White House: “Let’s Not Pretend Fox Is a News Network The Way CNN Is”
The gloves are off. Anita Dunn went on Howard Kurtz’s Reliable Sources on CNN this morning to air some of her specific grievances with mainstream media practices, spending most of her time criticizing Fox News.
Dunn — officially the White House communications director and unofficially the field marshall of Obama’s Call ‘Em Out Patrol — really cut to the chase when it came time to talk talking about FNC, which has continuously chafed the current administration.
She began her interview by touching on the “reflexive negativity” of conservative commentators, pointing to the politically motivated reaction to Obama’s involvement with — and the much-celebrated failure of — Chicago’s Olympic bid, and the negative spin surrounding Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize.
“What I think is fair to say about Fox — and certainly the way we view it — is that it really is more of a wing of the Republican party,” Dunn told Kurtz.
Kurtz presented a response from FNC Senior V.P. Michael Clemente to the White House earlier in the week to Dunn that said, “An increasing number of viewers are relying on Fox News for both news and opinion. And the average news consumer can certainly distinguish between the A section of a newspaper and the editorial page, which is what our programming represents.”
Dunn disagreed that there was a clear line between Fox’s objective reporting and opinion journalism, although she did restate that certain Fox reporters are legitimate journalists:
“Let’s be realistic here, Howie, they’re widely viewed as a part of the Republican party: Take their talking points, put ‘em on the air. Take their opposition research, put ‘em on the air. And that’s fine, but let’s not pretend they’re a news network the way CNN is … I’m not talking about people like Major Garrett, I’m talking about the overall programming.”
Anita Dunn on Reliable Sources with Howard Kurtz (Complete Interview):
Update: And then there’s this. Michael Scherer posted to Swampland about a promo that ran during Reliable Sources this morning, touting Anderson Cooper as the left’s answer to Fox News:
The ironic part came later, during the commercial break. All morning, CNN has been intermittently running a promo for Anderson Cooper 360, a show that has long billed itself as a classic straight news program with an investigative front man who digs “beyond the headlines” with “many points of view, so you can make up your own mind.” The new promo, by contrast, consists of a woman’s voice, pitching Cooper’s show as, essentially, a liberal alternative to Fox News: “I’m a lifelong Democrat,” she says, “and that’s why I watch Anderson Cooper.” Hmmm. The voice goes on to say that Cooper is the person she can turn to hold “right wing” conservatives accountable. Cooper is not exactly aiming for the political middle ground here.
Related: White House Has Beef with Fox News, But Loves FNC Reporter Major Garrett [Mediaite]
The White House And Glenn Beck Agree! Mainstream Media Is Failing At Its Job [Mediaite]
Ailes Meets Axelrod: What’s A Cup Of Coffee Between Friends [Mediaite]
Roger Ailes Is The Most Powerful Political Figure In America [Mediaite]
FNC’s Major Garrett Reflects On Pissing Off Robert Gibbs Today [Mediaite]
56 comments
m says: A spade is a spade.
TfT says: Indeed. CNN spikes stories that are negative to the Obama campaingn; FNC doesn’t. Simple as that.
We still have Freedom of Speech in this country and I hope and trust that FNC will continue to get the facts out to the American People; the facts that NYTimes, ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBC ignore.
FNC – 3
CNN – 0
I agree that Fox fills a void to keep Obama honest, but they would be taken more seriously if they didn’t have circus clowns like Beck and Hannity clogging up their airwaves. They don’t raise the level of the debate, they don’t offer solutions, and they are as radical to the right as the folks they waste their time discussing on the left. As long as Hannity and Beck are on the air, Fox will always be a second rate, tabloid television network, the TV equivalent of the New York Post.
sarainitaly says: “And that’s fine, but let’s not pretend they’re a news network the way CNN is …”
a news network the way CNN is – a news network that fact checks a SNL skit that dares poke fun at Obama, a news network that is a wing of the Democrat party, a news network that argues and shouts down and insults tea party attendees, a news network that uses juvenile games, and vulgar phrases to insult Americans (teabaggers), a news network that tries to direct dialogue to get it’s guests to praise Obama’s Nobel win, a network that employees an anchor that hit a man with his car, while he was drunk, and fled the scene, a network that employees an anchor that got spanked by Andy Richter on Jeopardy ….
Yes, thank god FOX isn’t a news network like CNN. CNN is crap.
sarainitaly says: Beck and Hannity…Beck and Hannity are opinion shows, and Beck has an huge audience. Beck is all about bringing information to the light, and getting people to ask questions. SOMEONE has to do it, since no one in the media is. His style is entertaining. He isn’t a journalist – you can call him a clown, but at least he doesn’t pretend to be a journalist. Hannity is a Republican, which I am not, so we don’t agree a lot. But as far as Beck goes – he gets info out there that people should know. And I think he has a good heart.
Olbermann, Matthews, Ed Shultz, Lawrence O’Donnell, Maddow…talk about an extension of the Democrat party! It’s a corral of rodeo clowns over at MSNBC.
I agree with you Sara regarding MSNBC, they’re no better. However, I have to laugh when people try and act like Fox News is any better. They’re ALL awful.
m says: >Hannity is a Republican, which I am not, so we don’t agree a lot.
You and Hannity agree with 99% of the issues. We only have two parties in this country. You’re support Republicans and will most likely vote Republican in the future. Stop pretending and just get intellectually honest with yourself.
TfT says: Howie Kurtz, host of (un)reliable sources consistently attacks FNC while ignoring the problems on his own network. Although I do give him credit for at least scoffing (little though it was) at his own network for “fact checking” SNL. I did note that in that discussion he didn’t mention Wolf Blitzer though, on whose show the fact checking occurred. Gergan, a CNN contributor has it right — by attacking FNC more and more people are tuning in to see what they are reporting that the others are not. FNC is winning the ratings game by leaps and bounds, CNN has fallen off the track and has become the Cable News Nonesense. For CNN to claim they are the ones who report down the middle is darn right laughable. When Cooper jumped on the MSNBC wagon he lost his way….but CNN and MSNBC are in a war for second place — and MSNBC is winning. CNN can’t outleft MSNBC.
Howie didn’t do his homework for this segment, if he had he would have been able to speak the truth about what FNC has reported on John Ensign, but he claimed ignorance (well, maybe he didn’t claim ignorance, maybe he just is).
These aren’t sports teams to root for and as Bill Maher famously says “He’s the President, he’s not your boyfriend.”
People on the left and the right need to stop being such fanboys and fangirls for public officials, networks or pundits. Nearly all of them on ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBC and FOX are talking heads filled with talking points from one party or another. Do your homework and don’t be a puppet for any party or network.
Karol says: There are pundits on Fox – O’Reilly, Hannity, and of course Beck who is a certified idiot.
Then there are legitimate news people: Catherine Herridge, Shepard Smith, Major Garrett, Carl Cameron and many on the morning shows who simply report the news.
I used to watch CNN but became very disillusioned – especially with Wolf Blitzer. I could not stand to hear him say one more time: “I’m Wolf Blitzer and you are in the Situation Room.” I never counted but it must be at least 20 times a show.
John King probably has some credibility and there are a few others. It isn’t so much that they are biased as it is they are incompetent and boring. They need to regroup.
CaptainAmerica says: Too bad CNN doesn’t distinguish between their commentators and news people like FNC does.
What’s Jack Cafferty? Why do they let Rick Sanchez pretend to be a newsman? Soledad O Brian is a total joke and a biased one at that. Her Faux documentaries are pathetic. What’s funny is that she claimed this last one took her over a year! ha ha
Christiane Amanpour–hates America and Christians, so she is beloved at CNN.
John Roberts should be paid by the DNC.
Their host of their PRIME NEWS on HLN is of course another Democrat lover =Mike Galanos.
libra blue says: @Zeke, Why no mention of the new Anderson Cooper promo that ran during “Reliable Sources” that has some woman (I wonder what that is insinuating?) saying that she is a life long Democrat and that is why she watches Anderson Cooper and that Anderson is the one she can count on to hold the conservatives accountable?
I wonder how Anderson is going to explain this when he always swears that he doesn’t take sides? I guess this is an attempt to raise his dismal ratings, that and a spread in “Playgirl” just might do it!
Maybe Mediaite can get a copy of the promo to post.
TfT says: Libra: I saw that ad more than once today. LOL.
CNN advertising to get more democrat viewers. Maybe they should include the clip of Anderson calling the protesters “teabaggers”….that might help them!
And they claim themselves to be the straight newsers….yeah the kind of news Team Obama likes — spike the bad and promote Obama’s policies.
Tater Salad says: I find BOTH cable channels interesting to watch and receive different view points. They are exactly what this country needs and that is opposite opinions so we can honestly draw “our” own opinions. However, if Hugo Chavez was running the show here in the United States it would be quite different wouldn’t we all think? I do not watch MSNBC and a few other channels because they are only “one sided” ALL the time.
Tater Salad says: ………….as for Glenn Beck. Read his book, even if you get it from the library. “Arguing with Idiots”. I’m sure this is not the book that was given to Barack Obama by Uncle Hugo Chavez, the dictator of Venezuela.
ChrisNH says: The amount of angst and hand-wringing by state-controlled media over FNC is very amusing to watch. Not only is it negative energy spent on their part (they really would like to be reporting on how it is ‘raining candy’ under Obama), but that negative energy won’t shift viewers or reduce market share. I’m afraid the Obama administration will just have to live with this.
I agree with Chris. Fox News is a non-entity, as the last election proved out. Rush, Hannity and Beck are great for ratings but as far as having any bearing on elections or persuading voters, they’re a complete failure. The White House looks foolish acknowledging them or any news network for that matter. Stick to doing what you were elected to do.
Jim R says: The facts have a liberal bias, to the clear chagrin of conservatives. For forty years we’ve been subjected to conservative attacks against “The Liberal Media”, which culminated in media complicity in fallacious innuendo against Democrats to avoid the dreaded liberal label.
Fox is a blight on our democracy and civil discourse. Good on Anita Dunn. More of this please.
m says: “Liberal bias” is a worn out, tired old boy-cry-wolf whinge. It’s leveraged against anything and everything, including the Bible.
TfT says: Perhaps you are right m; we should just start referring to ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBCNYTimesetal as the propagandists they are; time to retire the “liberal bias” terminology for the much more accurate propagandists.
A news organization that fact checks a comedy skit has truly earned the name: Cable News Nonsense.
geoffrey1986 says: I left this comment on Scherer’s blog but figured I’d post it here as well because that promo is not what he reported:
I was watching Reliable Sources this morning, too, and was also surprised and disappointed when I heard CNN’s promo for AC 360 (I was looking at my computer so I only heard it when it ran). But I just didn’t believe it. So I went back on my DVR and played it again. Turns out that the woman saying “I’m a lifelong Democrat” comes at the same time a man says “I’m a lifelong Republican.” The on-screen graphics try to bring home the point, sort of melding the words that the man and the woman are saying. The point of the ad is that AC 360 is there for both sides because it’s a fair program. Unfortunately, the woman’s voice seems more powerful (at least to me and, apparently, you) and that’s what we picked up if we’re only listening and not watching.
Interesting idea for a promo but it failed.
libra blue says: @geoffrey1986, I wasn’t watching it either, I heard it from another room, but I wondered why the voice sounded strange. Maybe they gave the woman the Dem line for just that reason.
Whomever can up with that idea should be fired.
sarainitaly says: “I agree with you Sara regarding MSNBC, they’re no better. However, I have to laugh when people try and act like Fox News is any better. They’re ALL awful.”
“The new promo, by contrast, consists of a woman’s voice, pitching Cooper’s show as, essentially, a liberal alternative to Fox News: “I’m a lifelong Democrat,” she says, “and that’s why I watch Anderson Cooper.” Hmmm. The voice goes on to say that Cooper is the person she can turn to hold “right wing” conservatives accountable.”
From what I have seen, after watching msnbc for years and finally watching FOX, FOX IS better. They actually bring on opposing views to debate and discuss. YES they are right slanted overall – because the rest of them are LIBERAL. If everyone is ok with all the other networks being liberal, why the heck should they care if ONE channel is right of center? Get over it. Conservatives have a right to one friggin channel that reflects their leanings.
MSNBC and CNN etc. need to IGNORE FOX and do their friggin jobs. They OBSESS over FOX, and FOX is killing them in the ratings. And the reason they are killing them in the ratings is because they are better. MSNBC is a JOKE.
M: “You and Hannity agree with 99% of the issues. We only have two parties in this country. You’re support Republicans and will most likely vote Republican in the future. Stop pretending and just get intellectually honest with yourself.”
Bite me. I am a Independent, who voted Democrat all my life, until 2008. I know an inexperienced dishonest fraud when I see one, and didn’t vote for Obama. That’s how frustrating and closed minded you *liberals* are and you don’t even see it – I express a dislike for Obama and I am automatically a Hannity twin? That is why I walked away from the Party and it’s supporters. They are just like YOU.
I don’t like EITHER party – but will continue to vote for the candidate I believe to be the best. I refuse, and so should everyone, to every give blind loyalty to one party. I have never donated to a Republican, but in the future I probably will. The Democratic party is not the party I thought it was. And it will be a long time before they ever get me back.
So shove your sweeping generalizations and assumptions where the sun doesn’t shine.
Sara, I am an independent as well, and while I agree with you that there needs to be a conservative voice amongst all the right leaning networks, it doesn’t make Fox News any less illegitimate. They’re all contributing to the partisan circus in this country. I agree that MSNBC and CNN need to ignore Fox. I don’t care about ratings. I care that people have to choose one propaganda outlet from another when it comes to getting their news. I’m not ok with a liberal or conservative bias on any network. News should be about left or right, conservative or liberal. T
he Fox News “fans” here sound just as ridiculous as the people who prop up ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBCNYTimeseta. You’re all part of the problem. You should all be demanding more from these networks. Stop being such fanboys and fangirls, they’re not paying you to promote their programs. Show a little self-respect and stop accepting being told what to think from ideologues with talking points.
sarainitaly says: “You’re all part of the problem. You should all be demanding more from these networks. Stop being such fanboys and fangirls, they’re not paying you to promote their programs. Show a little self-respect and stop accepting being told what to think from ideologues with talking points.”
I certainly hope this is not directed at me…It is very broad sweeping, as well as insulting. I am not being told what to think from either side – I do my own research, and I think for myself. Just because the majority doesn’t, I do.
If 65 Million Americans did their own research they wouldn’t have listened to the Liberal Media and supported Obama. The Gay Community is all upset because Obama is not following through on his *promises* to them. He revealed who he was during the primary – they chose not to believe it, and thought him a champion for their rights. So…how’s that working out so far? Did you really believe Obama when he voted present 140 times that he just pushed the wrong colored button?
I used to only watch msnbc, and NBC. I mocked and ridiculed FOX, because MSNBC would always attack them, and falsely edit them to create their narrative. Once I started LISTENING to them I realized what a bunch of lying liars MSNBC are. The same thing with Rush – everytime I hear some idiot like alan colmes attack Rush I go research and find out the truth to what actually happened. I learned three years ago (yes, slow perhaps) not to trust the MSM and that the Dems and Liberals are hypocritical frauds. I was just living in my liberal bubble for too long. Now I listen to both sides, and then go research the truth on my own. And that leaves me usually siding against the Dems.
TfT says: Anthony, yes I am a Fox fan, but I also watch CNN and some MSNBC (not much as it churns my stomach). I also watch CSPAN, I also read foreign news, US news, and work in an industry that allows me to know a ton about current events from real sources, not news sources….getting facts from the prime source, not the media’s interpretation of the prime source.
I think your comment diminishing fox fans as just cheerleaders and being told what to think is both short sighted and offensive. You shouldn’t make such sweeping generalizations about folks who defend the ONE network that doesn’t carry O’s water day in and day out. Talk about self-respect….you should stop denying the obvious — journalism is in need of a good look in the mirror and a self evaluation of what their job is.
ABCCBSNBC all campaigned for Obama–there is no denying that. The NYTimes is a liberal rag and has lost value as a result — they are more GIGO than anything else. CNN, AC i particular, jumped on the Maddow sicko machine when Cooper talked about “teabagging”, he has lost a ton of viewers as a result. Even Gwen Ifil apologized for using that term once she knew what it stood for. AC has never issued an apology — and of course, he already knew what it stood for.
I won’t put FNC in the same category as the others for several reasons:
ACORN, NEA, Van Jones.
FNC – 3
The rest of the media – 0
I request more from the networks all the time — but my requests fall on deaf ears.
For the WH to attack FNC just shows how scared they are of the one network they cannot control; the others…..hey, they bow and cowtow and the WH knows it as was evidenced by this on-air attack (on CNN) of FNC this morning.
Jim R says: Here’s some great examples of “liberal bias” in the MSM, I guess?
The NYT’s sits on the story for year that the Bush Administration was illegally spying on Americans, finally releasing the story after Bush gets reelected.
Real muckrakers Ashley Banfield and Phil Donohue are fired from MSNBC for speaking truth to power, while Jack Welch protects his military contracts by literally standing behind Russert and Matthews as they report on the beginning of the Iraq war.
While cheerleading the war and excluding any liberal anti-war voices, the MSM utilizes “war experts”, former military brass dependent upon defense contracts – who are fed their talking points and threatened by the Defense department if they don’t properly feed those talking points to the American public.
Maybe those are bad examples of liberal bias in the MSM. How about abetting the Republicans jihad against Clinton and their 1,052 Republican Congressional investigations, including one into Socks the cat’s fan mail club?
No? I guess I’ll have to keep looking for liberal bias in the beltway cocktail weenie circuit that leaves no conservative talking point behind.
StewartIII says: FOX News Commentators:
Bill O’Reilly
Sean Hannity
Glenn Beck
And of course, there are others. But there are far more of these.
FOX News Reporters:
Major Garrett
Wendell Goler
Jennifer Griffin
Carl Cameron
Shannon Bream
Brian Wilson
Catherine Herridge
Jim Angle
Steve Centanni
Does the Obama White House know the difference? Doesn’t seem like it to me.
sarainitaly says: Jim R – we could provide you with thousands of examples of liberal bias in the MSM – in fact I started to gather some for M but decided it just wasn’t worth it. You refuse to see the truth, you refuse to acknowledge that the vast majority of journalists are self described liberals, and you refuse to accept that they failed to vet Obama, and they sold him, just like they sold the war.
War is profitable – and like other companies, I do believe there were many a journalist who saw the potential for big stories and big profit should there be a war. I bet the ratings at the beginning of the war in Iraq were quite high. I suspect the order from above were to sell the war.
The media didn’t do us a service when they sold the war, and they didn’t do us a service when they sold us Obama.
You don’t notice the liberal bias because it falls in line with your thinking.
I was naive enough a few years ago to think that journalists actually wanted to tell the truth, get to the bottom of the stories, uncover great exposes, etc. Now I realize most are just controlled by huge corporations that censor content, and drive narrative. So, I did the best I could to do my own research, and what I found put me where I am now. In the middle, socially liberal, fiscally conservative, and anti-democratic party.
But, as per usual, with Obama supporters, if I don’t support him, I am a Republican (racist teabagger). When I supported Hillary I was a racist. There’s just no reasoning with the unreasonable.
StewartIII says: Hot Air — CNN: Hey, maybe Obama should stop raising FOX’s ratings
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/10/11/cnn-hey-maybe-obama-should-stop-raising-foxs-ratings/
triv33 says: Yeah, that Fox News, they’re the best! The only network to ever go to court to fight for their first amendment right to lie to and misinform the public.
” The attorneys for Fox, owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch, argued the First Amendment gives broadcasters the right to lie or deliberately distort news reports on the public airwaves.
In its six-page written decision, the Court of Appeals held that the Federal Communications Commission position against news distortion is only a “policy,” not a promulgated law, rule, or regulation. Fox aired a report after the ruling saying it was “totally vindicated” by the verdict.”
Can’t get much more fair and balanced than that!
Jim R says: sarainitaly – I’ll respectfully disagree on a few points:
I think the media did do us a service with their admittedly bias coverage of the election, based upon McCain’s cluelessness during the election and his war mongering statements in his 14 Sunday media appearances, let alone the terrifying prospect of the queen of cluelessness taking over for him.
Huge corporations censoring content is hardly a liberal concept but fits right into conservatives worship of the “free markets” that have failed ever time in the last hundred years.
Nowhere did I fail to “refuse to acknowledge that the vast majority of journalists are self described liberals, and you refuse to accept that they failed to vet Obama, and they sold him, just like they sold the war.”. I simply pointed out how ridiculous it is claim there is a “liberal media” when the preponderance of the evidence points a fully emasculated corporate lap dog bent on doing whatever will not earn them the ire of conservatives.
I won’t purport to know what you refuse to notice because “it falls in line with your thinking” becasue I don’t know you. You might consider doing the same and stick with the facts.
TfT…
” journalism is in need of a good look in the mirror and a self evaluation of what their job is.”
Yes, exactly!!
So why would you prop up a network like Fox that spends about 5% of the time performing journalism? I am by no means saying any of the other networks are, quite the opposite. They’re all mostly worthless, Fox included, when it comes to delivering fair and balanced coverage.
You keep responding by saying the other networks are biased YOU’RE PREACHING TO THE CHOIR, what part of EVERY network does a poor job didn’t you understand. My point is, you’re being disingenuous and yes, a mindless cheerleader if you think Fox doesn’t do the exact same thing that ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBCNYTimeseta does. I must have been living in a fantasy world when Fox was the exact same thing for Bush that ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBCNYTimeseta is for Obama now.
Please, stop embarrassing yourselves and be intellectually honest. The real problem is right before our eyes. You have people picking networks and political parties like they’re sports teams rather than trying to come up with solutions to real problems.
When is the last time ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBCNYTimeseta or Fox News came up with solutions for the problems we are facing rather than attacking the opposition parties? The reason why nothing gets accomplished and we are stuck in this constant partisan battle is because we allow ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBCNYTimeseta and Fox to exist.
Stop defending them and realize you’re simply playing into their hands.
CaptainAmerica says: triv33 says:
October 11, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Yeah, that Fox News, they’re the best! >>
That they are. Also, why do you and the other liberals try and paint FNC as the one going to court. It wasn’t Fox News Channel that did that. What you are citing is a case almost 10 years old that had NOTHING to do with FNC. It was a local Fox o/o affiliate.
But then I’m sure you’d rather have CBS lie about Bush’s guard service like Dan Rather did. Funny thing is that Dan and the producer Mapes knew that Bush had even volunteered for service in Vietnam.
triv33 says: No, I’d rather listen to you Fox News groupies lie about how other networks started using the term teabagger to mock the tea party movement. When the first documented use of the term was when the Washington Independent showed a sign from one of the first protests in February 2009:
http://washingtonindependent.com/31868/scenes-from-the-new-american-tea-party
Followed by a blog post in April 2009 from the re tea party site urging folks to “Tea Bag the Fools in D.C.”
http://www.reteaparty.com/2009/02/27/rick-santelli-is-as-mad-as-hell-chicago-tea-party/
How, shocking that other networks took that and ran with it. Shame on them. Exploiting ignorance, there ought to be a law. Oh, wait a moment…Murdoch made sure there wouldn’t be! Yes, it might have been on behalf of an affiliate, but it applies across the board.
I’d rather not have any news network lie to me. I’d rather not have any of them go to court to fight for the right to do so. One did and it wasn’t CBS, Rather and Mapes are gone aren’t they? But I’ll level with you here, I don’t much trust any corporate news source, all of them abuse the public trust, but NOBODY does it better than Fox.
johnmarzan says: this is a WH call to arms Saul Alinsky style rule #12
if any of the fox news reporters and journalist gets physically attacked by leftwingers and obama symphatizing militants, i’m going to blame this administration.
its amazing how pathetic the fox news cheerleaders on here are running amuck to defend their precious network with all of their high ratings and popular blowhard anchors. the fact that they give fox news so much credit for being the opposition network is completely and utterly disingenuous because they fail to realize the lies that fox news spews. they just accept them because they are to the right, and the rest of the media is “liberal”, and their only proof of them being liberal are commercials and cherry picking quotes. the problem here is not that fox news is conservative, it is the fact that they make up facts and fabricate stories regarding obama and the democrats, in general. if they would be “honest and accurate” rather than TRYING to be “fair and balanced”, maybe they would actually get somewhere. fox news’ idea of “fair and balanced” is to bring on opposing opinions (which is something they fail to achieve), but they ignore the fact that they should be accurate in their reporting rather than just finding any old way to attack president obama. just be honest with your viewers… stop being so desperate for ratings by setting up stupid tea parties with teabaggers holding up signs wanting to kill president obama and equating him with terrorists. msnbc and cnn dont desperately vie for ratings and big popularity, while fox news will do anything for those things. but unfortunately, people like sara say fox news gets better ratings because they are “better”, when she never shows an example of what makes them better.
sarainitaly says: “sara say fox news gets better ratings because they are “better”, when she never shows an example of what makes them better.”
I have, repeatedly, you just choose to ignore it.
“setting up stupid tea parties with teabaggers holding up signs wanting to kill president obama and equating him with terrorists”
Proof you just listen to the crap spewed on the other channels, and repeat it, and insult, and don’t find out the facts.
My intention is not to be a FOX defender – my intention is to point out that they are a right of center station, in opposition to the 99% of liberal media that exists. While you all are attacking conservatives, and Beck, Beck is the only one who is actually looking into what is going on behind the scenes in the WH. They have highere ratings then all of the other cable news channels COMBINED. the other channels are bleeding viewers because they suck.
“it is the fact that they make up facts and fabricate stories regarding obama and the democrats, in general.”
Examples?
sarainitaly says: “You keep responding by saying the other networks are biased YOU’RE PREACHING TO THE CHOIR, what part of EVERY network does a poor job didn’t you understand. My point is, you’re being disingenuous and yes, a mindless cheerleader if you think Fox doesn’t do the exact same thing that ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBCNYTimeseta does.”
But yet, Liberals are allowed to watch the 90% of the liberal stations with no hassles, and believe themselves to be intelligent enough to cypher out the truth from the noise. BUT people who watch FOX are constantly attacked, ridiculed, and deemed not intelligent enough to cypher out the truth from the noise? And the WH and other networks are doing everything in their power to silence FOX?
Does that seem fair to you?
FOX, compared to the major networks, have a very small share of audience. Anyone who turns on one of the top three network news shows will be dealt a dose of liberally biased news. If people choose to then switch over and catch an hour of Beck or O’Reilly, instead of Olbermann or Maddow, that is their right.
The commentary on FOX is only a portion of the 24 hour news channel, and they have MANY journalists who report the news, and have guests from both sides of the aisle on their programs.
Olbermann has a** licking sycophants.
Facebook user: “teabaggers holding up signs wanting to kill president obama”
I ask you, who made a film about actually assassinating Bush, while he was a sitting president? What party spent 8 years threatening to kill him?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/3797552703_9dbdd22d38_b.jpg
m says: I love it when people defend Bush. Go ahead and keep doing it! Thumbs up!
Ben Linus says: I’m not a fan of President Bush, but at least he didn’t whine and cry like a little baby about the press. Sure, that one time about NBC editing his interview, but that’s the only one I can remember. The point is, he gave an NBC interview! He gave interviews to every news network that spent the better part of it’s day shredding him. He didn’t ignore them and insult them the way President Obama did with Fox News. Hell, he gave interviews to everybody else EXCEPT the one news network that doesn’t sing his praises. I have to give President Bush credit for that, but that’s also why I can’t give President Obama much credibility at all.
sarainitaly says: “I think the media did do us a service with their admittedly bias coverage of the election, based upon McCain’s cluelessness during the election and his war mongering statements in his 14 Sunday media appearances, let alone the terrifying prospect of the queen of cluelessness taking over for him.”
The media began their propping up of Obama during the primary, and they repeatedly launched sexist attacks on Hillary. Democrats crapped on an experienced, brilliant candidate to prop up a guy who can read a teleprompter.
The media also did their job in smearing Palin and convincing you that she was the queen of cluelessness. She kicked Biden’s a** in the VP debate – he made SO many errors yet she gets bashed. She was a popular and successful gov and former mayor, who did FAR more than Obama has ever done. Her interview with Couric was edited to make her look like an idiot. BIAS! Charlie Gibson’s interview was ridiculous, and how he treated her. She gave two less than stellar interviews, after TWO years of gaffes and blunders by Obama that were ignored by the MSM.
I would paste the links, but the comment will get moderated, so I urge you to search youtube for these videos:
Dan Abrahms media bias against Hillary
Dobbs Media Bias Towards Obama
Politics Daily’s Leftist Carl Cannon EXPOSES Sarah Palin Attacks, Obama/Biden in the Pocket Media
Are The Mainstream Media Bias Towards Obama? Of Course They Are!
Reliable Sources – Misogyny in the media
The most Vicious Sexist personal attacks against Sarah Palin
How Obama Got Elected… Interviews With Obama Voters
Hillary : We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby!
sexism in the media
Hillary Clinton: Mad As Hell/Bitch
Sexism, Misogyny, Women’s History & Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton – rising above sexism & misogyny
Media Admits Pro-Obama Bias
Political Chief Admits Liberal Media Bias
CNN on the media’s lovefest for Barack Obama
Obama Love 3.0
The Biased View – Obama and McCain Compared
Newt Gingrich on sexist attacks against Sarah Palin
Clear Media Bias For Barack Obama
Liberal Media Bias? Media Ignore’s Biden Gaffe’s, Hits Palen
Liberal Media Bias? The Pundit Pit Part 2
Sarah Palin, Sexism, and the Media
I could go on, but that should give you a good start.
sarainitaly says: m says:
October 12, 2009 at 8:36 am
Are you replying to me? Where did I defend Bush?
Ben Linus says: I think m is talking to himself.
sarainitaly says: it appears so, since his comments are so distanced from reality.
Sara,
I’m going to end it here because this is turning into a circular argument. Liberals are not allowed to watch 90% of liberal stations with no hassles, as this thread clearly demonstrates. Please don’t play the conservative victim card. There’s enough of that coming from both sides, neither party owns a monopoly on being attacked, ridiculed, or deemed not intelligent enough. You’ll both play that card when it’s convenient to do so.
Nobody can silence Fox, or any other network for that matter. The more the White House complains, the more publicity Fox gets. The White House should just shut up and do their job.
Nobody is stopping anyone from watching Beck or O’Reilly (who I think is fair most of the time)
The commentary is a MAJORITY of the programming on Fox as it is on all the other cable “news” outlets. That’s a problem.
They have guests from both sides of the aisle on all the networks, where they do nothing but drone on with talking points, accomplishing nothing.
While I am no fan of Olbermann, you’re as bad as the people you say have no respect for you when you call his viewers a** licking sycophants.
Look in the mirror, you’re the same as them.
I’m done. You guys can continue this food fight on your own and continue to accomplish nothing.
sarainitaly says: when you call his viewers a** licking sycophants.
he guests are a** licking sychophants, I never said his viewers. If people would learn to read, and not inject their own agenda into what is written, we would have a lot less problems.
“…and have guests from both sides of the aisle on their programs. Olbermann has a** licking sycophants.”
“Liberals are not allowed to watch 90% of liberal stations with no hassles, as this thread clearly demonstrates.”
So, you really think there is a balance between the attacks on FOX from other networks, vs. the attacks on other networks by FOX? Do you think there is an objective balance on this site, when mocking or reporting on the MSM?
sarainitaly says: his guests, not he guests. sorry for typo.
triv33 says: Who did make that film about about actually assassinating a sitting President? A couple of British guys, that’s who.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0853096/
Sara, no agenda intended. I misread your statement. I don’t see how it makes you any more tolerant, as you’re asking everyone else to be when it comes to Fox. Again, you’re as bad as the people you’re lamenting.
“So, you really think there is a balance between the attacks on FOX from other networks, vs. the attacks on other networks by FOX? Do you think there is an objective balance on this site, when mocking or reporting on the MSM?”
Absolutely. Fox wastes as much time fighting with television networks as MSNBC, etc spend fighting with Fox. Do you realize how ridiculous it is that television networks are acting like 4 year olds? Do you realize how pathetic our political discourse on cable has become? Why are you enabling it by absolving ANY of them of responsibility for it?
If this site wasn’t balanced, what would you be doing here? Why would you support propaganda with your page views?
sarainitaly says: “I don’t see how it makes you any more tolerant, as you’re asking everyone else to be when it comes to Fox. Again, you’re as bad as the people you’re lamenting.”
Spend two + years getting called a racist and worse by members of your own party for NOT following Obama, but supporting Hillary, and listen to the ugly attacks from Janeane Garofalo and Olbermann, etc. on people who are protesting the govt, listen to all those videos i posted above and then tell me if you wouldn’t agree about the guests Olbermann has on his program. I started out a happy camper all excited to participate in the election process and campaign of Clinton, but am fed up with the ugly attacks from the Left for not falling in line with Obama.
I completely disagree that FOX is obsessed with other networks as they are FOX. I am not absolving anyone, I am merely stating my opinions.
Go up and read my comments about Hannity and the reply I got from M. That is the kind of crap that just drives me crazy, and which ends up making me ticked off, and using words like a** kissing sycophants. M has absolutely no friggin idea who I am or who I support, and I say I am not a Republican, and don’t agree with Hannity , and this anonymous consonant on the internet makes that comment. JUST because I don’t support Obama!
This site is not balanced, and I haven’t written that many times. I quit coming for a while, and came back to see if it has changed. It does feel a little more balanced, but not totally. I came because it is a subject that interests me, and I have Dan on my twitter, so I come when I see a story he twitted or tweeted or whatever it is called. I also liked Dan as a pundit on MSNBC, so I came to support the site. My background is advertising, so I have always been interested in all things media related. I didn’t call it propaganda, I asked if you felt it was balanced. I don’t think i am the only one that noticed the massive amount of stories mocking Beck, yet, I don’t even recall one about Olbermann… (or MSNBC) I have to go back and check. I can’t recall one. And I know there is plenty there to mock.
And BTW – I have no problem calling the guests on Olbermann a** kissing sycophants after all of their nasty attacks that I have been listening to for two years, coming from them.
And I am not asking anyone to be tolerant of FOX. I am not their cheerleader, or investor. I don’t give a rats patooty. I watch videos from their shows – end of story. My point is that the other shows are obsessed with FOX, and they have become jokes. They should just cover the news, and ignore FOX – I have said that a 100 times. I said people should have a channel like FOX – otherwise all the other media (TV) is liberal. The WH is OBSESSED with FOX, and it is making them look ridiculous.
I leave a comment about the story and end up being accused of stuff I am not doing, or am (defending FOX, or that I am a Republican) when all I am doing is leaving a comment to the topic of the story. I have left comments about other stories when I think the author was ignoring the content of the story, but only attacking the messenger, and that bugs. But, overall I think it is an interesting site, and has some good content – but there are like two or three commenter’s that are just determined to take anyone out that doesn’t support Obama. I started off discussing the media, but somehow comments became insulting towards me, for expressing my opinions on the media.
“Do you realize how ridiculous it is that television networks are acting like 4 year olds? Do you realize how pathetic our political discourse on cable has become?”
YES! YES I DO. It is as ridiculous as it is on ABC, NBC, and CBS. So – why is everyone SO obsessed with FOX. “let’s point out all the stupid crap Beck, Limbaugh, O’Reilly blah blah says!!!” all the while ignoring all the stupid crap ALL the rest say. But, if you ask me, FOX has the largest roundup of decent journalists, and pundits. And considering their ratings, I would say that lot of people agree with me. There are some other journalists I like, like Tapper. And I like Joe and Mika, David Gregory…trying to think who else. There are some good ones out there, but if people are going to keep knocking FOX, it just makes people like me angrier and point out the ridiculousness that is all the rest.
I guess we are just going to have to agree to disagree. I agree with you that ABC, NBC, CBS, etc are wasting time on nonsense, and we disagree that Fox does the exact same thing.
Don’t get pulled into attacking in the same way someone on the internet attacks you. That’s exactly what they want you to do. Don’t give them the satisfaction. It just pulls you down to their level and makes you look foolish. If you want to raise the level of discourse, do it by example, don’t fight back with the same tactics. This is actually sound advice for these networks as well.
sarainitaly says: ” It just pulls you down to their level and makes you look foolish.”
It’s hard to be perfect 24/7.
Especially when not working with a staff, and a script.
Peace.
They really can’t tolerate any dissent. If a media outlet isn’t a full blown advocate of Obama, like CNN and MSNBC, they are considered the enemy. The last president we had who kept an enemies list Nixon. This bunch goes even further with paranoia and control. Fox is the only unbiased and neutral network. They aren’t happy with owning all of the media except one. They have to have ALL of it. Nazis is what they are.
Sunnyr says: Just check out Fox News’ ratings and CNN’s ratings. End of story. People are dropping the others and tuning in to Fox News because they get unbiased coverage from the News Anchors. And they get the straight scoop, as ugly as it might be, from opinion people like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Keep up the good work, Fox. You must be doing something right or you would not be NUMBER ONE! The Amateur Hour Oracle in the White House is the most thin-skinned, whiny cry baby we’ve ever had as POTUS. Counting the days until 2010 and 2012!
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Obama’s Final Push On Health Care To Democratic Caucus On Capitol Hill
President Barack Obama spoke in the conference hall of the Capitol today about the health care reform bill which is coming close to meeting enough votes to pass in the House of Representatives, which earlier today decided not use the "deem and pass" strategy to railroad the bill through Congress. "I know this is a tough vote for some of you," said our president, adding "Don't do it for Nancy Pelosi, or Harry Reid, or me. Do It for the American People." Pay attention folks, this speech is definitely one for the history books.
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