The only US cable and/or broadcast news I ever see comes from online sources, usually clips or segments provided as evidence on media criticism sites like Media Matters or Crooks and Liars. I was watching one such clip embedded to this post at C&L, David Broder wanks away on the McCain Town Hall meetings that Obama turned down.

Well, Broder or any other rightwing "centrist" wanking for McCain isn't anything new or unexpected, especially not the Faux News wank fest seen in the video clip in the above link.

At approximately 2:15 the video cuts from one wanking fest to another, located in the "Fox News Election HQ" revealing something ,if not unexpected (it's Fox after all), then perhaps new.

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As many of you know, I'm interested (and concerned) with how images are employed by the media and other actors to reinforce political narratives. It's the politics and semiotics of political images and icons. So this recent example of Fox propoganda might be described as logo cross branding.

McCain's logo is of course a single military star and he's branded himself and his campaign in an overall not so subtle militaristic theme. Even all those flags on his website emphasize the star. Stars are everywhere in McCain's visual presentations. There's already been a fair amount written on both McCain's and Obama's campaign branding so I won't elaborate here. See for example a piece I wrote in March, Postmodern Presidential Branding.

Click on images to enlarge

So back to what caught my attention. This so called Fox News election set looked to be unashamedly and outright endorsing John McCain through its visual messages. Looking at the Fox video clip the first thing I noticed is the name, "America's Election HQ." Not head quarters but the abbreviated HQ as is common practice in the military. Then there's the large screen with the words "Strategy Room." But the real kicker is just behind the pundits left shoulder there is a massive singular virtual star complete with that bizzarre Fox animation stuff (I don't know what else to call it) that continually animates the star, the McCain star. As the camera pans over to who else, Karl Rove, the actual McCain logo with his name flashes on the screen behind Roves right shoulder.

Curious for more, I went to Fox's online "Election HQ." You'll notice a star frames each side of the words in their logo. Then there's all those stars against a blue backdrop, not completely unlike the cropped flags on McCain's website. There's also this "Military One Source" button right next to the search box, consciously adding to the military theme. For added bonus in this screen shot there's a huge photo of McCain with a huge McCain headline. And given McCain's recent faux environmentalism I find the "Clean Coal" advertisements ironic if not intentional.

Ok, this was a little lite on analysis, I'm pretty busy these days. But it didn't take much to see the overt symbolism everywhere. With all the over the top McCain endorsing I wonder what I'm missing. Does Fox even do subliminal anymore or is it all right there on the surface? What have you noticed in regards to Fox News cross branding their programs with overt McCain symbolism?