Obama Continues Fox News Pushback

Cross-posted at MyDD.com.

The fight to expose Fox News continues.

A couple weeks ago, I listed three examples of Obama or his surrogates explicitly calling out Fox News for their blatant conservative bias. Obama himself told the New York Times that Fox's disinformation is likely costing him a couple points in the polls.

Today, Obama's campaign stepped up their pushback to Fox News: in response to McCain's latest lie about "spreading the wealth," spokesman Bill Burton called out the biased messenger right along with the dishonest message:

"This is a fake news controversy drummed up by the all too common alliance of Fox News, the Drudge Report and John McCain, who apparently decided to close out his campaign with the same false, desperate attacks that have failed for months.  In this seven year old interview, Senator Obama did not say that the courts should get into the business of redistributing wealth at all. Americans know that the real choice in this election is between four more years of Bush-McCain policies that redistribute billions to billionaires and big corporations and Barack Obama's plan to help the middle class by giving tax relief to 95% of workers and companies that create new jobs here in America.  That's the change we need, and no amount of eleventh-hour distractions from the McCain campaign will change that," said Obama-Biden campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

We've come a long way. Back in 2007, when Obama dropped out of the Fox News debate, the only reason given was that CNN seemed a more "appropriate venue."

Now that McCain's resorted exclusively to attacks on Obama, the go-to mouthpiece for Republican smears is working overtime. The more they're called out for their bias, the less credibility they'll have to push lies.

Fox isn't news. And as we (potentially) head into a new Democratic administration, it's crucial we make clear that what they broadcast can't be trusted. Great to see Obama continuing this fight.
 

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Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton, who authored the release this morning criticizing Fox News, appeared on the network today to defend his statements about Fox to anchor Megyn Kelly.

Follow Josh Orton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joshorton

Comments

[Kenta]

Megynology. Fox is so openly biased how can they say they are not?

[Womanvoter4Obama]

The poll she quoted was from the conservative point of view on Foxnews. Of course they think it's fair and balanced..

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/general_current_events/media/americans_see_liberal_media_bias_on_tv_news

[Obamatized]

Part 2

I take hell here at work from a lot of my supposed conservative friends, but you must realized these are the same robots that the Republican Slander Machine creates the "Spread the Wealth" and "Just dropping bombs on Villages" sound bytes are created for. They serve their party well in buying into these mindless associations. Its no secret I have discovered basic logic and beliefs through Obama influence. I am a 270 bear of a man reduced to tears through some of Obama's speeches. Call me a Looney Liberal or whatever, but after abandoning Fox Tabloid News (after discovering the use of Internet Proxies) my mind has been purged of polluted journalism and filled with accurate and truthful reporting.

This is my story on how I became free from the shackles of biased media and why I would love to see the government re-enact the “Fairness in Media” law. Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh are Evil. Below is a scripture from Mathew 23:27

Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which do indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all un-cleanliness.”...

[Obamatized]

I am a living example of how weak-minded some Americans can be and how dangerous a radical agenda like Fox Tabloid News can pollute the minds of the ignorant.

I am a 33 year old white male who resides in Jacksonville, Florida. I was raised republican in a racist household. I went off to college in Atlanta, got a degree, and came back home and worked my way up. The only news site that wasn't filtered by my company internet was Fox Tabloid News Network. I loved the Science section and such. A few years back, for the first time in my life I truly dug into the history and world of politics. I was inspired by how the last election for Bush/Kerry went. After time I realized that I was supporting a Republican party based on hype, fear, and Faux Patriotism. I am not a closed minded person but the Fox Tabloid News agenda allowed me to remain ignorant and stand behind a thick curtain of ignorance. My wife is a Catholic Polish immigrant, she knows more about American Politics due to her balanced exposure to not only Fox Tabloid News, but sites and channels like Huffington Post, PBS, CNN, and MSNBC than most Americans. Sad- huh? She cannot vote YET.

Part 1

[collima]

I totally understand what your saying. The best way to change a mind that has been programmed so deliberately is to expose that person to alternative sources of information. For many people, watching TV deminishes the analytical skills...

I would have hoped the WMD Programming Program would have been enough to open people's eyes....

[GOPScaresMe]

This was shameful reporting and even more shameful behavior. Megyn Kelly should be fired for a complete lack of professional journalist behavior. Faux News needs to get over themselves and REPORT the news for a change rather than trying to market it to their conservative audience the way they want them to interpret it. Small wonder I always preferred the dull, dry "newsreaders" that used to be on the BBC - I like to make up my OWN mind.

[LDS50]

Is she really considered a journalist? I think she's more like Paris Hilton pretending to do the news.

[indywoman]

Well, the reason McCain gets more negative coverage in the MSM is that he says negative things 24/7. His whole campaign is about dishonestly slandering Obama personally.

When the McCain campaign says that Obama has spent more on negative ads than them, the difference is, that Obama's message is about policy, not personal attacks. So, if you compare ad for ad, they have completely different messages. McCain and his camp have spent millions slandering Obama personally, and Obama and his camp have stuck to issues. All negative ads are not equal.

[Wigelah]

Spin away Fox news. Spin spin spin. You know you are lying and yet you still do it. Shame on you. Oh well, at least you have the Republicans and curiosity seekers who only stay tuned long enough to confirm that once again, it's not worth it.

[brodey]

Fox is fair like MSNBC is fair. they both spew their own views. The only diffrence is MSNBC does not start and repeat lies about conservatives, and they do not use hate and fear as their message.

[Dustee]

Maybe but, I don't see the people on MSNBC screaming at their guests and calling them names.

[Uber]

Exactly Dustee--you don't see this kind of aggressive self-promotion anywhere else. She is literally yakking so much I can't hear what he has to say.

[opinion8td]

No one pays any heed to Faux Noise anyway, they're a 3rd rate "infotainment" channel at best.

[mithras93]

Actually, as far as straight news reporting goes (not editorials), Fox News is far less biased than the rest of the mainstream media. Academic studies even show this. It seems that liberals, though, have become so accustomed to the bias of the mainstream press, that a truly objective presentation of the news looks biased. I have not met a liberal yet who sees the pro-Obama bias in the mainstream media (although a couple honest ones have written about it). But they soil themselves if Fox questions Obama's positions or associations. Give me a break people.

[Puzes]

Where did you hear that? On Fox?

[Catfish1968]

They don't appreciate or "do" sarcasm on Fox.

[kat1park]

I know lots of people who are not so-called "liberals" and they love Fox News. They admit that it is THE ONLY news channel that actually slants the news in the way that many Republicans like it. No objective person on earth would say Fox News is fair and balanced. MSNBC has some shows that are slanted in favor of democrats and others are slanted in favor of Republicans, such as Morning Joe. No matter what time you turn on Fox News, you will always get a Republican perspective, and a very radical one at that. Even some who are Republicans don't like the slant and choose to watch CNN instead, as Charles Barkley pointed. I'm glad the Obama campaign is standing up and calling Fox on the carpet. I hope it continues, even if Meghan is doing her best impression of Bill O'Reilly. She was obviously terrified that Burton might say something positive about the Obama campaign that might actually resonate with voters. Maybe Shepherd Smith is fair though. If you do watch Fox News, make sure you watch him and none of the other lunatics masquerading as journalists. BTW Meghan, Is Joe The Plumber a real story? Why are you calling him that even though his real name is Samuel?

[KenBenobi]

"Liberals" don't see the "Pro-Obama" bias because they're generally too busy scooping the 8-years of Bush/Cheney/FoxNoise diarrhea out of their eyes, noses and ears. We've been PUMMELED with right-wing conformist propaganda for so long, we'll take almost anything that resembles OBJECTIVE INFORMATION.

So funny how none of you fascist GOP coneheads were bitching about the msm when FOX & CNN were climbing over themselves to be be the Bush Megaphone and trumpet the Cheney/Rumsfeld "Retired-General-on-the-White-House-Payroll" death propaganda. They beat the drums of war like wind up toys and NOW they're biased?

Murdoch and all his fake, diploma-mill dropouts and interns are about to get the enema they deserve...

[bobo6]

Iraq,Afghanistan,no child left behind,sub prime mortgages,Katrina,Galveston,California forest fires,illegal spying on Americans,Justice Department firings,Bin Laden still at large,Wall Street thievery,pollution standards lowered,stem cell research,Enron with Kenny Boy,Blackwater,no bid contracts,International community disgusted with our behavior. That should keep you busy for a while. The point is that it would take hours to go over all of the policy failures to any degree ,apparently Obama and Biden think you are bright enough to realize they don't have hold your hand to figure something out for yourself.

[tuneone52]

Fox news is the most vile hate spewing news cast that is clearly biased against Obama in everything it does, It spreds lies and false rumours against Obama every day. This time the american people aren;t buying the lies and the fear and it's starting to show. Fox news is losing viewers who are tired of negative attacks that are clearly aimed at Obama. Boycott Fox let them know America is done with lies and hate that keep deviding the country!

[beniceorshutup]

Remember....there are veterans and current military serving for you to have the views you do....so change the channel and stop complaining.

[cancelout2008]

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[GoBacktoAfrica]

f o x is neutral

[Puzes]

compared to what?

[GoBacktoAfrica]

fox is fair and balanced, every one there is clearly identified as con or lib

[FellowMan]

Oh and that makes them fair and balanced... ok...