While MSNBC Leans, Fox News Moves Forward

As we've noted (and subsequently mocked), MSNBC recently launched a new re-branding campaign entitled, "Lean forward." According to the network, the new motto is a statement of how it wants to be considered the place for ideas that will move the country forward. Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, recently told the New York Times that this new tagline "defines us and defines our competition," the implication being that MSNBC's biggest competitor -- the Fox News Channel -- is leaning backward.

But in a new twist, Fox is now stepping up the rhetorical battle with its cable news competitors and specifically one-upping MSNBC with new ads that are titled "Move Foward."

Mediaite helped debut the new Fox television ads Wednesday. "America is not a nation of wallflowers. Americans are not afraid to act, to fight, to do," the narrator says in one of the new Fox ads. "In this country, we don't stand still, we don't lean; we move forward."

Fox isn't the only one taking less-than-subtle jabs at the new MSNBC ad campaign:

Commenting on Fox's new ad campaign, Mediaite's Steve krakauer notes, "The subtle reference to MSNBC insures it won’t be seen as a petty attack ad, but the connotation is obvious," he writes. "Is it easy? Sure. But with Jon Stewart getting in on the joke, it was only a matter of time before Fox News leaned into poking MSNBC."

What does MSNBC think of Fox’s new ads? An MSNBC spokesman told the New York Times today: “This is exactly what we set out to do: create a national conversation to move the country forward. We’re thrilled Fox News has decided to join us.”