Fox News' Big Story asked: “What's the point of the U.N. if allies are all talk?”

Written by Ben Fishel

Published

Continuing a pattern of attacks on the United Nations by Fox News, Big Story Weekend guest host Julie Banderas asked: "[W]hen it comes to issues like North Korea and Iran, our supposed allies Russia and China always seem to be all talk, so why bother having a U.N. at all?" During the segment, on-screen text read: “What's the point of the U.N. if allies are all talk?”

In a segment on the July 9 edition of Fox News' The Big Story Weekend, guest host Julie Banderas introduced a discussion of the United Nations' reaction to North Korea's recent missile tests by asking: "[W]hen it comes to issues like North Korea and Iran, our supposed allies Russia and China always seem to be all talk, so why bother having a U.N. at all?" During the discussion with guests Joe Pagliarulo, a talk radio host, and Kirsten Powers, a Democratic strategist, on-screen text read “What's the point of the U.N. if allies are all talk?” Later in the segment, Banderas asked Powers: "[W]hy is it that every time we try to use the U.N., China and Russia don't necessarily participate. It's almost kind of like, 'What's the point?' "

As Media Matters for America has documented, Mark Malloch Brown, the deputy secretary-general of the U.N., criticized in a June 6 speech the frequent attacks by Fox News on the U.N. Brown stated the U.N.'s relationship with the United States is overshadowed by “too much unchecked U.N. bashing and stereotyping.” He added that “much of the public discourse that reaches the U.S. heartland has been largely abandoned to its loudest detractors, such as Rush Limbaugh and Fox News."

From the July 9 edition of Fox News' The Big Story Weekend:

BANDERAS: The United Nations, supposed to be a united front, but when it comes to issues like North Korea and Iran, our supposed allies Russia and China always seem to be all talk, so why bother having a U.N. at all? That's today's “Your Word Live” question. But first, I'm joined by radio talk show host Joe Pagliarulo and Democratic strategist Kirsten Powers. Together, they're Pags and Powers here on The Big Story, and, guys, I want you to hang on just a moment, we're going to go and start with our phone calls. We're going to go to [caller] in California first, and, [caller], what say you?

CALLER: All right, Julie, most people think that the U.N. is really useless. I think it serves a good purpose to keep lines of communication open between like, people like Kim Jong Il and Kid Kris from WYSP in Philadelphia.

BANDERAS: Bye.

PAGLIARULO: OK, this is that jerk again.

BANDERAS: Yeah, I know.

CALLER: No it isn't!

BANDERAS: Yeah, I know. Well, you know, I'm sorry, it's a little early in California, and I guess he didn't get enough sleep. But let's go to you first, Kirsten. You know, we do rely on the U.N. for something, I mean I'd imagine that's the whole purpose. So why is it that every time we try to use the U.N., China, Russia don't necessarily participate. It's almost kind of like, “What's the point?”