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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Obama Compares Fox News to Talk Radio, Says He's Not 'Losing Sleep' Over Controversy


Several top White House advisers have gone on other channels to criticize Fox News' coverage of the administration

President Obama spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday about his administration's portrayal of Fox News as an illegitimate news organization -- only to say he's not "losing sleep" over the controversy.


Obama, in an interview with NBC, at first attempted to deflect a question about the White House's criticism of Fox News, saying "the American people are a lot more interested in what we're doing to create jobs or how we're handling the situation in Afghanistan."


The interviewer then pressed, noting that Obama's advisers have targeted the network openly.
"I think that what our advisers simply said is, is that we are going to take media as it comes," Obama said. "And if media is operating, basically, as a talk radio format, then that's one thing. And if it's operating as a news outlet than that's another. But it's not something I'm losing a lot of sleep over."


Several top White House advisers have gone on other channels to criticize Fox News' coverage of the administration, dismiss the network as the mouthpiece of the Republican Party and urge other news organizations not to treat Fox News as a legitimate news station

.
And on Tuesday, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said White House officials "render (that) opinion based on some their coverage and the fairness of that coverage."


But asked how Fox News was different from other news organizations, Gibbs mentioned the channel's 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. shows, in an explicit reference to "Beck" and "Hannity" -- even though those two shows represent opinion programming.


Informed that those hours are for opinion programming, Gibbs said: "That is our opinion."
Michael Clemente, senior vice president of news for Fox News, issued a statement Tuesday defending the company.


"Hundreds of journalists come to work each day at Fox News all deeply committed to their craft. It's disappointing that the White House would be so dismissive of their fine work and continue their vengeful war against a news organization," he said.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/21/obama-compares-fox-news-talk-radio-says-hes-losing-sleep-controversy/

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Faux Noise is Anti Obama 24/7. Chickens coming home to roost. Truth hurts.

Reconciled1 said...

the Pres might not be losing sleep but someone is.....

Anonymous said...

Obama hates being questioned ! But that's the medias role keeping the fat cats honest they're spending everyones money . FOX news has been proven that it is fair and balanced but the liberals hate it because they have all other broadcast news in their pocket . I think what they don't like is the opinion shows like Glenn Beck and Hannity which is fine they don't like Obamas goals and actions but they are not FOX news !

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:02,

First off, YOUR WRONG! You obviously do not watch Fox News (and I am not talking about Beck, Hannity, and O'Reilly) The opinion shows do slant their view but I thought that was what America was about. People should be able to engage in debate.
Since you are going to use that argument, what about BUSH? He was ambushed by every media outlet know, even Fox (sometimes). Did you ever here him verbally attack the media, let alone single one out?

Anonymous said...

He's losing the war spent us into bankruptcy 12% unemployment rate people going hungry economy in the crapper if he's not losing sleep he should be !

thomas augustus littleton said...

11:02
Nice paraphrase of Malcolm X's comment on the justice of the J F Kennedy assination!
So, you think MSNBC is fair and balanced? Do they have more constitutional rights than Fox because they kiss the current administration's ass in every instance? They are anti-Republican on every issue. Their attacks on Bush bordered on treason, but thankfully Bush didn't take a Nazi like stance against critics. Being a patriotic American, Bush understood the importance of respecting the first amendment and allowing critics of the government to speak undisturbed as an essential element of democratic republicanism .
Yes, Fox is slanted to the right, but no more than MSNBC is twisted to the left. Any LEGITIMATE Americnan government must give them both access and freedom to comment on the news from their self interested perspectives.
It is up to the public to understand that MSNBC and Fox are not pure news programs, and that they both spin the news to favor their diametrically opposed political agendas.
TAL

Anonymous said...

suddenly the liberals are quiet !

Anonymous said...

I'm going to need the ultra conservatives to think critically for once and realize that Fox News coverage IS biased. With that said, so be it. Cable news is skewed toward attracing a target audience. That is their business model and I have no problem being "entertained" by the channel because I actually take the time to look beyond what the talking heads are saying.

Anonymous said...

1;04

Granted Fox is right leaning, however not as much as the other networks, even the main stream ones like ABC,NBC and CBS are left leaning.

And while Fox leans right on their opinion shows like Beck and Hannity their other shows like special report and Chris Wallaces' Sunday show as well as Shep Smiths' show are hard news shows. Plus Fox has liberals like Geraldo Rivera and Greta Van Susteren. So Fox does have a balance whereas the other networks are basically Obama 24/7.

Anonymous said...

1:04 you must by taking you cues from your drive by media ! Your post was a drive by comment , show me where FOX news is biased. You can't defend the left wing Obama media by slandering FOX .

Anonymous said...

quit your crying and do what you were elected to do or resign !

Anonymous said...

the issue is that the opinion shows view points are trickling into the "news" shows and becoming "stories" We all know that FOX is right wing and MSNBC is left wing, the problem is when Hannity or Beck or Oreilly or Maddow or Olbermann state their opinion and somehow this issue is discussed in the news hour as if it has vaiidity.

Anonymous said...

Wrong ! what happens is they actually investigate like journalist used to do and break stories like journalists used to do ! So is the news hour not supposed to report major findings ? Obama doesn't care about FOX he's merely changing the subject so that were not talking about his failing economy and huge job loss's and his struggling Obama-care that nobody wants !

Anonymous said...

1:45, "taking cues"? Tell me where you picked up the term "drive-by media". LOL

Fox is by far the most biased network. The way I see it, the other networks are biased by the way they choose stories to run. Fox is biased in the same way but they also in the way the stories are reported.

Yes Fox news has the right to spout their crap all they want, and you have the right to listen. But call a spade a spade. You guys actually think Rush, Hannity, and Beck actually care more about you than they care about you WATCHING them.

-1:04

Anonymous said...

Props to the left wing media for coming to FOX's aid for attempted exclusion !

Anonymous said...

8:11 Give me one example of FOX news reporting something false or biased ! Your using the left wing attack of keep saying it and some will believe your truly intellectually bankrupt !