White House, NBC News clash

I find what Fox does to be a totally different animal from what the "old school" MSM does. It's not even close.

The media has traditionally been left-leaning because people who tend to get in the business tend to be left-leaning. I find the culture of my newsroom to be left of the town's culture and not because it tries to be. I bet if you took a poll of kids coming out of J-school, it would be overwhelmingly left on the American political spectrum.

However, Fox has been institutional with its bias. It sets out to be biased to offset the left-wing tendencies of the profession. That opens up whole new cans of worms. This O'Reilly vs. Olbermann stuff is a good example. It's one thing to have a homer on your staff and to tolerate him. It's another to specifically expect your people to be homers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/18/AR2008051802313_2.html

Interesting story by Howard Kurtz on the "feud." This story came out I think the day before the White House happened to complain about Engel. Given the Bush's close relationship with Fox, I don't think it takes a conspiracy theorist to draw a conclusion...

 

<<perhaps Bush and the neocons will be proven right.>>

I don't think that's possible at this point. The premise that was presented for going to war (and, notably, supported by most in one part and many in the other) has been pretty much proven to be untrue and acknowledged as such by the White House.

Everything that happens from here on out has to be seen in that context. If Iraq turns into Utopia and a bastion for all things right, it will be the result of dumb luck and not from any sort of genius planning on the part of the U.S.

 

I feel that it is almost natural that the media lean towards liberalism. If you look at the definitions of liberal and conservative, liberals want things to change, while conservatives want things to stay the same.

Look through our history. Liberals thought that kings didn't have divine rights. Conserviatives did. Liberals thought that people of a certain color shouldn't be slaves. Conservatives did. Liberals thought that more than just half the population should have the right to vote. Conservatives didn't.

Upton Sinclair was a liberal for exposing mice in food factories. Jacob Riis was a liberal for showing how Americans lived in poverty.

Taken today, the mainstream media appear liberal because they question the status quo, or at least they are supposed to. FOX News is the conservatives' way of trying to stem the tide of telling the truth.

 

Well said Baron. How can you consider yourself a credible journalist if you think asking questions of leaders might be "anti-American." The Fox folks are filling a niche in the market, just as MSNBC is.

I'm just hoping the media realizes that Bush wants to be quoted "to the letter" now.

"Reading is the basics for all learning"
"The best place for the facts to be done is by somebody who's spending time investigating it."
et. al.....

 

Or these...

"Oftentimes people ask me, 'Why is it that you're so focused on helping the hungry and diseased in strange parts of the world?"

"A lot of times in politics you have people look you in the eye and tell you what's not on their mind."

"Let me start off by saying that in 2000 I said, 'Vote for me. I'm an agent of change.' In 2004, I said, 'I'm not interested in change --I want to continue as president.' Every candidate has got to say 'change.' That's what the American people expect."

"And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq."

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? ... That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2008

"I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be -- hold hands."

Hope those 62 million who voted for him in 2004 are proud of themselves.

 

Surely the White House staff realizes how bad an idea that is.

 

Well, since the current press secretary is even more oblivious . . .