Fox News Cut Out From Questions At Obama's First Press Conference

President-Elect Barack Obama held his first press conference yesterday, one that focused mainly on the current economic crisis. One detail that flew under the radar, however, was which networks and newpapers got to ask questions, or, rather, which one didn't get to ask a question. As Media Bistro notes, one network who was not called upon sticks out: Fox News.

It will be interesting to see how the conservative network adjusts to a political reality in which the Democratic Party holds the White House and substantial majorities in both houses of Congress. Michael Wolff, a Vanity Fair columnist who is writing an authorized biography on Rupert Murdoch's career and family, claims that even Murdoch is embarrassed by Fox News:

Now, with about six weeks to go before publication, Mr. Murdoch has raised objections with Mr. Wolff and his publisher about portions of the book, titled "The Man Who Owns the News: Inside the Secret World of Rupert Murdoch," that suggest that Mr. Murdoch is at times embarrassed by Fox News, which he owns, and its chief executive, Roger Ailes, and that he often shares "the general liberal apoplexy," as Mr. Wolff writes in the book, toward Fox News and its perceived conservative slant...

...The objections raised on behalf of Mr. Murdoch came after an article on Mr. Murdoch and the book was published in Vanity Fair in the October issue in which Mr. Wolff wrote that Mr. Murdoch was making friends with liberals and that he had soured on Fox News and Mr. Ailes. (A 10,000-word excerpt from the book will be published in the December issue, due out early next month.)

"For a long time, he was in love with the Fox chief, Roger Ailes, because he was even more Murdoch than Murdoch," Mr. Wolff wrote in the October Vanity Fair piece. "And yet now the embarrassment can't be missed -- he mumbles even more than usual when called on to justify it; he barely pretends to hide the way he feels about Bill O'Reilly."

Comments

[emiemiemi]

dont trust murdoch, we have a history with him here (over 20 years of it) in the uk using the media in devisive and manupilative way. the guy is a fascist and racist. these "leaks" that have been coming out since it was obvious that obama was going to win is just a way to protect his own back.

[vkarthik]

Good for him. FIXED NOISE is not a news channel. It practices yellow journalism. If anything they should be completely banned by White house. They had special access to white house when Bush was in power. That was illegal. Such networks should not be entertained by Obama.

[TerroristManGonnaGetYa]

Go ahead and HelenThomas them.

[madisonhack]

If Al Franken does finally lose his bid for a Minnesota Senate seat, he should be appointed to run the F.C.C. How would Murdoch and O'Reilly like those apples?

[Donnat]

Dang, this would be FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

[DIAGUY]

EVERYONE IS SO PLEASED THAT OBAMA CUT FOX OUT OF HIS FIRST MEETING WITH THE PRESS. IT SHOWS HE'S NOT YET READY TO ANSWER A REAL QUESTION THAT REQUIRES A REAL ANSWER........NO THANX, NO KOOL-AID FOR ME.

[madisonhack]

No, that isn't it at all,diaguy. Obama is sending a clear message that his people are in the business of solving our country's problems and FOX has never been part of the solution. That entertainment network is irrelevant and will be treated so. Get used to it.

[Pettit]

I'm sooooooo pleased..... LOL

[snellock]

You need no kool-aid friend you have achieved transcendant clarity on the natch. Yep, a walking brain trust.

[COLOIndependent]

Of course he cut them out of the questions. The press conference is supposed to be for "news" media. Honestly answer when has Faux News ever been news. They should change their name to FoxOpinion.

Remember, this was a "news" station that went to federal court to ensure their right to lie to people and still call it news. They spent millions of dollars to over-turn a $400,000 judgment. They most likely considered it an investment in the continued stupidity of their audience.

[JMBrodie]

is this the same obama who went on o'reilly's show?

how soon we forget.

(no caps=wispering. you are giving me a headache, yo)

[imworking4me]

Hooray! Hooray!! Hooray!!!

[Ksisay]

Poetic justice! If you notice, MSNBC didn't get a question in either, but of course the whining will come from POX News. They can dish it out, but can't take it.

And I'm sure everyone's heard that Rush Limbaugh called our President Elect a "thug." Curiously et, not a word from the Repubs, who demanded respect for the incompetent George W. Bush...

[littlewing157]

ksisay; MSNBC may not have gotten a question, but that has nothing to do with FOX not getting one. MSNBC will use the feed from NBC when they don't get the chance, but the Obama team has no problem with msnbc because they know they're a REAL news source, unlike Faux Noise.
You're right about Limbaugh, though; what kind of a freak of nature would call President-elect Obama a 'thug'? oh, yeah, Rush would :/

[beanvoter]

This is all due to the Fox broadcasts that were directed at Michelle Obama: Terrorist Fist bump, Being proud of the US, Baby Mama comment.

Obama will forgive Lieberman, because he was helping a friend, but he doesnt play around when it comes to his Family!!!

Que Viva Obama!

[gorideabike]

Obamanos!

[imworking4me]

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!!!

[mollyjackson]

Fox news made the following report:
ABC had 13.1 million viewers during the prime-time hours, defined as 8 to 11 p.m. CNN had 12.3 million, NBC had 12 million, Fox 9 million, CBS 7.8 million, MSNBC 5.9 million, the Fox broadcast network 5 million and the Spanish-language Univision 4.1 million,....

Seems fair to me...what part of not being in the tank for Obama do you not like?

[librashell]

And yet Murdoch continues to allow Fox to run rampant as he pockets the profits. Give me a break.

[purplerain]

heeeeee heeee! that's good for them. I hope he snubs them everytime! HA!!!

[CalliDem]

Heehe

[Twentylaws]

Rupert has signed a $10 million contract for the next 4 years with O'Reilly so how unhappy could he be? Oops! that's just "good business" tsk!

[Star2000dancer]

Hannity at Fox News tried to destroy Obama. I'd never give them a chance to try to get me again. And if there was a way in the world to eliminate Hannity from the news waves, I'd do it until the day he was gone altogether.

[lorikay56]

HALLELUJAH, PRAISE THE LORD! TO THE END OF THAT PHONY SEAN HERNIA! I can't even listen to him for 2 seconds before barfing. He is such a liar!

[tom ellison]

I think people are making too much out of this. However, if he does continue to systematically ignore FOX, that would be a problem. It would make him seem like a weakling. How's he going to stand up to Iran's president if he can't even stand up to FOX News?

[Strywever]

Perhaps he will begin to recognize Fox News at his pressers when they begin to act like a news agency, and not merely a purveyor of right-wing opinion and talking points . . . I doubt he would recognize a print tabloid such as National Enquirer, and Fox News doesn't seem too different from that, other than the medium.

[OoiGooEE]

How is it weak to shut out Faux News? Fox had point for the last 8 years. Time for them to take a backseat. They're not going to ask anything that is meaningful anyway. Perhaps they'll ask something like "Did Ayers call you to congratulate you?" and "What about Rev. Wright?" I'm so tired of non news I don't care if they ever get a question. The only thing weak here is the idea that taking a question from Fox makes you strong.

[purplerain]

I don't see how it's weak to ignore ignorance!

[JMBrodie]

The man already did O'Reilly's show, so being a "weakling" is not an issue. Could be a subtle message, though...

[ninagoneobama]

Free speech is one thing, lying to the American people and terrorizing them is another.
Good on President Obama!

[femonfire]

The Daily Show? Colbert Report? Helloooo - they are on Comedy Central. These are Comedy Shows NOT the news. ABC, NBC, FOX, CNN, MSNBC - news channels.
Does this help?

[LDS50]

I think that was the point.

[Herekitty]

Except for you inclusion of FOX News as a News Channel you are correct. Fox is the Republicans' designated "Shill". Now that the RNC is out of power Fox will not know what to say without their "talking points"!