Fox Pats Itself On The Back For Being ‘Enemy Number One’ Of The Obama White House
Fox Pats Itself On The Back For Being ‘Enemy Number One’ Of The Obama White House
White House adviser David Axelrod recently met with Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes to discuss “news coverage and the relationship between the organizations.” Last month, Fox found itself shut out when President Obama made appearances on the Sunday morning public opinion shows of ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Univision — but left out Fox (which host Chris Wallace whined about on his show). The move came after Fox was the only network that refused to air the President’s joint address to Congress. Fox hosts have accused Obama of leading the country on a path to socialism, stirred up tea party protests, and gone after administration officials, and the White House has responded by criticizing the network.
Fox is patting itself on the back over a job well done, according to a new Time magazine article. “The fact that our numbers are up 30 plus in the news arena on basic cable I’d like to think is a sign that we are just putting what we believe to be the facts out on the table,” said Michael Clemente, Fox’s senior vice president for news. He then compared the network to veteran journalist Sam Donaldson, who was doing a good job because he was “enemy number one” to both the Carter and Reagan White Houses:
As for Fox’s journalism, Clemente said the White House criticism was typical of other administrations who have been critical of certain reporters. “It reminds me a little bit about what happened to Sam Donaldson when he was covering the White House,” said Clemente. “The Reagan White House thought he was enemy number one. He had the same relationship with the Carter White House. They thought he was enemy number one. He thought he was doing his job.”
Of course, the difference is that Fox News hasn’t met a Republican administration it didn’t love. While it may be out of favor with the Obama administration, it was the best friend of the Bush White House. Remember, Fox was the network:
– that received “unprecedented access by George W. Bush” for a one-hour documentary — “George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish” — highlighting the administration’s accomplishments.
– that happily used talking points provided to them by the Bush administration.
– whose reporters couldn’t help from editorializing that Bush put America on an “amazing” foreign policy path, defending Bush by saying he “inherited” the 9/11 attacks, and arguing that critics who compared Bush to Nixon were guilty of a “gross misreading of history.”
Further demonstrating the love between the network and the Bush White House, Vice President Cheney always demanded that the televisions in his hotel rooms be turned to Fox News.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
– that received “unprecedented access by George W. Bush” for a one-hour documentary — “George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish” — highlighting the administration’s accomplishments.
How do you fill an entire hour talking about tax cuts for the rich?
October 7th, 2009 at 12:23 pmTo Fox: Wah, wah, wah, baby wants a Zima.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:26 pmdefending Bush by saying he “inherited” the 9/11 attacks
– - Yeah, The Boy Born With the Silver Spoon In His Mouth inherits everything, eh?
October 7th, 2009 at 12:28 pmwhen it comes to the bush administration, i see no difference between fox news and the obama administration.
both are covering up crimes committed at the highest levels of government.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:28 pm… I guess you could just keep saying how awesome they are.
That’s what the administration did, right?
October 7th, 2009 at 12:28 pmThe problem remains, however, that if only 1% of the US is devoted to them that’s 3,000,000 people! It’s more than that, of course, and means there’s a lot of washed brains out there.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:30 pm“The fact that our numbers are up 30 plus in the news arena on basic cable I’d like to think is a sign that we are just putting what we believe to be the facts out on the table,”
We have high ratings ergo we speak the truth. AKA a really stupid argument.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:31 pmI’m convinced that right-wing propaganda creates more Democrats.
Fox and their ilk, long with the hate radio posse, have been inundating us with right-wing bilge for decade or two now–with no Fairness Doctrine to get in the way–and there are more Democrats than ever. This is consistent with the tendency of conservative policies to backfire, and is good reason for us to thank our hate-spewing brethren.
Just a few more years of this stuff, and America will be voting communist. :)
A Pig of a Bill:
October 7th, 2009 at 12:37 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlPd3V93bbY
From the headline:
They are about number 16, not number one. Just the most stupid and corrupt.
When will they be charged with being an illegal, unregistered 527 group by the FEC?
October 7th, 2009 at 12:37 pmThe Flatulent Noise Channel is equating ratings with presenting fact? WTF? They make up controversy, pump it with sensationalist leads, get viewership, and think they’re doing journalism with facts and all that? They’ve turned into the cable equivalent of the worst kind of supermarket tabloid and they think they’re being watched for something other than entertainment?
Ah well, keeps the advertisers happy, all those eyes. Some day, the advertisers are going to figure out that those eyes tune out, take a snack break, take a whiz, when their lovingly crafted commercial comes on; when they figure that out…
Nah, they won’t figure it out. That started happening on Day 2 of the TV era and they never figured it out. Hell, the advertising people themselves tune out when the ads roll and they haven’t caught on. …
Keep minting those advertising dollars, Flatulent Noise Channel.)
October 7th, 2009 at 12:39 pm“George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish”
Of course, in Republiland “the Finish” was in the Spring of 2008, whereupon everything became Obama’s fault.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:39 pm“George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish” — highlighting the administration’s accomplishments.
Oh, I see now why we still have two of Bush’s wars of aggression going, he must have taken himself literally on May 01, 2003 when he proclaimed Mission Accomplished.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:40 pm“George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish” — highlighting the administration’s accomplishments.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:45 pmOf course, the other issue is this ‘Enemy Number One’ business. For some of the other news outlets, I’d think that to be a bit of hyperbole. It’s alway to the public good if a news organization maintains a certain distance and skepticism about the administration and Congress, and to stay on the adverserial side, rather than the buddy-buddy side.
There’s a point though when a news organization goes past being skeptical and properly adverserial and questioning, and into inimical advocacy. From what I’ve heard, to date, FNC seems to be prepared to do that latter; they seem to think it their job to bring down the President, rather than reporting ‘objectively’ and allowing people to form their own opinion. I wouldn’t expect anything else of Rupert Murdoch though; he has a history of attacking from the right and has no qualms about abusing his power to inform.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:48 pmgalmud says:
“The fact that our numbers are up 30 plus in the news arena on basic cable I’d like to think is a sign that we are just putting the facts we make up out on the table,”
__________
There… so much better, no???
BTW… what IS it w/ these weird qualifiers they keep putting on their ratings?
Now it’s BASIC cable… which does mean that people DON’T have to pay extra for Faux, correct? (I don’t watch television anymore, period…).
Sooooooo… does that mean Faux is getting the cheapskate demographic?
Basic Cable Ratings… the Special Olympics of broadcast news?
October 7th, 2009 at 12:49 pm@ 14. Correction: adversarial, not adverserial
October 7th, 2009 at 12:50 pm“The fact that our numbers are up 30 plus in the news arena on basic cable I’d like to think is a sign that we are just putting what we believe to be the facts out on the table,” said Michael Clemente, Fox’s senior vice president for news.
You can think that all you want, Mr. Clemente, but it won’t make it true. What you are putting “out on the table” are not “facts.”
October 7th, 2009 at 12:54 pmAnd fox may also pat itself on the back for the job well done and their culpability in the deaths of over 5,000 U.S. servicepersons and hundreds of thousands of innocent people a/k/a collateral damage . .
Job well done, fox employees, be proud!!
Be assured that fox will be remembered in history classes around the world until the end of time . .
October 7th, 2009 at 12:55 pmIt’s impossible for FAUX to think outside the box. They fail to take into consideration that it’s human nature to stare at car accidents or very large fires. Wingnut dingbats.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:03 pmI’d be willing to bet that “The Enquirer” magazine has about as many readers as FOX News has viewers. Does this mean that The Enquirer is factual in any way? I would also posit that the dimwits that read The Enquirer are practically the same demographic block that frequents FOX News.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:04 pm.
FOXPRAVDA is NOT a News Station…
… FOXPRAVDA is a political propaganda station!
.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:08 pmCould TP please avoid putting up a picture of our former President? I don’t want to see his mug for a very long time. It is still way too soon for me.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:12 pmRoger Ailes was media consultant for Nixon, Reagan, Bush I and Rudy Giuliani.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:19 pmDespite their efforts to appear as a real news network,
Fox was created to serve as a 24/7 paid political media campaign
for the Republican Party, which it is.
The Obama administration should treat them accordingly.
And they have.
Roket says:
It’s impossible for FAUX to think outside the box. They fail to take into consideration that it’s human nature to stare at car accidents or very large fires.
_____________
And hooters… don’t forget the oversized hooters…
October 7th, 2009 at 1:23 pmOT
Here’s something we can ALL pat ourselves on the back about…
The Top 8 CEO’s salaries and the number of minimum wage earners that salary could support…
http://awesome.good.is/transparency/usersubmissions/ceo-compensation/dee-adams/transparency.jpg
No doubt these fine Gentleman are all worth it, though.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:29 pmFox has a choice between trying to be a serious (for television at least) news organization or it can continue down the Beck road of craziness towards creating a fake news equivalent of World Wrestling Entertainment. All you need to do is look at the intellectual level of most highly rated shows to figure out where the money is. Going hard core wingnut caps the audience but it only takes a few million grumpy old people to appeal to the advertisers. Don’t expect anything to change.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:31 pmThe wingnut birthers have not given up their quest to “prove” that Obama was born in Kenya or was an Indonesian citizen. Yet the fact that Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox News, the “New York Post,” the “Weakly Substandard,” etc., was originally Australian and currently married to a woman born in China does not seem to matter.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:44 pmEnemy, keep things spit and stirred up is their goal.
Only 25% of my posts are accepted and not deleted on foxnation.
I have found:
* do not post anything with a truthful link
* do not try and reason with other posters there and point out the fact we ALL need to stand united
* it is OK to be abusive and name call
So, I have come to the conclusion Fox’s motive is to use it’s audience by keeping emotions stirred up and distracted with intentions of corporate gain, ex: anti health care reform, against the audience’s and everyone’s best interest.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:44 pmAccording to the National Institute of Health, 9.2 million, or 4.4 percent or the U.S. population have paranoid personality disorder.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:45 pmEither Fox is not reaching all of it’s potential market, or the remainder in this percentage are too paranoid to own a television.
And why not…a bigoted network, produced by bigots, with mostly bigots as ‘commentators’ and guests, shown for bigots…Pure as the driven snow..
October 7th, 2009 at 1:51 pmJoseph Goebbels, Fux News: not enough difference to sneeze at.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:07 pmVice President Cheney always demanded that the televisions in his hotel rooms be turned to Fox News….and wearing his rubber suit with built-in butt plug.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:12 pmIs there a FOX News/Israel connection?
96% of Israelis say that President Obama is a Jew hater and and anti-semite.
96% of Israelis say that George W.Bush was the best friend that Israel ever had.
Some Israelis are publicly saying that they would shoot President Obama if they had the chance.
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/09/200992261458462792.html
October 7th, 2009 at 2:21 pmMuch like Broadway;
October 7th, 2009 at 2:56 pmFox News is gay;
The new S.A.;
Have a nice day.
Paraphrasing:
The Reagan White House thought Sam Donaldson was enemy number one. Sam Donaldson had the same relationship with the Carter White House. They both thought he was enemy number one.
Could it be that Sam Doandson was a journalist?
All of the points about Fox in the article and in the comments all point to the lack of journalism at that network. Facts - who needs ‘em? Opinion - good enough! Inuendo - go for it!
October 7th, 2009 at 3:16 pmFOX Theatre is nasty, dangerous misinformation.
BTW – Boaner – what a laugh. Boaner can go suck on a garlic milkshake, after he finishes his siht sandwiches with his pals.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:03 pm“The fact that our numbers are up 30 plus in the news arena on basic cable I’d like to think is a sign that we are just putting what we believe to be the facts out on the table,” said Michael Clemente, Fox’s senior vice president for news.
Haha! This devious bs artist expects us to believe that.
I wouldn’t be surprised if professional wrestling, which consistently has great ratings is still beating them all.
Making a correlation between ‘facts’ and teevee ratings is ridiculous.
If that we’re true, golf would destroy professional wrestling in the ratings.
Fox is to news what the WWE is to sports.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:05 pmWhat Fox is not saying is that other networks aren’t part of the basic cable package. In some areas of the country you have to pay to have MSNBC and even CNN….I’ve known Roger Ailes since the Reagan years and he is nothing more than a huge pig.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:15 pmBack in 1999, when the world was quaking about the possibility of the “End Times” being on its doorstep, I had a website that pandered to the stupidity of the Flat Earhers and Bible Thumpers and any other wacko that thought the new year would herald the end of us all and it was quite successful. I could put anything I wanted on there and they just ate it up like a shark feeding frenzy. Complete BS that I just made up with the correct sound bytes to drive them even crazier. Then I realized that no matter how much fun it was to scare the sheeple, it was also irresponsible and that these idiots actually believed the wholesale crap because it was on the internet and it validated their unreasonable fears. So I did the right thing and pulled it down. Even though it was very successful and I profited from it. There was no point in trying to correct what I had done, they were going to believe it because they already did in their hearts and minds before they even saw it. THAT is what Faux News is doing. Except they have no moral compass telling them that it is wrong, and since they are profiting from this fear mongering they will continue to do so as long as there are people who already want to believe in this total load of BS sound bytes being fed to them daily.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:16 pm40 the Lone Voice of Reason says
What FOX Theatre does is actually way easier than doing journalism. FOX could not do real journalism even if they wanted to.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:28 pmExactly my point Ape-Man, just you said it with much more clarity than I did, thank you. Except they could do real journalism, they chose not to
October 7th, 2009 at 4:39 pmI thought to be an “enemy,” both sides had to consider the other side “the enemy.” Obama doesn’t consider Fox News Theatre to be “the enemy” any more than Obama considered that fly he nabbed during a WH interview to be “the enemy.” Merely a nuisance, nothing more.
October 7th, 2009 at 5:07 pm“…I’d like to think is a sign that we are just putting what we believe to be the facts out on the table,” said Michael Clemente…
Uhhh…doesn’t that by default make it an opinion and not a fact?
October 8th, 2009 at 12:47 amThis nothing to be proud of. It is shameful, disrespectful and treasonous.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:29 amPrime example of freedom of speech going beyond the pale.
FOX “News” should show up in the dictionary under the definition of “oxymoron”. They pride themselves for the arrogance, bigotry and outright ignorance and then try to claim the mantel of good journalism by riding the coat-tails of real journalists like Sam Donaldson. In the “Age of Information” they can claim almost sole responsibility for the birth of the “Age of Misinformation”. The Australian owner, Rupert Murdock is nothing more than a crass corporatist whose sole interest is not providing balanced news, but making money. If that means tilting your programing to feed the stupidity, bigotry and hatred of your viewers, so be it.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:15 pmFox Pats Itself On The Back For Being ‘Enemy Number One’ Of The Obama White House
And MSNBC is in bed with Obama.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:42 pm——————————————————————————–
Mr.Duke says:
——————————————————————————–
Fox Pats Itself On The Back For Being ‘Enemy Number One’ Of The Obama White House
And MSNBC is in bed with Obama
Umm…I don’t think so/
October 8th, 2009 at 3:32 pmBeing number one on the White House enemies list must be worth. kepçe kulak estetigi
October 13th, 2009 at 6:47 amThank you for your sharing.!
October 14th, 2009 at 9:00 am