CNN Explores Media Concerns As GOP Presidential Field And Fox News Roster Intersect

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by Frances Martel | 10:07 pm, September 27th, 2010

» 38 comments

With the 2012 elections less than two years away and the campaign cycles growing increasingly longer, Wolf Blitzer today took on the GOP primary field and, particularly, the fact that so many of them work for Fox News. Should they run, their exclusivity contracts wouldn’t just affect direct competitors like CNN– local stations and apolitical stations like C-SPAN would need approval from Fox News to use footage of their employee-candidates, too.

Politico‘s Jonathan Martin, who along with Keach Hagey penned a piece on the matter this week, asks that very question, and joined Blitzer earlier today to talk about this be “new terrain” in the relationship between politics and news media. Of highest importance to Martin seems to be the possibility that these candidates will make “campaign” stops that, being unofficial, will be unregulated by either Fox or the conventional rules of presidential politics, even if the candidates leave Fox News before they officially announce a run.

Then there are the contractual issues: who gets to interview whom when Fox News contracts explicitly declare exclusive privilege over their talent? Martin notes that this will be particularly problematic for C-SPAN.

But fixing the problem will be difficult when there is no candidate incentive to leave Fox News, nor is there an incentive for Fox News to drop their candidates because “every time they make news,” Martin explains, “it’ll happen on your air.”

Fox, in a statement to Politico, said that they will probably sever their career ties with candidates once they launch their campaigns, and explained further:

“All contributors are exclusive to Fox News. On occasion, they will make appearances on other networks — when they have books to promote — and in those cases their contributor agreements are suspended during that period. Fox News has made rare exceptions for various contributors in terms of appearances on other networks, but instances are few and far between.”

Beyond all of this, it’s worthy of note that there are serious discussions about the 2012 primaries happening on our airwaves already. This is going to be a very long election season.

The segment from today’s CNN Situation Room below:

CNN, fox news, Jonathan Martin, Sarah Palin, Wolf Blitzer

http://TheDividedStatesBlog.com Publius219

CNN is just jealous because they can’t get such noted foreign policy experts like Sarah Palin and constitutional scholars like Rick Santorum
Big Eddie

Doesn’t possible Presidential candidate and best selling author and scholar Rick Sanchez work for CNN ?
mjbig89

Publius219 said:
CNN is just jealous because they can’t get such noted foreign policy experts like Sarah Palin and constitutional scholars like Rick Santorum

They already have the geological expert Rick Sanchez.
felixw

Yes, it’s much more professional to hire disgraced former politicians such as Eliot Spitzer after they are forced to resign from office….
jk76

I thought I read previously there was some type of no-campaign or declare candidacy clause but with the response from Fox perhaps I’m wrong.

So basically because other stations don’t want Republican ‘contributors’ they are getting left out and are looking for a Kleenex box. All this, while trying to portray FNC as unfair because they hire people who are just chillin? Maybe they should take notes. This is funny.
the real john t

Publius219 said:
CNN is just jealous because they can’t get such noted foreign policy experts like Sarah Palin and constitutional scholars like Rick Santorum

I hope that statement was sarcasim.
Azarkhan

Hey, all future Democratic candidates can sign contracts with that ratings powerhouse MSNBC!
The Real Royal King

Publius219 said:
CNN is just jealous because they can’t get such noted foreign policy experts like Sarah Palin and constitutional scholars like Rick Santorum

That’s funny.
notsofast

Wolf Blitzer today took on the GOP primary field and, particularly, the fact that so many of them work for Fox News. ”

Wolf, why would they work for loser organizations like MSNBC and CNN?
The Real Royal King

felixw said:
Yes, it’s much more professional to hire disgraced former politicians such as Eliot Spitzer after they are forced to resign from office….

Oliver North? Newt Gingrich?
Azarkhan

“Wolf Blitzer today took on…the fact that so many of them work for Fox News”

Wolf, envy is a sin.
notsofast

“More people are getting their news about the upcoming election from cable television than any other source, and from Fox News more than any other cable channel, according to a POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll released Monday.

Among cable news channels, Fox was the clear winner, with 42 percent of respondents saying it is their main source, compared with 30 percent who cited CNN and 12 percent who rely on MSNBC. ”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42738.html#ixzz10muk51Vv

MSNBC 12%!!!

LOL

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42738.html#ixzz10mugHq8V
notsofast

Rahm Emanuel Likely to Leave White House This Week
Final Decision Not Yet Made, White House Chief of Staff All but Certain to Explore Campaign for Mayor of Chicago

By JAKE TAPPER and SUNLEN MILLER
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2010

Barry, all your rats are jumping ship!
Mr.Papshmer

What a whiny story by CNN. As we used to say in the navy, “Wah, wah, my pu$$y hurts!”
http://www.facebook.com/people/Andy-Lamb/1085325013 Andy Lamb

How funny – “Jonathan Martin has been digging into this story.” LOL, like this is such a big news story. None of these people hold any office at this time, and none of them have announced that they are running for anything in the future. I’m surprised Wolf didn’t include Geraldo Rivera, I’m pretty sure one of the guests on Geraldo’s show in the late ’90′s said he should run for President. Surely that should have been enough for rabid speculation on Wolf’s part.

This almost daily obsession with FOX is really pathetic.
http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

I though Ed Shultz and Olbermann were going to be candidates for president. CNBC the place for Politics? LOL.
CNBC the place for lunitics.
Big_F-ing_Deal

This is not by coincidence but by design,
Just another example that Fox is actively shilling for the Republican Party.
VRWC Destruction Machine

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
This is not by coincidence but by design,
Just another example that Fox is actively shilling for the Republican Party.

BFD!
the real john t

gordonbloyershow said:
I though Ed Shultz and Olbermann were going to be candidates for president. CNBC the place for Politics? LOL.
CNBC the place for lunitics.

Hey dumbass Blowhard, you should at least learn what network they’re on before making your dumbass comments.
right-is-wrong

felixw said:
Yes, it’s much more professional to hire disgraced former politicians such as Eliot Spitzer after they are forced to resign from office….

Or convicted Military personnel like Oliver North, Or Quitter Governors Like Sarah Palin, or like failed senators like Rick Santorum (google that one)
right-is-wrong

Publius219 said:
CNN is just jealous because they can’t get such noted foreign policy experts like Sarah Palin and constitutional scholars like Rick Santorum

Really
Google it
Rogue-Comic

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
This is not by coincidence but by design,
Just another example that Fox is actively shilling for the Republican Party.

As MSNBC shills for the Democrats; they’re all a bunch of filthy bastards.

That being said, this story is weird since its common sense that any candidate running for public office would need to resign from holding any job at any media outlet.
Rogue-Comic

Oops, I forgot the ” = ) ” after “filthy bastards.”

I think at least.
Rogue-Comic

right-is-wrong said:
Really
Google it

Google “satire.”
right-is-wrong

Rogue-Comic said:
Google “satire.”

sorry
not as funny
http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

the real john t, I don’t watch either network. They are both the same anyway, nobody watches. Only a loser like you would know which network they are on.

Try getting a real name.
the real john t

gordonbloyershow said:
Try getting a real name.

How many times do I have to tell you, my real first name is John and my middle initial is T? Are you really that ignorant you can’t get that into your simple little brain?
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

YEAH get a real name LIB!!!!1 “John T” what kind of name is that what are you John Tesh from Entertainment Tonight LMFAO!!!!111 Try getting a real name like GORDON BLOYER who is a Totally Famous Star with his own Internet Talk Show that gets TENS of hits EVERY YEAR!!!!!111 Until then, SUCK IT LIB!!!!111
Bania

Karl Spensen said:
SUCK IT LIB!!!!111

THAT ” S GOLD kArL !!!!!!!!!!22 GOLD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!222

WHY NO BLOG kARl ???????222
NeoKong

It’s sort of interesting that CNN didn’t seem to have a problem with conflict of interest when they hired John Kerry advisors Paul Begal and Jame Carville to do the We Hate George Bush Show formally known as Crossfire back in 2004.
Big_F-ing_Deal

NeoKong said:
It’s sort of interesting that CNN didn’t seem to have a problem with conflict of interest when they hired John Kerry advisors Paul Begal and Jame Carville to do the We Hate George Bush Show formally known as Crossfire back in 2004.

That show had Novak and Carlson too.
Sarah Palin would shit her panties if she ever had to debate a liberal version of Novak.

Of course, Fox isn’t about debate, it’s about selling a narrative, a party, and now a group of candidates.
bigbrainbrad

felixw said:
Yes, it’s much more professional to hire disgraced former politicians such as Eliot Spitzer after they are forced to resign from office….

as opposed to a disgraced Colonel like Ollie North
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

OLLIE NORTH is a True American Patriot!!!!111 He <3 <3 <3 Iran back when it WASN'T COOL to <3 <3 <3 IRAN!!!!111 He was a TRAILBLAZER and Sean Hannity's Favorite American(tm)!!!1111
Hugo Daun

the real john t said:
Are you really that ignorant you can’t get that into your simple little brain?

Yes, John T, he really IS that ignorant.
TfT

This is nothing but an act of desperation by CNN and Blitzer. Their ratings have tanked so bad. They are lost, they have fallen and they can’t get up. Woffie going with this storyline is just one more indication that CNN doesn’t have a clue what it is doing anymore.

Funny actually, sad actually. CNN needs a major shake up of on air talent…..giving us the con and the faux con isn’t going to really help them much unless and until libbies like Wolf are moved from evening to morning and some new talent comes in in the afternoon.
BatBoy

Publius219 said:
CNN is just jealous because they can’t get such noted foreign policy experts like Sarah Palin and constitutional scholars like Rick Santorum

With your insight, you should be working for CNN.

What they Hell, they couldn’t go any lower in their ratings.
musiccityvic

Anyone find it ironic that CNN is complaining about this on the same day NBC,CNBC,MSNBC, and whatever other network they own showed the Obama infomercial this morning?
bigbrainbrad

BatBoy said:
With your insight, you should be working for CNN.

What they Hell, they couldn’t go any lower in their ratings.

if it is all about ratings, then American Idol is America’s most important show