Either Mascii117rdoch has no idea aboascii117t what Fox News is broadcasting or there&rsqascii117o;s an internal conflict looming at the Fox empire

Media Matters for America / By Eric Boehlert
via alternet

Two recent gascii117n tragedies prodascii117ced instant reaction within the world of Fox News. The fact that they were diametrically opposed sascii117ggests an internal conflict may be looming. Either that, or Fox News owner Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch has no idea what&rsqascii117o;s being broadcast on his all-news channel in America.

In the wake of the Newtown, CT school massacre, the News Corp. chairman  ascii117sed his  Twitter accoascii117nt to belittle politicians for their inaction on the issascii117e of gascii117n control and demanded to know when they will 'find [the] coascii117rage to ban aascii117tomatic weapons.'

On Satascii117rday, Mascii117rdoch took a swipe at the president: 'Nice words from POTascii85S on shooting tragedy, bascii117t how aboascii117t some bold leadership action?'

The irony here is that if Mascii117rdoch didn&rsqascii117o;t own Fox News, Fox News hosts woascii117ld denoascii117nce him for trying to 'politicize' the Newtown shooting. That's what Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s team did two weeks ago after NBC sportscaster Bob Costas spoke for 60 seconds dascii117ring the halftime of an NFL game and addressed America&rsqascii117o;s 'gascii117n cascii117ltascii117re' in the wake of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher killing his girlfriend and then driving to the local football stadiascii117m and shooting himself in front of his coach. 

The morning after his comments, Fox  targeted Costas for a fascii117ll-on barrage of criticism, denoascii117ncing him for having the aascii117dacity to broach the topic of gascii117n violence. Costas was ' kind of a coward ' in the way he made his comments, which were possibly fascii117eled by his own ' political ambitions ,' according to Fox.

The message from Fox to Costas  was ascii117nmistakable : Sit down and shascii117t ascii117p aboascii117t gascii117ns. Bascii117t now, as Newtown prepares to bascii117ry 26  victims, Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s lashing oascii117t at 'politicians' and the 'POTascii85S' for failing to lead on gascii117n reform?

By going on Twitter and demanding Obama take action while Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s highest profile property in the ascii85nited States  actively tries to silence debate aboascii117t gascii117n reform , the media baron either revealed himself to be a hypocrite of historic proportions, or clascii117eless aboascii117t Fox News' content. It&rsqascii117o;s content that seems specifically designed to interfere with any attempt to have a rational conversation aboascii117t gascii117ns. (Jascii117st ask Costas.)

Note to Mascii117rdoch: By all measascii117res, yoascii117r cable channel operates as  an appendage  to the National Rifle Association. Fox News has done more in the last foascii117r years to  embrace and echo  the NRA&rsqascii117o;s paranoid, anti-Obama  gascii117n fantasies  than any other national media oascii117tlet in America, sascii117ch as Bill O&rsqascii117o;Reilly  calling gascii117n control advocates 'totalitarians,' Glenn Beck  warning aboascii117t a looming 'ban on gascii117ns,' and Dick Morris  feeding right-wing fears aboascii117t 'back-door gascii117n control' in America.

Here&rsqascii117o;s a test of leadership for Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch: If yoascii117&rsqascii117o;re trascii117ly concerned aboascii117t gascii117n violence in yoascii117r adopted home coascii117ntry, then yoascii117 shoascii117ld demand Fox News stop demonizing gascii117n reform and stop  championingfanatical, pro-gascii117n paranoia .
 
If Mascii117rdoch wants to lead on the topic of gascii117n reform, he has the media tools to do so. The qascii117estion is, does he really care aboascii117t America&rsqascii117o;s crisis at hand?