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

[RiggsMD]

Fox News has had a 'blackeye' for a very long time. I wouldn't blame Obama for not picking any of them. The President Elect is concentrating on getting work done, undoubtedly Fox News would've asked a question that has nothing to do with getting our country back on track. Kudos to President Obama!

[drukore]

"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for
people we despise, we don't believe in it at all."
-Noam Chomsky

[tjntn]

I guess I'm missing your point. No one is preventing Fox News from expressing their views. They are just no longer will be given priority in every news conference. Obama has given personal interviews to some of the biggest hacks at Fox - even O'Reilly. Snubbing them sent a simple message. He won't always snub them (as nice as that would be) in the future but the rules have changed and Fox can no longer expect preferred status over legitimate news organizations.

[DeanThoreau]

Wow FOX got a taste of their own medicine!!!!
roflmccao

Oh FOX would ahve just misquoted Obama and taken everything out of context anyway..so what is the big deal. fox makes up their own news anyway

[ProfessorDuh]

You know, if Obama is this big "mystery," as Fox News and its ovine audience claim, why doesn't Fox News demand that some news channel with reporters and everything investigate him and solve that "mystery?"
Does anybody at Fox News have any connection with some news operation?
Anyone? Anyone?

[GuyRC]

Fox just completed an exhaustive investigation and the result is that Obama is even more mysterious, and possibly dangerous, than they thought!

[tjntn]

LOL, so Fox's exhaustive investigation resulted in the subject they were investigating being more mysterious than when they started. Oh my God, that is just rich!!!!

[fatherof4]

Sure, let's put to silence everyone who differs from our point of view. Forget Free Speech. Who needs it. Even better....­.Just let the govt. control ALL the media. That way they can only tell us what they want us to know. Last time I checked, EVERYONE has a right to free speech in this country.

[Thecuddlyleft]

O.K. so Bush was open to the press? yeah right. He stonewalled over and over again. To me Fox new is not the MSM, they are biased nut jobs that need a pay check. I dont understand why as liberals we have to be all rah rah lets get the country together. Yeah that is good on paper, but really folks I want change and to me conservatives are in the way. They have talked a good game about patriotisim and now most of them are turning on america by saying that they are ashamed. what happened to that nationalistic excitement repubs? now since there's a person you don't want in the white house now its all doom and gloom?

these people will never change their stance and frankly I am tired of us taking the high road. Repubs need to be made fun or ridiculed and harrassed like us libs have been for 8 years. during the clinton administration they didnt feel the heat like we did during the bush admin with the rise of fox news and those so called pundits. i say let them burn.

[OoiGooEE]

I am torn also. I want to play nice but feel like rubbing their noses in it a bit. Bush chose who could ask questions in a way that spun whatever he wanted to say his way. Look at how he shut out Helen Thomas. I say let Faux News squirm.

[tjntn]

Huh? I didn't see anyone trying to silence Fox. As usual, you folks on the right just make things up. Not being selected to ask a question at a news conference is NOT in any way synonymous with preventing them from expressing their views. Fox can still (and undoubtedly will) continue to spew nonsense and lies. No one from the FCC is coming to shut them down. They just won't be given assistance from the new administration.

[JaniceL]

Fox News has as much right to ask questions of the president as the Daily Show or Colbert Report, if not less.

[fahie]

Heard one commentator on Fox news and its unbelievable the comments of fear regarding terrorism he was putting out to the people he was so excited about it wouldnt let one of his guests speak and when she did say anything of a different opinion I thought he was going to jump up on the desk. They still wont leave their love in with Palin alone.

[vicbennett]

I predict no adjustment coming from FOX NEWS! They simply are what they are. they are in business to kill the truth and anything that resembles it!

They do what they do best, which is hate Democracy and Freedom!

[PRODEMO]

Boycott FOX news!

[PhysicsProf]

Good! It's about time the White House started treating Fox "News" like tabloid trash. I don't hear any complaints from National Enquirer.

[Faithtoo]

Rupert owns the station. If he is unhappy about O'Reilly and the others he has options. So I think his "unhappiness" is phoney.

[Ocean girl]

Sorry... I hate Faux just as much as anyone. I think their interview with Biden was laughable. But like anyone intelligent enough to hate them, it just makes them look like what they are... laughable.

What happened to Free Speech? Obama is smart enough to turn any twisted question around FN throws at him. Just like I would not want a progressive agency banned from questioning Bush, I don't want Faux banned from questioning Obama. Any censoring indicates weakness.

Free speech. Just do it.

[BoVandy]

it was ONE news conference. Hey everybody! Let's freak out about nothing!!!!!

If it becomes a pattern, then it's a problem, but it was ONE news conference

[Strywever]

Who said anything about banning them? Like everyone in the WH press pool, they're welcome to report based on the responses Obama gives to any reporters' questions. He, however, is not obligated to call on their "reporters" anymore than he is obligated to call on a "reporter" from the National Enquirer.

[ProgressiveInAZ]

As I see it, Faux News is the Right's Comedy Central.

[BidensBabes]

Good riddance, I contacted my local cable company and asked them to block the FOX channel in my cable lineup, they told me no discount as if I cared anyway, now there is no chance of their filth apoearing on my screen ever again! I got so tired of the pure unadultereated hatred that FOX spewed and continues to spew on a daily basis, thet're toast, done, put a fork in em, call your cable company too!!!

[lynnewrites]

OK - so maybe, just maybe, the Obama crew is treating Fixed News just like any other 3rd rate or weird news organization--- Weekly Reader(for kids) and Elle magazine don't get prime consideration either-- it would be so lovely if by their choices, the Obama crew could finally force the part of America who actually thought that Fox was fair, to sit up and take a look --- that Obama crew has made a grand art of the things they DON'T say-- I say---staying "on message" will never involve the extreme negative sorts like those on FOX (also comedian Limbaugh) --I am still trying to figure out why any self-respecting politician would have ever graced the FOX airways??? there are certainly tons of other news organizations out there that don't get regular interviews, etc, with reasonable politicans and gov't types???? they will not be alone in scrapping for the question/i­nterview--­but they have not earned mainstream consideration