Obama's war with Fox News
What the White House gains and loses by escalating its feud with the cable news channel
Shephard Smith, host of Fox Report
(Corbis)
The White House clearly isn't ready to make peace with Fox News, said James Gordon Meek in the New York Daily News. President Obama's advisors "chose napalm" to fuel the feud between the administration and the 24-hour news channel. Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told CNN that Fox is "not a news organization," and Obama's closest political advisor, David Axelrod, told ABC's "This Week" that Fox News "is really not news. It's pushing a point of view."
It's wrong for any administration to try to bully the press into submission, said David Zurawik in the Baltimore Sun, but Obama's drubbing of Fox News is particularly disturbing. For one thing, it's hypocritical to accuse Fox of being biased while giving the "highly-partisan," pro-Obama MSNBC a pass. And sending out heavy hitters like Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod to talk about Fox—instead of, say, finding jobs for the unemployed—shows that the administration is worried more about its image than governing.
"I'm the first one to criticize the Obama administration when it does something untoward, or to disagree with any of its policies that I view as off the liberal deep end," said Bonnie Erbe in U.S. News & World Report. But the White House critique of the Fox News Channel is "factually accurate, plain and simple. Fox News is nothing more than a Republican/conservative cheat sheet," and even Fox fans know it. "They wouldn't be watching if they weren't wingers."
That doesn't mean it's smart for the White House to go to war with Fox, said David Carr in The New York Times. It would be better for President Obama to stay above the fray—even after Fox News host Glenn Beck called him a racist. Presidents have always had media critics, and they have always lost when they feuded with people who bought their ink by the barrel. "So far, the only winner in this latest dispute seems to be Fox News," which gets better ratings when tempers flare.
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27 Comments
Posted by Image is all that matters, Monday, October 19, 2009, 2:02 pm Oh please, please, please let the obummer adm continue its fight with FOX. There's definitely no cumbya here. Everytime they attack FOX, more people tune in to see the horror of FOX news' bias, prejudice, partisanship etc. There's nothing people like better than to watch a train or car wreck. When they tune in the people discover that they get all sides of the news, not just dim and repug. They are given legitimate sources for further info. No thrills up their legs or rants like obermanbama. As obummer attacks, the FOX ratings soar.
Posted by Gut Shot, Monday, October 19, 2009, 2:40 pm Keep up the good work Rahm and Dave! Show them folks at Fox that you guys are not going to take this lying down. No siree, there ain't a damned thing in this chicken shat administration to tend to right now. this administration is so damned dysfunctional that they forget what really matters in this country. Make escuses and try to cover your ass with blame and finger pointing. Do the job we elected you to do. Lead this country! You thinskinned liberal ass whiners need to get over this blame game bull shit and do your jobs. 3 more years.
Posted by NYKeith, Monday, October 19, 2009, 2:56 pm Pretty funny, we have bedwetters running America, getting all 'weewee'd' up when some talking head disses them! We elected them and in a democracy you get the Government you deserve. Enjoy.
Posted by Edwardo, Monday, October 19, 2009, 3:15 pm Freedom of the press. Freedom of speech. Rahm et al, remember we have freedoms... and you cannot OWN ALL of the media. You have pulled the wool over the eyes of CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, NYT, and more... let someone else have an opinion and let them report the real news, according to their reporters. This fight with a news organization you claim is not news is funny. Makes the White House look like amateurs and petty idiots. Don't you have more important things to do than to watch Fox all day long? Is that a Csar position to watch FOX??? Grow up Rahm
Posted by Anabell, Monday, October 19, 2009, 3:20 pm Remember Nixon's famous feuds with the media? Rahm, do a little research on this one because the White House does not come out on top in this fights. Get on with the bigger picture jobs and leave the media alone. You may have your fans, such as inconsequential Erbe, but you will not win. She sounds petty, and makes the WH sound petty, too. Petty and scared. This is not Chicago politics as usual, this is the big time. Act like it and get to work. You may have been able to bully Hillary, but take the high road and change the channel.
Posted by Ernie, Monday, October 19, 2009, 3:26 pm AND...when Obama's closest political adviser, Axelrod, told ABC's This Week that Fox News is really not news. It's pushing a point of view, we can assume that C Matthews was giving NEWS when he said he felt tingling up and down his legs when BHO spoke? I get it now. NEWS applauds the president and does not discuss his warts, and it is NOT news when it speaks anything other than Gushing Praise? NOPE, that isn't how it works in America, Rahm. The administration does not have the option run the press. Nixon tried, and that didn't work so well.
Posted by GJA, Monday, October 19, 2009, 3:52 pm Erbe's claim that Fox News is nothing more than a Republican/conservative cheat sheet, is as accurate as saying NYT/CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC is nothing more than a Democratic/liberal cheat sheet. Amazing how each side sees itself as wearing the white hats.
Posted by SJLJr, Monday, October 19, 2009, 3:56 pm So silly... all of this hate coming from a man who proclaims to BRING people together. He and his aides are waging war at HOME? Makes no sense and has zero chance of winning. BHO and his guys have a war in Iraq and Afghanistan to keep them busy, and nukes in Iran and No Korea, trouble in central and south america, and pirates in Somalia. War with your own country is not Nobel prizing winning actions. Better notify the Nobel Committee that BHO is not too peaceful. How funny is this, in light of his phony award??? Explain that in your acceptance.
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