The Battle Between the White House and Fox News

[UpInArms]

Source: New York Times

The Obama administration, which would seem to have its hands full with a two-front war in Iraq and Afghanistan, opened up a third front last week, this time with Fox News.

Until this point, the conflict had been mostly a one-sided affair, with Fox News hosts promoting tax day “tea parties” that focused protest on the new president, and more recently bringing down the presidential adviser Van Jones through rugged coverage that caught the administration, and other news organizations, off guard. During the health care debate, Fox News has put a megaphone to opponents, some of whom have advanced far-fetched theories about the impact of reform. And even farther out on the edge, the network’s most visible star of the moment, Glenn Beck, has said the president has “a deep-seated hatred for white people.”

Administration officials seemed to have decided that they had had enough.

“We’re going to treat them the way we would treat an opponent,” Anita Dunn, the White House communications director, said in an interview with The New York Times. “As they are undertaking a war against Barack Obama and the White House, we don’t need to pretend that this is the way that legitimate news organizations behave.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/weekinreview/18davidcarr.html

[hurricanesfan27]

1. I still want to know where the hell

They got that 1.2 million number on 9/12 for the protest in DC. I saw the crowds and it didnt look more than 50k at the most. Compared to when Obama took the oath when all of DC was swarming people This didnt look any different than a regular day during the week.

[UpInArms]

3. welcome to DU, hurricanesfan27!

glad to have you here - :hi:

that number was pulled from someone's arse

:shrug:

[hurricanesfan27]

4. Thanks upinarms

Great place to be. We have to keep fighting these sore losers.

[AusDem]

20. pulled the number out of their backsides of course.......

some on that side said it may have been as high as 2million.

it was probably actually smaller or around about the size of the gay rights march that happened recently. which of course got basically no coverage whatsoever.

[tularetom]

2. About friggin time

They finally realized no Obama charm offensive, no amount of making nice, no nothing was going to make the haters at faux do anything besides trash everything they attempted.

Glad to see they have gone on the offensive. I think it'll payoff in how they are perceived by REAL news organizations and ultimately, the public.

[indepat]

5. WH need to shoot rockets (proverbially, of course), up the arses of several Fox honchos,

starting with RM and RA, and ending up with Beck and all others of his ilk: let the skies light up with an aerial display of the likes heretofore not seen. :P

[NeoConsSuck]

6. It's about time

and it's a good thing. Shine the light on the cockroaches and destroy their credibility. When the average American wakes up and realizes this network is anything but 'Fair and Balanced', but rather, a propaganda mouthpiece for right wing fanatics, the ratings will sink like a stone.

[sabrina 1]

7. No Democrat should appear on that channel. It is nothing more

than the propaganda arm of the far right of this country.

I remember when Kerry refused to do an interview with Bill O'Reilly. He was really upset and just sat there wondering what to do next. I think for just a moment, he realized they had, maybe, finally crossed a line that would marginalize them forever. He apologized to the audience, but oddly enough, didn't trash Kerry. He tried to defend Fox instead. But then, he announced that Terry McAuliffe had agreed to fill in the empty space. You could see before that, how scared he was that they might not be able to get Democrats to appear anymore, but Terry McAuliffe ruined it, and gave O'Reilly an out by being able to say, 'see, 'good' Dems don't refuse to talk to us', or words to that effect.

If from now on, they could not book anyone representing Democrats, they would be exposed for what they are. Access to politicians is so important to them and if each time they try to book a Dem and the answer is 'no', that would have an effect.

Also, I saw a chart somewhere that showed that a large part of their audience is liberal. Everyone should boycott them. They have caused a great deal of harm to the political debate in this country. And who wants to talk to a network that hires the likes of John (hypocrital woman abuser) Fund, Dick(prostitute toe-sucking hypocrite) Morris, Oliver (pardoned Iran/Contra criminal) North, Dick (5 deferments and war criminal) Cheney and a whole host of other degenerates and undesirables? I know I don't want to watch them, so I can't imagine actually joining them and giving them any kind of legitimacy.

[AlinPA]

9. It really irritates me when Democrats show up on that garbage channel. People like

Judith Estrich and that guy who teams up with Cal Thomas will probably continue, but any elected Democrat should stay away. This way, it would look even more like a pack of dogs barking and spitting.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. Seems to me a visit from

an auditor of the IRS would be in order...

[rhett o rick]

14. I think the NSA should listen in on their phones. I am sure they are talking to terists. nt

[Cirque du So-What]

10. More from the piece:

The American presidency was conceived as a corrective to the royals, but trading punches with cable shouters seems a bit too common. Perhaps it’s time to restore a little imperiousness to the relationship.

I get the impression that the author believes the Obama admin should just ignore FAUX News, which I would also advocate under 'normal' circumstances. FAUX News has gone beyond the pale, however, with inflammatory, racist & dangerous rhetoric that must be addressed.

[sabrina 1]

12. Well, that's what the WH plans to do, ignore them. They were just

explaining why which is fine. And I am tired anyhow, of this 'let's all be polite' attitude even when someone is knifing you in the back. It hasn't worked. Bullies need to be confronted, then left to squirm in the gutter where they belong.

Meantime, Fox' ratings will go down. They will lose their liberal viewers and many Independent viewers. I hope the whole Murdoch Media Empire goes the way of the dinosaurs as in terms of issues, that's what they resemble. Their views are old, backwards thinking. They have to use sensationalism to attract viewers. And the proof is in the polls that Fox viewers are the least informed of all the channels. Which goes to show that it's quality, not quantity that matters.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

21. I think they commit fraud every single moment they hold themselves out as "news".

Plus, I think it is way past time to not only expose their ties to the corporacrats but also charge them with every form of deception utilized to manipulate otherwise innocent people into doing what they would not do had they known the facts.

This is a corporation that fraudulently operates as a "news organization" which is a front for racketeers seeking to rip off innocent victims.

Constitutional "free speech" was NOT intended to protect profiteering con artists.

[Grassy Knoll]

11. Faux does not fight fair....

They have professional Obama hater speech writers, If Obama was to walk into
Faux unannounced , with no jabs prepared ,they would bask in his glory.
These ass hats are parrots the producers want them to be.
Too bad love and peace doesn't bring good ratings.

[MUAD_DIB]

13. It seems to me that somehow they could be accused of

sedition against the government or president.

Understandably, the first amendment protects the very essence of this democracy, but at some point attacking/lying for partisan or seditious reasons should land Rupert Murdoch's ass in a chair before a grand jury...or judge and jury at the least.

Reporting the news and the truth is free speech.

Making shit up and lying is libelous.

[wordpix]

22. so true, Faux lies constantly & its propaganda machine is tied to the repuke base

i would love to follow the Faux money to see who's in bed and bank with whom :eyes:

[Grassy Knoll]

25. OK then, start here:

http://www.outfoxed.org/

[rhett o rick]

15. What can we do to help? nt

[oldtime dfl_er]

16. Grab a Mop

and clean up Faux News!

[truthisfreedom]

17. The fun thing is, faux news is so far out there, they become an extremely easy target.

Not only that, but the other news organizations can marginalize faux news by exploring this "war" as faux's fake stories and claims are uncovered one-by-one.

[liberal N proud]

18. The media doesn't like someone calling out one their own

They know that once FUKS NOOS is exposed they may be next.

[nolabear]

19. You can only poke a sleeping dragon with a stick so many times

before you find your pants truly are on fire.

[Historic NY]

23. You kill a snake by cutting of its head...lets kill FOX NEWS...

by not allowing then any cooperation or comments from Democrats.

[bemildred]

24. Are we really supposed to believe that Fox News and the President of the USA are comparable?

:rofl:

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

26. Not comparable,...no. However, a network that engages in daily fraud to assault the minds,...

,...of Americans in order to assert "control" over 'the peoples' government is a serious threat to democracy, a threat to the national security of a democratic nation.

It is way past time for these frauds to take a hit for acting against the interests of democracy for all Americans.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

27. Glenn Beck has a deep seated hatred for anything or one that threatens him making big money.

He knows damn well the ONLY reason he is bringing in the dough is by performing per his corporate pimps. Otherwise, he'd have a helluva time finding a job, any job.

Poor fella',...:eyes:

[Psephos]

28. The White House belittles itself engaging those morons...it should be left to subalterns.

Seriously, what an amateur political mistake.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

30. Not to those who NEED to see a fighter,...and they are many. Besides,...

,...there are those responsible for enforcing laws who will be required to do so.

[tabasco]

31. Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!

You're funny.

[Psephos]

32. DU's own PR expert weighs in. ;) n/t

[DeSwiss]

29. Carr seems to be making an assumption....

...that because Obama says “I will listen to you, especially when we disagree,” that doesn't mean that he's likewise abdicating his right to respond in-kind.

- Which seems to be what he's doing.

K&R