Fox News Snub

President Barack Obama seems to be just about everywhere selling his presidency in response to sagging poll numbers. Everywhere, that is, except Fox News, where Obama's snub has caused a stir.

Throughout the summer months the president pretty much stood on the sidelines during the health care debate as House and Senate committees battled over the shape of the bill. The president's posture left an opening for those opposing proposed changes in health care to loudly speak out. And the insurance industry and other interest groups joined in the fray in an effort to rile up Americans against reform through advertisements and an aggressive PR campaign. Town hall meetings disintegrated into shouting matches by interest groups. Ridiculous claims like "death panels" were spread with jarring effect.

But make no mistake about it, the shouting also reflects the general frustration many Americans have with their government, period. An economic collapse, huge unemployment, financial and automobile bailouts and deep American involvement in two wars certainly are enough to get most people's ire up. As Rodney Dangerfield might have said, "Take my government, please!"

So over the past few days the president began an all out effort to regain control of the debate. His approach was a media blitz of appearances on the Sunday morning talk shows and David Letterman. The tactic is intended to counter the endless chatter on cable news, blogs and tweets that makes it hard for any message to break through the din of democracy. An axiom among marketers is, "When you are tired of seeing your own advertisement, most of America is just becoming aware of it." This morning polls indicate that President Obama's blitz may have bumped his numbers up a bit. To quote NBC's Chuck Todd, "If you voted for Obama, it helped, and if you voted for McCain, it didn't change your mind."

But there was one notable exception to the president's news blitz: Fox News. Many in the White House say that Fox News has been more than an adversary to President Obama; rather it has an anti-Obama agenda. The president's advisers complain that Fox is one-sided; especially commentator Sean Hannity's show, or they point to charges of racism and "eugenics" coming from entertainer and host Glenn Beck. And the White House was unhappy that Fox was the only major broadcast network not to carry President Obama's recent speech to a joint session of Congress.

Advisers to the president no doubt made the calculation that there was no upside in appearing on "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace. Wallace's recent interview with former Vice President Dick Cheney was likened to "teenage girls interviewing the Jonas Brothers" by a prominent conservative columnist. Furthermore, since a large portion of the Fox audience doesn't believe in the president and his policies, he is unlikely to win any converts.

As a senior executive for CBS News, I remember being caught in intensive discussions with White House officials working for Presidents Reagan and Bush '41, who were against Dan Rather interviewing their president. In those days Rather was the top anchor, CNN was new and the only cable news outlet and there was no Internet. So suffice it to say that it is not unprecedented for a White House to ban a network for unfavorable coverage. Still, it is not a good tactic.

President Obama was wrong not to appear on Fox News Sunday at the same time he appeared on every other Sunday talk program. Press bans are a slippery slope and are not healthy to our democracy. They can be applied capriciously and punitively against any news organization. They can have a chilling effect on coverage. Ultimately, bans against news organizations by the White House run counter to the spirit and intention of our founding fathers. Even though many Fox viewers may not agree with the president's policies, they are Americans too. So, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, "Cherish... the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them."

Follow Joe Peyronnin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joepeyronnin

Comments

[powerlift2201]

"Throughout the summer months the president pretty much stood on the sidelines during the health care debate as House and Senate committees battled over the shape of the bill."

President Obama said from day one that he wanted congress to come up with the heatlh care bill. He campaigned for it all throughout the summer. He held town hall meetings about it, went on radio and television talk shows and took question from the audiences. He didn't simply stand on the sideline. Where he failed is where he placed less of an importance on the public option.

"But make no mistake about it, the shouting also reflects the general frustration many Americans have with their government, period."

The shouting in no way reflected that there is a general frustration people have with our government. The shouting clearly illustrates that certain people and groups will use any tactic necessary to stall or stop health care reform. The shouting shows that people will be easily led and misled by the very same people who are willing to lie about what is in current health care reform bills.

The President's choice not to appear on Fox News was a good choice. Obama's administration is standing up to the lies purported and propogated by Fox News. This isn't a "press ban" this is a refusal to grant interviews to a lying "news" group and I commend the President for standing up to Fox News.

[thehummelr]

Wow! A journalism professor and you can't tell a "news Network" from a conservative talk network. Don't berate Obama for calling out the truth you "journalists" are too afraid to address. The fact is that Obama did go on ALL news networks. What is dangerous for this country is when "journalism" loses its way. You have a role to play and it is obvious that you don't know what it is. A real shame.

[KOBISKING]

Certainly, President Obama was correct in not appearing of Fox. Heck, I wouldn't accept an invitation to a person's home who is obsessed with spreading lies about me. Especially, when my appearance would only give that person more credibility. boy, the media sticks together tighter than the Republican's butt cheeks!

[adlerman]

Fox is not a news channel. It is an arm of the Republican National Comm. President
Obama was right to ignore them and he and all DeEmocrats should continue to ignore
Fox until the end of time.

[jimpager]

Disagree. Obama should NOT appear on Fox. Certainly not on anything that does not go out live thus cannot be altered. To be "Fair and Balanced," I suspect Obama would not be interviewed on Radio Moscow either. The two are probably about equally objective, just from different directions.

[mjtaylor22]

HE WAS RIGHT TO SKIP FOX THEY MAY HAVE POISONED HIS WATER OR SOMETHING.
and they beleive he hates white people, even his own mother in theri craziesd worl of falsehoods not facts

[Wigelah]

Did I read this article right? " Even though many Fox viewers may not agree with the president's policies, they are Americans too." I'm really not sure what that has to do with the President going on Fox news...unless these Americans are somehow incapable of changing to a channel that the President IS doing an interview on. Fox isn't the only channel out there in the television world. He certainly could be found, if anyone was that interested in listening to what he has to say.

There have been many times that Fox has refused to even show the President. A classic example is on his inaugeration day when the Fox coverage was George Bush landing in Texas, with continuing coverage. The entire idea of the media blitz was to reach people that might actually listen. Fox viewers? Probably not a good use of time.

[criquet]

When Fox News stops people like Hannity from editing things that Pres Obama says to make it appear that he has said what he has not, then Pres Obama should do interviews on Fox.

[JamesA1102]

What you said would be true if FOX was a legitimate news organization. It is not. It is the propaganda arm of the GOP. Obama is right not to give them any credibility by appearing on FOX.

[seawolf77]

Say it ain't so Joe. W does it for 8 years and you whine on the first weekend. You sound like the classic Republican we are all tired of. My parents used to say "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile." What they really meant was " Take a mile and scream when they ask for an inch".

[cordyc]

Fox does not have a news channel. It is a commentary channel just like MSNBC is commentary in the evening. Obama did not do an interview with MSNBC either. So what's the big deal?

The POTUS used the outlets that have the highest ratings. That does not include Faux.

[savvydad]

David Gregory enlightened us to the concerns of Obama on the white Sox.....Give me a break!!!!

[Melissa]

Fox News has the highest ratings of any of the cable stations and getting very close to the network news shows. It was a big mistake not to appear on Fox because it made him seem afraid to be interviewed by Chris Wallace. I didn't watch any of the coverage but from what I have read, the only person who asked a difficult question was George S.

[ImissBush]

by ur reasoning he should have appeared on maury, springer, & bowling 4 $$$

they r as much NEWS shows as fox

[dadw5boys]

Fox Hold audtions for the Position of News Caster. Not Journalist ability just able to read, be white, and able to floow orders.

Fox hires one or 2 real juronalist the make it seem uncorrupted putting LIP STICK ON A PIG !!!!!!!

[royevatom]

Well now you have got a credibility problem, Joe. I for one don't think you know what you are talking about!