WH scribe (WP's VandeHei) asks for remote (to change WH TVs from Fox)

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN: White House scribe asks for the remote
Press corps asks to watch CNN on Air Force One
Thursday, April 27, 2006

....During a briefing led by White House spokesman Scott McClellan as President Bush was traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana, the Washington Post's Jim VandeHei asked why the White House televisions always seemed to be tuned to Fox News and if it was possible to have them tuned instead to CNN.

"It's come to my attention that there's been requests -- this is a serious question -- to turn these TVs onto a station other than Fox, and that those have been denied," VandeHei told McClellan, who is soon to be replaced by former Fox anchor and self-described conservative Tony Snow.

"My question would be, is there a White House policy that all government TVs have to be tuned to Fox?" VandeHei asked....

***

"They're always turned to Fox, which a lot of people consider a Republican-leaning network."

VandeHei noted that the televisions are paid for with taxpayer dollars....

***

"I've never known anyone that's raised a complaint about a request from back here to watch a different channel," McClellan added.

VandeHei replied, "I'm officially raising it, and officially complaining about it."....I was told, 'We don't watch CNN here, you can only watch Fox,' " VandeHei said....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/27/whitehouse.fox/index.html

[Erika]

1. W's Pravda Faux Network

Now he's moved one of them into the WH. Yes, the taxpayers payers are paying for the WH/Faux TV.

[targetpractice]

2. Oooh... SNAP! n/t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. Well, since CNN is doing their very best to emulate faux...

what's the difference? :shrug:

[DAMANgoldberg]

4. Katherine can't be happy in her grave...

I find it interesting that the Washington Post's Jim VandeHei asked for CNN. If he was a good Postie, he would have asked for MSNBC, because the Post owns Newsweek and has a news-sharing/?financial? relationship with MSNBC. Not enough corporate incest involved here.

[laheina]

8. Hi DAMANgoldberg !!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[fearnobush]

5. CNN wants its Conservative Neoconn Network to get in on the WH action.

Like all state infamous state run news services of totalitarian governments, CNN wants to be just like fox, in Bush's hen hole.

[Bleacher Creature]

6. "which a lot of people consider a Republican-leaning network."

I hate when they do that -- as if Fox's leanings are in question.

[Cronus Protagonist]

7. This pic seems appropos at this moment :)

[leftchick]

9. Excellent! Here is another...

[TomClash]

10. Faux News

is the privitized US Ministry of Disinformation.

[bklyncowgirl]

11. What I find amazing is that no one's brought this up before.

I mean here you have all these hotshot reporters and no one has the desire--or the guts to ask if they can watch something other than Fox--or haven't bothered to report this to the American people who pay for that inflight TV that these guys are watching.

[rodeodance]

15. it is a privledge to get invited on Air Force one. they are afraid so they

put up.

[bklyncowgirl]

26. He could get a whole new seat assignment.

Down in the baggage compartment with Barney.

[shadowknows69]

12. It will interrupt the "They Live" signal

if they watch anything else.

[remfan]

13. But Jim, since your wife is a former GOP staffer

shouldn't you be used to watching Fox "News"?

VandeHack raises this issue now after he's been covering the WH for how long (or is this one of the rare times he actually WENT to the press briefing)? Why raise it now? So Tony Snow can look like some moderating force when he, *GASP*, allows another crappy news channel on the tee-vee?

[rodeodance]

14. I have read that the troops have their channels set at Fox also but do

not know if true. anyone?

[Canuckistanian]

16. That's what I've heard

Nothing but Fox on TV, Rush on Armed Foces radio (Schultz too now, apparently) and liberal websites blocked on military computers.

[Binka]

18. I've Been To Nas Sigonella Several Times Here In Sicily

The food court area by the Navy Exchange has a dozen or so televisions and they are always on CNN International. I have been there 10 or so times in the past year and I have NEVER seen Fox. This, I would imagine is a decision made by the CO. Apparently he does not like FOX.

[Canuckistanian]

21. I heard about soldiers talking about buildings in the Green Zone

In some places there were giant plasma TV's that were always tuned to Fox. And if they got broken, they were immediately replaced. One had to be replaced multiple times at great expense and the troops started complaining that all this money was being spent on TV's when they were short of basic equipment.

I'll try and find the link.

[Binka]

22. Ben (My Son) Was In Ramadi And They Kept BBC On

So Negroponte has the plasma propaganda on 24/7 in the Green Zone? I would be furious if I was there on duty without protection but $5000+ televisions were a priority!

[Canuckistanian]

23. Well, if you were in the Green Zone, you were fairly safe

What do they call them, "fobbits"? The soldiers who never leave the compound.

[Binka]

24. Yeah That's The Word The Infantry Didn't Cotton With The Fobbits

Ben's unit lost 11 guys in their 6.5 month tour. In a way it was a blessing that Ben got blown to shit after being in that hell hole for 3 weeks. I was a wreck after 3 weeks. One of the guys got killed two DAYS before they left Iraq. Ben's best friend was killed 15 days before they left. This has got to stop. I am just sick over this.

[Canuckistanian]

25. OMG

It's hard for me to imagine the hell that you families of servicemen go through every day.

I hope Ben makes it home soon.

[AlCzervik]

17. when my nephew was in Iraq--both times he said most times

the tv's were on cnn internationial or the BBC.

[jsamuel]

19. good point, Fox spends too much time on missing white girls

watching it would probably piss them off

[AlCzervik]

20. plus when you see the troops watching fox news it's because they

are filming something for fox news--a little product placement within product placement.

[high density]

27. Yeah cuz CNN is much better at "news" than Fox is.

:eyes: