Via Politico44.com
http://www.politico.com/...
... Meeting with reporters in his office for an off-camera question-and-answer session, Gibbs parried questions about the White House's harsh criticism of the cable news network, leveled on several Sunday shows by officials including White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and senior adviser David Axelrod.
Asked if it was fair for the White House to label Fox an illegitimate news organization, Gibbs replied: "We render opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness of their coverage."
When a reporter pressed further, asking Gibbs to explain more specifically how Fox differed from ABC, MSNBC or Univision, the president's spokesman pointed to two shows in particular as sources of concern. "You and I should watch sometime around 9 tonight or 5 this afternoon," Gibbs said, alluding to the 5 p.m. show hosted by Glenn Beck and the 9 p.m. program anchored by Sean Hannity.
That's it???
With all of the intelligent and savvy media people in the White House... Beck and Hannity is all they’ve got? REALLY?
Pounding on Beck and Hannity does nothing to help their argument. All it does it give people on the right a reason to say: "Well what about Ed, Keith and Rachel?"
Although Ed, Keith and Rachel have opinionated shows, that doesn’t interfere with the overall NEWS on MSNBC. They don’t DISTORT the facts. They didn’t make it a point to weed out people in Bush’s administration one by one.
The reason why Fox is not a REAL NEWS CHANNEL is simply for these reasons, and they need to bring this up when asked:
A REAL NEWS ORGANIZATION doesn’t.......PROMOTE and COVER their own protests.
http://mediamatters.org/...
A REAL NEWS ORGANIZATION doesn’t.... Lie about the total number of people at the rally THEY PROMOTED...
http://www.liveleak.com/...
A REAL NEWS ORGANIZATION doesn’t.... Force people at a protest to make more noise to look good on TV.
http://mediamatters.org/...
A REAL NEWS ORGANIZATION doesn’t... Have NEWS ANCHORS that accuse the president of making a TERRORIST FIST JAB!
http://mediamatters.org/...
A REAL NEWS ORGANIZATION doesn’t.... Have NEWS ANCHORS that calls the current administration a bunch of CRY BABIES
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
A REAL NEWS ORGANIZATION doesn’t... Go out of their way to bash the current administration by using OLD FOOTAGE and lying by saying it’s recent footage, and CROPPING it to make it look like something else was said!
http://www.dailykostv.com/...
A REAL NEWS ORGANIZATION doesn’t... Pass off RNC press releases as their OWN FACTS (including the typos)
http://mediamatters.org/...
All of the examples cited are from Fox’s so-called NEWS ANCHORS... not the Opinion people like O’Reily, Hannity, and Beck.
This should be pointed out because the line is blurred between journalism and opinion on Fox.
The video examples above are plain and simple, they can’t spin their way out of it. Tthey have been called out on the carpet time and time again... EVERYONE KNOWS THIS! Including those reporters taking up for Fox News.
***And on a side note... why the hell are they standing up for Fox anyway??? Fox took out a full page ad in the Washington Post smearing them for their coverage of the Tea Party Protest... What REAL NEWS CHANNEL does that???
Someone needs to get the message to the white house... We have no problem with you calling out Fox for what it is... but don’t let that be your only example. There is more than enough evidence for you to point to regarding their so-called "NEWS" shows, and so-called "NEWS ANCHORS".
UPDATE: WOW! Thanks for getting this on the rec list... I hope someone in the White House reads it.
I want to address something I that I've seen in a couple of the comments below...
"Some" are complaining that I'm just mad that the White House isn't criticizing Fox the way "I" want them too.
And to that I say, READ THE LAST COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS OF THIS DIARY AGAIN!
One thing that I despise so much about our media is the meme of the day syndrome. Whether the meme is true or complete B.S. it will be asked over and over and over again because.... it's "THE MEME OF THE DAY".
If some of you haven't noticed, Fox has already conceded the point that their evening shows cater to the right. No one disputes that point.
But what I was pointing out is that they are trying to say that there is a difference between their evening shows and their actual NEWS shows during the day. THAT POINT IS FALSE.
This dairy lays out numerous examples of their NEWS shows, and NEWS ANCHORS having a right wing bias and lying and distorting the facts. When the White House pinpoints Beck, Hannity and O'Reily they are just confirming what Fox has already conceded.
Therefore the meme is created in the media that Fox has actual news shows and opinion shows. And that the White House is just "whining" about the opinion shows.
What I'm simply saying is, call them out on their so called NEWS ANCHORS since they say they are "Fair and balanced". Don't allow them to get away with this meme that there is a difference between their opinion shows and news shows. The line between journalism and opinion is so blurred on Fox that their NEWS ANCHORS thought it was important to cover the Tea Party Protests, but didn’t think it was important to cover the Gay rights march which had if not more but the same amount of people.
Like it or not, for some reason Fox is played in a lot of public areas in this country... which means a lot of people not really paying attention to what’s going on in Washington may believe their crap because it’s 1) On T.V.... and 2) This information is coming from a news show.
The White House should make a point to include FOX NEWS programs when criticizing the right wing bias on that channel. It may not be as flamboyant as Beck or Hannity, but it is definitely there.