White House Communications Director Calls Fox an “Arm of the Republican Party.”

For years Fox has been treated as if it was a legitimate news outlet, even by those who recognized its conservative bias. There is  a considerable difference from the types of bias seen from time to time from all news outlets and the manner in which Fox was established for the purpose of pursuing a specific political agenda. Fox is no more a legitimate news outlet than Pravda was in the old Soviet Union.

We are finally seeing some honest response to Fox’s role. A couple of weeks ago the White House blog outright said that Fox lies. White House communications director Anita Dunn was recently quoted by Time as saying “It’s opinion journalism masquerading as news.” Today, on CNN’s Reliable Sources, Dunn defended this comment, noting how it devotes so much time to stirring fake controversies like Bill Ayers and ACORN (video above). She also said:

The reality of it is that Fox News often operates as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party. And it’s not ideological. I mean, obviously there are many commentators who are conservative, liberal, centrist, and everybody understands that. What I think is fair to say about Fox is — and certainly the way we view it — is that it really is more of a wing of the Republican Party. […]

They’re widely viewed as, you know, a part of the Republican Party — take their talking points, put them on the air, take their opposition research, put them on the air, and that’s fine. But let’s not pretend they’re a news network they way CNN is.

It is good to see a White House which is so open to recognizing reality and stating so.

6 Comments

  1. 1
    Eclectic Radical says:

    And, because this is how it works in the right wing echo chamber, I am certain the conservative blogosphere has already begun a huge backlash in accusing Barack Obama of ‘picking on’ Fox News just as they accused the real news of ‘picking on’ Sarah Palin.
     

  2. 2
    Ron Chusid says:

    Eclectic,

    You are definitely right about the right wingers whining about being picked on. One wingnut blog which repeats all the standard Fox fictions even linked here with a post which ridiculously tried to turn this into a First Amendment issue (clearly showing the writer has no understanding of what the First Amendment and freedom of the press means) and even tried to compare this to Nixon’s enemies list.

    The link here also describes the blog as Chavez supporting, which is rather strange considering that all my posts on Chavez have been critical of him. I wonder where they get the “fact” that this blog supports Chavez. Oh yes, from the same place where Fox gets their “facts.” By making them up.

  3. 3
    Eclectic Radical says:

    Heh. Not exactly a surprise. Maybe it’s because I’ve only been up for 35 minutes and start work at 2:10 AM in another 22… I can’t find the link. Or did you take it down?
     
    The one conservative blog that I keep caught up didn’t address it directly, but made a backhanded reference to it in an article criticizing Michelle Obama for staying out of South Carolina.
     
    I haven’t started my bi- or occasionaly tri- weekly search for conservative blog articles that piss me off and make me want to write something angry yet. So I haven’t seen the worst stuff, I’m sure.
     
    And yeah, accusing you of supporting Chavez is kind of funny. I could see someone accusing ME of supporting Chavez. Based on my penchant for socialism if not anything I’ve actually written. But you?
     

  4. 4
    Ron Chusid says:

    The link isn’t in the posts, but it was picked up in the list of links here in the side bar.

  5. 5
    Bruno T says:

    I wouldn’t call Fox News an arm of the Republican party. I would call it the propaganda wing of it, sort of like Hitler and his minister of propaganda!

  6. 6
    Eclectic Radical says:

    Ah ha. I found it, finally. It’s pretty unimpressive. The guy assumes calling something Stalinist and quoting a few liberals who are unhappy with the move and then idly bashing the people commenting positively on it will make his point. I expect more effort even from right-wingers.
     

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