In the section, Fox News Techniques: Fox Liberals, Outfoxed makes a fallacy riddled and bizarre conspiracy claim against Fox News’ portrayal of on-air liberals.
Frank O’Donnell, identified as a “former Fox News producer”, presents an incoherent allegation that Fox News attempts “to put on the appearance” of being ideologically balanced but sends “subtle messages” that the liberal commentator is “not so smart after all” because they are less attractive than the conservative.
Using Hannity & Colmes as an example, O’Donnel appears to have a crush on Sean Hannity but dismisses Alan Colme’s intellect because of his physical appearance. O’Donnel then baselessly projects his own bias onto the public, accusing Fox News of sending a “subtle message”:
FRANK O’DONNELL: What they’ll try to put on the appearance of being balanced, but really kind of a mismatch. You’ll have a Hannity And Colmes Show where Hannity [FOX FOOTAGE HANNITY] is a really, a good-looking, kind of clean-cut all-American kind of guy and, and [FOX FOOTAGE COLMES] his counterpart is a little squirrelly looking, frankly. And you kind of say he’s the liberal? Well, maybe he’s not so smart after all and it, and it, and it sends a subtle message, I think.
Outfoxed provides no evidence or argument to support the allegation that matching “squirrlly looking” liberals with attractive conservatives to send “subtle messages” to the viewer that liberals are “not so smart after all” is a conscious technique at Fox News nor is any data presented or postulated to hypothesize that viewers equate physical appearance with intellect.