White House Cites Opinion Shows as Basis for Fox News Complaints

[red states rule]

I have never seen a more thin skinned bunch of crybabies in my life



White House Cites Opinion Shows as Basis for Fox News Complaints

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs refers to "Beck" and "Hannity" as the reasons why the Obama administration is criticizing Fox News.


White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Tuesday pointed to two top-rated opinion shows on Fox News as the reason why the Obama administration has castigated the network as an illegitimate news organization.

Gibbs weighed in on the controversy after 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.

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.

The White House also appeared to stand by its effort to urge other networks to isolate and alienate the channel. Gibbs said Tuesday that it's up to the White House Correspondents Association to decide whether Fox News should continue to be part of the White House pool which covers President Obama.

"I'm not going to delineate for the White House Correspondents Association how the pool is conducted. That's not my job," he said.

The pool, the rotation through which the networks share the costs and duties of White House coverage, represents the most significant interaction among the news channels. Despite the Obama administration's guidance to other channels to disregard Fox News, there are no indications so far from the other networks that the pool relationship will change.

Obama senior adviser David Axelrod on Sunday called on media outlets to join the administration in declaring that Fox News is "not a news organization."

"Other news organizations like yours ought not to treat them that way," Axelrod counseled ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "We're not going to treat them that way."

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told CNN on Sunday that Obama does not want "the CNNs and the others in the world (to) basically be led in following Fox."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/20/white-house-cites-opinion-shows-basis-fox-news-complaints/

[red states rule]

Charles Krauthammer sums it up perfectly as usual


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[krisy]

They make NO sense whatsoever!!! They are commentators and paid to give thier opinion. Does the WH not realise that their are commentators on other channels too? What is there to not get?

They have really made themselves look dumber than ever with this. Unreal!

[red states rule]

They make NO sense whatsoever!!! They are commentators and paid to give thier opinion. Does the WH not realise that their are commentators on other channels too? What is there to not get?

They have really made themselves look dumber than ever with this. Unreal!

If the Obama administration, and their supporters, want to go after opinion shows, why only the shows on Fox News?

The reason is clear - they worship the ground Obama walks on.

[sgtdmski]

Hasn't this been the liberal game plan for the last couple of decades. When you can't win the debate with your words, result to calling people names!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Same shit just different year!!!

dmk

[red states rule]

Hasn't this been the liberal game plan for the last couple of decades. When you can't win the debate with your words, result to calling people names!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Same shit just different year!!!

dmk

So the Obama administration does like the opinion shows on Fox News, but likes the opinion shows on MSNBC

Obama met with Olbermann and Rachal Maddow

This story starts at the 1:45 mark of the video

BTW, the first story covered in this video is about a Republican who called the cops because a reporter asked her hard questions and made her feel "uncomfortable"

So much for Fox being in the hip pocket of the Republican party

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