White House says it: Fox News not a legitimate news outlet
Running against the media has a long, rich history. Back in the ’30s and ’40s, Gene Talmadge would travel rural and small-town Georgia railing about “them lying Atlanta newspapers,” stirring the resentment of voters against those fancy-pants big-city folks always printing stories about corruption and other shenanigans. You see a variation of that still today, with candidates such as John Oxendine and Nathan Deal blaming the “liberal Atlanta media” for forcing them to take $120,000 in illegal campaign contributions or spout off about “ghetto grandmothers.”
At the national level, nobody played that game with more gusto than Richard Nixon and his attack dog of a vice president, Spiro Agnew, both of whom turned the media into punching bags. Agnew in particular became the mouthpiece for speechwriter William Safire, who penned such classic attack lines as “nattering nabobs of negativism.”
Traditionally, the tactic has been a favorite of conservatives, but with the advent of Fox News and talk radio, that has begun to change. Back in the ’90s, Hillary Clinton complained quite accurately about “a vast right-wing conspiracy” against her husband’s administration, and the Obama administration is taking that a step farther, publicly dismissing Fox News as a legitimate news outlet.
As White House communications director Anita Dunn told the New York Times:
“We’re going to treat them the way we would treat an opponent. 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.”
Dunn made similar charges in an appearance on CNN, claiming that “the reality of it is that Fox News often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party.” The overall strategy, and the thinking behind it, is laid out in a http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1929058,00.html. After a series of overblown “controversies” such as the president’s decision to speak to schoolchildren, Obama officials decided a new approach was necessary:
“… rather than just giving reporters ammunition to “fact-check” Obama’s many critics, the White House decided it would become a player, issuing biting attacks on those pundits, politicians and outlets that make what the White House believes to be misleading or simply false claims, like the assertion that health-care reform would establish new “sex clinics” in schools. Obama, fresh from his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, cheered on the effort, telling his aides he wanted to “call ‘em out.”
The take-no-prisoners turn has come as a surprise to some in the press, considering the largely favorable coverage that candidate Obama received last fall and given the President’s vows to lower the rhetorical temperature in Washington and not pay attention to cable hyperbole. Instead, the White House blog now issues regular denunciations of the Administration’s critics, including a recent post that announced “Fox lies” and suggested that the cable network was unpatriotic for criticizing Obama’s 2016 Olympics effort.
White House officials offer no apologies. “The best analogy is probably baseball,” says (White House press secretary Robert) Gibbs. “The only way to get somebody to stop crowding the plate is to throw a fastball at them. They move.”
Personally, I like the move by the Obama administration. It’s not going to change Fox’s behavior; to the contrary, Fox understands quite well that it benefits from being cast as Obama’s opponent. That’s its market niche, and it exploits it cleverly. Obama is merely acknowledging what everyone already knew, and adjusting his behavior accordingly.
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349 comments Add your comment
neo-Carlinist
October 12th, 2009
4:13 pm
who “owns” the news? who “owns” facts/information? those of you who think there is a difference between Sean Hannity and Keith Olberman are missing the point. Bush used the media to sell his agenda, and Obama is doing the same (albeit, discrediting those critical – for whatever reason – of his agenda) the media are bookies. they’re just setting the line in order to court “action” from advertisers. I hate to say this, but Rush Limbaugh knows the drill.
Daniel
October 12th, 2009
4:16 pm
Never pick a fight with people that buy ink by the barrel
DaddyDawg
October 12th, 2009
4:17 pm
Bookman,
You liberal idiot! Your article discloses your true rhetoric. I , for one, watch various news outlets, CNN, FOX, et.al.
As an independent thinker, I find FOX the most accurate. Why must you emotionalize your article with stupid comments? Right wing conspiracy?
I wished!!!
SatchelBuzz
October 12th, 2009
4:17 pm
AJC,…how are the circulation numbers looking lately? Not good,…hmm,..no surpise. No moderation needed,…the truth hurts.
DaveDawg
October 12th, 2009
4:20 pm
I like it to. Fox and the soulless GOP’s “death panels” lie was a new low in misinformation — and it reset the media boundaries. Obama is just reacting.
Dusty
October 12th, 2009
4:22 pm
WHY IS MY 1:52 STILL IN MODERATION ? There was absolutely nothing in that post to call for moderation. I see lotsa unfair liberal posts here but they stay with their shabby remarks. How that is “fair” I do not know.
Algonquin J. Calhoun
October 12th, 2009
4:22 pm
Fox is the fascist Pravda! Like those who accepted and embraced everything Pravda presented, right wing fascists in this nation suck up all the lies Fox flatulates. As for the tea-faggers, they are creations of Fox. Fox is the propaganda wing of the Republinazi party and should never be considered legitimate! The racist, sexist, fascist morons that watch Fox have all their prejudices reinforced by Fox and that’s really all they want. they aren’t bright enough for anything else.
SatchelBuzz
October 12th, 2009
4:22 pm
DaveDawg,….3-3–how does it feel? I do like your chances over Vandy and Tennessee Tech.
THWG!!!
cowo
October 12th, 2009
4:24 pm
What a whiney, stupid bunch of right-wing crap you people are. You and your uninformed, hate-mongering mouth pieces, like Rushie boy, can spew and vomit up all the lies and mis-truths they want against everyone who may have a different view of the world and how to treat people, but you just cannot take it can ya!?!
Amused
October 12th, 2009
4:25 pm
Of course Obama is concerned with Fox News. They probably pay their taxes. The democratic media has yet to take a critical look at the President or his appointments.
The Spike by Arnauld De Borchgrave.
This is a novel published in 1980 that revolves around the news bias against any pro-conservative news. At the time I read it, I thought it was “interesting”. Now I find that it was prophecy.
Jefferson
October 12th, 2009
4:31 pm
I could see watching Fox once, after that I would think I would be a pinhead to do it again.
vince neil
October 12th, 2009
4:32 pm
the protestations of a freshman crew of malconents at the WH have now provided additional legitimacy to Fox……..and even higher ratings…..just like you bunch of miscreants complaining about Rush have virtually thrown him into his briar patch of higher ratings and the ability to charge even more for ads on his show!!!!!
i’m just sayin…..
Sad, so sad
October 12th, 2009
4:34 pm
So does that make CNN and MSNBC illegitmate in light of how they worship his Obamaness, and neither presents distorted left-leaning views? Keith Olberman, yeah, he’s not in love with Obama. Riiiiiiiight. This is just the WH trying to eliminate/belittle any view not their own. What hubris. Sad, very sad.
Patrick
October 12th, 2009
4:38 pm
“Clinton accurately claimed”… That’s hysterical, should I be surprised at the irony of an article complaining of bias, using bias while it make its claim? No, not from the AJC, I shouldn’t. Proof of said attack? The truth is Fox is only viewed as far right as it is, because the other outlets are so far left.
Brad Steel
October 12th, 2009
4:38 pm
So people actually still get information from the network and cable news shows. Well, I’ll be damned.
I guess I should have know by the lack of intelligence of the admitted news watchers on this blog.
Aksarben
October 12th, 2009
4:39 pm
Bookman — Seriously, you agree with Obama? What a surprise. You can’t possibly call yourself an objective journalist. No wonder the AJC is dropping quickly. The MSM is “in reality” an arm of the Obama administration and the Democrats, so stay up there on your high horse, but it simply the pot calling the kettle black. Just how dumb are you?
ash
October 12th, 2009
4:40 pm
Thanks for the article. Now I will watch Fox News exclusively.
Roark84
October 12th, 2009
4:45 pm
So i wasted 30 seconds of my life reading this totally out of touch column.
BTW…to babs @ 404pm, the only thing yellow here is the bed that you and bookman regularly wet.
pat
October 12th, 2009
4:46 pm
I think this is a dangerous and stupid move by obama. It will backfire, the last thing you want to do is stonewall and marginalize the largest media outlet in the country, that is not going to bode well…
lovelyliz
October 12th, 2009
4:58 pm
It’s not the adversarial relationship that those who run Fox have with the current administration that speaks to their illegitimacy as a news organization. Journalists should question the government. It’s when all you is question one side of the political aisle while heaping almost nothing but praise the other, when you lack the ability to tell the difference between news and opinion-tainment, can’t be self critical, and lack the sense that fact-checking is important by filing a lawsuit to establish the right to lie (see New World Communs. of Tampa, Inc. v. Akre, 866 So. 2d 1231(2003) that you stop being a legitimate source for news.
Fox Unleashes Criminal Knowledge to YOU ALL!
October 12th, 2009
5:03 pm
All you people who say Fox is #1 and everyone else is wrong should step back and look at something. Your last president, GWB, screwed up this country so bad that the previously unthinkable has happened and a Black Man was elected President. You are the same people who stood behind the saying “If you don’t like the President of these United States you are free to leave” until Nov, 4 2008. After Jan 20, 2009 you all have turned into the people you so frantically loathed last year. Those people who protest the presidents every move. Those people who all of the sudden are against the war, Those people who didn’t like the idea of government intervention with bailouts (Airline Industry 2001, Wall-Street 2008)You right wing, Fox News, “My way or the Highway” people are free to take your own advice from 2000 to 2008. Be American. You may not like what your government is doing, but even the most heated “Left Wing Media” pundit never wanted Bush to fail when all of our futures were at stake. The Dems may have griped along the way but at least they put their country first instead of party ideals and tried to work with Bush on his huge amount of policies, wars and “faith based” agendas because more is at stake than money – yet when the other shoe drops there is not a single bit of faith put the other way.
To quote your current masturbatory phrase that pays, more people need to scream “You Lie!” to Washington, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISLE, especially to the GOP.
And here is a question – just how liberal is the “Liberal Media” when you have so many idiots that listen to Talk Radio, Fox News and the like and then say that “There is no voice for the conservative in the media!”?
Get over it, get over yourselves, get a life and work on fixing this broken country that the GOP spent 6 of the last 8 years mucking up!
lovelyliz
October 12th, 2009
5:05 pm
New World Communs. of Tampa, Inc. v. Akre, 866 So. 2d 1231(2003)
Proud American
October 12th, 2009
5:06 pm
I nominate Bookman for Nobel idiot of the year, not for his potential but for the idiot he’s already proved to be.
chuck
October 12th, 2009
5:15 pm
Fox News not a a legimate news outlet? How do you explain its high ratings? As of today Dunn got derservly ripped by Neil Cavuto and Glenn Beck. Next bring in those old guys from the Muppet show to criticize Dunn for opeing her mouth in the first place. By the way her wining is on youtube.
Marc
October 12th, 2009
5:26 pm
It’s amazing that Fox get blasted for bias but CNN and MSNBC are far.
Pew Research Center showed that 40 percent of Fox News stories on Obama in the last six weeks of the campaign were negative. Similarly, 40 percent of Fox News’ stories on Obama’s Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, were negative.
On CNN, by contrast, there was a 22-point disparity in the percentage of negative stories on Obama (39 percent) and McCain (61 percent). The disparity was even greater at MSNBC, according to Pew, where just 14 percent of Obama stories were negative, compared to a whopping 73 percent of McCain stories — a spread of 59 points.
mike
October 12th, 2009
5:47 pm
Jay –
“the White House blog now issues regular denunciations of the Administration’s critics, including a recent post that announced “Fox lies” and suggested that the cable network was unpatriotic for criticizing Obama’s 2016 Olympics effort.”
“Personally, I like the move by the Obama administration”
So Jay likes the move where the White House questions the patriotism of those who criticized Obama’s Olympics effort?
Looks like all of the groaning about conservatives questioning the patriotism of others was just empty cynical rhetoric. Apparently, questioning the patriotism of those who question the actions of the President is just fine. As long as a you are a Democrat.
Personally, I think people who question the patriotism of those who disagree with politicians are losers who employ the lowest form of debate. It is pretty sad when the White House itself uses such pathetic tactics.
mike
October 12th, 2009
5:50 pm
“To quote your current masturbatory phrase that pays, more people need to scream “You Lie!” to Washington, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISLE, especially to the GOP.”
LOL. Of course, your long boring screed only criticized one side of the aisle.
Why don’t you do what you say?
mike
October 12th, 2009
5:54 pm
Brad Steel -
“I guess I should have know by the lack of intelligence of the admitted news watchers on this blog.”
And you demonstrate your “intelligence” with your inane personal attacks? This empty rhetoric is all you are capable of.
MAC
October 12th, 2009
5:59 pm
The Obama administration says Fox is not a legitimate news source but the Huffington Post is one. Tells you all you need to know about their credibility.
Mark
October 12th, 2009
6:11 pm
Give me a BREAK!!! He’s got all the MSM’s licking his butt and Fox News is the only one (or about the only one) that shows the Emperor Has No Clothes. WTF?? Don’t they have anything better to do than this chicken-sh*t B.S.?
You know, I voted for him, but damned if I’m not regretting it now. His administration is getting weirder and weirder and more ineffective by the day.
I’m really starting to think that McCain would have been a better choice. Or some Independent. Heck I’ve heard that the Whig party is coming back. Supposed to be made up of a group or Iraq and Afghanistan war vet’s. Damn, anything but Dems and Repubs.
No, I won’t be voting for Obama for a second time if he keeps this crap up. Do some work, ya bum! It’s what we put you in office for, not to have a spat with a News organization that holds your feet to the fire!
Georgia loses
October 12th, 2009
7:16 pm
to JUST SAY NO. you say ratings dont lie. Really? Are you by chance in the media, if not you dont know diddly squat about how the media works.Fox/faux/fake news has a near monopoly in the south/midwest, also,rightwing radio dominates the same market. Now, tell us how that does not influence the gullible news challenged consumers they reach. As to your comments in post 1&2 re; van jones and acorn, do some research rather than react. Regardless of the media knee jerk reaction and the rightwing bloviation, show us the facts (not just conjecture.) What if the courts find that acorn was maligned and the videographers deception and subterfuge as well as unlawafully sureptisouly taping them. Bet you rightwingers would claim suppresion of your first amendment rights. This is why you cannot and will not prevail
radiowxman
October 12th, 2009
7:45 pm
The WH going after Fox News makes them look shallow and petty. In fact, they’re making mountains out of molehills and only really helps Fox News’ ratings.
Which only helps republicans. When the WH pulls laughable stunts like this, its gravitas goes down.
Tom
October 12th, 2009
7:55 pm
This all comes down to two things:
1. People not knowing that some people on CNN/Fox News/MSNBC are anchors and others are commentators. The straight news shows are on usually when people are on during daytime hours while the primetime slots are mostly opinion pieces.
2. Reporters not realizing that their job is not to tell the truth but to report the news. The news is backed by facts while the truth is in the eye of the beholder. Truth does not necessarily equal fact.
Marc
October 12th, 2009
8:27 pm
DannyX which means Sponge Bob is smoking CNN and MSNBC.
Brad Steel you need to do more research and check out the media impact of the Cox family owners of the AJC.
stands for decibels
October 12th, 2009
8:32 pm
This all comes down to two things:
1. People not knowing that some people on CNN/Fox News/MSNBC are anchors and others are commentators.
2. Reporters not realizing that their job is not to tell the truth but to report the news. The news is backed by facts while the truth is in the eye of the beholder. Truth does not necessarily equal fact.
Sad, isn’t it?
TnGelding
October 12th, 2009
8:34 pm
Craig
October 12th, 2009
4:09 pm
The key is “cable” news outlet. Still only a small fraction of the network news audience.
TnGelding
October 12th, 2009
8:37 pm
SatchelBuzz
October 12th, 2009
4:17 pm
But are the number of hits at ajc.com up? I would think so, by a considerable amount. Have you noticed the ads at this site?
suddencall
October 12th, 2009
8:39 pm
I listen to these copmments and wonder , how is the republic going to continue with the degree of IQ showen here?It would take eight more years of higher education for these folks to graduate to the dunse grade.Sory USA but you don’t have a chance.
TnGelding
October 12th, 2009
8:40 pm
Mark
October 12th, 2009
6:11 pm
His approach reminds me more of Bush than Clinton. Hopefully that will change, and soon.
Robert Rowley, Tucson, Arizona
October 12th, 2009
10:01 pm
Faux News should have its Press Credentials revoked and be banned from interviewing at any federal building or interviewing any federal official. A 100% boycott should be implemented. I will not for the foreseeable future watch ANY Faux News nor will I spend so much as one cent with ANY Faux News sponsor.
Faux News literally IS the information and dirty tricks arm of the Party of No and I personally think it would benefit the nation if someone poisoned Glenn Beck in just the same way he stated that someone should poison a member of the U.S. Senate.
David
October 12th, 2009
10:55 pm
Fox News can also be called, The Jesus Channel/ GOP TV/ The Glorious Official Republican Government News Network.
While Fox News has the highest ratings, it’s also the same group of people that make up just 20% of America’s electorate… the far right-wing of the GOP.
There will always be an audience for the far right and that’s Rupert Murdock’s Fox News demographic.
Rupert keeps them frothing at the mouth with manufactured fear and GOP talking-points, phony outrage.
Fox is also a right-wing echo chamber.. notice that when “The Wall Street Journal”, “The Weekly Standard” people are on Fox News there’s never disclosure that these people are all Rupert Murdock employees.
Imagine if MSNBC or CNN did this… I don’t know how Fox News gets way with constantly recycling Rupert Murdock’s employees (sockpuppets) from his various media properties.
There’s hardly a word on the “MSM” about Murdock’s world wide (far right-wing) media empire.
Murdock has a lot of influence, example: all of his various sockpuppets, Hannity, Beck, etc, and all of Murdock’s worldwide media holdings trash global warming, President Obama and anything else right-wing Rupert Murdock dislikes.
I think that press and especially individual journalists are deathly afraid of Rupert Murdock and what he can do to them professionally.
Rupert Murdock is the new William Randolph Hearst.
Another thing, Sarah Palin, who is a favorite among the Faux News/ Right-wing crowd is getting Rupert Murdock’s wingnut welfare.
Palin’s (Rupert Murdock’s ghostwriter) book publisher is HarperCollins… a wholly owned Rupert Murdock subsidiary, you ‘betcha.
Also, there should be an award given to the guy that writes the ominous, scary music for Fox News… he’s obviously a full-time employee.
No seriously… whenever there’s a special where Rupert Murdock wants to convince Americans that
Saddam Hussein has WMD, or that Iran/North Korea is going to attack America tomorrow, or a Hannity or Beck segment where they want to scare their right-wing audience (even more) there’s always that ominous music to go along with the story.
It’s like a scary GOP music video.
Marc
October 12th, 2009
11:15 pm
Do you people take and OBJECTIVE look at Obama or are you just in awe of his halo? He is human. Why considering the problems with we have does anyone but Fox allow Obama to not have any answer other than to blame the last administration? If Obama claimed that he had the answers when he was running for the presidency how can he use the excuse he didn’t know how bad it really was? If he didn’t know how bad it was than he didn’t have the answers. He snowed you, conned you blew smoke up your butt and you just can’t admit that you’ve been taken by his holiness Obama.
Tim
October 12th, 2009
11:50 pm
At best, Jay Bookman is a partisan hypocrite. At worst, he is a hack for the Democratic Party.
Bloody Yank
October 13th, 2009
4:33 am
There is a ‘vast right wing conspiracy’.
It is made up of the majority of Americans who have working brains.
TnGelding
October 13th, 2009
4:35 am
Tim
October 12th, 2009
11:50 pm
But we love you, Jay. Keep up the good work.
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October 13th, 2009
9:03 am
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Pat
October 15th, 2009
7:11 am
“White House says Fox News not a legitimate news outlet.”
Or as my teenage kids would say:
“Duh!”
Dan Deacon
October 19th, 2009
8:39 am
It’s great to have a news agency that reports the facts rather than silly bull like the Obama administration would like reported. It’s obvious Obama has alot to hide since he refuses to go on Fox News…apparently he’s afraid of being torn down and the truth about issues like ACORN come out about him in clear cut factual ways. Remember, he refused to answer on the Today Show that he would cut funding of ACORN. Now, that’s just one thing he should be concerned about Fox News calling him on the carpet on. Fox News reports the facts, but this administration thinks we as true Americans are idiots and would believe Obama’s propaganda.
Kudos to Fox News for not bowing down to a government gone wild.
TEA PARTY IN THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS AT THE WHITE HOUSE UNTIL THIS ADMINISTRATION GETS IT….WE WON’T LET OUR COUNTRY GO TO SOCIALISM AND BE DICTATED BY A GOVERNMENT RUN POLICY ADMINISTRATION.
IT’S TIME TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK. CONTINUE THE GOOD WORK GLEN BECK AND ALL AT FOX.
NPG
October 19th, 2009
5:57 pm
FOX NEWS REACHES ACROSS PARTY LINES!
By Dick Morris And Eileen McGann
10.19.2009
Is FOX News “an arm of the Republican Party” as White House Communications Director Anita Dunn says?
Democratic and Independent voters beg to differ. A national survey shows that 46% of those who watch FOX News “just about every day” are Democrats or Independents as are 50% of those who watch it “several times each week” or more.
Overall, the survey showed that 21% of all American voters watched FOX News every day and 18% watched it several times each week. So, combined, 39% watched the station several times each week or more.
• Among Democrats, 17% watched it several times each week or more
• Among Independents, 46% the station several times each week or more
• And among Republicans, 55% tuned in several times each week or more
The survey indicated that 11% of all American voters watched CNN “just about every day” and 20% watched several times each week or more.
Combined, 31% watched CNN several times each week or more.
For MSNBC, the totals were 10% watched just about every day and 8% watched several times each week. Combined, 18% watched MSNBC several times each week or more.
These data, seen against the backdrop of the recent storm of White House criticism, casts the Administration attacks on FOX News in a different perspective. Could it be that the Obama Administration is concerned about FOX News not because it is “an arm of the Republican Party” but because it is so widely seen among Democrats and Independents?
That the two top spokespeople for the Administration this Sunday (Emanuel and Axelrod) both chose to attack FOX News shows how obsessed this thin-skinned president is with his coverage. It is truly amateur hour at the White House from the top down.
These data come from a national telephone survey taken by the Global Marketing Research Center in Melbourne Florida during the week of October 13-16, 2009. The survey was taken from a statistically valid national sample of 800 registered voters. 36% of the respondents said they voted for more Democrats than Republicans while 32% said they voted for more Republicans. 24% said they voted equally for each party.
The survey was funded by the League of American Voters.