaking, Fox finally found its opening last night to shoehorn in the most important issues of our time. “The media is running wild with the airliner story, as you know, and there is a big reason why: money,” said Bill O’Reilly, putting on his media-critic hat during Factor last night. “The network news doesn’t want to cover important stories, like the IRS and Benghazi, but they can cover the airliner without any political consequences.”
However, he narrowly missed being the first Fox News host to make the inevitable connection.
Those honors, Mediaite reports, go to Andrea Tantaros of The Five, who on Thursday evening compared the grieving families of those aboard Flight 370 to the families of the four Americans killed in Benghazi. “Think how long it took for them to get this kind of media attention,” she said. “Feels like the families of Benghazi — just saying.”
We’re not saying a memo definitely went around Fox News headquarters urging them to connect these particular dots, but don’t be surprised if the mentions become more common now that the floodgates have been opened.
“Cable news is in a brutal war for ratings,” O’Reilly added, making sure this particular “important” story got its due attention. “The Fox News Channel was the No. 1 rated cable channel in the country last week,” he said. “Not just news — all cable channels! We beat everybody.” He speaks, then, only from the highest of horses.
Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission.
