If Murdoch Is Serious About Getting “Beyond Politics” On Immigration, He Should Start With Fox News

Today, News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch will be joining New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to host pro-immigration forums for the purpose of getting “beyond politics and antiquated notions about immigration.” Perhaps he should start with the anti-immigrant attitudes that pervade the channel his company operates, Fox News.

Politico reports that Murdoch stated in a press release promoting the forums:

“America is a great nation built on the hard work and ingenuity of immigrants, and our economic prosperity will depend upon our ability to unleash innovation and compete in the global marketplace,” said Rupert Murdoch. “Unfortunately, Washington has failed to enact immigration policies that acknowledge the role of immigrants in our economic successes, or consistently support the employment needs of America's businesses. We have to get beyond politics and antiquated notions about immigration if we are serious about attracting and retaining the best talent in America.”

If Murdoch really wants to “get beyond politics and antiquated notions” on immigration, he should start with a network his company owns, Fox News. Fox is a hotbed of anti-immigrant rhetoric, and it serves as a friendly platform for extremist anti-immigration groups. The vast majority of guests who speak about immigration on Fox are anti-immigrant.

Fox is an unabashed promoter of the kind of “politics and antiquated notions about immigration” Murdoch claims to oppose.

Of course, fixing a cable news channel doesn't offer quite the glamor or promotional pop as taking part in a forum to fret about attitudes that Murdoch's own employees are being paid to stir up.