Obama Shuts Out Fox News
by Jonathan Singer, Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 06:02:07 AM EST
This is exactly what you do when a propaganda outfit posing as a news organization smears you with demonstrably false accusations:
These are chilly days on Capitol Hill ... and on the campaign trail for Fox News journalists -- at least when they're anywhere near Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).Sources tell The Sleuth that the Obama camp has "frozen out" Fox News reporters and producers in the wake of the network's major screw-up in running with the erroneous Obama-the-jihadist story reported by Insight magazine.
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Since the madrassah incident, Obama has given interviews to ABC, CNN, CBS and NBC -- pretty much every other network except Fox. Sources close to Obama acknowledged that they're not thrilled to play ball with Fox journalists, but they stopped short of saying they are freezing the network out.
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No one is suggesting the icy conditions are permanent. In fact, a thawing of sorts may already have begun thanks to two telephone conversations Fox News Channel CEO Roger Ailes had with Obama.
All too often in the past Democratic candidates have been willing to just sit back and take hits -- even unjust hits -- from conservatives and blind quote, anonymous smear-loving reporters, just assuming that if they don't react that the story will blow over or that if they do react they should offer their side of the story but leave it at just that. This stands in stark contrast with Republicans, who, going back to Nixon Vice President Spiro Agnew and then Vice President George H. W. Bush, have been more than willing to attack the media for justified inquiries into their actions, let alone unjustified ad hominem attacks, such as the one lobbed at Obama this month. Hopefully we'll see this type of willingness to engage braindead reporters and television personalities among Democratic candidates, not only during the presidential primaries but also on through the general election and in the future.
Tags: Barack Obama, Fox News (all tags)









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