The Fox News-Obama feud much ado about little
You know, I just don’t get the controversy over the Obama administration’s criticism of Fox News. For one thing, it’s entirely accurate: Fox does not approach its job the same way other organizations do. Most legitimate news organizations honestly attempt to purge their presentations of bias. I’d be the first to concede that all journalistic institutions sometimes fall short of that goal, but the point is, as professionals they try.
Fox doesn’t even make the effort, or even the pretense of an effort. At best, they make the pretense of a pretense of an effort. Bias is what they’re selling — they know it, and their audience knows it. So what’s the big deal about the White House saying out loud what everyone already knows?
Beyond that, though, I’m surprised to see the Washington media play this as some kind of new threat to the purity of media-political relations. It’s not. The Bush administration used to complain publicly and often about coverage from MSNBC and NBC. The Clintons were outraged at how the New York Times covered the Whitewater investigation, and they probably were right to be angry. In a speech back in the ’90s, Newt Gingrich fought back against critical coverage by telling Atlanta business leaders that they ought to institute an ad boycott against the AJC.
Most of the time, the publishers and news executives who field those kinds of angry threats from politicians don’t even bother telling their reporters about them, because the reporters don’t need to know. But sometimes the message is communicated directly. I once had a very influential Democratic state legislator — back when Democrats ran the Capitol — suggest to me privately that if the AJC edit board would back off an ethics reform crusade, legislators might look more favorably on funding a downtown multimodal station. (Note that no such station exists.) And Maynard Jackson, exasperated at criticism over his muni bond business, once informed a group of AJC editors that “I don’t work on Jay Bookman’s plantation.” That was a personal favorite.
The point is, it’s a rough-and-tumble relationship between the media and those we cover, and it always will be and ought to be. Politicians who feel under attack will return fire, and personally I think they have that right. What Harry Truman said is true of the media as well as politicians: If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
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417 comments Add your comment
Mrs. Godzilla
October 26th, 2009
8:34 am
It’s been Fox’s war on White House all along.
…and to discover this weekend the truth about the Feinburg interview…
Peadawg
October 26th, 2009
8:35 am
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2009/10/12/white-house-says-it-fox-news-not-a-legitimate-news-outlet/
If “The Fox News-Obama feud much ado about little,” then why’d you create a blog about it a couple of weeks ago? hhhhmmmmmm
USinUK
October 26th, 2009
8:35 am
gah. cue the Fauxbots …
stands for decibels
October 26th, 2009
8:35 am
So what’s the big deal about the White House saying out loud what everyone already knows?
It isn’t. However, to continue to treat it like a “controversy” is to help Fox sell ad space at mildly inflated rates for a little while longer.
USinUK
October 26th, 2009
8:37 am
peadawg –
“If “The Fox News-Obama feud much ado about little,” then why’d you create a blog about it a couple of weeks ago? hhhhmmmmmm”
he created a blog about a worm that eats its partner’s penis and feeds it to her bebes …
a blog topic /= earth-shattering news …
stands for decibels
October 26th, 2009
8:38 am
cue the Fauxbots …
We know they’ll bring the crazy, only question is, who’ll bring the craziest?
Angry Black Man
October 26th, 2009
8:38 am
And the beatings will continue until morale improves…
Peadawg
October 26th, 2009
8:38 am
USinUK, I’m just pointing out the laughable hypocrisy by Jay. Why’d did he make much ado about little just a few weeks ago if it is indeed much ado about little like he says?
Turd Ferguson
October 26th, 2009
8:40 am
Obobo, like much of his ilk ie Jesse, Al, Useless Lowery, can certainly distribute incorrect criticisms, however, when on the receiving end they sound like a group of 1st grade little girls.
Angry Black Man
October 26th, 2009
8:41 am
Peadawg
Is it really hyprocrisy if it’s basically opinion writing? Now if this were headline, front page news writing, I’d be on board with you on that.
USinUK
October 26th, 2009
8:42 am
Peadawg –
“Why’d did he make much ado about little just a few weeks ago if it is indeed much ado about little like he says?”
if you go back and actually read what he wrote, he really didn’t – he put it into historical context of other politicians and that was about it.
Bosch
October 26th, 2009
8:44 am
“I’m just pointing out the laughable hypocrisy by Jay”
If I had a dollar for every time a wingnut said those words.
Bosch
October 26th, 2009
8:44 am
Or rather “wrote” those words.
Peadawg
October 26th, 2009
8:45 am
It’s just funny that he made a blog about it, and now says it’s no big deal. That’s all. Y’all can sugar coat it all you want. It is what it is…hypocrisy.
Bosch
October 26th, 2009
8:45 am
I guess the wingnuts are so used to talk radio and Fox, they think ALL news is of the “opinion” variety.
Bosch
October 26th, 2009
8:46 am
Peadawg,
AND it’s still a frakkin’ BLOG!!!
Mrs. Godzilla
October 26th, 2009
8:46 am
“A former Fox News pundit has joined the debate over the network’s journalistic ethics, and she’s singled out one personality in particular.”
Guess who?
http://rawstory.com/2009/10/jane-hall-beck-is-scary/
Madison
October 26th, 2009
8:46 am
Jay, So you are saying that the AJC is not a legitimate news organization?
USinUK
October 26th, 2009
8:47 am
Bosch …
BOY-HOWDY do I have an early Christmas present for you
(by the way – early christmas presents do NOT go against my no-decorations-out-before-halloween plank in my presidential platform)
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-22/cheneys-blood-lust/
(I hear he’s evil, ya know)
USinUK
October 26th, 2009
8:49 am
Peadawg –
“It’s just funny that he made a blog about it, and now says it’s no big deal.”
if his earlier blog said it was ZOMG! like the biggest, most important thing Obama’s done since taking office, I’d be right there with you. but, since that wasn’t his earlier position, you can call it hypocrisy if you like, but you’d be using the term incorrectly.
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
October 26th, 2009
8:51 am
Well, it’s just a shame this Obama keeps picking a fight with a fine news station like Fox. The only one that’s Fair and Balanced. It’s the only station that will dig up the real dirt on that bunch of crooks in the White House. Instead of getting a award from this Nobel or Pulitzer or somebody else, all Fox gets is shut out of news conferences and innerviews and stuff like. It’s time to Impeach Obama like we done that Clinton for running around with the intern.
Speaking of running around, I’m kind of suprized Bookman never started out with a piece on this Philips guy at ESPN. He got fired for running around with the ugliest woman you ever seen in your life. A woman that worked there at the station. He ought to of been fired for Bad Taste. She’s uglier than my mother-in-law, and she’s been dead for 20 years. My mother-in-law, I mean, not the woman he run around with. If you want to scare somebody on Halloween, just get a mask with the face of this woman.
Anyhow, I’m real sorry to get off topic like that but it’s been bothering me all morning. I mean, if the guy wanted to run around with a man, why not pick a man?
Have a good day everybody.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
October 26th, 2009
8:51 am
Most legitimate news organizations honestly attempt to purge their presentations of bias.
Ahahahahahahahahahaha, yeah, ok.
Man up, Obozo, mmm, mmmm, mmmmm, you ain’t the first.
Get over yourself.
Peadawg
October 26th, 2009
8:53 am
From the dictionary:
” a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings”
Last week, he points out that Fox news is an illegitimate news source. Today, he says it’s no big deal.
USinUK
October 26th, 2009
8:54 am
Peadawg –
“Last week, he points out that Fox news is an illegitimate news source. Today, he says it’s no big deal.”
no, he didn’t.
read the post.
Eric
October 26th, 2009
8:56 am
I see reports about what Fox is doing on other networks, but I never and I mean never watch Fox “News”. Some people deserve to be ignored and that right wing bunch is firmly in the category.
danjonglee
October 26th, 2009
8:56 am
Obama should not be afraid or scared of Fox News.. He ought to be able to answer tough questions about his policies that will cost taxpayers trillions down the road. One would think professional journalist would ask these questions from other outlets like NBC, CBS, CNN, PBS, ABC WA PO, NY Times but they accept the premises that we(US) needs this or that or whatever is being sold to us..
Call it like it is.
October 26th, 2009
8:56 am
You can tell its Monday and slow, After reading Cindy Lou’s blog and Jay Jay’s, I wonder why I even open up this page. Will check back later to see if there is something worth commenting on.
Bosch
October 26th, 2009
8:58 am
USinUK,
LIVERPOOL!!!!!! Okay, got that out of the way.
Thanks for the article. And yes, Dick Cheney and his spawns are such a horrible Greek tragedy, and evil to boot!!!
Ted Zinski
October 26th, 2009
9:00 am
Yo OBABY – the truth hurts… doesn’t it?
stands for decibels
October 26th, 2009
9:00 am
Mrs. G. your rawstory link happened to remind me of a phony talking point I keep hearing, to wit: “Well is your precious librul MSNBC any better? Huh? Well?”
To that I answer:
One: MSNBC does not claim to be “fair and balanced.” It does not assert “We report. You decided.” Rather, it calls itself “the place for politics.”
Two: MSNBC gives three hours of airtime every morning to a conservative former congressman. Refresh my memory—who is the liberal former congressman on FNC who’s been given a three-hour slot each weekday morning? Must’ve missed that guy.
Taxpayer
October 26th, 2009
9:01 am
I once had a very influential Democratic state legislator — back when Democrats ran the Capitol — suggest to me privately that if the AJC edit board would back off an ethics reform crusade, legislators might look more favorably on funding a downtown multimodal station.
So, is this legislator giving you a bout of deja vu except under the Republican banner now, Jay.
Normal
October 26th, 2009
9:01 am
Bosch
October 26th, 2009
8:44 am
“I’m just pointing out the laughable hypocrisy by Jay”
If I had a dollar for every time a wingnut said those words.
But you’d have to give half to the State, half to the Feds, but you could keep the rest…
stands for decibels
October 26th, 2009
9:02 am
“Last week, he points out that Fox news is an illegitimate news source. Today, he says it’s no big deal.”
I’ll make it simple for you: Pointing out that Fox News is not a legitimate news source is not a big deal.
got it now?
USinUK
October 26th, 2009
9:03 am
yeahyeahyeah … Liverpool … blahblahblah … Sunderland AND Tottenham both lost this weekend … (my sweet Peter C didn’t even score) …
Mrs. Godzilla
October 26th, 2009
9:04 am
Who one the Bush war on the New York Times?
Bush who NEVER gave an interview to the Times or the Times for not
having to ever publish one?
lovelyliz
October 26th, 2009
9:05 am
This pretty much explains it all:
New World Communs. of Tampa, Inc. v. Akre, 866 So. 2d 1231(2003)
Mrs. Godzilla
October 26th, 2009
9:05 am
won…..not one
Mrs. Godzilla
October 26th, 2009
9:06 am
lovelyliz
I posted a link on that a while back…..and the righties just didn’t get it.
AmVet
October 26th, 2009
9:06 am
Again, what’s the fuss?
Faux News has programs HOSTED by Huckleberry and Ollie the Unindicted Criminal.
These are paid, professional shuckers and grinners for the Republiconned movement.
Just man up you Aussie fascist and traitor and admit it.
Your gullible and gutless viewers certainly never will.
Jeez…
USinUK
October 26th, 2009
9:06 am
“Bush who NEVER gave an interview to the Times or the Times for not
having to ever publish one?”
with his stenographers there (like Judith Miller), why should he have to give them an interview???
TnGelding
October 26th, 2009
9:08 am
Peadawg
October 26th, 2009
8:35 am
And another one today.
With all the coverage it gave Bush I thought for sure it would keep him from getting reelected.
Certainly Fox features stories unfavorable to the WH while giving short shrift to positive ones, but I don’t find it that offensive. It’s the challenge to the WH to be more careful and make fewer stupid mistakes.
Angry Black Man
October 26th, 2009
9:09 am
Hey Normal
Forgot to tell you, I think I saw Oxendine come thru the other morning. I don’t think he was coming from Argentina though. Think the flight was from Brazil.
RW-(the original)
October 26th, 2009
9:10 am
Fox doesn’t even make the effort, or even the pretense of an effort. At best, they make the pretense of a pretense of an effort.
That’s not really a fair statement. Shep Smith tries to hide his being a barking moonbat a good bit of the time.
Gale
October 26th, 2009
9:10 am
IMO if you cannot tell entertainment from real news, then you deserve the derision you receive when you repeat it as news.
Kamchak
October 26th, 2009
9:10 am
Refresh my memory—who is the liberal former congressman on FNC who’s been given a three-hour slot each weekday morning? Must’ve missed that guy.
Well…they did have Alan Colmes. The Washington Generals had a better chance of winning a game against the Globetrotters than Alan Colmes had against Hannity.
Mrs. Godzilla
October 26th, 2009
9:12 am
would that be the former congressman who had a dead woman trurn up in his office?
uga_b
October 26th, 2009
9:13 am
Some people used to think propaganda was biased too…
bob
October 26th, 2009
9:14 am
Foxnews needs to hire some more credible journalists to get into the mainstream. Maybe they could hire kieth Olberman or Rachael Maddow, MSNBC has so many credible anchors they could give a few up and still be tops as far as being unbiased and credible. Foxnews needs to learn that America does not care how many commies like Ayers, Van Jones and others, are in Obama’s admin. Thats old news. Why would America care about the white house communications director saying that Mao is one of her inspirations, It’s been 60 or 70 years since he killed those millions of Chinese, can’t we let bygones be bygones.
stands for decibels
October 26th, 2009
9:14 am
they did have Alan Colmes.
Or as Sean said as the TV show was in its planning stages, “A liberal to be named later.”
(Colmes is actually halfway decent on his own on the radio, if you’ve ever heard his show.)
Doggone/GA
October 26th, 2009
9:15 am
“Foxnews needs to hire some more credible journalists to get into the mainstream”
Sounds like you’re assuming that’s what FOX “News” wants to do. Where’s your proof of that?