"A few weeks after Rick Santelliâs tea party rant on CNBC, Fox News soon recognized a major conservative phenomenon in the making and moved to become cheerleader-in-chief. Fox began to cover the first major tea party rallies six weeks in advance, starting with a March 5, 2009 appear_ance by Newt Gingrich to talk up the protests on Greta Van Susterenâs show. Scarcely a trickle of Tea Party events occurred over ensuing weeks, but that did not prevent Fox News hosts and guests from speculating wildly about the likely huge size and impact of the forthcoming rallies. Viewers watching Fox News in early 2009 were told that âTea Party protests are erupting across the countryâ and assured that âthese tea parties are starting to really take off.â Newt Gingrich went on air to make the confident prediction that the April 15th rallies would have âover 300,000â attendees. By late March, Glenn Beck had not only attended a rally in Orlando, Florida. He had inter_viewed Tea Party activists from Houston and Indianapolis days before rallies occurred in those cities, featuring their plans and pitching their events. For the Tea Party in its vulnerable infancy, the mobilizing impact of such advance coverage in national prime time was invaluable. The Tea Party idea was presented as the âcoming thingâ to an audience primed for the message. Conservative Fox viewers across America heard that people like them were ready to stand up to Obama and the Democratsâand they were told when and where.
A week before the first annual April 15th Tea Party rallies in 2009, Fox News promotions kicked into an even higher gear. Glenn Beck told his viewers, âWeâre getting ready for next weekâs Tax Day tea parties. All across the country, people coming together to let the politicians know, OK, enough spending.â Sean Hannity was even more explicit: âAnd, of course, April 15th, our big show coming out of Atlanta. Itâs Tax Day, our Tax Day tea party show. Donât forget, weâre going to have âJoe the Plumberâ.â At times, Fox anchors adopted an almost cajoling tone. On Sean Hannityâs show, viewers were told, âAnybody can come, itâs free,â while Beck fans were warned, âYou donât want to miss it.â In an ironic moment, Arthur Laffer (inventor of the Laffer Curve that was used to justify Reaganâs supply-side economic the_ories) congratulated Beck on air for the success of the Tea Parties. âIâm just attending,â Beck quickly demurred, before continuing his promotion of the upcoming San Antonio Tea Party."
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2011/12/21/the-fox-in-the-tea-party/
A week before the first annual April 15th Tea Party rallies in 2009, Fox News promotions kicked into an even higher gear. Glenn Beck told his viewers, âWeâre getting ready for next weekâs Tax Day tea parties. All across the country, people coming together to let the politicians know, OK, enough spending.â Sean Hannity was even more explicit: âAnd, of course, April 15th, our big show coming out of Atlanta. Itâs Tax Day, our Tax Day tea party show. Donât forget, weâre going to have âJoe the Plumberâ.â At times, Fox anchors adopted an almost cajoling tone. On Sean Hannityâs show, viewers were told, âAnybody can come, itâs free,â while Beck fans were warned, âYou donât want to miss it.â In an ironic moment, Arthur Laffer (inventor of the Laffer Curve that was used to justify Reaganâs supply-side economic the_ories) congratulated Beck on air for the success of the Tea Parties. âIâm just attending,â Beck quickly demurred, before continuing his promotion of the upcoming San Antonio Tea Party."
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2011/12/21/the-fox-in-the-tea-party/
