L. Brent Bozell III

[[File:Brent_Bozell_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg|thumb|right|164px|The liberal media is going to [[Persecution complex|hit him with a shovel]]... or something.]]{{Pundits}}{{Bronze}}

'''L. Brent Bozell III''' {{lived|1955}} is an [[United States|American]] [[conservative]] [[Catholic]] [[Christian]] scold, self-styled "media watchdog" and all-around hatemonger. The nephew of [[New Right (United States)|leading]] conservative [[pundit]] [[William F. Buckley]], he makes his uncle look like a revolutionary [[socialist]] by comparison. 

His father, {{wpl|L. Brent Bozell Jr.}} and Buckley wrote a defense of [[Joseph McCarthy]] at the end of the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, after McCarthy had been widely repudiated.<ref>''McCarthy and His Enemies: The Record and Its Meaning'' by William F. Buckley Jr. & L. Brent Bozell (1954) Henry Regnery.</ref> Bozell Jr. also ghostwrote [[Barry Goldwater]]'s autobiography that was highly influential in US conservativism. In the book, Bozell made indirect reference to the {{wpl|Mudsill theory||,}} used to support [[slavery]], which argues that there must always be an underclass to support the [[elite]].<ref>''How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America'' by Heather Cox Richardson (2022) Oxford University Press. ISBN 019758179X.</ref>{{rp|163}}<ref>''The Conscience of a Conservative'' by Barry Goldwater (1960) Hillman Books.</ref>{{rp|87}}


Bozo
 Bozell is the mind (such as there is one) behind the [[Parents Television Council]], the [[Media Research Center]] and [[Newsbusters|NewsBusters.com]]. Bozell also claims to have coined the term "[[liberal biased media|media bias]]".<ref>Example: "[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-littman/brent-bozell-and-the-ptc_b_114979.html Brent Bozell and the PTC: Can the FCC Declare Them Obscene?] by Matt Littman, ''The Huffington Post'', July 25, 2008</ref> Most bloggers take no real notice of him, noting that he is a "right-wing conveyor belt of attacks on the press" that is "often loopy and fact-free… usually not worth rebutting in detail."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061206025132/http://mediamatters.org/columns/200611280010 Brent Bozell Unhinged]</ref>

==Viewpoints==
Bozell stated in 2004 that he is not a [[Republican]].<ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0408/05/cf.01.html Music and Politics]. ''Crossfire''. CNN: August 5, 2004.</ref>

Both distributed by Creators Syndicate, Bozell's columns each cover different aspects of media, one 
against
 about current movies and TV shows, the other blasting the American news media as [[Liberal bias|overwhelmingly liberal]].  

Bozell has advocated that television and the movie industries be more accommodating to family audiences. He stated in 1996:  "Prime time entertainment has become more polarized with regard to family-friendly content...the majority of prime time television shows airing during the 1995-96 season do not have family-friendly content."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20090119234002/http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/97top/main.asp  Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television: 1996-97 season]. Parents Television Council.</reF> Even in disagreeing with Bozell's opinions against homosexuality and premarital sex, Bozell has [[stopped clock|rightfully]] condemned low-quality series as "intellectually insulting" besides being "morally offensive" and "the broadcast networks' obsession with attracting twenty- and thirtysomethings, to the exclusion of practically everyone else."<reF>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040221101349/http://www.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/1998/col19981013.asp Fall Season: Networks Strike Out Again]. Oct. 13, 1998 column.</ref> Many of Bozell's columns from the late '90s, the early years of the Parents Television Council, take you down memory lane of trashy sitcoms.<ref>Like this one from 1998 "[http://web.archive.org/web/19981206084814/http://www.mrc.org/columns/ent/col19980929.html NBC: Must-See or Smut-See?]" regarding ''Suddenly Susan'', ''Conrad Bloom'', ''Caroline in the City'', and ''Just Shoot Me!'' Or "[http://web.archive.org/web/20040701222247/http://www.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/1997/col19970514.asp NBC's Non-Family Formula]" regarding ''Men Behaving Badly''. Or "[http://web.archive.org/web/20040203195258/http://www.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/1997/col19970317.asp Confusion at the Top]" regarding ''Chicago Sons'' and ''Pauly''.</ref> Perhaps the biggest reason for the networks drifting away from designating the first hour of primetime as "The Family Hour"? A changing media landscape in the '80s and '90s that drifted audiences (especially children) away from broadcast TV like: Specialty kids' cable channels like Disney and Nickelodeon, computer and video games, and the VCR. Not just children should be protected from said trashy sitcoms, so should adults, because Bozell has called ''Friends'' and ''Spin City'' " too adult for children and too childish for adults."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040216000910/http://www.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/1997/col19970617.asp Vulgarians Inside the Gate]. June 17, 1997.</ref> Also: "adults should be embarrassed to admit" they watch ''Men Behaving Badly''.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040701222247/http://www.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/1997/col19970514.asp NBC's non-family formula]</ref>

Regarding movies, Bozell has argued that [[Hollywood values|it's in Hollywood's interest for the industry to release more family-oriented films]]. In one 2005 column praising the film ''Because of Winn-Dixie'', Bozell cited a [[Ted Baehr]] study claiming that "good, moral Christian movies" like ''The Passion of the Christ''<ref>Remind us what was good ''or'' moral about that one?</ref> and ''The Incredibles'' averaged over $100 million in the box office as opposed to "[[political correctness|politically correct]]" or "[[humanism|humanist]], anti-religious" films that averaged about 10% as much.<ref>"[http://web.archive.org/web/20050302021930/http://www.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2005/col20050225.asp Wonderful 'Winn-Dixie']." Feb. 25, 2005.</ref> A check of the top-grossing films of 2004<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2004</ref> shows that [[correlation does not equal causation]] regarding "family-friendliness" and a movie's box office profits, based on the sheer number of films topping the list that would definitely not be described by Baehr or Bozell as good or moral: ''Meet the Fockers'', ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'', ''[[The Day After Tomorrow]]'', or ''Spider-Man 2''. Furthermore, ''The Incredibles'' won many film industry awards and made a large profit at the box office, in contrast to ''Because of Winn-Dixie'' that managed a mere $33 million in the US box office. 

In 2008, Bozell wrote a whole column with an [[good old days|epically outdated view of how to watch movies]], in complaining about not being able to find a movie in the local theater he felt would be appropriate for his 11-year-old son. Bozell dissed many current movies, even though he [[Willful ignorance|openly admitted to not having seen them]], while waxing nostalgic about older movies like ''Gone With the Wind'' ([[slavery]], [[bigotry]], [[murder]], [[marriage|marrying]] for money, [[marital rape]], [[adultery]], [[prostitutes]] with hearts of gold) and ''Doctor Zhivago'' (long-term adultery, out-of-wedlock [[birth]], ''and'' [[communism]]!).<ref name="slim cinema pickings">Bozell exemplifying how to diss movies without ever having seen them: [http://web.archive.org/web/20081022154946/http://mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2008/col20081020.asp  Slim Cinema Pickings]. October 20, 2008.</ref> Furthermore, 2008 had movie-viewing options that weren't available when Bozell was a child, including DVD rental services like Blockbuster and Netflix and premium-cable movie channels.

Bozell also has a tendency to get extremely angry when anyone says something even remotely critical of [[Catholicism]]. He called ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' "viciously anti-Catholic", and any book, TV show, or movie that criticizes the Catholic Church or even makes even the mildest "[[politically incorrect]]" joke (yes, [[conservative correctness]]) about it is enough to have Bozell screaming "anti-Catholic bigot!" He appears to be completely ignorant of the fact that, until Godless [[Soviet Russia]] emerged as [[America]]'s new bogeyman, the sort of people who wished to protect "[[Traditional values|traditional American values]]" were very often ''[[Anti-Catholicism|some of the most anti-Catholic people around]]'', claiming that it was a foreign cult that was plotting to destroy America and [[Protestantism]].

He also accuses the media and pop culture of being overly cautious about [[Islamophobia]] while playing looser with Christanity and countries such as Russia.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100310055407/http://www.mrc.org/bozellcolumns/columns/2010/20100308050121.aspx A Year of Anti-Religious Bigotry], March 6, 2010.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100519184652/http://www.mrc.org/bozellcolumns/columns/2010/20100518103448.aspx Jesus, Mohammed, and Comedy Central], May 15, 2010.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110118032645/http://www.mrc.org/bozellcolumns/columns/2011/20110113075546.aspx Doritos and Pepsi Mock God], January 8, 2011. {{quotebox|...these businessmen know what they’re doing and obviously didn’t fear an [[ad]] that is offensive to Christians. Never in a million years would they ever countenance the idea of similarly insulting Muslims. As one wag joked on Twitter: 'I'm sure any day now we'll see a commercial where Muslims turn their prayer mats to point at the new 2011 Lexus LS.'

Our national media and pop culture, so exquisitely attuned to the monitors of 'homophobia' and 'Islamophobia' find no offense whatsoever in this online 'Christophobia.' In fact, in the past, they have either ignored this sacrament-trashing...or enjoyed it.}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20101103131404/http://www.mrc.org/bozellcolumns/columns/2010/20101028015016.aspx NPR's Religion Double Standard], October 26, 2010.</ref> Often, his criticisms target entertainment media for targeting Christianity  as the butt of jokes. Never mind that the most ''effective'' satire "punches up" to the majority in society.<ref>http://reasonableconversation.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/punching-up/</reF>

Bozell has been a frequent guest on [[Fox News]] and other right-wing media through the years, commenting on culture and politics. In 2004, following a debate on ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'', Bozell angrily confronted liberal Paul Waldman in the green room. He opened by saying: "That was horseshit, you said!" regarding the debunking of [[John Kerry]] accusing [[Vietnam]] veterans of being war criminals.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070411100853/http://gadflyer.com/articles/?ArticleID=189 Mad As Hell]</ref> Bozell once bailed out of an appearance on [[MSNBC]]'s ''Scarborough Country'' just because there was going to be a liberal guest as his counterpoint.<ref>Johnson, Larry. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20051201010421/http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2005/11/28/184022/97 Brent Bozell, Chicken?]" ''Booman Tribune'': November 28, 2005.</ref>
 
In 2021, Bozell made a [[racist]] [[dogwhistle]] against President [[Barack Obama]] that was only inaudible to those who didn't want to hear it:<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/article/161431/brent-bozell-trump-capitol-riot The Rise and Fall of the L. Brent Bozells: How four generations of one American family are a synecdoche of the decline of the conservative movement.] by Timothy Noah (February 19, 2021) ''The New Republic''.</ref>
{{cquote|How long do you think Sean Hannity’s show would last if four times in one sentence, he made a comment about, say, the president of the United States, and said that he looked like a skinny, ghetto [[crack]]head? Which, by the way, you might want to say that Barack Obama does.}}

==Bozell-isms==
Some common linguistic patterns in his columns:
*"[relatives] must be proud."<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20050903121418/http://www.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2005/col20050722.asp Porn-Rap Degrades Women]" (July 22, 2005): Regarding the Ying Yang Twins: {{quotebox|Who puts out this filth for the amoral echo chambers at radio stations and BET and MTV? It’s TVT Records, one of the nation’s largest independent record labels, founded by Steve Gottlieb in his New York apartment in 1985. The label’s web site notes Gottlieb’s Yale and Harvard Law degrees and that “He is married and is the proud father of two children.}}

And they must be so proud of Dad, too."</ref><ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2007/col20071130.asp Tila Tequila, MTV's Latest Poison]" (November 30, 2007): Ends column by saying "Her parents must be so proud" after discussing Tila's immigrant parents and Tila's immoral porn career and MTV show.</ref>
*"[Cultural element] gets ugly."<ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2009/col20090430.asp Opie Gets Ugly]" (April 30, 2009)</ref><ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2009/col20090427.asp Beauty Pageants Get Ugly]" (April 27, 2009): About Carrie Prejean, the controversial Miss USA winner who opposed gay marriage</ref>
*Rhetorical questions<ref>Endless examples: [http://archive.mrc.org/archive/newscol/welcome.asp News columns] and [http://archive.mrc.org/archive/entcol/welcome.asp Entertainment columns]</ref>
*"The [adjective] [object of cultural importance]"<ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2005/col20050922.asp The Growing Anti-Porn Bookshelf]" (September 22, 2005)</ref><ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2007/col20070412.asp The Incomplete Anti-Imus Lobby]" (April 12, 2007)</ref>
*"[] vs. []"<ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2007/col20071005.asp Congress vs. Gangsta Rap]" (October 5, 2007)</ref><ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2006/col20061020.asp Moms vs. Hip-Hop]" (October 20, 2006)</ref>
*Alliterations<ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2005/col20050819.asp Terrifying "Teen Choice" Champions]" (August 19, 2005)</ref><ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2009/col20090324.asp Breathtakingly Bold Barack?]" (March 24, 2009)</ref><ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2008/col20081218.asp World Wild Web]" (December 18, 2008)</ref><ref>"[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2008/col20081201.asp Colbert Shreds Sunday School]" (December 1, 2008)</ref>
*Self-plagiarism?<ref>He wrote two columns titled "Hillary vs. Hollywood", one in [http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2005/col20050318.asp 2005] with a question mark in title and a revision [http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2007/col20070614.asp two years later] without the question mark.</ref>
*The year in review
*On prom and dirty dancing: "If I were chaperoning one of these dances and a boy attempted to perform this kind of lewd activity on my teen-aged daughter, I’d have a solution. I wouldn’t ask him please not to simulate [[anal sex]] on her. I wouldn’t refer him to the contract he signed at school. I’d beat the stuffing out of him."<ref>[http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2008/col20080606.asp Nightmare on Prom Street]. June 6, 2008.</ref>

==Fraud!==
During February 2014, allegations arose that Bozell had put his name to articles and even books that he had not written himself.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140222203001/http://jimromenesko.com/2014/02/13/brent-bozell-urges-liberal-media-to-tell-the-truth-while-he-fibs-about-writing-a-column/ Brent Bozell urges liberal media to ‘tell the truth,’ while he fibs about writing a column]</ref> Rather than Bozell, the various missives had been penned by MRC employee, Tim Graham.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140301203744/http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2014/02/leading-christian-conservative-brent-bozell-exposed-as-a-fraud Leading Christian conservative Brent Bozell exposed as a fraud]</ref>

==Like father, like son, like grandson==
[[File:L. Brent Bozell IV.png|thumb|right|165px|Bozell IV in the US Senate Chamber on January 6, 2021]]
In 2021, his son, L. Brent Bozell IV ("Zeeker"), was charged in the [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot]] with trespassing and obstruction of an official proceeding, he allegedly moved a mounted video camera in the Senate chambers so that it would not record rioters, he wore a "Hershey Christian Academy" sweatshirt from where he coached girls basketball.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/brent-bozell-charged-capitol-riot/2021/02/17/e417a2f0-713f-11eb-b8a9-b9467510f0fe_story.html L. Brent Bozell IV, descendant of prominent conservative family, charged in Capitol breach] by Spencer S. Hsu (Feb. 17, 2021 at 1:27 p.m. PST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Bozell IV was sentenced to 4 years in prison. "Bozell broke through police lines guarding a northwest staircase, smashed windows through which hundreds of rioters entered the Capitol’s west side, then forced open its Rotunda doors from inside, allowing in hundreds more on the building’s east side." He also raided then House Speaker [[Nancy Pelosi]]'s office.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/05/17/bozell-jan-6-sentence/ Son of prominent conservative family sentenced to nearly 4 years for Jan. 6: A judge rejected the government request for terrorism enhancement but likened the actions of Leo Brent Bozell IV to those who spearheaded the riot.] by Spencer S. Hsu (May 17, 2024 at 4:46 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

==Reward==
In 2025 Bozell was rewarded by [[Donald Trump]] for his pro-[[Israel]] stance by being nominated for ambassador to [[South Africa]], an obvious punishment for the South African government's criticism against the conduct of Israel in its ongoing war with [[Hamas]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/26/trump-names-pro-israel-media-activist-as-us-ambassador-to-south-africa Trump names pro-Israel media activist as US ambassador to South Africa: Leo Brent Bozell III, founder of a conservative media group, is president’s nomination amid rising diplomatic tensions] by Rachel Savage (26 Mar 2025 14.52 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref>
{{clear}}

==See also==
*[[Ben Shapiro]]: Bozo's "media watchdog" homunculus.  Just like L., a big crybaby.

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090614234250/http://www.creators.com/conservative/brent-bozell.html Bozell column on Creators Syndicate]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}} 

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bozell, L. Brent III}}
[[Category:Atheophobia]]
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[[Category:Catholics]]
[[Category:Christian apologists]]
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[[Category:Convicted felons]]
[[Category:Fundamentalists]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Internet kooks]]
[[Category:Islamophobes]]
[[Category:Journalists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Media]]
[[Category:Plagiarists]]
[[Category:Political pundits]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:Sexists]]
[[Category:Shysters]]

Categories: Atheophobia, Bloggers, Catholics, Christian apologists, Conspiracy theorists, Convicted felons, Fundamentalists, Homophobes, Internet kooks, Islamophobes, Journalists, Living people, Media, Plagiarists, Political pundits, Racists, Right-wing activists, Sexists, Shysters