Leave it to Fox News to challenge an author’s right to write about a subject. Since when does one have to pass a religion test to be allowed to do scholastic work on a particular religion? To follow this logic would suggest that no Christian could author any commentary about King David or Abraham.
The anchor, Lauren Green, obviously had not read the book. She was rude. She challenged Reza Aslan’s credentials without any reason. She is the one who clearly had a bias.
Zealot: The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth sounds like an interesting read. I am not sure why the host considers spirited debate the correct way to interview guests. What’s wrong with this format? Why would anyone without an agenda even consider going on Faux News? Faux News certainly did a great deal to promote Reza Aslan’s book, albeit unintentional.
It now appears that most of the Fox News hosts consider rudeness and talking over people the order of the day and standard procedure for their broadcast standards.
How unprofessional, nuff said. Her hostility towards him was palpable.
I often wonder why FOX invites people, when they hardly ever let them talk.
I also wonder why anybody accepts an invitation, when they know they’re going to be abused.
Two great questions, Punchak.
I would be willing to bet that Dr. Aslan was not entirely disappointed in this interview. Controversy breeds publicity; publicity breeds book sales; book sales breeds paydays. My take on the interview is that the foxette was given one question to ask by her handlers (how can a non-christian pen a serious work regarding the Christian god). When Aslan answered it truthfully and completely, she wasn’t prepared so she could only ask the same question again three more times. If this interview was aired as part of their opinion segments as opposed to news segments, then OK. If it was part of their news cast, then it was a insult to professional journalism.
But this if the Fox m.o. – to try and twist a topic to fit into their perspective that every issue is a polarizing partisan football. They do this with many topics.
I hadn’t seen this yet and I love it! He really made her look like an idiot. I did hear sales of his book skyrocketed due to this interview. I may even go get it myself. LOL. I don’t ever watch FOX but if this is what they do, who believes this crap?
Lots and lots of people feed on disinformation. Faux news keeps them all stirred up.
It’s fright-wing media. What it does best is scare its watchers. There has to be some bogeyman to fear. In this instance it’s a Muslim who dares to think he can write about – gasp – Jesus.
She does look like an idiot if you view the clip and expect to see thoughtful discussion. But could this interview have gone any other way? Did he think that FOX NEWS brought him in to have some type of open discussion about Jesus’ divinity or lack thereof? I don’t think that’s what they do. The “interview” is brain-dead, but that should be no surprise.
Lauren Green seems to lack rational thinking, but she’s still cute I think. Right-wing mania can seem cute in females. Michalle Malkin and Elizabeith Hasselbeck are two examples of that, to me. Not sure women feel the same way about right-wing men.
Not cute, Rick. Not cute. I am trying to think of one that even comes close…
I’m reading about Green over at http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/30/lauren-green-the-woman-behind-fox-news-reza-aslan-interview-debacle.html
– She was Miss Minnesota in 1983
– She is the “religion correspondent” for FOX News
– She’s been romantically linked to Isaac hayes and Michael Clark Duncan
– She’s on a downward path at FOX News – rarely on camera anymore, and took a salary cut
– Her friends presume that she was under some type of pressure from her boss to repeat this line of inane questioning
Actually, this interview wasn’t much different from much of what happens at FOX News. That’s part of their entertainment value – train wrecks. They are to news what “Sharknado” is to movies. O’Reilly’s show is good for these types of adversarial valueless “interviews”, and so is their morning show.
IT MAY BE that the whole channel is a sinister liberal plot. They are rotting the brains of their angry white male viewers, and disconnecting them further from reality.
“Not cute, Rick. Not cute. I am trying to think of one that even comes close…” Are you kidding? Cute, sexy, attractive … Palin and Bachman do it for some guys. But to me –
Michelle Malkin with her cute face and her pouty mannerisms. She’s reasonably pretty and full of crazed energy and anger. She resembles nothing in the world so much as an immature teeneged girl who wants her daddy’s attention. She so badly needs to be seen as powerful. Malkin is the woman you want the brief sexual affair with – you suspect that if she got on top of you she’d go bezerk, nearly break you in half, and so forth. But it would be difficult to extract yourself from the relationship without the likelihood of slashed tires, slapping and screaming, and god knows what else. And almost surely she’d use her anger against you to fuel the weird urges that drive her writings and opinions.
Elizabeth Hasselbeck is more the one you want to marry. She’s just ferocious and loyal; you could count on her to have your back. She is not always the brightest bulb that could be plugged into a socket, but she means well.
The men aren’t cute or hot. I am not saying the women aren’t attractive. They have to be, which is sort of the point. Unless you are an older diva like Walters or Mitchell, you have to be a hottie to get anywhere in the business. It’s gotten worse, not better as time goes on.
I honestly can’t think of one of them men who is attractive to me.
Oh, you meant the men aren’t cute. My bad. Of course there’s no button for me to delete my fetishistic post above.
I wonder if some women out there find Limbaugh, Hannity, even O’Reilly cute? probably a few damaged souls, searching for an angry stern father figure.
I actually agree with Watching and Rick. Ms. Green was clearly trying to disparage Mr. Aslan and he wiped up the floor with her.
But she IS cute, in a “bad girl” kind of way…
Does no one fantasize about being spanked by an angry Sean Hannity?
Or having a torrid phone sex affair with Bill O’Reilly?
Or a viagra-and-oxycontin fueled “lost weekend” with Rush Limbaugh?
Or staying up until the sunrise on a beach with Glen Beck, discussing the Illuminati and the freemasons?
Oh dear God, Rick, you sure know how to gross a girl out. I am hysterical with laughter. I want the lost weekend with Rush Limbaugh package, please.
EEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW.
Actually I give that one an A+.
@Rick
one word…. NO!
Ben Steinberg, Senior TV Editor at Variety, did a recent article concerning the MSNBC descent in the cable ratings. The conclusion seems to be that viewers are getting tired of too much opinion and want more straight news, especially when there are high intensity news events like the Boston Marathon incident. PEW Research did 108 hours of cable programming research during three days in November and December 2012 to determine the ratio of opinion vs straight news on the three major cable networks. Results as follows:
MSNBC: 85% Opinion; 15% Straight News.
FOX : 55% Opinion; 45% Straight News.
CNN : 46% Opinion; 54% Straight News.
So the conclusion is, cable news sucks? If Fox News has 45% straight news I would like to know where it is. I have never seen more than abot 20% and most of that is when Shepherd Smith is on. The rest is pure strained …what is it a reader/commenter said, bull sneeze? Can’t recall now.
MSNBC has 2 good shows in my opinion. Morning Joe which gives a mix of discussion and opinon but is definitely NOT partisan. The other show I enjoy is Rachel Maddow. I can always count on her for a good doze of liberal, especially along the lines of reproductive rights.
Shep Smith is worth watching on Fox News and sometimes Greta is interesting, now she is over her girl-crush on Sarah Palin. Other than that…it’s all pure BS.
The article posited that viewers are getting tired of opinion and want more straight news on the cable networks, especially in periods of truly newsworthy events. Probably why MSNBC ratings have fallen down to the bottom of the cable ratings list. Don’t like the conclusions? Take it up with Steinberg and PEW.
Make that “Brian” Steinberg at Variety.
@Wolverine
I never said I didn’t like the conclusion.
During the Boston marathon they were straight news, btw. I don’t remember what was going on in November. December was the Sandy Hook massacre. There was lots of news during that time. I watched it.
I expect those who like Fox News would rather fight than switch. The people I know who are foxies are like that and it is difficult to carry on an intelligent conversation with them. They are programmed for disinformation.
Now the print end of Fox News is generally OK. I don’t have a beef with them. I had to stop watching because I ended up in a foul mood when I watched. It really was very insidious. The good news is, I wasn’t getting my news solely from them, I was dipsticking to see the distortions. I still got in a foul mood.
I got to Newsmax.com if I want to get in a bad mood or if I feel I need a healthy dose of fear about the world I live in. That site can lead to all other kinds of wacko sites. It would be entertaining if it wasn’t so disturbing that people actually believe that crap.
My observation of FOX News vs. the other channels is that when they are covering news straight, they do the best job. And then their prime-time and morning “commentary” shows are so far off the rails it’s amazing.
MSNBC is so far gone I can’t watch it. When I try to watch the news, I flip between CNN and FOX News; dissatisfied with both and aware that each polarizes America and makes us weaker. CNN single-handedly made the Treyvon Martin story THE THING; FOX News wasn’t dwelling on it to the same extent, while CNN went wall-to-wall with it for a whole konth.
MSNBC had a great deal of Trayvon Martin coverage also.
Morning Joe from 6-9 am is really excellent and definitely not one sided.
As far as Fox and news, you just have to wade through so much right wing BS it isn’t even worth it.
Actually, I have been calmer not watching the news unless something dreadful has happened.
I do like Rachel. I used to like Greta until she got the girlie crush on Sarah Palin. Is that over now? I also like Shepherd Smith.
whole month, I mean to say.
By the way, if anyone wants to know what it’s like to have phone sex with Bill O’Reilly, here’s a refresher. I don’t feel that this is a violation of his privacy to post this; he was harassing a coworker and has tacitly admitted to it. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/oreilly-falafel-suit-turns-five?page=0