It is easy to dismiss Fox News as pretentious and partisan, but many people cannot see through the choices the news organization makes to shape public opinion.
In the video, the photographs of Steinberg and Reddicliffe appear manipulated. The faces are darker and the teeth seem to be yellow. Media Matters offers an detailed explanation of the altered images.
What we must consider here is how news organizations can use their significant power to advance ideological agendas. Through "cheap shot journalism" Fox may be denouncing its detractors, but it also promulgating a use of technology that imperils journalistic standards and deceives its viewers. The only rationale that comes to mind here is that Fox appears to believe that it stands above all others and that the ethical and professional codes of conduct put into place by the industry do not apply to them. If there is anything more detrimental to journalistic integrity it is arrogance. The hubris in which Fox appears to be conducting business, through the use of photo manipulation, suggests that it is pushing the boundaries of journalistic practice to a new low.
Does the public really care if Fox manipulates photographs to humiliate and degrade individuals it does not like? Does the public know the difference between fiction and fact? Should anyone be held accountable?
Whatever the answers to these questions may be, it is clear that Fox News is playing in its own sandbox these days, and, anyone who disagrees might end up with yellow teeth.