Fox News Complains About ABC's "Unprecedented Access," Ignores Their Own (VIDEO)

Next week, ABC News plans to air a news special entitled "Questions for the President: Prescription for America," which will afford President Barack Obama the opportunity to field questions on his plan for health care reform. This has given the good folks at Fox News a big old sad, because of ABC's "unprecedented access" and the very limited opportunity available for Griff Jenkins to dress up like the ghost of Thomas Paine, "ambush" the participants, and blame ACORN for rationing health care, like we were from Saskatoon or something. Karl Rove says that what ABC is doing has never been done before! Sean Hannity claims journalism is dead! Gnashing of teeth, rending of garments, vows to run counterprogramming, loud noises!

But, of course, this whole thing is ridiculous. Didn't Fox News enjoyed "unprecedented access" to the the White House during the presidency of George W. Bush? And wasn't that access so unprecedented that Bret Baier, of Fox News, stood in front of teevee cameras, declaring it to be unprecedented? And didn't Baier get to go mountain biking with President Bush and fly around on Air Force One and stuff? And didn't Fox also get "unprecedented access" to the Vice President as well? Jesus, wasn't it only weeks ago that NBC News had unprecedented access to the White House, where they all bought hamburgers and plugged Conan O'Brien's move to the Tonight Show? Yes, of course, all these things are true. But here's a mashup video from Daily Kos, that shows the total absurdity of these claims that ABC is getting "unprecedented access" to the White House.

[WATCH]

My God! Did you know that mash-up videos making fun of Fox for complaining about "unprecedented access" to the White House aren't even themselves unprecedented? It's true!

[WATCH]

Anyway, maybe now everyone can drop the whole issue of unprecedented territorial pissing and maybe do an analysis of health care reform policy on the merits, which would actually be without precedent!

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Comments

[Reighben Labilles]

Don't the Fox News people remember that they said they had "unprecedented" access to the White House in the Bush Days? Did they not think of the possibility that their very own loyal viewers might remember that they did have "unprecedented" access, and see their latest attack on Obama and ABC is just a flat-out lie? Its obvious that they'll say and do anything just to attack Obama, even to the point of contradicting themselves.

[garymc8]

THEY WON THE RIGHT TO LIE ON TV. Their whole legal argument was we can lie if we want to, pursuit of happiness.

[Gmoney1]

Fox - if your station was last station in the us of a who would give you the time of the day - maybe the jerry springer group - your station is a JOKE - when one wants to really have a good laugh or listen to angry action figures they tune into FOX - face it -

[mamacat]

Would you like some more sour grapes with that big helping of crow, Faux News?

[JeffE]

Uh, didn't Bush allow Fox Noise "unprecedented access" while he was in office? He let Fox cameras and reporters follow him around for weeks, including a tour of the private residence area of the White House. And, of course, Fox took its daily talking points directly from the administration. In other words, these guys are full of sh**.

[john9652]

The commentators at Fox, are so disrespectful and hateful. Why would anyone want to subject themselves to that. Every one on that network, is rude, dont listen and just dont know the concept of respecting any views, but there own. Therefore, it has never been about journalism, at Fox. They attack and ambush, insult and FIGHT with their "guests". Even when they are nice, it takes 2 seconds, for them to turn on people. If you ever just feel like getting in a bad mood, tune in to Fox for an hour or so...man, they will put you there.

[VotingPresent]

How would you describe MSNBC?

[skorpeo]

pretty much on the outs, the same as fox. just because msnbc agrees with obama doesn't give them the all-access pass. but when fox has nothing but criticism, and even have to make things up if they can't find anything (glenn beck announcing obama was going to enact a civilian paramilitary force here in the u.s. might have something to do with that), their credibility as a legit news source kinda sours a bit.

[punkingale]

Fair and balanced.

[JustSayMaybe]

Didn't Faux News refuse to broadcast something or other from Obama? Even though basically every other network did? So they're going to complain about ABC's access (read: they got it, we didn't) when they turn down things the WH wants aired?

[betty22]

fox doen't know the words to kumbia...like the other stations....I would like to see a robust debate..as Obama says....

[amistad]

Your post makes no sense.

[Applecheeks]

You will NEVER see a robust, honest debate on faux. They just shout down the lukewarm, watered down opposition they invite to the party.

[zanzig]

You consider O'Reilly's hysteria "robust debate"? Strange definitions.

[greendream]

World's smallest violin....cry me a river and all the other usual platitudes

[chaya]

In the end, though, it really doesn't matter how often or how clearly FOX News employees are shown to be outright liars: followers of right-wing extremists watch or listen to no other news sources. As has been true for a long time, they'll just never know. FOX has successfully created an alternate universe.

[chaya]

I haven't been able to figure FOX out. Inconceivably immoral, or stunningly stupid? I tend to think it must be the first, since they chronically ally themselves with the inconceivably immoral.

[Mezniff]

They're immoral, Chaya. They're sociopaths and propaganda whores. While most of the people at Fox never graduated from journalism school, I'm sure none of them are dumb enough to believe their own lies.

It's like a traveling medicine show. While none of those people hawking "miricle cures" back in the 1800s had a medical degree, none of them were dumb enough to believe that their "elixirs" had any actual medicinal value.

[Miketou]

What a bunch of hypocritical cry babbies. As for Faux News, they are just that -Faux!

[DawnK]

Now Fox only has unprecedented coverage to its own ass. They are just pissed now because nobody at Fox ever thought of doing something like this with that nimrod Bush. Don't they realize that they are not a news station yet and only a pr machine for the failing GOP.

[Steve Wagner]

Faux News:

What a funny bunch of Characters.

All done with a straight face, WOW!

I prefer they keep up the good work!

Better to let a man & or Network hang themselves with their own rope.

Credibility has never been given such "short shift".
The analogy that comes to mind is the similar careless nature that caused the financial meltdown.

Me thinks these people have a morality problem as well.

[luvangelHussein330]

Whatever they are just moaning because they will not be able to control the Health care message or heck any message for that matter.Every president before Obama gave interviews on various issues now is no different.

Hopefuly ABC won't cave....

[bogues]

Make no mistake, FOX NEWS knows full well that they too had "unprecedented access" to the White House when Bush was in office. They are simply laying the ground work for refusing to cover the sitting President fairly and they are making excuses for not keeping their viewers informed. They do not want their viewers to see or hear anything that will contradict the lies that they are feeding them.