As of today, September 9, the broadcast of Glenn Beck’s show in the U.K. has run without any commercials for nearly seven months thanks to your efforts.

Background:

The Fox News Channel is broadcast in the U.K, which means Glenn Beck is as well. Along with the StopBeck – UK Effort, participants in the StopBeck Effort reached out and urged advertisers to stop sponsoring Mr. Beck’s vitriol, sexism and preying on racial anxieties.  Once aware of the reckless vitriol they were associating their brands with, advertisers were quick to flee – some of them leaving Fox News as a whole.

Your efforts were so effective that beginning February 9, the U.K. broadcast of Glenn Beck’s show ran without commercials.  In other words, a total advertiser blackout for Mr. Beck in the U.K.  Earlier this summer, advertisers briefly returned.  But, participants in the StopBeck effort sprang to action and within a short while all ads were back off of Glenn Beck’s show again.

Glenn Beck’s lost advertisers at home and abroad are a real consequence caused by Mr. Beck’s willful distortions and irresponsible vitriol. And, by choosing to keep Glenn Beck, Fox must continue to hold its nose and absorb the associated financial losses while Rupert Murdoch is forced to make demonstrably false claims in order to save face.

Great work all! Your tweets and emails do matter.

Onward we go…

If you’re new, you can learn how to participate in and strengthen the StopBeck effort here.

Shout outs to Color of Change, Media Matters and SEIU for their work in holding Glenn Beck accountable.

—-

Video of a commercial break for Glenn Beck’s show in the UK compared with another Fox News Channel show broadcast in the UK. You’ll see that Glenn Beck’s show is no longer runs paid advertisements, whereas other Fox News Channel shows in the UK continue to have paid ads:

Time For Glenn To Put On His Journalist Cap

Glenn Beck is now the keeper of a modern day Burning bush (at least that’s what he’d like people to believe)…

Glenn Beck is a willful deceiver, an intentional misinformer and a disseminator of reckless vitriol.  But, don’t even think about criticizing Glenn Beck for it.  Why? Well, for the past few years, Glenn Beck and his defenders have argued that Mr. Beck is not a hard newsperson, but instead an entertainer and a commentator.  Thus, they contend that Mr. Beck should not be held to the standards of a journalist.

In the abstract, there is some merit to this argument.

However, Mr. Beck often offers up a mix of purported fact and opinion. I don’t care how bold your opinion is or what you call yourself, if you’re propagating an intentional lie (i.e. the existence of FEMA camps) then there should be some accountability for it.  Especially when you have a platform as large as Mr. Beck’s as well as a TV show on a self-described news channel.

But, per Glenn Beck, this debate is now over.

On Monday, riding the wave of publicity from his 828 rally (or, his prelude to a book launch event while trashing purple recipients), Mr. Beck launched a new partly hard news website called The Blaze:

The Blaze is a news, information and opinion site brought to you by Glenn Beck and a dedicated team of writers, journalists & video producers.

So there you have it. Glenn Beck is now a hard news journalist in addition to a commentator.

For those wondering, The Blaze appears to be an hommage to the Burning bush from the Book of Exodus.  This contention is supported by my understanding of Glenn Beck’s branding/marketing schemes, Mr. Beck’s constant references the Burning bush lately as well as his stated belief that god is now directly communicating with him.

This foray into hard news is an odd maneuver.  Mr. Beck proudly proclaims that his company is nothing more than an entertainment company, which doesn’t exactly comport with hard news.  Also, Mr. Beck has previously described himself as “a rodeo clown” adding that “if you take what I say as gospel, you’re an idiot.” It’s not everyday that you hear a hard news person telling you to be wary of their own reports.

Just a few more nuggets about Glenn Beck’s news venture:

• At present, the sole sponsors of Beck’s Burning bush are: Goldline (shock!) and Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks.
• The Associate Editor, Merideth Jessup, was the author of the July 2010 Townhall Magazine coverstory on Glenn Beck. The story was fiercely defensive of Glenn Beck in the face of his continuing advertiser losses.  We contacted Ms. Jessup regarding the timing of the article and her recent employment by Mr. Beck.  Via Twitter, Ms. Jessup assured us that she was not aware of her new position while publishing the friendly Beck piece nor was she hired as a reward for the piece. We take her at her word and offer our congratulions on this new position.

Glenn Beck: hard news journalist, keeper of modern day Burning bush.

Onward we go…

The discussion covers a wide range of topics related to right-wing misinformation, accountability and effective activism. I think the topics are interesting and there’s a lot of depth here. I strongly suggest giving it a listen, I’m confident you’ll think it’s worthwhile…

Thanks to Bob for all his work and for giving us the time.

Onward we go…

Here is the StopBeck effort’s statement on the issue:

The StopBeck effort is not organizing or endorsing any counter protests. Glenn Beck’s 828 event is a contemptible stunt to initiate the launch of his new book. On August 28, instead of thinking about Glenn Beck, we’ll be honoring the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. by celebrating his dream and reflecting on the work ahead.

This statement isn’t intended to be a slight against those that are curious about the event and want to go to report on it. It just represents our official position on counter protests.

Today, Greta Van Susteren publicly expressed her opposition to Glenn Beck’s rally and called on him to move the event.  On her blog, Greta explained (emphasis added):

On August 28th my colleague Glenn Beck is going to lead an event on the mall in Washington, DC. It is the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. The event is causing much controversy …some support and some don’t support and some are even furious and upset. Yes he has a First Amendment right to do it…but what about the wisdom of it? Remember…the Muslims in NYC have a First Amendment right to build a mosque but most Americans don’t want it…and you have to ask the wisdom of the Muslims to push the issue. Just because you have the right to do something does not mean you should. My view? No mosque at ground zero and Glenn should move his event.

It does not help heal the country on so many fronts if we poke a stick in eyes.

As expected, Greta was viciously attacked by Glenn Beck’s fans, cult members and watchdogs.

I can almost feel the chill coming from the already dank hallways of Fox News. Brrrr

A while back, Bill Press reported that the permit for Glenn Beck’s 828 rally had not been approved yet.  Well, as August 17, the permit is still pending.

But don’t get too excited, the permit is very likely to be approved.  The delay is largely attributable to working out logistical issues.

The official description of Glenn Beck’s event for the permit is a “demonstration to honor veterans.”  This is ironic given Glenn Beck’s suggestion that the Purple Heart lacks “honor and integrity” and his plans to do away with it at the event.

OpenCongress adds:

The August 28 rally falls on the 47th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, so several civil-rights groups have also applied for permits to hold events around D.C.

The only one approved so far is from a group of artists who plan to erect a four-foot sculpture on the Mall to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., and protest the Beck rally.

Update 8/19: As expected, Glenn Beck’s permit has been approved. Of note, Glenn Beck is setting expectations for the event awfully high.  His original permit called for a rally of 150,000 people.  But, he updated the figures during the final approval process and is now expecting a crowd of 300,000.

Only time will tell if Glenn Beck can meet his own hype. Tick Tock…

As of today, August 9, the broadcast of Glenn Beck’s show in the U.K. has run without any commercials for nearly six months thanks to your efforts.

Background:

The Fox News Channel is broadcast in the U.K, which means Glenn Beck is as well. Along with the StopBeck – UK Effort, participants in the StopBeck Effort reached out and urged advertisers to stop sponsoring Mr. Beck’s vitriol, sexism and preying on racial anxieties.  Once aware of the reckless vitriol they were associating their brands with, advertisers were quick to flee – some of them leaving Fox News as a whole.

Your efforts were so effective that beginning February 9, the U.K. broadcast of Glenn Beck’s show ran without commercials.  In other words, a total advertiser blackout for Mr. Beck in the U.K.  Earlier this summer, advertisers briefly returned.  But, participants in the StopBeck effort sprang to action and within a short while all ads were back off of Glenn Beck’s show again.

Glenn Beck’s lost advertisers at home and abroad are a real consequence caused by Mr. Beck’s willful distortions and irresponsible vitriol. And, by choosing to keep Glenn Beck, Fox must continue to hold its nose and absorb the associated financial losses.

Great work all! Your tweets and emails do matter.

Onward we go…

If you’re new, you can learn how to participate in and strengthen the StopBeck effort here.

Shout outs to Color of Change, Media Matters and SEIU for their work in stopping Glenn Beck too.

—-

Video of a commercial break for Glenn Beck’s show in the UK compared with another Fox News Channel show broadcast in the UK. You’ll see that Glenn Beck’s show is no longer runs paid advertisements, whereas other Fox News Channel shows in the UK continue to have paid ads:

Murdoch was also asked if last year’s boycott of Glenn Beck had any effect on the news network’s earnings.

The News Corp. CEO laughed and responded with a quick “no.”

“They’re not boycotting watching it because it’s getting incredible numbers,” he said. “We have not lost any business at all; some [advertisers] may have moved to other programs,” but “it has not affected the total revenues or the profits.”

I’m not going to reinvent the wheel here, so I urge all interested parties to check out Eric Boehlert’s reality check over at Media Matters.  In it, Eric clearly and convincingly demonstrates that Glenn Beck’s advertiser losses hurt Fox News’ bottom line.  Eric also debunks the myth about Glenn Beck’s ratings; contrary to Murdoch’s assertion, Glenn Beck’s ratings continue to slide.

I do want to add a few additional considerations though…

First, it’s not “last year’s boycott” as the questioner stated.  Glenn Beck continues to lose advertisers to this day. Incontrovertible evidence of this fact here.

Second, in addition to Eric’s financial analysis, there’s one other economic factor to consider. The StopBeck effort operates in both the United States and the UK.  Thanks to the participants in these efforts, the broadcast of Glenn Beck’s show in the UK has run without any commercials for nearly 6 months. Details about Glenn Beck’s total ad loss in the UK can be found here. How can Murdoch honestly claim that losing at least one full hour commercial space has no effect at all?

Finally, recognize that it’s actually the advertisers boycotting Glenn Beck’s show.  Murdoch insults these advertisers when he dismissively laughs about their concerns.  Also, if we assume that Murdoch’s claim was true, then is he inviting Fox News’ advertisers to leave Fox News as a whole? Seems that way.

The point of not advertising on Glenn Beck’s show is to avoid sponsoring his vitriol.  Per Murdoch, these advertisers’ actions are impotent because the money is going to sponsor Glenn Beck anyway.  Thus, if Murdoch is to be believed, Rupert Murdoch is telling Fox News’ advertisers that the only way they can stop subsidizing Glenn Beck’s hate is to drop Fox News as a whole.

Seems like a pretty brazen claim and a big gamble to me. But, okay…

———-

N.B. After Glenn Beck said that President Obama was a “racist” with a “deep-seated hatred for white people, or the white culture,” Rupert Murdoch had this to say:

“And um, that was something which perhaps shouldn’t have been said about the President, but if you actually assess what he [Glenn Beck] was talking about, he [Beck] was right.“

My point? I’m not surprised to see Murdoch going to great lengths to defend Glenn Beck.

On August 28, Glenn Beck is planning a rally in Washington DC.  According to Mr. Beck, he intends on picking up Martin Luther King’s mantle and plans to “restore honor” to America.  How does Glenn Beck intend to restore honor? Well, by being as exploitative and dishonorable as possible.

Notably, Glenn Beck has chosen to hold the rally at the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of MLK’s “I I have a dream” speech.  Mr. Beck’s feeble and pathetic attempt to coopt MLK’s legacy has drawn the ire of civil rights leaders and organizations.  Mr. Beck rebuffed this criticism, asserting: “Blacks don’t own Martin Luther King.”

But, wait…

You see, the rally isn’t really a rally at all.  It’s actually a giant stealth book launching event for Glenn Beck’s upcoming book, which is currently titled “The Plan.”

It gets worse…

Glenn Beck is raising money for this rally…err…book launching event tax-free! He’s doing that by using a charity called the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.  He’s soliciting tax-free donations for the event under the guise that the donations will go to “help the troops.”

But, if you read the fine print, you’ll notice that all donations go to pay for the event first; any leftovers will then be given to the charity. Oh, and it’s unlikely that they’ll be any leftovers.  Glenn Beck has previously estimated the cost of the event at $2 million and so far they’re not anywhere close to raising that amount [Update: the charity advises that they've raised $2 million amount. I've been following closely and don't see how they're at that figure yet, but we'll take their word for it].  As an aside, I wonder if Sarah Palin will be charging her usual speaking fee for this event? Or, if she’ll forgo it in order to “help the troops.”

Ugh, but there is one last kick in the gut…

The Special Operations Warrior Foundation is a charity that benefits wounded veterans and their families.  Sure, it’s contemptible that Glenn Beck would exploit the idea of helping wounded veterans in order to raise money tax-free for a political rally…err….book launching event.  But, here’s the kicker…

Glenn Beck suggested that the purple heart is dishonorable and has trashed the purple heart as a progressive plot.  Accordingly, he plans to begin the event by doing away with purple hearts and awarding his own version of it (emphasis added):

Glenn Beck: Today, we announced the first 15 minutes of the 8-28 event and the people that will join me on stage. We announced that we are going to start — restart the badge of merit that George Washington gave his troops. It’s what the Purple Heart is based on, except the progressives — what a surprise — in 1933 introduced the Purple Heart.

The Purple Heart was based on the badge of merit by George Washington. It had nothing to do with being wounded in action. It had everything to do with doing something of honor and integrity, something to — something that — where you really put your neck out and you did something of real merit, not just getting shot — not that that’s –

But he was trying to build people that understood honor and merit and integrity and God.

That’s right, Glenn Beck plans to “restore honor” by trashing purple heart recipients as lacking honor and integrity.

So, the 828 event is a giant scheme to further enrich Glenn Beck by exploiting tax-free donations to help wounded veterans, who he plans on trashing anyway.

One of the ways that Glenn Beck is raising money is with an auction.  He’s auctioning off all kinds of stuff, like a scholarship to Liberty University, dinner at the Glenn Beck mansion or a lunch date with Karl Rove.

But, there’s one recent addition to the auction that stands out. Tom Benson, the owner of the New Orleans Saints, donated “4 Plaza Level Tickets & Exclusive Pre-Game Field Passes to a New Orleans Saints NFC South Home Game of Your Choice”

Based on how disgraceful Glenn Beck’s 828 event really is, any reputable business person or organization should not be helping Glenn Beck raise money for a book launching event.  Moreover, given that Glenn Beck called Hurricane Katrina victims “scumbags,” the use of The Saints to raise money for Glenn Beck is even stranger.

Oy.

Take a moment to contact The Saints and urge them to not to help Glenn Beck raise money for Glenn Beck’s book launch event.

Well, the efforts were wildly successful.  On February 9, the UK broadcast of Glenn Beck’s show began running without any commercials – zero sponsors, zero advertisers.  The broadcast of the show remained without any sponsors for a full fourth months.

Then, on June 15, a handful of advertisements returned to the show again.  Consequently, we geared back up and began contacting these new advertisers.  Shortly thereafter, these new advertisers began fleeing.

Well, I’m happy to report that beginning July 5, the UK broadcast of Glenn Beck’s show began running without any commercials…again.

We were able to hold the line against the return of sponsors because of your continued participation in our accountability effort.  Great work all!

Thank you.

Onward we go…