Fox hounded - How the Democrats are Turning on Fox News

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-brownstein16mar16,0,6326229.story?coll=la-opinion-center

<snip>

Last week's decision by Nevada Democrats, under pressure from liberal activists, to drop Fox as the co-sponsor of a party presidential debate has the virtue of crystallizing the questions about the network's nature and its unique role in the modern media ecosystem.

<snip>

There's merit in that argument: No party can survive by talking only to people who agree with it. But Fox critics, led by the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org, insisted the price for that access was too high and argued that it was self-destructive for Democrats to legitimize Fox in any way.

That argument struck a much more powerful chord than the Nevada Democrats expected, not only with the compulsive petition-signers online, but also with pillars of the Democratic political establishment. Many Democratic professionals believe that Fox will continue to provide an uncritical platform for almost any charge the right can dredge (Drudge?) up against the 2008 Democratic contenders.

Mark Mellman, the pollster for Kerry in 2004, passionately supported the decision to cancel the debate. "Everything Fox does is directed toward aiding and abetting the Republican Party, and it uses its newsgathering organization more or less as a cover for that," he said.

A senior advisor to one of the 2008 Democratic contenders was equally emphatic. "I think the more they can be de-legitimized the better," the advisor said. "They are in business to promote the Republican Party and to hurt the Democratic Party, and they have every right to do that, but to the extent that their pretense of objectivity can be challenged, it should be."

[Benhurst]

1. Recommended #3

[waiting for hope]

2. There you go little buddy...

Off to the GP.

[Ninja Jordan]

5. huh?

[Pirate Smile]

8. GP = Greatest Page

:)

[Maccagirl]

3. Good, we have been doing the heavy lifting

far too long-it's about time the operatives/strategists/leaders get their act together. I loved the words "modern media ecosystem". In my view that's a code word for cesspool.

[KansDem]

35. "I loved the words 'modern media ecosystem'. In my view that's a code word for cesspool."

If I remember my science days correctly, an ecosystem produces rotting matter as fertilizer and food for maggots and such. I think that pretty much sums up the raison d'être of FoxNews.

[w4rma]

4. Another brilliantly double-meaning headline. Written by an obfuscating right-wing editor? (nt)

[depakid]

44. It's a Brownstein column

The West Coast's version of Howard Fineman.

[blm]

6. I think it's fine to keep FOX from our debates, but some Dems should appear on FOX just

to show up their talking points on crucial matters.

Iraq and Iran ARE crucial, and the more Dems like Wes Clark show up there the more people - even FOX viewers - will lose their WILL to support more war.

[Skittles]

25. the point is, FOX is simply not a legitimate news organization

they serve solely to feed propaganda swill to their willing-to-be-ignorant fans - Democrats LEGITIMIZE FOX when they agree to appear on such a slanted piece of SHIT show

[blm]

28. Except some of the people who have defected to our side in the past year were

and still may be FOX viewers. My vendetta against the corporate media is pretty wellknown here, but I always understood exactly what Clark and a few other Dems have been doing when they appear on FOX.

Now, those Dems who just go on those shows to SCHMOOZE with the RW and reify their talking points, like Lieberman or Harold Ford, that's another story.

But any time I have seen Clark or Kerry or Kucinich or Cleland on FOX, I see them planting some serious points against Bush WH and the war.

Look - the Iraq withdrawal vote was 50-48 last week. Last June Kerry-Feingold had only 13 senators voting for withdrawal. They should stay on ALL networks till they have the majority vote.

[Labors of Hercules]

30. Dems in power should, and those who are not in the race.

Candidates should stay as far away as possible.

[blm]

32. That's what I agree with.

.

[MethuenProgressive]

7. Will the MSM finally pick up on the truth about FOX Noise?

:popcorn:

[Cha]

40. The corporatemedia knows the

truth about faux..cnn was trying to emulate them so they could get the ratings, too..glen beck, et al.

But, cnn still has some exposes of the bushits of which faux never would.

larry king is one of the biggest propogandistas out there, imo.

[Dr Fate]

9. Thank God for the DEMS who GET IT. The ones who dont-please take a HIKE.

n/t

[AuntPatsy]

10. I wish all Dems would stay away from Faux, they are not

a friend to them nor will they ever be.....they would do well to avoid them at all cost. More and more I have finally seen faux disappearing from businesses that once used to constantly air them to the public, I assume I was not the only one complaining, very gratifying to witness this past year.

[RamboLiberal]

11. Want to add one more important paragraph I should've posted

Fox cloaks itself in the mantle of objectivity with the nudge-nudge insistence that it—and it alone—provides "fair and balanced" coverage of the news. Then it advances its financial and ideological interests by promoting lurid accusations from conservatives against Democrats, accusations that are routinely debunked later by the mainstream media. Many Fox reporters are fair. But overall the network—through its language, its news decisions and its hosts—generally functions more like a cog in the Republican message machine than as a conventional news organization that attempts to abide, however imperfectly, by the traditional standards of (yes) fairness and balance.

IMHO Dems ought to find a select few Democrats and spokespeople who know how to play the game and smack the smarmy hosts and Repuke guests upside the head to appear on Faux. Others should stay away!

[Maven]

17. "a few Democrats and spokespeople"

Get Cliff Schecter on the job, ASAP.

He's the only Dem I've seen who knows how to BRING IT and beat them at their own game.

[crispini]

12. "I think the more they can be de-legitimized the better,"

I LOVE THAT QUOTE!!! :bounce:

[Maven]

18. Exactly.

It's about legitimacy. Reminds me of that old hackneyed phrase, "I won't dignify that with an answer." Fox should no longer be dignified by cooperative Dems, participating in their own slander.

[joefree1]

33. I'm for anything that de-legitimizes Faux News

Including making fun of them. Democrats should still appear on Faux News but we need to get the message out that these people are yellow journalist quacks. Stopping the debate in Nevada did just that.

[David Zephyr]

13. Now this is what I'm talking about.

:thumbsup:

[TheConstantGardener]

14. I think they should stand up to Fox like Bill Clinton did

Go on it as often as possible; don't let FOX lie about Democrats and then not present our side of things. Kucinich is right on this one, although I wouldn't call any corporate media outlet "legitimate" they ARE legitimate if millions watch and believe them in the eyes of America.

[sendero]

27. It jus tdoesn't work,..

... because they control the edit, they control the context, they control the crawl running underneath the interview and they use ALL of these things to distort the message.

In the off chance that a Dem is ALLOWED to smack down the conservative sockpuppet, unless it is LIVE (and it rarely is) is will never be aired.

I don't know what about this is so hard to get. There is NOTHING IN IT FOR US, period.

[Spiffarino]

34. .

You put the whole issue in very concise terms.

As long as they control what's on the screen there is no reason for any legitimate Democrat or progressive of any kind to appear. They will edit away the substance and use anything left over to slime the left.

[FrenchieCat]

15. So when do we start "work" delegitimizing CNN?

Cause that little Wolf-Ticket and his Candy friend ain't much better, if you ask me.

[TheConstantGardener]

16. All corporate media outlets are illegitimate but "legitimate"

Perception is belief, my friend. As long as millions watch them and we don't create viable alternatives, millions will see them as legitimate.

And we shouldn't kid ourselves thinking the political class of the Democrats are any different about having these guys around. Read Jeff Cohen's book.

[robinlynne]

21. ABC needs to go first.

[Sparkly]

29. And at least two MSNBC shows, ABC, etc...

Plus, Rahm Emanuel wants Democrats to avoid Stephen Colbert's show.

So they should all refuse to appear on Fox, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, and Colbert. Then they can complain about how they never have Democrats on.

:sarcasm:

[sampsonblk]

42. There is a difference

Before there was a Fox, I used to disagree with some things I saw on CNN and other networks. But Fox is extreme. Their purpose seems to be to influence politics in favor of the GOP. This isn't an occasional disagreement. Theirs is an extreme case.

[Laelth]

19. k & r

it took a while, but i'm glad to see that a much larger number of people are saying publicly what faux is all about.

-Laelth

[madeline_con]

20. "... newsgathering organization ..."

WOW. There's a misnomer!

[Cobalt-60]

22. This is long overdue

Democrats interviewing on Faux are like Churchill doing an interview for Signal magazine!
Shut them out. Cut them off.
Who cares what they say?
It's like listening to those old lord Haw Haw recordings.

[samsingh]

23. it's about time that Democrats started to fight against

the repug idiots and traitors.

[Roland99]

24. Reinstate the Fairness Doctrine!!!

[jzodda]

26. its about fraking time

Its taken almost 10 years but better late then never. We have to pound it into all Dems and independents that Fox has a clear agenda and is not a legitimate news organization.

[DeeDeeNY]

31. This is probably a naive question, but

isn't there a rule governing whether a station can call themselves a "news" station?
I don't understand how Fox News gets away with using "News" in their title.

[BearSquirrel2]

36. It's cable ...

Faux is on cable. They don't use the public airwaves. I personally feel that the FCC is on shaky ground trying to regulate ANY cable network as all those services are pay per access coming down a coaxial cable or through a satellite link. If you don't like whats on cable either use your V-Chip or turn off the cable.

[DeeDeeNY]

43. They are definitely on public airwaves

Maybe Fox has some cable stations, but they are also on the public airwaves. Fox is a regular station, just like CBS and NBC.

[Diamonique]

45. They are definitely on public airwaves

No they aren't. FOX network is on public airwaves, but FOX News is a cable news station. Two separate entities. It's FOX News that we're talking about here.

Just like NBC is on public airwaves, but its cable stations MSNBC and CNBC are not.

[DeeDeeNY]

46. Thanks

I didn't realize there was a distinction.

[Tigress DEM]

37. AMEN!

FAUX news isn't news. HASN'T BEEN FOR A LONG TIME.

[sampsonblk]

38. Suddenly the 'left' isn't so loony

Its about time the party leadership got on board.

[Cha]

39. "republican"..read

Fascist party. They have nothing so they lie. And we're suppose to fight that? Nah. I'm with these guys..I don't care what Kucinich says.

They need to be "de-legitimitized"! Like Yesterday. It's the corporatemediawhores in the US who are bringing us bush and faux is the top presenter. WAtch out cnn..you wanna be faux replica? Be careful what you wish for.

[MasonJar]

41. Fox News was pretty arrogant to think that Democrats had not noticed

the "fair and balanced" news, even if we never watch it.