Fox News refuses to air anti-foreign oil dependence ad

General | kevingalls | May 10, 2010 at 2:12 pm

VoteVets TV ad refused by Fox News

No matter your political affiliation, most Americans would agree that depending on foreign countries to provide oil negatively impacts us in more ways than one. These impacts are economic as well as political by empowering hostile regimes. VoteVets, a veterans group is trying to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil. They created a TV ad about some of the brutal realities, which aired on CNN and MSNBC. According to TreeHugger, Fox News refused to air the ad, calling it “too confusing.” TreeHugger suggests the real reason is more complicated. They point out that Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal owns a 7% stake in News Corp. (which owns FOX), so suggesting the U.S. should abolish foreign dependence on oil would be a conflict of interest. Needless to say, VoteVets was disappointed with Fox’s decision. The organization’s senior advisor, Richard Smith responded,

“There’s nothing confusing about the link between oil and terrorist funding, and even the most dyed-in-the-wool neocons agree on that point. The only confusing thing here is why FOX News would reject an ad that calls on Congress to defund our enemies by finding new sources of energy.”

Back in 2007, Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corporation, announced he would become a green campaigner. He suggested he was devoted to “educating and engaging” his viewers about global warming. Murdoch was a former skeptic who confessed to having been “somewhat wary of the global warming debate.” While we believe Fox has made strides in improving the company’s carbon footprint and educating their viewers on topics of green energy, there are also countless examples of Fox News’ failure to report “fair and balanced” news.

While we believe Fox’s motivations for the decision surround a conflict of interest, rather than an intentional desire to misinform, what do you think? Is Fox News right to reject the commercial? Is their reasoning that the ad is truly “too confusing”? Watch the commercial and let us know your thoughts. Thanks, TreeHugger.