Outfoxed DVD Review:

Rupert Murdoch has became over the last decade one of the most powerful men in media. With his global news corporations having access to over a quarter of the world’s population with television and newspapers, Murdoch and his organisation could have the power to influence the way we see the world. His American news station ‘Fox News Channel’, with the tagline “Fair and Balanced” is one of the most watched news stations in the US but is the channel far too conservative in its views and is it pushing the Republican party’s political agenda?

As the factual documentary becomes a more powerful tool in the media arsenal, everyone is target and no one is exempt from investigation.

McDonalds, Charlton Heston and NRA and even the President of the United States have all been subjects of the documentary medium and this time it is the turn of Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp organisation. Outfoxed focuses mainly on his Fox News Channel and their alleged biased coverage of the news in the US. The documentary shows some compelling evidence about how the channel is pushing the Republican Party’s political agenda in the US.

With alleged evidence of internal memos that dictate policy and what news the channel should be pushing that day, as well as interviews with former employees of the Fox News Channel, the documentary intercuts these interviews with actually footage from the channel to back up their claims. This is fascinating stuff, as the film clearly shows the pushing of the Republican rhetoric and how the policies and thinking of the Party influence the way the channel conveys the news to the US. We see how the channel told the US that George W. Bush had won the presidential election in 2000, long before the result was even known in Florida. We see how the positives of the war in Iraq are pushed to the extreme. It reveals how channel negatively covered the announcement of John Kerry as Democrat Presidential candidate and it also shows how the channel berates anyone who questions how their country acted after the terrorist attacks on September 11th.

The documentary also highlights the interviewing styles of some of the key faces of the Fox News Channel. Firstly we have Bill O’Rielly, the channel’s main interviewer who has a tendency of telling people to shut up. Overly aggressive, condescending and opinionated, O’Rielly badgers his guests into submission and when they have the gall to answer back with a valid point, they have rudely shouted at, their microphones switched off and they thrown out of the studio. The film paints him as a man who has only one opinion that he knows is right and that is his own.

Next we have Sean Hannity, the main anchor of the channel and someone who is the biggest Republican you could ever meet. The film paints him as a man pushing the conservative agenda and berating anyone who doesn’t toe the line. Even when they partner him with a liberal, Alan Colmes for his show on the channel "Hannity & Colmes", his still tows the party line.

The problem with the movie, as it is with most documentaries, is that you only see the filmmaker’s side of the argument. For none US viewers, it is very hard to clarify any of these revelations by watching the channel yourself. While the points the film raises are extremely interesting, without any counter evidence or way of clarifying these points of view, it is very hard to make an opinion.

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism is a very interesting insight into the controlling power of the media in the US. Touching on subjects that some better known documentaries have already broached, this still raises some issues that we all should be aware of and it will make you watch the news in a whole new way.

Star Rating = * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in full screen 4:3 with a Dolby stereo soundtrack, the transfer is good when you bear in mind that this is a low budget production. While some of the Fox footage is a little grainy, the interview footage is very sharp. The sound quality is good, with a strong emphasis on dialogue.

BONUS FEATURES

Behind the Scenes Featurette (29.25 mins)

Writer/producer/director Robert Greenwald, producers Greg Castillo, Jim Gillian, Devon Smith and Laurel Busby, editors Hannah Williams, Chris Gordon, Douglas Cheek and Jane Abramowitz, graphic designer Ernesto Matamoros and postproduction supervisor Jason Mercer reveal the secrets of making a documentary. They show you how they recorded the Fox News Channel twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for five months and how they gather together a group of volunteers from around the US to watch the channel for that period. Greenwald discusses why he actually made the film and how he wanted to focus on the role of the media in modern society. His production team take you through the process of making the movie, from getting all the footage together and the extensive editing that had to be done. This featurette is just as fascinating as the movie, as it really gives you an insight into the amount of work that goes into making a film like this and the dedication involved by those who are making it.

OVERALL

Nicely packaged and presented, Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism is good DVD package. As with most documentary presentation there is not a lot you can add to a DVD presentation. The film itself is the commentary track and anything cut of the movie would add that much too it. The making of… featurette is a good addition however, giving you an insight into how a documentary is actually made, making this a very good rental and a decent buy for fans of the genre.

DVD Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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