Last year the former White House communications director Anita Dunn said:

The reality of it is that Fox News often operates as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party ... They’re widely viewed as, you know, a part of the Republican Party — take their talking points, put them on the air, take their opposition research, put them on the air, and that’s fine. But let’s not pretend they’re a news network they way CNN is.

Between segments about ACORN, Black Panthers and socialism, Fox News expressed their outrage, the rest of the traditional media looked the other way, and we soon resumed our regularly scheduled program of fair and balanced news.

And perhaps secure in the knowledge that politicians, pundits and news organizations will continue to treat them like a legitimate news outlet, Fox News isn't even pretending anymore: