In the world of conservative news nerds, calling someone "Paris Hilton" is an insult. That "slur" has now been hurled by FOX News at grey-haired golden boy Anderson Cooper.

In the latest issue of Television Week, the right-leaning cable net ran a two-page ad with the screaming headline: "MEET THE PARIS HILTON OF TELEVISION NEWS." Anderson isn't pictured or named, but there's a photo, taken from behind, of a slim, grey-haired man in a suit.

The ad also says that "Anderson" is "style over substance" and a "media darling." But here's the kicker: "He still gets beat EVERY NIGHT BY ... Greta Van Susteren." Ouch.

The spat erupted last week when Cooper took a shot at FOX News for hyping Insight magazine's incorrect story that Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama had attended a radical Islamic school as a child in Indonesia. "Others are reporting the heat. We are sticking to the facts," Cooper said at the time.

You call FOX inaccurate, they call you Paris Hilton. So there!

Greta Van Susteren calling anyone "style over substance" is one of the most laughable things I've ever heard. Does she actually report on news that doesn't involve dead children?

so is FOX saying that even in spite of the incredible amount of plastic surgery van susteren has undergone she's still ugly?

Let's check the ratings from yesterday (1/30/07) -

Morning programs P2+ (25-54)
FOX & Friends – 697,000 viewers (305,000)
American Morning – 378,000 viewers (181,000)
Imus in the Morning– 368,000 viewers (130,000)
Robin & Co. – 211,000 viewers (130,000)

6PM - P2+ (25-54)
Special Report with Brit Hume – 1,412,000 viewers (424,000)
Lou Dobbs Tonight – 873,000 viewers (272,000)
Tucker– 226,000 viewers (73,000)
Mad Money – 247,000 viewers (83,000)
Prime News- 140,000 viewers (89,000)

7PM - P2+ (25-54)
FOX Report with Shepard Smith – 1,395,000 viewers (383,000)
Situation Room – 732,000 viewers (211,000)
Hardball – 483,000 viewers (157,000)
On the Money – 161,000 viewers (52,000)
Glenn Beck – 275,000 viewers (146,000)

8PM - P2+ (25-54)
O’Reilly Factor – 2,296,000 viewers (548,000)
Paula Zahn– 552,000 viewers (152,000)
Countdown w/ Olbermann – 684,000 viewers (231,000)
Fast Money – 180,000 viewers (79,000)
Nancy Grace – 306,000 viewers (91,000)

9 PM - P2+ (25-54)
Hannity & Colmes– 1,775,000 viewers (496,000)
Larry King Live – 797,000 viewers (210,000)
Scarborough Country- 448,000 viewers (134,000)
Deal or No Deal – 993,000 viewers (450,000)
Glenn Beck – 247,000 viewers (71,000)

10 PM P2+ (25-54)
On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren- 1,366,000 viewers (343,000)
Anderson Cooper- 841,000 viewers (274,000)
MSNBC Investigates- 297,000 viewers (126,000)
Donny Deutsch – 249,000 viewers (139,000)
Nancy Grace – 263,000 viewers (93,000)


http://insidecable.blogsome.com/2007/01 ... umbers-26/

Be prepared to hear the "what's popular isn't always best" comments.

ceeb, when I first saw that image, I first thought that they were calling Greta the Paris Hilton of TV news. That would have actually made some sense to me.

Fair enough. Personally, I have no interest in Van Sustern's show. However, based on the ratings, FoxNews' assertion is accurate.

Well, given the ratings figures themselves, why does Fox need to excessively bash someone when he's down?

Personally, I find the whole cable news war entertaining. It's like the competition is turning into a sports event between two hated rivals.

Well, does anybody actually believe "Fox and Friends" is a better show than Imus?

Good point.
I will submit, however, that Kiran Chetry is much easier on the eyes than Don Imus is.

I think they are lashing out at the constant drumbeat of "Fox is the White House's propaganda machine." While I would agree with someone who said that FoxNews has more conservative than liberal pundits, I think they are far from being an adjunct to the Bush Administration. I think they sum it up pretty well when they say they give the Bush Administration the "benefit of the doubt." I'd rather that then the mindless bashing that MSNBC pours on night after night.

Clearly the best measure of a quality news program is the willingness of Americans to watch it.

Is Greta still reporting live from Aruba?

Does that make "The News Hour With Jim Lehr" one of America's worst News Programs?

Fox and Friends might suck, but Imus sucks just as bad...but for different reasons.

I think we've already established that liberals watch and listen to conservatives for teh lulz, and conservatives watch and listen to conservatives because they like hearing their opinions echoed back at them from an electronic box.

it does, and i am one of the very few fuddy duddies who will watch it. i'm obviously missing out by not watching anderson cooper or greta van sustern.

Greta's unwatchable.

Anderson Cooper is...it's hard to pin down...but there's something about him that's really annoying. He kind of reminds me of some college kid on a local access channel reading the news.

I think I'll "opt out" of the 10 o'clock hour.

he's the Dane Cook of tv journalism, only not THAT annoying.