FOX News vs Obama . . . Who'll Be The Winner?

by Rory Cripps | October 19, 2009 at 07:38 pm

1835 views | 71 Recommendations | 92 comments

It's apparent that a cadre of political ideologues see FOX News as the major impetus behind a "vast right wing conspiracy". Is there any doubt that in the eyes of the Obama Administration and his loyal cadre of ideologues, every FOX newscaster, journalist, writer--all the way down to the janitor--are right-wing Republicans hell bent on tripping up the Obama Administration every step of the way and telling nothing but dirty lies about Obama and his administration?

Imagine this: What if the Obama ideologues were able to see their way clear of being ideologues for just one day? And for that one day--free from all their Obama ideology-- they devoted their energies, entirely, to ascertaining whether or not FOX News is the right-wing Republican monolith that they believe it to be? Minus their ideological blinders and 5th dimensional rose-colored Obama glasses would it be within the realm of possibility--or just completely preposterous--that the Obama ideologues would discover that many who work for FOX are actually Independents and Democrats?

But even if FOX News is comprised entirely of right-wing Republicans, what difference does it make? Are the cadre of Obama ideologues implying that a journalist or newscaster can't be "fair and balanced" simply on the basis of his or her personal political beliefs? And if the Obama ideologues do believe that, then how can they expect anyone to take the news personalities and journalists at CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and NBC seriously?

Call it naive thinking or whatever you will . . . but my thinking is that the majority of journalists and newscasters, today, make an earnest and sincere effort to be objective when it comes to reporting the news in spite of their own personal political views. And I have no doubt that they succeed in getting the facts straight throughout their stories and newscasts.

Again, it is apparent that President Obama and his administration are engaged in an earnest and all-out campaign to stifle free speech in America and, therefore, shut up as many political opponents as he and his administration possibly can. Quite frankly, I don't like what President Obama and members of his administration are saying and doing about certain media organizations and certain talk radio hosts. There is something deeply disturbing and chilling about a U.S. president singling out certain media outlets and radio talk show hosts and then dispatching members of his administration to openly criticize and denigrate those certain media outlets and radio talk show hosts over the public airwaves.

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Rhonda J Mangus

at 19:59 on October 19th, 2009

Somewhere down the road -- even a "President" has to learn boundaries:). Thanks for this, Rory!

nyctuber

at 20:26 on October 19th, 2009

Fox is precisely what the WH stated, and I'm glad they called Fox out. Fox is on a mission to dig up dirt on every member of Obama's cabinet and get them fired. And of course, to see Obama impeached. They relentlessly try to cast doubt on every policy decision, encourage the 'birther' argument etc ad nauseum. It's run by Nixon's former media consultant, for God's sake. Everyone on Fox is a truth twisting shameless liar, it's certainly not news. Glenn Beck? Bill O'Reilly? Sean Hannity? Journalists??? Come on!

Rory Cripps

at 18:41 on October 20th, 2009

JEEZ nyctcuber! 9 checks on your comment about how those that criticize Obama are bad and that those that don't are good and as pure as the driven snow certainly convinces me that FOX News is engaged in "a vast right wing conspiracy" "to dig up dirt on every member of Obama's cabinet and get them fired." "And of course, to see Obama impeached." How the hell did you manage to get 9 checks on your comment? I've never seen 9 checks on a NP comment before! In the future, please don't post your comments to any of my stories. This is a sincere request and I'm asking you nicely. And I mean that sincerely. There is somehing very disturbing to me about someone that gets 9 checks on his comments. BTW: How old are you? I'm 55 and in spite of my decreased sense of smell, I can still smell crap from a mile away . . . .

nyctuber

at 12:10 on October 22nd, 2009

Fox doesn't 'criticize' Obama. They want him impeached, Glenn Beck in particular. It's an a-g-e-n-d-a. When he got Van Jones fired, 'ol Glenn whipped out a little illustration of the Titanic headed toward an iceberg. The 'ice' on top was every member of Obama's cabinet. But his point was, you have to 'get to the root of the problem, ie: the ice underwater (Obama). Surely you can't be this ignorant about Fox's intentions.

Rory Cripps

at 16:13 on October 28th, 2009

nycuber: If I read your comment correctly you're saying that Glen Beck "got Van Jones fired". How did Glen Beck get Van Jones fired? The media reported that Van Jones offered to resign from the Obama Administration and that President Obama accepted his resignation. I confess to being ignorant in many matters and I'm the first to admit it! But I'm not so ignorant (or paranoid) as to believe that Fox News, Glen Beck, et.al are the masterminds of a "vast right wing conspiracy" and that they have as much power and influence over the American people as the Obama Administration and its supporters apparently believe that they have. If they did wield such great power, how did Obama get elected in the first place? Or was it the case that they were engaged in a "vast right wing conspiracy" to get Obama elected because they knew that he would make an utter fool out of himself and his administration as he and his administration seem to be doing? If a president is so thin-skinned as to have to resort to attacking and attempting to isolate media outlets that feature personalities who simply oppose his views, then I don't want a whiner and cry baby like that in the White House. If Obama can only attack the messenger and not the message and lacks the capacity to stand up to the heat then he doesn't have the stuff to be president of the U.S. in my opinion.

meadland1 (not verified)

at 19:26 on October 31st, 2009

Fox news does not want Obama impeached, that would leave Biden as the top socialist dictator and quite frankly what would be the difference. Fox news is merely pointing out the fact that Obama is the most far left president in our country's history. He is surrounded by socialist activists and the established media fails to point this out. This is why fox news has a growing viewership while nbc, msnbc,cbs cnbc, etc. touts the president as the messiah. If you look at it objectively it's pretty sickening and not unlike the state run media in places such as Cuba. Is that what you want for the US?

Rory Cripps

at 01:25 on November 1st, 2009

meadland1 (not verified):

Thanks for the comment! I would put it like this: Certain Fox media personalities, such as Glen Beck, believe that Obama is farther to the left than any other American president and that Obama is indeed a socialist.

M Sandoval (not verified)

at 11:31 on November 2nd, 2009

And you are the one criticizing the Obama administration for stifling free speech??? "Please don't post your comments to any of my stories" ????If you don't want comments, turn them off completely... don't single out individuals voicing their opinion to your non-sense "journalism".If you were appalled by the "9 checks" his comment got, I am sure you've been throwing up like crazy lately.Don't be a jerk.

Rory Cripps

at 14:13 on November 2nd, 2009

M Sandoval (not verified):

Thank you for your comment and opinion!

thematrix777

at 06:58 on November 1st, 2009

Fox shows video's of the people, IN THEIR OWN WORDS.

How can that be unfair reporting if the person said it?

The truth is the truth. You cannot "take back" words once they are spoken.

Obama has socialists who work against the Constitution and Bill of Rights every day. They need to be stopped. They are trying to redistribute the wealth. If you want to be rich, get off your butt and earn it. Redistribution of wealth is wrong.

Fox News has NEVER ONCE endorsed the Birther movement. Get your facts straight. Show me the tape where anyone at Fox news every endorsed that and I'll consider your argument. But, don't throw out unsubstantiated statements as facts. If you do, you are in the same category as all the other nuts out there, stating fiction as facts.

Rory Cripps

at 15:03 on November 2nd, 2009

thematrix777:

Thank you for your comment!

". . . don't throw out unsubstantiated statements as facts."

That's one of the points that I try to make in this story: namely that many of the ideologues that support Obama, unconditionally and no questions asked, very rarely, if ever, watch or listen to FOX News journalists and reporters. Other than political and social philosophy, they're no different from the ideologues on the fringe right. The ideologues take it personally when someone criticizes their leaders and then they work themselves up into an emotional frenzy. At that point they'll say anything in defense of their guy based on hearsay. But in any event,: even if FOX News was everything that the ideologues claim it to be, so what? Are media outlets not allowed to be biased in their reporting? And who determines what's biased and what's not biased . . . the particular administration that's in power at the time?

After reading the comments posted to this story, I think that many have come to the following conclusion: A large number of Obama supporters view him as something much more than a politician that happened to get elected to the presidency. In his supporter's eyes, Obama is special, and therefore he should be treated differently from past presidents. Moreover, they feel as though Obama should not be criticized, nor should his policies be questioned. It has very little to do with race and has everything to do with ideology. I say this because I have no doubt that if a conservative Republican, who happened to be an African American, were elected president, the same Obama supporters would lash out at him and call him every name under the sun. We all saw what happened to Clarence Thomas . . . didn't we?

American Values on trial (not verified)

at 20:40 on October 19th, 2009

The only thing sadder than FOX passing off what they "report" as news... is that there are so many who believe that it is.

albertacowpoke

at 20:48 on October 19th, 2009

Yes and the rest believe CNN and MSNBC does. I guess it depends on your political ideology what you consider to be news.

Rory Cripps

at 21:15 on October 19th, 2009

American Values on trial (not verified):

Could you elaborate a little here on your assertion? It would be greatly appreciated! I very rarely watch FOX, therefore I'd be greatly interested in learning about FOX's tendentious reporting of the news and its right-wing campaign to discredit President Obama.

Rory Cripps

at 18:52 on October 20th, 2009

American Values on trial (not verified):

Thank you for your comment! Could you please back up your assertion with some facts in order to demonstrate that what you say is true? I noticed that you got 4 (read 'em) check marks for your comment! It is a rare thing that anyone gets more than 3 check marks for comments that are well thought out and grammatically correct on NP! What's the secret to your comment success? How much do you love Obama? And how far would you go for Obama if he issued lock-step march orders? Would you go to the limit? Do you have the stomach for it?

Rory Cripps

at 15:33 on October 22nd, 2009

American Values on trial (not verified):

Can you elaborate and be specific? In other words, what specifically has Fox said about Obama that you disagree with? I'm looking for direct and specific verifiable quotes from Fox newscasters (not Fox personalities and commentators such as Glen Beck) that would serve as evidence that Fox News is always and everywhere more biased in its reporting than CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc. I not only throw this challenge out to you, but I throw it out to everyone that makes broad and sweeping assertions (often to the point of the hysterical) about how biased Fox News is. It's plain for all to see that the Obama administration and its fanatical supporters are engaged in an all-out effort to shut up Obama critics. The cheap-shot and under-handed tactics on the part of the Obama Administration to stifle free speech and marginalize its critics is not going to work. It's only going to alienate more and more Americans from Obama and his administration.

meadland1 (not verified)

at 19:30 on October 31st, 2009

Fox News has a news team and an opinion team..The two are different and have different rules. Its just like a newspaper, you should try reading one

Rory Cripps

at 01:45 on November 1st, 2009

meadland1 (not verified):

Thanks for your comment! Yes! FOX News has a news team and an opinion team. I agree. But as you can see, Obama and his administration are engaged in a propaganda effort to blur that distinction. It's obvious that Obama feels more comfortable with shutting his critics up and attacking the messenger instead of the message. Obama's tactics in regard to FOX and specific media personalities are right out of Saul Alinsky's Rules For Radicals.

Rory Cripps

at 20:55 on October 19th, 2009

nyctuber: Thank you for your frank and candid opinion! Indeed, your opinion of FOX is quite common and understandable! BTW: In regard to the "birther" argument: I wan't aware that FOX encouraged the "birther" argument ad nauseum . . . .

nyctuber

at 22:02 on October 19th, 2009

I meant the birther nonsense as an example. They do it ad nauseum. They encourage anything which will has the potential to damage Democrats, by the worst possible means.

Rory Cripps

at 18:54 on October 20th, 2009

nyctuber: Now I understand! Again: Thank you for your comment and your views on FOX News!

Babel-Fish

at 21:26 on October 19th, 2009

Why am I beginning to wonder if the news break from fox has been exaggerated to get more people to prop up its sagging ratings, lol

Well I have seen every thing even a flying elephant, lol So someone in the white house hates fox news so bloody what. Watch BBC I do its much more professional than the over plasticized politically trashy news in America. (tongue in cheek).

This however is very amusing am I actually seeing republican crying and sobbing oh dear those dastard democrats are abusing my favorite news channel what a damn sad comedy. I think some one at fox is trying to out fox the lefties, lol

cbetancourt

at 07:57 on October 28th, 2009

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/13876676/October-Cable-News-Total-Viewers-Program-Ranker-Live-SD

meadland1 (not verified)

at 19:40 on October 31st, 2009

Fox news does not need to "prop up its sagging ratings" since they are growing ever popular due to the general public growing tired of the state run media (like the bbc in the UK) repeating white house talking points and not specifically addressing the concerns of working people.O Reilly whom you probably hate blows the doors off of of all the other news/commentary shows put together so stop whining and deal with it. The days of the left leaning media controlling what the public gets as news are over. You could always go back to the UK and live under Sharia law

Rory Cripps

at 01:53 on November 1st, 2009

meadland1 (not verified):

"You could always go back to the UK and live under Sharia law."

That would be a hoot! Lol!

Yes! The ideologues certainly have a problem with anyone that works for FOX News. No doubt that in their minds anyone that works for FOX News is a right-wing extremist/racist/homophobe. HA!

The_Cynic

at 21:32 on October 19th, 2009

Rory - I wouldn't know where to start in adding that Fox News just isn't a new channel. There really is so much information out there to be looked at with a few Google searches.

They play to their audience that is a given. We had/have people on NP who actually use Glen Beck in the same sentence as economist. If any rational person was to weep with crocodile tears so much, with actual evidence that he is doing this as a ratings thing - and that person was to be a crap journalist - there would be an outcry.

Even Bill O is recognising things have got out of hand on Fox - and that is saying something.

MSNBC is biased toward a liberal view - yet, even though it is it does ask questions of why organisations like ACORN are stripped of funding when KBR are left to do as will - even after a woman is gang-raped and cannot sue the company because that is in the small print - where the feck was Fox on that story, a 'news' story!

They attacked ACORN! Look, I have no problem with organisations coming out and saying who they support - that is fine by me. But Fox keeps insisting that they are a News organisation when they are not.

I hope upon hope that the White House wins this battle. Presidents before have lost when taking on the press - and so they should - but Fox is a Murdoch driven channel. And, to be honest - if you want Murdoch news, that will be the end of any journalistic integrity until the end of time.

The whole news empires if there are any left should rise up against Murdoch, because his companies are killing news from local to international - and for profit to him and him alone.

albertacowpoke

at 04:04 on October 20th, 2009

The same questions could be asked about the other news agencies. It helps to let the remote walk around the available channels. Eveyone knows what Glenn Beck and Hannity do. You would have to be blind not to see that.

FOX brings some of the best researched news during the day. A lot of times they break stories.

One should also realize what is happening on MSNBC.

In any case, if FOX is as bad as you and the Obama Administration says it is, let the viewer, not the White House, make that decision and I think they have.

Hugh Askew

at 16:36 on October 20th, 2009

"In any case, if FOX is as bad as you and the Obama Administration says it is, let the viewer, not the White House, make that decision and I think they have."

Nicely said, cowboy.

Rory Cripps

at 17:07 on October 20th, 2009

Cynic: Here's my take on the whole thing: If each one of us were to undertake the laborious and utterly insane task of documenting everything that newscasters, journalists, reporters, and media personalities said on all the major news networks and then made a comparison we'd probably discover that every one of them are guilty of biased reporting to some degree. We'd also find that CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, and NBC (to name a few) personalities have more of a "progressive" viewpoint than those on Fox News. Indeed, what we'd discover, once we scratched the surface, is that the majority of main stream media outlets are somewhat sympathetic to the Obama Administration. And this sympathy doesn't just include the above-mentioned cable and TV outlets--it includes newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post, etc.

So here we've got FOX News that employs many objective newscasters, writers, and journalists that present the news without an axe to grind, but because FOX has a number of non-progressive commentators and media personalities, such as Glen Beck, that express views contrary to the Obama administration's views we're told that FOX News is something other than a news outlet along with the implication (to put it in very simple terms) that FOX News is essentially bad and CNN, MSNBC, and the rest, are essentially good. and that CNN and the rest are "fair and balanced" but FOX News is not. Not only do millions of Americans not buy the spiel coming from the Obama Administration in regard to FOX News and talk radio, but when they see Obama and his administration incorporate these type of cheap-shot tactics to stifle his political opposition, they view him and his administration as desperate.

shellbracelet (not verified)

at 22:32 on October 19th, 2009

It doesn't matter what they report or whether or not people believe it.

The problem is obama being a whiny child complaining about people who say mean things about him. Bush had to deal with much harsher criticism for years and whether it was true or not, he never complained or called the media out the way obama is doing.

Its about freedom of speech, not truth vs. Lies. A president should anticipate criticism and take it to heart as a means to become a better leader, not attempt to smother it. That is a violation of freedom of speech, after all.