MSNBC Vs. Fox News/White House

The feud between GE/NBC/MSNBC and the White House/Fox News has intensified. Below, five links that encapsulate Tuesday's developments in the MSNBC vs. Fox News/the White House saga:

• White House's Gillespie Takes NBC News Complaint To Fox (click to watch video):

  Appearing before Fox's Megyn Kelly, who seemed to have a palpably difficult time wrangling her own sense of skepticism, Gillespie complained of how MSNBC dared edit their interview, and how they were forcing viewers to use "streaming video" to see the unexpurgated session between Bush and Engel. He said that NBC News cut the interview "very artfully" - you know, like a White House sponsored Video News Release? - and that the news organization engaged in "deceptive" "masking" - like, say, the White House/Pentagon "message force multiplier" program did!

  
  

• NBC News President Steve Capus Responds To Ed Gillespie's Charges:

  Mr. Gillespie,

  
  I'm in receipt of your email and want to assure you we take this matter very seriously.

  
  We appreciated President Bush's decision to do the interview with NBC News, and believe Mr. Engel's reporting accurately reflects the discussion with the President.

  
  Let me assure you, there was no effort to be "deceptive," as you suggest. Furthermore, the notion this was, "deceitful editing to further a media-manufactured storyline," is a gross misrepresentation of the facts.

  
  

• Olbermann Responds To White House NBC Complaints: The President Doesn't Know What He's Talking About (click to watch video):

  Olbermann aired the full excerpt and blasted the White House saying, "The White House apparently [doesn't realize] that in full, it is clear the President never actually answered Richard Engel's first question and clear that the President either does not know what he talked about or what he is now talking about."

  
  

• Steve Doocy Blasts Keith Olbermann: "A Guy Who Picks On People's Children" (click to watch video):

  "I have a problem with Keith Olbermann," Steve Doocy said. "Keith Olbermann made my son the world's worst person. How can you make a kid the world's worst person?" Doocy asked. "Next time you see Keith Olbermann on TV, just remember: that is a guy who picks on people's children. He completely sandbagged my son, took his comments out of context, and mangled them around the way he does every night. And I am mad at Keith Olbermann."

  
  

• Is MSNBC A Political Liability To NBC?:

  Monday's letter from the White House aide Ed Gillespie to the NBC News president Steve Capus was a high-profile complaint about NBC News and MSNBC -- ­ but it was far from the first.

  
  Critics are increasingly citing MSNBC for what they say is left-leaning partisan political coverage and commentary. More and more, NBC shares staff, office space and an identity with MSNBC, exposing the news division to complaints about opinionated cable hosts like Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews.

  
  Mr. Gillespie's letter -- although focusing on an interview conducted by an NBC correspondent on Sunday -- purposefully tied the news on NBC and the opinion on MSNBC together. The letter requested reassurance that Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews, who are vocal critics of the Bush administration, "don't hold editorial sway over the NBC network news division."

  
  

Comments

[izAriver]

"Critics are increasingly citing MSNBC for what they say is left-leaning partisan political coverage and commentary­."

The critics being fox noise, the corrupt bushit administration, corporate cronies, insane supposed "men of god" and right-wing extremist automatons. Objective group there, no?

[mirza]

Is Doocy's son over 18---if yes he's not a kid!

[izAriver]

Doocy's an idiot. His son could be 30 and he'd say the same thing.

[Ramirez]

It was still a cheap shot to go after the son. Worst Person in the World? Please.

[kallopolis]

IT'S NOT PARTISAN WHEN IT'S THE TRUTH!

ROCK ON MSNBC!

[ethancorso]

Are you f**king kidding me? The Cheney administration is trying to police journalistic integrity? Fox News has been the propaganda arm of the GOP for over a decade, and together with Dana Perino, administration officials, and other surrogates they perform the same function as the Iraqi Minister of Information. What's next? Is that idiot Gillespie going to write a letter to everyone in the media who does not parrot Republican talking points? I'm pretty sure this is on the list of crap that happens when a nation is making the transition into fascism.

REALITY is biased against the GOP. Keith provides irrefutable facts that prove the truly malevolent nature of the GOP, and the emotion he conveys is entirely appropriate considering the nature of the material.

That being said, Keith is certainly not perfect. He can be both smug and narcissistic, and his questions are often framed in a manner meant to illicit a decidedly anti-GOP response. But he tells the truth, and his voice is the loudest in television news that opposes the current regime.

[KOisGod]

Very well said, bravo.

[scorpi2000]

I THINK SOMEONE SHOULD ASK THE NEWS STATIONS TO DISCLOSE WHO OWNS THEM AND WHO DETERMINES THE TOPICS, ISSUES, AND OPINIONS EXSPRESSED

THE MEDIA IS CLEARLY A POWERFUL TOOL FOR COMUNICATING INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC. ITS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY INFORMING US OF PENDING DANGER, AND KEEPING US INFORMED AND UP TO DATE WITH ISSUES AND EVENTS THAT EFFECT OUR EVERY DAY LIVES.

DO THEY HAVE THE POWER TO EFFECT PEOPLES OPINIONS AND CHANGE THE RESULTS OF AN ELECTION ?

I WISH SOMEONE WOULD BRING UP THIS ISSUE ON ONE OF THE MAJOR NEWS STATIONS AND LETS SEE HOW THEY REACT.

Who ever controls the flow of information also controls what most people believe. So for example: Bush was trying to get every one to support him in his efforts to invade Iraq and many people were against it including the U.N. and many other countries. Anyone that protested his desicion were demonized, accussed of being anti American, unpatiotic, and publicly portrayed by the media as the vilian. If I remember correctly some comentators were even fired for voicing thier opinion against going to war. Many of the politicians who actualy disagreed with going to war, were afraid they would be portrayed as being unamerican if they voted against it. Afraid that the media would demonize them and destroy thier political carriers.
WHO HAS THE POWER TO CONTROL THE MEDIA ? AND WHAT IS THIER AGENDA ?

Thanks

SCORPI2000

[kallopolis]

everyone knows nbc/msnbc are owned by GE anD BIG DADDY Westinghouse. They disclaim this all the time. Do some research if you want knowledge.

[Exit]

FOX News is a joke. It is just one big infomercial for the Republican Party with lies and distortions from their leader, Sean Hannity.

[loki]

Very funny thing just now on CNN's Spin Beck propaganda hour. I just caught the very end and he was trying to spin the NBC interview to favor the white house. Of course because he is one of the new great political whores. But anyway, He showed some of the parts that NBC cut, and the President even made a bigger asz of himself. Saying we should never negotiate with Al Qaeda or the Taliban, or the leader of Iran. First of all, he and his people have been not only negotiating with Al Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as with the Taliban. Not only trying to negotiate, but actually using billions in US tax money to bribe them. Which now has turned into a great extortion racket for the terrorist and a way to fund their arms and munitions to fight us. As for Iran, well everyone from Condi on down , including Mcwar, has at one time or another talked of negotiations. OH, and in the cut material Bush of course said the famous, " my speech was taken out of content." Right, that is the usual code for, I screwed up and I am not taking the blame for it.

[realpolitic]

I did not see the segment you are speaking of, but Glenn Beck is the worst thing on television.

[mrBlue1]

He (Beck) single handedly ruined any chance of CNN getting on MY TV screen anytime soon.

[JScott]

Oh please the media powers that be aren't reporting the REAL STORY here-ya know the corporate bigwigs at News Corp. and GE LOVE keeping this feud up it'll increase their ratings and ad revenue, as long as that keeps up they'll keep the feud up, and the media consumers will continue to be the sheep.

[mediamarv]

Doocy.. isn't that a Muslim name?? Sure seems weird enough to be... we better check this guy out, he might be a beard for a terrorist, slowly infiltrating the corporate media in an attempt to foment civil strife.
Put him on the "no-fly" list.
Now!

[realpolitic]

Doocy is undoubtedly a terrorist!

[goofticket]

If Bush thinks the press is unfair now, just wait until he's out of office, and the investigations are ongoing as to what they did, in secret, for 8 years.

[loki]

It will never happen. You can bet on that. There may be a multimillion dollar investigation that last for years and make some Washington insiders very wealthy, but nothing will come of it. Just look at any investigation of a president in the recent past. WhiteWater, what was that 70 mil to find nothing . Iran Contra, which was the greatest joke because actually major crimes were committed by the President, Vice President and on down the line of command, and nothing happened. In fact, the only low level twit who did get some form of pretend punishment is not a highly respected hero of the Nutty Rightwing. Oh yeah, and the VP was promoted to President.

So dont hold your breath because so many people are doing so many very illegal acts in DC, they wont take the chance of rocking the boat to much. Or only hope is maybe Kennedy or Spector who are now facing the loss of their own lives will have repent and turn the whole lossy bunch in. Then again, the whole lossy bunch controls the justice department, and I am sure only a few small players might fall at the most , and things will continue as usual.

[mamacat]

Wouldn't it be appropriately ironic if Bush and Cheney got subpoened to the Hague for war- crimes investigations?

[Barbarossa03]

The Bush Administration is showing a hint of Hugo Chavez and other fascist dictators by wanting to censure what news programs put out if what they put out is overtly negative toward them. I'm pretty sure they want to shut NBC and MSNBC (especially Olberman) up being that they are bringing out the truth - the ugliness, incompetence, and corruption - of this administration.

[Bobotheclown]

Hugo Chavez is a critic of America but he is not a fascist. He is a socialist who has stood for election and twice been elected in a landslide. He has a two term limit just like we do here and will be gone in 4 years. He has sometimes attacked the press in his own country but the press is largely right wing and it supported a military coup that took him out of office in 2002 and nearly cost him his life. Massive public protests in the streets forced the right wing to back down and put the elected President back into office. His attacks on his press are about as strong as Bush's attacks on MSNBC but where Bush has only a fascist agenda, Chavez is trying to preserve his own life and the democracy that he represents.

[shotgunjohnny]

ohhhh, olbie's got douchebag doocey mad at him....

[realpolitic]

All the cable news channels at night offer pundits with opinions. Matthews and Olbermann back up their opinions with facts and, if wrong on occasion, will make corrections. Fox News is the outfit that is a 24 hour-a-day commercial for the RNC and their policies. Their consultants include such people as Karl Rove, Hillary-hater Dick Morris, and Newt Gingrich. Fox News distorts and slimes for a living. Few corrections or factual assertions are made. It is all ideology. The White House simply can not stand that they do not control all press.

[bigfated]

With misfits like" Beady-eyed Hannity" and "Big-Head" O'Reilly, and Steve "The Doofus" Doocy....t­hese bums have a lot to complain about. Remember..­.Fox has been the #1 enabler of "The Chimp In Charge!" While Bush was settiing the mideast---if not the world--on fire---these slimy pigs were cheering him on. Pigs! All of them! And these pigs are about to get their fat asses kicked to the curb....wi­th the rest of the dogshit! Goodbye GOP. You suck!

[realpolitic]

Yes, now Fox cheerleads for a war with Iran. Veterans should storm Fox headquarters and demand that they quit cheerleading wars. Wars are good for ratings at Fox. There is always another enemy to demonize.

[bugsbonzai]

Does Doocy understand the tongue-in-cheek nature of Olbermann's "Worst Person" segment? It's simply a segment to highlight the most egregious or obvious of hypocrisy or stupidity of the day, not an actual gauge of what is actually the "Worst in the World." It's meant as hyperbole. Of course Doocy doesn't get that; it would require more than a lukewarm IQ. Doocy is a first rate moron, but we already knew that. His "kid" is a grown-ass adult who asked a dumbass question of his own volition and rightly got creamed for it. Kudos to Keith Olbermann. According to Doocy's logic, nobody should say anything critical of anybody, because, why, EVERYBODY is someone's kid. Oh, except when I, Steve Doocy, say something critical of someone's "kid", because then it's completely justified, because, well, I'm Steve Doocy, and it's not MY "kid". Idiot.

[realpolitic]

Yes, and Doocy's kid already acted as some partisan windbag when he asked a very loaded question to, I believe, McCain at one of the college tours while on the air.

[Mapleave]

Not to mention that his college aged smirking "kid" had elite access to, and took part in, a premeditated set- up appearance on Hardball's College Bowl....Ol­d "dad" didn't mind his "kid's" few moments of McCain boosterism fame on that MSNBC show, did he?