The Obama Administration vs. Fox News

Over the past week, the Obama White House has declared war on the Fox News Channel over their coverage of the President and his policies. Last week, White House Communications Director Anita Dunn went on CNN and said about Fox News: “It's opinion journalism masquerading as news," Dunn says. "They are boosting their audience. But that doesn't mean we are going to sit back." The blitz against Fox News continued this week when White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and advisor David Axelrod entered the fray.

Emanuel said that “It’s not a news organization so much as it has a perspective. And that’s a different take. And more importantly, is not have the CNNs and the others in the world basically be led in following Fox, as if what they’re trying to do is a legitimate news organization…” Axelrod also chimed in stating that "It’s really not news — it’s pushing a point of view. And the bigger thing is that other news organizations like yours ought not to treat them that way, and we’re not going to treat them that way. We’re going to appear on their shows. We’re going to participate but understanding that they represent a point of view.” 

This mark a change in White House policy that Americans should take notice of. President Obama is essentially freezing out a news organization, which according to historians has not happened since Richard Nixon was in office. It is easy to understand that President Obama does not agree with the commentary on Fox News or likes the questions that they may pose, but the fact is that the channel has a right to ask them and to blacklist them sets a dangerous precedent. As I have said in previous columns, Fox News has a conservative bias during their primetime shows. Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and Sean Hannity are all conservative in nature and are frequently opposing the Obama Administration. The reason that this should not matter to President Obama? Well, it is OPINION news. Go turn on MSNBC, their primetime lineup is full of liberal weasels like Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, and Rachel Maddow. During the day, Fox News presents the news like every other news organization. In many respects, they are more honest because MSNBC frequently has their all star liberal team anchoring political coverage, when it clearly should be done by an actual journalist, Fox News does not do that.

President Obama and his staff need to worry about the problems our nation is facing, not what a news organization is doing. Create jobs, deal with healthcare, send troops to Afghanistan, or do any one of the dozens of things that need to be done. If the administration is unhappy, don’t send any officials onto the opinion shows. That does not mean that regular news shows and Fox News Sunday should be on the White House’s “Do Not Appear On” list. Convincing other news outlets, as both Emanuel and Axelrod were trying to do is nothing more than a cynical ploy that is not going to work. Fox News has a larger audience than CNN and MSNBC combined. Many people who watch the channel are Republicans, but many are also Independents. Any effort to undermine a news organization is a dangerous game and may very well blow up in the White House’s face.

Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist and Al Gore’s former campaign manager said on CNN yesterday regarding the Fox News vs. the White House fight that "I don't always agree with the White House. And on this one here I would disagree." Former presidential adviser to Presidents Reagan and Clinton David Gergen, said that "I totally agree with Donna Brazile." He added that White House officials have "gotten themselves into a fight they don't necessarily want to be in. I don't think it's in their best interest. The faster they can get this behind them, the more they can treat Fox like one other organization, the easier they can get back to governing, and then put some people out on Fox. I mean, for goodness sakes, you know, you engage in the debate.”

The fact that a Democratic analyst and an Independent analyst on CNN are defending Fox News says a lot about the situation. Even David Carr of the New York Times said that the conflict with White House and Fox News "may present a genuine problem for Mr. Obama, who took great pains during the campaign to depict himself as being above the fray of over-heated partisan squabbling." This fight has even unearthed controversial facts about the White House official leading the charge against Fox. Anita Dunn made a controversial comment earlier this year when she gushed that Communist Mao Tse-tung was her favorite political philosopher. Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, who has long been a vocal opponent of the White House, unearthed a video of Dunn making the comment and said on his show

“It's insanity. This is her hero's work. She thinks of this man's work all the time? It would be like me saying to you, 'you know who my favorite political philosopher is? Adolf Hitler.' Have you read Mein Kampf? (She wants to) fight your fight like Hitler did."

Now, Beck is a controversial figure to many, but on this one he has a point. It appears that this “war” between Fox News and the Obama Administration will be going on for some time before it is resolved. It is quite clear who should win and why. The White House, no matter who is in power, is above criticizing a media outlet and black listing them. I mean, George W. Bush served as a piñata for the liberal media and not once did he freeze one of those outlets out of the White House. It is time for President Obama to be the bigger man and accept the fact that he needs to answer tough questions from time to time and that half of the country is not enamored by him or his liberal policies. Right now, Fox News is one of the few outlets who are representing those millions and millions of people that are angry with their government and where the country is heading. All they want are their questions and concerns addressed, not softball questions like “What kind of dog are you getting?” or “How did your basketball game go?” or “How was your date night with Michelle?” Hopefully the media will begin to do their job and cover the news fairly.  

Source Articles to Check Out:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/18/white-house-escalates-war-fox-news-1925819282/

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28417.html

http://voices.kansascity.com/node/6237

CNN analyzes the White House vs. Fox News fight