Roger Ailes On Baier/Obama Interview: “They Did The Right Thing”

We’ve seen a lot of reaction to the Bret Baier-Pres. Barack Obama exclusive Fox News interview, so why not one from FNC Chairman Roger Ailes?

He commented on the FNC get, Conan O’Brien and more in an interview with Chicago Tribune‘s Phil Rosenthal.

“Look, they understand the game,” Ailes told the Tribune regarding the White House. “They did the right thing, and we respect them for it.”

Ailes’ other role for Fox is as Chairman of the Twentieth Television and Fox Television Stations, so it’s only natural he’ll be involved in the Conan O’Brien negotiation. “We all like Conan,” he said. “It’s an arithmetic problem.”

The FNC chairman also gave his take on former New York Times editor Howell Raines’ assertion that no one in the media was holding FNC accountable. “That’s hysterical,” said Ailes. “Fox has taken more incoming; we have a bigger bull’s-eye on us than anybody. What he’s upset about is we haven’t been hit.”

While Ailes has no problem firing back, he has done so far more visibly recently than in the past. He was a guest on This Week when Barbara Walters filled in as guest anchor and participated in a New York Times profile. Will this signal a more public Ailes as 2010 continues? Probably not, but if he has something to say, there will be no shortage of outlets that want to be there when he says it.

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