“Sesame Street” producers are getting criticized for a parody that appears to take a stab at Fox News, and the ombudsman for the show says that the criticism is justified.
In a two-year old episode that was rebroadcast on October 29, the 40-year-old PBS children’s show features Oscar the Grouch making the decision to star his own news network, called the Grouch News Network, or GNN. The skit features CNN’s Anderson Cooper filling in for Oscar as he chats with “Walter Cranky” and “Dan Rather-Not,” parodies on Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.
But when a muppet caller decides that the news is not grouchy enough, she says she is changing the channel to Pox News.
“I am changing the channel,” the irate muppet says. “From now on, I am watching ‘Pox’ News. Now there is a trashy news show.”
Immediately following the re-broadcast, viewers wrote in to both FoxNews.com and PBS, complaining that the skit was a thinly-veiled jab at Fox and was hardly appropriate for “Sesame Street’s” extremely young audience. The fact that PBS is federally funded prompted viewers to express concern at the shows possible push of a political agenda.
Hours after the broadcast aired, FoxNews.com received e-mails from readers insisting they heard “Fox” and not “Pox.”
A West Virginia viewer told FoxNews.com that her "jaw dropped" when she heard the skit's "inappropriate" material.
"I want to let my son continue to watch the show," Melissa Elam said. "But at the same time I feel a call of action to stop it ... I'm going to be watching a lot more closely now.
The next day, a blogger for Breitbart’s Big Hollywood column slammed “Sesame Street” for its “clear” political message.
“I can’t even sit my kids in front of ‘Sesame Street’ without having to worry about the Left attempting to undermine my authority,” the blogger known as Stage Right wrote.
Sesame Workshop Vice President of Corporate Communications Ellen Lewis told FoxNews.com that the show was merely a parody and would never mention Fox News directly.
And while the script sent from Sesame Workshop’s public relations’ team to FoxNews.com read “Pox,” even the PBS ombudsman Michael Getler said he thought he heard “Fox” as well.
“Everybody who wrote to me heard this as ‘Fox News,’ and I can’t really blame them. When I went and watched the tape for the first time, I thought I heard “Fox” as well, perhaps because of the association one assumes when you hear “news” right after the word. However, when I watched and listened more carefully a second time, it was clear that the character said ‘Pox’ and not ‘Fox’ and the closed captioning that runs across the screen when the sound is muted also stated ‘Pox News.’”
Getler went on to criticize producers for allowing the segment to air.
“I don’t know what was in the head of the producers, but my guess is that this was one of those parodies that was too good to resist. But it should have been resisted. Broadcasters can tell parents whatever they think of Fox or any other network, but you shouldn’t do it through the kids.”
The majority of viewers seem to agree. According to polls conducted by AOL's Pop Eater sixty two percent of voters feel that "Sesame Street" has a liberal slant.
__________________ Obama also awarded Nobel prize in chemistry. "He's just got great chemistry," says Nobel Committee.
Do you remember when Nixon conceded the election to Kennedy in 1960 even though a recount could have given him a victory?
Has it come to this?
Fucking muppets are a threat to the GOP and the Conservative voters of the United States of America?
The last Republican with any class was Richard Nixon?
I'm starting to think that this is a biprodoct of shaving one's genitalia. You start having adults running around like 8 year-olds playing "Cooties".
How can I take what these people say seriously? Democrats too.
Yeah, but Axx.....pretty soon they'll be going after marine biology/military history types. Then the hospitality industry. The teabaggers are doin' it for you, man!
"I distinctly recall reading somewhere that Packham is Navajo for "fucker of pigs"."
- Chefcraig, critic of critics
...any more ass packing would just make this place seem gay.
- Broken9500, guardian of all that is hetero
Are there still people out there who think that dumping megatons of crap into the atmosphere has no effect on the air we breathe? Let me know where you live and I'll come over and shit in your swimming pool. It shouldn't bother you much.
- Bullwinkle, realist
The RHCP can suck it.
- brownnation, 'Foot Soldier
Yet these are some of the same people who will claim FOX News is totally unbiased...
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It is not an understatement to say that if a person ate a bowl of alphabet soup, they would shit better lyrics. -lmr5150 on Up For Breakfast
Give him the "secret devil sign", stick out your tongue and hiss like a demon while bellowing out THE DARKNESS WILL ENVELOPE THY SOUL AND FEAST OF THY FLESH, INFIDEL!!!!! Then gouge a pentagram in your forehead with a nail file. -LowLifeFlatHeadScum
A recent study shows 92% of the teenage population likes rap music. If you are part of the 8% who listen to real music, put this as your sig.
When the GOP has ceded leadership to histrionic entertainers - Rush, Beck, Coulter, Steele, ad nauseum - it's no surprise they're scared of their own
shadow anymore. I think maybe they're just uncomfortable with Ernie and Bert's lifestyle choices.
Well, I won't claim that Fox is unbiased but you sure as hell couldn't make that claim for CNN, or MSNBC either.
They all are, to different degrees. They're all run by people, aren't they?
__________________
It is not an understatement to say that if a person ate a bowl of alphabet soup, they would shit better lyrics. -lmr5150 on Up For Breakfast
Give him the "secret devil sign", stick out your tongue and hiss like a demon while bellowing out THE DARKNESS WILL ENVELOPE THY SOUL AND FEAST OF THY FLESH, INFIDEL!!!!! Then gouge a pentagram in your forehead with a nail file. -LowLifeFlatHeadScum
A recent study shows 92% of the teenage population likes rap music. If you are part of the 8% who listen to real music, put this as your sig.
CNN is probably the most unbiased of them all. FOX and MSNBC are pretty much on par with each other.
You can't honestly compare Fox to MSNBC. I have watched both quite a bit and by far MSNBC is wayyyyyyyy more biased. Sure at Fox you have Beck and Sean Hannity that will spend an hour picking apart Obama in their own way. Yes Beck at times can get a little over the top in his criticisms which most of the time he can back up. Those 2 guys shows are 5 hours apart. The rest of the news seems to me to be unbiased. Than again I am biased! At MSNBC you have Olberman, Madow and some other assclown, Ed Shultz at 6pm just making wise crack upon wise crack about anything republican or conservative. They are all equal to a right wing Glenn Beck. Oh and lets not forget Chris Mathews who feels a tingle up his leg every time Obama opens his mouth. So every week night from about 6-midnight it is a far left wing network. I can't say much for the rest of the day because I don't watch it. As a matter of fact if Sarah Palin becomes relevant again it will be because Olberman has such a hardon for her. He spends at least 15 minutes a night on this woman who according to the left isn't worth the time covering yet they do it anyway.
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y'know...this is "minor" in some senses...BUT, it is pushing a political slant on CHILDREN. It's basically like public schools today (my kid's included) - they want kids to take an active role in politics and understanding the world today and then the teachers force their opinions on the kids and how Obama is God and all that horse shit. My kids are SIX. Can you just let them be kids? Sure, tell them about politics and who is running for president, but can you keep your bias out of it? I'm paying your salary so you can push your beliefs on my kids? Damn. Whatever happened to kids learning and then making their own decisions?
y'know...this is "minor" in some senses...BUT, it is pushing a political slant on CHILDREN. It's basically like public schools today (my kid's included) - they want kids to take an active role in politics and understanding the world today and then the teachers force their opinions on the kids and how Obama is God and all that horse shit. My kids are SIX. Can you just let them be kids? Sure, tell them about politics and who is running for president, but can you keep your bias out of it? I'm paying your salary so you can push your beliefs on my kids? Damn. Whatever happened to kids learning and then making their own decisions?
To get the "slant", the kids would have to know the difference between the TV news stations. Is a six year old going to know POX news is a parody on FOX news and understand the underlying meaning? No. Much ado about nothing when we truly have bigger issues to be worried about in the world.
__________________
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
To get the "slant", the kids would have to know the difference between the TV news stations. Is a six year old going to know POX news is a parody on FOX news and understand the underlying meaning? No. Much ado about nothing when we truly have bigger issues to be worried about in the world.
Yes...true...but kids do make correlations that they hang on to for years...they're little sponges.
Subconscious grooming I say! It's a conspiracy!!! (yes, I'm joking!)
There are bigger things to worry about - so why even do it? Senseless...but that's what they do.
Yet another sad Panties In A Bunch incident...
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