The White House is right about Fox News.
I agree with the Obama administration about something--Fox News is not a legitimate news organization. White House media director Anita Dunn, whose name sounds like something from Airplane 2 (watch 3:30 to 4:10), had this to say yesterday about Fox:
We're going to treat them the way we treat an opponent. As they are undertaking a war against Barack Obama and the White House, we don't need to pretend that this is the way that legitimate news organizations behave.
You can read more from the New York Times (NYT) article here, although I don't recommend it. It's just a series of ad hominem attacks volleyed back and forth by administration officials and Fox News executives, who repeatedly mention ratings without mention of accurate reporting.
No argument from me on this one.
In typical "journalism" fashion, the NYT merely prints each side's spin. If you want something with some meat, I highly recommend this instead:
World Public Opinion: Misperceptions, the Media and the Iraq War (2 October 2003)
Although the essay stops short of stating the obvious, the clear conclusion is that certain organizations--Fox being the worst among them--clearly contribute to the public being misinformed about critical facts. Even worse, the more consumers are exposed to some sources, the worse informed they become.
For example, consider the report by the IAEA dated 7 March 2003, thirteen days before the U.S. invasion of Iraq began, titled, "The Status of Nuclear Inspections in Iraq: An Update." Skip to the "Conclusion" section at the end, and read the bullet points. With that in mind, watch this video of one particular belicose imbecile Fox repeatedly had on air in the last few weeks before the invasion:
This is the Johnnie Cochran defense in action. The IAEA report contradicted all the propaganda Cheney, Rice, and other warmongers were dolling out to the public at the time, so proponents of the invasion attacked the people calling for peace. Somebody with an enormous amount of clout to speak on the subject once said this:
Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship. ...voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.
That is exactly what happened in the United States in 2002 and 2003, and Fox News was absolutely vital in making it happen. When Fox decided to pick a side, it ceased to exist as a legitimate news organization.
Tags: Anita Dunn, Barack Obama, Fox News, Iraq, propaganda