If you’re going to appear on live TV, you probably know that one of the rules involves keeping the language limited to that which is allowed by the FCC. It should be obvious that “using foul language while criticizing the President of the United States” isn’t one of those things that most networks are allowed to let slide, but that scenario happened twice for Fox News today. In response, the network has parceled out suspensions for contributors Lt. Col. Ralph Peters and Stacey Dash.
Last night, there’s a good chance some of you were tuned into one of several networks airing Obama’s terrorism-inspired Oval Office speech (especially since the NFL game was such a blowout). That was unsurprisingly the subject of the day on Fox News, and both Peters and Dash had some pointed words to say about how Obama is handling things. Peters was arguably the most non-cautious with his words, as he directly called Obama “a pussy,” while Dash stated the POTUS looked like he could “give a shit” about what he was saying. Both were issued two-week suspensions from the company, according to TVLine.
Peters appeared on Fox Business Network to share his opinions, which you can watch below. It’s worth noting though Peters was corrected for his words, it didn’t happen immediately, like it probably would have on broadcast news programs. Cable TV is such a rebel.
On Fox News Channel, Dash was chatting with Outnumbered’s hosts about her distaste for the speech when she dropped her four-letter word. She immediately apologized and went on, but it was too late. The shit had already hit the fan…base. Check it out below.
When announcing the suspensions, which happened not too long after the offending words were uttered, Fox News and Fox Business exec Bill Shine called Peters’ and Dash’s comments “completely inappropriate and unacceptable for our air.” I’m not aware how often Peters and Dash appear on shows across the Fox-scape, so I’m not even sure if two weeks is particularly notable in this case. I doubt either one of them is going to get death threats over these comments, though, since no Star Wars remarks were involved.
Fox News is no stranger to problems with analysts and other employees, but a single-day double suspension for dirty words is a pretty rare occurrence.
