Today’s Qs for O’s WH – 10/20/2009

The Elitist attitude of this administration is AMAZING!

Good for you, Jake. Keep asking bold questions. “Methinks” you are not drinking the kool-aid.

Fox is NOT a news station…..it’s based on opinion on all the shows…whatever the nuts say, the so called news people pick it up and runs with it…..

A part of being a News org or a Media outlet is the Right to have programing that has opion. Newspapers have Editorials, in the old days we had Editorials on the Newscast on TV. We have comments made on the Radio and tv.
Should the Obama White House declare all of us Non News outlets? I am not a Fan of Fox News. But they are a News Outlet and deservers to be treated the same as anyone else. Get over it Mr President, Glen Beck has some valid points too. The freedom of Press even if you disagree.

I don’t blame the President for feeling that FAUX noise is not a genuine news source. How many other news organizations oganize hate rallies? The pseudo-journalism practiced at that jaded institution makes a mockery of our freedoms of the press.

“Gibbs: That’s our opinion.”
BWHAHAHAHAHA. OK, I full support calling FoxNews out as the defacto press arm of the Republican party. It’s true, it’s not a crime, and it’s a fundamental part of their business plan.
But I gotta relish Gibbs falling back on Fox’s favorite line of defense (even used in court to defend ‘reporting’ false information).

Thank you for asking that question, Jake. I am astonished that other “real” news organizations are assisting this White House in establishing a precedent here, whereby the WH gets to decide who the real journalists are, and who gets ignored. Obama’s showing himself to be a petty man who can’t take any scrutiny or bear a difficult question.
We would have known this about him if the press had ASKED him a tough question during the campaign, instead of cheering for him. The mainstream media had better start claiming their territory before they are subsumed by this relentlessly aggressive and very NONTRANSPARENT Gang.

Good for you, Jake. Keep asking bold questions
***************************************
Bold questions?
Not even relevant let alone bold.

If you’ve ever gone to the Fox news website, watched their so-called news hours or listened to the questions their reporters ask, it’s impossible to say with a straight face that they are, in fact, a news organization. Not just Bill O’Reilly and Fox and Friends, but the entire channel is openly partisan. They refused to run the President’s latest press conferences! They have demonstrated that they don’t think he, the President, is newsworthy, and I think it’s perfectly logical for him to say, in return, that he doesn’t think they’re a legitimate news organization. As Wade points out, the WH wouldn’t be required to issue press credentials to the Daily Show or the Onion, right?

@JHW “OK, I fully support calling FoxNews out as the defacto press arm of the Republican party. It’s true, it’s not a crime, and it’s a fundamental part of their business plan.”
Would you also have supported the Bush White House calling out MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, The NY Times, The WaPo, NPR, and PBS as defacto press arms of the Democratic Party, particularly during this last election?
Or maybe you just expected THAT White House to take it without whining and bullying. As this one should, too. I doubt these Chicago tactics will work, long term. Ultimately they make the administration look weak — and the rest of the world is watching.

All administrations have tried to stop the yellow journalism.. but they never can.. it just makes it more interesting.. like the tabloids..
We always new the Fox was a mouthpiece of the right.. just like GE is a mouthpiece of the left.. get a thicker skin POTUS!! Dear liberals just do what I do when the POTUS is pontificating (change the channel). So when Fox wads your drawers: read an I had a dream book of some sort or watch a Michael Moore movie.. get creative…

Jake, didn’t it bother you when your “sister” organization took out full-page ads falsely claiming that ABC (among others) missed the story of the Washington TEA party protest? Why do you think Fox did such a thing?

Now, state run fringe Obama media, be good little media while Obama pats you on the head for doing a good fluffy job….well except for FOX.

The One does not like dissent of any kind, does not like people who question his wisdom or decisions.
The One is in a panic that we will see the Emperor has no clothes.
This line by the White House against any news organization is something one would expect from a banana republic like Venezeula and Chavez or some other oppressive government in the former USSR (or current Russia).
Shame on Obama for trying to stop any non-glowing news about him.
And, Jake, doesn`t it say a lot about the other news organizations that their reporting is so one-sided and for Obama that he is not afraid of ABC, NBC or the others? Shame on you and the others for not being more critical of Obama and his actions.

i watch pretty much all news stations but i do get more things from fox that the liberal media wont talk about because it will hurt their king you have to see all sides to understand and as far as im concerned this administration is going to put us in a hole we might not possibly get out of you cant keep borrowing money and making it its called being a fool or as they say a wolf in sheeps clothing.

“This line by the White House against any news organization is something one would expect from a banana republic like Venezeula and Chavez or some other oppressive government in the former USSR (or current Russia).”
Free Press | Oct 20, 2009 11:47:41 AM
Wow. I think that perfectly encapsulates the combination of utter ignorance and extreme paranoia Republicans seem to take pride in now. Yeah, the government saying they don’t like a news station and taking absolutely no action beyond a couple comments is JUST LIKE CHAVEZ AND THE USSR!!1!!!!!11

Way to go Jake.
You are one of the few in the media that has any courage or integrity.
You cannot let the WH push you around.
First they try to silence FOX then anyone that disagrees with them.
Americans need to know that Obama is trying to limit freedom of speech.

Rahm loves Fox b/c it is easy to unravel their drivel (I’m an avid Fox viewer and won’t let my cable box land on MSNBC).. this is the kind of disaster that he hopes they can profit from..
.. make someone else the enemy (Fox).. then you (the Admin.) aren’t the enemy..

Gibbs: That’s our opinion.
*******
And the millions of FOX viewers disagree with the white house opinion. Looking forward to seeing the FOX ratings after this sleazy attempt to silence FOX.

Well Jake look at this>
“The unprecedented number of death threats against President Obama, a rise in racist hate groups, and a new wave of antigovernment fervor threaten to overwhelm the US Secret Service, according to government officials and reports, raising new questions about the 144-year-old agency’s overall mission.”
Tell me Jake where does these things start? Don’t suppose it from the opinions expressed at FOX by people like Rush, Beck and company do you? Don’t suppose it starts at ABC keeping such crap going does it?
You asked you question purely to put on your blog, it had no value other then to be controversial.
Just saying Jake. Might want to a story on the effects of (news?) on the public sometime.

“That’s our opinion.” Wow…the arrogance in those three words. Not only is the administration filled with the most thin-skinned, egotistical, arrogant and STUPID people, they are also definitely not history students. Although they are carrying this attitude to the nth degree, this tactic has NEVER worked. One can only hope that this comes back to bite them HARD. Preferably in the ballot box as soon as possible!

The Bush administration was none too fond of MSNBC, for pretty much the same reasons that the Obama administration doesn’t like Fox News, only flipped. Bush’s staff rarely granted them access. But they kept their disagreements with the station out of the public eye.
Most Presidents dislike some or all of the press (remember Mr. Nixon?) for the way that they cover the administration’s actions. While the Obama administration is not unique in taking their spat public, they are the first in this new era of 24 hour cable news (and pseudo-news) to do so. It’s probably not working for them and they will likely let the whole thing quiet down.
Are they trying to squelch Fox News? Of course not. It would be a fool’s game to try that with any news organization. But, what they are trying to do is sway public opinion. There’s nothing wrong with that and is, as jwh539 has said, part of the business plan. National politics is ALL about public opinion and support. So, presidential administrations do what they can move those things in their direction.

“Obama approval among Registered/Likely voters: 49.33%.”
Fascist Hyena | Oct 20, 2009 11:45:18 AM
Presidential approval among Registered/Likely voters – what exactly is a “Likely” voter three years out from the next presidential election anyhow?

It’s easy:
If they report favorably on Obama, they are a “news” organization.
If they run clips of Obama (or anyone in his administration) saying something very different from what he wants us to recall, they are not a “news” organization.

“It’s probably not working for them and they will likely let the whole thing quiet down.”
venicemagic | Oct 20, 2009 12:11:44 PM
I would say it is working fine for them and is appropriate since FoxNews is more of the opposition party than the Republicans now. FoxNews actually presents a coherent plan of what they want to see as well as what they oppose. Meanwhile, Republicans have faded into “Just say No” and “we’re the minority so we’ll do nothing and it’s not our fault” party.
Politics work better when you have an active opposition to ensure that you don’t skew too far from the mainstream. Right now, Fox (and Blue Dogs to some extent) is it. The Republicans have removed themselves from governing with their “Vote no regardless of compromises, concessions, or reasonableness” policy.

“what exactly is a ‘Likely’ voter three years out from the next presidential election anyhow?”
The answer seems self-evident, but the threshhold is to be registered. So if you like, you can consider that Obama’s approval among Registered Voters is 49.33%.

truly frightening.

“what exactly is a ‘Likely’ voter three years out from the next presidential election anyhow?”
The answer seems self-evident, but the threshhold is to be registered. So if you like, you can consider that Obama’s approval among Registered Voters is 49.33%.”
Fascist Hyena | Oct 20, 2009 12:20:23 PM
One: The threshold IS MORE THAN JUST BEING REGISTERED.
Two: A poll of only registered voters today would disregard all voters between the ages of 18 and 21 at the next election. I wonder who they’ll skew towards?

“Obama looks weak and petty attacking Fox News.”
That’s because Obama IS a “weak and petty” person and president.

Good questioning Jake, Better watch it though, or you’ll be out in the cold if you keep it up.
I have been saying and will keep saying it and that is Obama needs to surround himself with some new advisors instead of the hacks there now.Lets face it, anyone in the right minds gets a bit uneasy when you find people who think highly of Mao, Chavez and declare themselves communist, and have the ear of the President.
We are judged by the company we keep.

Not since Nixon.

FOX is a partisan Republican propaganda vehicle. I have no problem with the White House pointing this.

What’s next!!! A reality show where any media outlet that is not adoringly singing songs of praise to the annotinted one get’s ‘stoned to death’ or has their hands ‘cut off’?
This is such an immature approach to good governance.

The Fox opinion shows are shaping up to be national treasures in that they are the only outlets who dig and report on the lies, corruption and hidden agendas of the Obama adminstration.
And the best part is that Fox often reports the facts in the actual words of the Marxists, communists and America-haters who Obama has chosen to surround himself with. See Van Jones, Anita Dunn, Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Mark Lloyd and on and on and on.
Keep up the good work, Fox. As your exploding ratings demonstrate, the majority of Americans are in your corner and support a free press, despite King Obama’s attempts to chill speech.

The WH is upset because they can’t get Fox to fact check SNL for them like CNN does.

“Keep up the good work, Fox. As your exploding ratings demonstrate, the majority of Americans are in your corner”
__________________________________
Any popularity FOX has reflects the TV soap opera mentality that seems to have infected and cheapened America – it certainly does not reflect an appreciation of fair, balanced quality journalism.
FOX is a partisan Republican propaganda vehicle. I have no problem with the White House pointing this out.

Nixobama

Whether you like Fox or not is beside the point.
How could anyone that appreciates freedom agree with what Obama/WH is doing?
Are you people so in love with Obama that you have lost your minds? Is he worth your freedom?
He wants to control, shut down, contain anyone that disagrees with him!
Is the internet next?
Will you like America when Obama decides everything for you–maybe so…
Idiots.

Every show I’ve seen on Fox had actual audio or video from the source to back up the point they were making.
Obama just doesn’t like the truth.

Thanks Jake for taking up for another NEWS organization…you ROCK!
I also appreciate that you saw the hypocrisy of Axelrod (former Chicago newpaper) now WH aide chatting with Stephanopoulos (former WH aide) now “journalist” chatting about how FOX is not a news station.
OBTW I am thrilled that you will not be in the petting line of “news” people at the WH! No thrill up your leg Jake?..heh!

Are you out of your mind? Nobody has shut anything down. Try to at least be accurate.
Posted by: julieterra | Oct 20, 2009 12:51:53 PM
*********
Well let’s see, we have a white house Communications Director who idolizes Mao and now a Manufacturing Czar who despises the free market and also loves/quotes MAO. HMMMMM? Ooops forgot to mention Van Jones, the failed Green Jobs Czar also loves communism.
Sounds like we have an administration that opposes free speech, free markets, free people….
Why would obama put a MAO/Communist worshiper person as Communications Director? To suppress free speech – to suppress all of us?

“He wants to control, shut down, contain anyone that disagrees with him!”
___________________________________
Nonsense. The White House didn’t shut down anything – they just pointed out the obvious – FOX news is a partisan Republican propaganda vehicle, not a news station.

Ah well – censored again! But I guess that’s what you have to expect from flacks for THE ONE!

Hey Jake? Why don’t you apply for a REAL job with FOX?

“There is but one, lone hard-left voice — julieterra — who is breathlessly trying to debate, debate, debate every post, but she’s sinking in a sea of more rational voices who increasing view Obama as a selfish, arrogant fool.”
___________________________________
Not one word of logic or sensible argument in your post – just name calling, smear and insult. Typical . . ..

familiar sockpuppets

The White House is attacking Fox because it is the one outlet they do not control.
ABC NBC CBS CNN MSNBC simply parrot White PR.

“Compare Fox’s viewers versus ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and Fox is the little guy. Claiming that FOX is ‘THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA’ is disingenuous at best.”
elroy0451
____________
Fox television.
Fox News.
Not the same.

Jake:
More and more it appears to me that Obama is not the person in charge. I can’t believe that he is is thin-skinned as to take on the most popular cable news channel in the US. I also cannot believe that he was involved in the hiring of hacks such as Anita Dunn, Emanual, Axelrod, Jarret, etc. Were he controlling his own destiny he would not allow these people near the White House. To me it looks like he is the dummy on the lap of a controlling entity that is usng him as the ‘kind face’ behind the dismantling of America and its economy.
Dismiss this as paranoia. I sometimes wonder myself. But I am also reminded of the statement of a psychology professor I had while obtaining my degree in the subject, to wit: “Don’t forget, even paranoics have enemies”

“Chavez has shut down all of the media outlets except one in Venezuela.”
Posted by: manny | Oct 20, 2009 12:36:30 PM
________________________________
Nonsense. This is the problem with the right wing. Their ‘facts’ are way too often complete garbage.

Thank you, Jake!

Posted by: Zaggs | Oct 20, 2009 1:08:23 PM
There is a difference between “than” and “then.”

Great question. Glad someone in the MSM is calling the admin to account for this tactic.

Obama counts on people who are only watching HIS news networks. It is easier to brainwash them. If he goes after FOX News his brainwashed followers will not watch. He counts on that. The Obama paid serial poster who is posting here is making it rather obvious-you need new talking points, honey.

This is from Reuters:
“CARACAS, Sept 5 (Reuters) – Venezuela will pull the plug on 29 more radio stations, a top official in President Hugo Chavez’s government said on Saturday, just weeks after dozens of other outlets were closed in a media clampdown.
Infrastructure Minister Diosdado Cabello closed 34 radio stations in July, saying the government was “democratizing” media ownership. Critics say the move limits freedom of expression and has taken critical voices off the airwaves.”
Now- just substitute Barack Obama for Hugo Chavez. It all makes pefect sense.

Mr. Tapper apparently possesses the last set of balls owned by the major networks.
Perhaps others will borrow them some time.

Obama has to either control Fox, convience people they have no credibility, or find a way to shut them down. With Fox still reporting the news and fact checking WH statements, the admin. can not convience the public
up is down and right is wrong. Obama knows he must control the media to continue to fool the voters of his true agenda.

Thank you Mr. Tapper for being one of the actual “journalists” covering the WH. The Obama administration is the EXECUTIVE BRANCH of the US GOVERNMENT. It has no business giving “opinions” on what is/isn’t a news organization. It’s business is enforcing the laws of this country & upholding the Constitution, which includes the 1st Amendment.

Thank you.
I will revise some of the negative opinions I’ve had of you in the past. I can’t see anyone else from the MSM asking this question.

“Now- just substitute Barack Obama for Hugo Chavez. It all makes pefect sense.”
Are you generally able to tell the difference between criticizing a media outlet and shutting it down? Are you really that deluded?
Oh wait, you think Fox is a legitimate news organization. Never mind.

“The government has also heightened its battle against Globovision, the only critical private broadcaster in the nation. In June, it launched a fifth investigation into the network.”

Fox News is biased, but less than the New York Times or CBS. It only seems rightwardly-biased because the other media outlets are very far to the left.

Bravo, Jake Tapper, for asking those questions!

Thanks Mr. Tapper for asking the questions that I want answered. I wrote a letter to the President asking some of those same questions and it is nice to see that one journalist is curious enough to push for answers to this attempt by the Government to control the media. All media organizations have their news and their opinion pieces mixed in just as Fox News does. For anyone to claim that all the other media outlets do not contain bias, they are just not paying attention to all of the media. My degree in Psychology has given me much insight into bias and how we as people..all people have it. News organizations work with people who all contain their own bias. That is just a fact. It is the people who each have to individually decide who is correct, by viewing many sources of news, not just one. Thanks again for just the facts!

OK Julieterra, how about MSNBC? Their just as partisan, if not more so – just in a different ideological direction.
It’s telling that Gibbs, when pressed, cites the opinion programming, not the news programming (and Tapper jumps on that weaselly answer). You would actually expect opinion at 5 and 9, which is what you also get from MSNBC. But they’re okay, or something.
Even talking about the opinion programs, it shows that they think there is only one proper perspective – theirs.
Shameful.

Lets sing together peeps.Brian Williams Blitzer couric and MAthews will lead.Sorry if i left out any more deciples next time ok!! mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmmmm Barrak Hussain Obama .mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmmmm Barrak Hussain Obama…mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmmmm Barrak Hussain Obama

“this attempt by the Government to control the media.”
Jerri C. Jones | Oct 20, 2009 1:22:58 PM
The Obama administration points out that Fox operates as part of the Republican party – news to no one and very profitable for them – and that is an attempt to “control the media”? Are you serious? How thin skinned and paranoid are you people?

Even in hard-left Chicago, Obama’s hometown, residents have had enough. The Sun Times, which is typically a major cheerleader for Obama, has an article today headlined:
“Excuses Wearing Thin for Obama, Media Pals”
There is a poll attached to the article which asks: “Do you approve of the job President Obama has done so far?”
More than 17,000 people have voted and 93 PERCENT said no, they do not approve of Obama.
Wow.
The tide is turning, folks. Let’s keep the pressure on and take back control of this nation from the Marxists, communists and America-haters that comprise the Obama administration.
Nobama. No way.

Thank you, Jake. Don’t let up the pressure on this administration as it attempts to bully the private sector into state-controlled submission.

“What the current occupant of the WH and his little fascist toadies” ; “you little fascist sycophant”
___________________________________
Again, no logical argument – just juvenile name calling and smear tactics.
No wonder the right wing in America is losing so much ground. It’s a movement of juvenile mentality.

Other journalists have to push back against the White House making pronouncements like this, lest it look like they to report positively in order to be deemed “legitimate” by the administration.

“There is a poll attached to the article which asks: “Do you approve of the job President Obama has done so far?”
More than 17,000 people have voted and 93 PERCENT said no, they do not approve of Obama.
Wow.”
Larreau II | Oct 20, 2009 1:27:13 PM
Wow is right – you’re finding comfort in an internet poll. As the Ron Paul for President folks how that tends to work out.

Great work, Tapper. This administration is extraordinarily petty and embarrassing itself with its comical delusions of grandeur and overt desperation to control the media message not suitable to their agenda. They don’t fully fathom what they’re up against in typical arrogant fashion. I don’t fear these fools–they will pay dearly for these missteps and overreach next election cycle.

Next the Whitehouse will be supplying the “official media” with Obama stamps of approval to show on their broadcasts.

Thank you, Jake. It’s nice to see there are still a few “news reporters” out there covering the news (instead of “cheerleaders” trying to influence it).

Good job, Mr. Tapper.

we “wingers” must counter.
Posted by: Jeff Weimer
you wingers and your boy ‘W’ destroyed America for the last 8 years, while screaming bloody murder that anyone who didn’t agree with your heinous diatribes and policies were traitors and un-american.
what you ‘wingers’ are incapable of understanding is that there is a difference between radically different opinions and outright lying and purposely misstating facts which is what Fox does on a consistent basis.

“I’m content to watch you guys boasting about Fox’s ratings and comforting yourselves with the delusion that you’re in the majority even as the percentage of Americans who identify as Republicans dwindles to 20%. Enjoy your trip down the drain.”
Julieterra, dear, you are missing the point. Fox isn’t “Republican”, they are “conservative”. To many of us, party affiliations mean very little. The values of a candidate/policy matter more than the D or R behind the name.
If you follow the news at all you would know that a recent Gallop survey found that people self-identified themselves as:
Conservative 40% (highest in 4 years)
Liberal 21%
Moderate 35%
Conservatives outnumber liberals in all 50 states. And liberals are out-numbered by non-liberals by a factor of almost 4-1.
Fox ratings are soaring because most of the media, like the current administration, has taken a hard left. The only game in town that is acting as a journalistic watchdog is Fox.

it is Obama’s way to try to turn everything into an attack. Isolate and attackso that the real questions are never answered. I am glad to see there is a journalist that still is practicing honesty. I thought they all quit or moved to Fox.

Tapper defending FoxNews.
Kind of like the ACLU defending the Skokie Nazi Party.
You may not agree with him but Tapper certainly sticks to his principles when it comes to the press.

There they go again accusing Fox of Lying.Give us the proof!!!!Van Jones caught on video,Acorn Caught on video.Dunn caught on video.IF you want to cover your eyes like a monkey fine but Dont freaking talk if u have no proof.plus Fox always shows both sides of the debate.Im still waiting were fox is lying.If that was the case Obamas media MSNBC and CNN would had exposed it.Dont you think?

‘Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one’
a better question would have been why is Fox considered a ‘news’ network when they sponsor anti-government rallys, get so many of their slanted stories wrong, and are never held accountable for their outright lying, and advocate killing government officials.

Yea, Jake remember your suppose to be standing up for America. Now, get back in there and ask some more hard questions. We need your help and maybe..just maybe the rest will follow you.
Open government my buttocks!!!!!!!!!!!

Gibbs sounds like he and members of the White House staff are spreading “hate speech” about FoxNews.

Sounds like FOX is the only network challenging this administration in an effective way which makes it invaluable.

A spirited defense of the conservative entertainment industry should be expected, it’s all part of the show. FOX is like pro-wrestling: It’s marketability depends on it maintaining the allusion that it’s real. But we shouldn’t be concerned that either FOX or pro-wrestling will be gone anytime soon even if their choreography is exposed. The fan base remains loyal regardless as long as the claim of authenticity is obstinately maintained.

“a better question would have been why is Fox considered a ‘news’ network when they sponsor anti-government rallys, get so many of their slanted stories wrong, and are never held accountable for their outright lying, and advocate killing government officials.”
____________________________________-
Exactly. They’re a propaganda vehicle.

Embarrassingly shameful behavior by a short-hitting gang of amateurs who are in way, way over their heads.
Meantime this fool is wasting all his time on this healthcare nonsense while guys are getting killed waiting for him to make a decision about reinforcing them.

nice work Jake!

To jhw539
Yes I can the organization I used to work for no longer exist; the editor is in prison the owner is forced to leave the country or join him. The media that has the favored standard gets it news from the government information office and is reviewed before printing. No criticism is allowed for government policy; if criticism is produced the government men come around and beat the reporter and his family and often wreck the newsroom and printing equipment. This is life for a newsman in Mr. Chavez’s world, and the lucky like myself escaape before we are convicted of anti-government propaganda.

It’s not appropriate but the WH doesn’t care. Bunch of whiny babies…

In my life time you are the second News man to open the eyes of the people with a symple question. The other one, Egbert Roscoe Murrow. Take your place, that your question earned you.

“Death book” distortions abound on Fox News Sunday. On the August 23 edition of Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace hosted former Bush administration aide Jim Towey to discuss his Wall Street Journal op-ed, “The Death Book for Veterans,” and in doing so promoted numerous distortions about an end-of-life educational booklet used by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In addition to forwarding the smear that the booklet is a “death book,” Wallace promoted Towey’s distortion that the booklet encourages veterans to “pull the plug” — it doesn’t; Wallace and Towey both suggested that the Bush administration suspended use of the booklet — it didn’t; and Wallace claimed that a VHA document requires doctors to direct veterans to the booklet — it doesn’t.”
______________________________________
Outright lies by the media are fine with the right wing as long as they’re aimed at the Democrats – hypocrisy is the operative word for the right.

You’re a true journalist Mr. Tapper, keep up the good work.

To all you Fox haters, I should point out that MSNBC, CNN, etc. are even worse on the other side of things. CNN mocked and deliberately misrepresented the tea-partiers and even called them something obscene on national television. MSNBC still lets Keith Olbermann have his own show, enough said. You answer for them before you start criticizing Fox News.
Jake, good on you for challenging this White House and its dictatorial tastes. Keep up the good work!

Thanks, Jake. All journalists … all Americans should be concerned about what the WH is trying to do regardless of party affiliation.
The shows in question are clearly opinion shows but Gibbs wants to shut all of that out.
They are upset because of Beck’s successes. Imagine if Bush had done this to Olbermann or Maddow.

while guys are getting killed waiting for him to make a decision about reinforcing them.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena
so why did Bush leave them there for 8 years without proper resources and a plan to win?

Thank God for you, Jake. A real, honest, traditional JOURNALIST. I don’t know your politics, and don’t care, because you are a hard-hitting and fair JOURNALIST. Keep it up!

Whether you agree with Fox News or not or, whether you feel they are a bonafide news organization or not is not the point that should be raised. The key point is that an organization (read that as “single company”) has been targeted for censure by an Administration for having a different “opinion” than the Administration. No matter who or what you are, that should be disturbing to you. I commend Jake Trapper for doing his job, which is asking the question and reporting the answer. Let the reader/viewer form their own “opinion”.

even more distortions from FOX:
‘Happening Now passes off GOP press release as its own research — typo and all. During the February 10 edition of Happening Now, co-host Jon Scott purported to “take a look back” at how the economic recovery plan “grew, and grew, and grew.” In doing so, Scott referenced seven dates, as on-screen graphics cited various news sources from those time periods — all of which came directly from a Senate Republican Communications Center press release. A Fox News on-screen graphic even reproduced a typo contained in the Republican press release. The following day, Scott apologized — for running the typo. Scott’s apology was criticized by Washington Post media critic and CNN host Howard Kurtz, who said: “We sometimes jab at the pundits for using talking points, but in the case of Fox News anchor Jon Scott, it was literally true this week. … You should be apologizing for using partisan propaganda from the GOP without telling your viewers where it came from. Talk about missing the point.”

“Whether you agree with Fox News or not or, whether you feel they are a bonafide news organization or not is not the point that should be raised. The key point is that an organization (read that as “single company”) has been targeted for censure by an Administration for having a different “opinion” than the Administration. No matter who or what you are, that should be disturbing to you.”
Censure?
I know right wingers can;t remeber anything beyond what the right wing talking heads tell them but perhaps you remember the resolution to condemn MoveOn for a newspaper ad.

Wow, my last comment was deleted in a matter of seconds. So, maybe I’m allowed to disagree now?
Tapper, do you know what journalism is? It is not FOX News – it’s not trying to push a particular agenda based around an ideology.
That is why Gibbs said FOX isn’t a news organization.
Someone in the WH telling the truth is hard to get used to, but refreshing.

Jake Tapper understands what too many do not. Today a leftist administration decides right-leaning Fox is “not a news organization”. A few years from now…?
Tyranny must be resisted in all its forms at all times. Even when you agree with the tyrants’ opinions. Otherwise you may find it an uncomfortable fit when the shoe is on the other foot someday.

Doodad Pro – They can’t back up their assertion that a White House Press Secretary accused the NYT of treason, anyway.

“To all you Fox haters, I should point out that MSNBC, CNN, etc. are even worse on the other side of things. CNN mocked and deliberately misrepresented the tea-partiers and even called them something obscene on national television.”
Because FoxNews treated anti-war protesters fairly and did not try to make them out to be kooky right?
The tea parties got the coverage they deserved for a fake grassroots media event aimed at boosting Fox’s ratings.
One that had the same attendance as a gay rights march a few weeks later.
FoxNews devoted all of 3 minutes of coverage.
“MSNBC still lets Keith Olbermann have his own show, enough said.”
So now opinion shows revolving around a personality are bad?
“You answer for them before you start criticizing Fox News.”
The rush to defend FoxNews is actually a rush by right wingers to defend they distorted world view.
Right wingers are so dependent upon FoxNews to tell them what to think, they cannot accept attacks upon it.
Because that would be an attack on their thinking.

on and on….. Fox lies
Henneberg repeats right-wing myth that hate crimes bill could gag ministers. During the April 29 edition of America’s Newsroom, correspondent Molly Henneberg repeated the right-wing myth that under the proposed Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, religious groups “may be prosecuted for their religious beliefs if they believe that homosexuality is a sin,” and the disputed claim that the legislation “could gag ministers who preach that [homosexuality is a sin], or even if a church may not want to marry a gay couple.”

“The NYT was publicizing classified information it received illegally through a leak”
Note that that information it publicized was the Bush admin illegally spying on AMERICANS.
See for all the screaming about liberties, the right wing was quite comfortable trampling on everyone’s rights when they were in power.
Now that they are out of power they want everyone to forget what they did to this country.

“What confidence should dollar investors have that America will really cut entitlement spending? Very little. Instead, we are more likely to see huge tax increases that could cripple productivity, or further dollar neglect, or a central bank that turns dovish on inflation. Or perhaps all three.
“If Washington doesn’t care to support the dollar, why should investors?”
Headed for Banana Republic status under the guidance of abject fools.

===Now that they are out of power they want everyone to forget what they did to this country. ===
And now that democrats control the senate, the house and the white house, we can all relax since they have rushed legislation through to repeal…oh wait, that hasn’t happened, has it?

Jake, I would like to add my voice to others who support the fine work you do and who appreciate you asking good questions and your balanced reporting.
One thing that disturbs me in this report is Gibbs’ lame answer that, “It is their opinion” that Fox News is not a real news agency. I have never seen an administration so clueless about the proper use and improper use of the office of the presidency and executive power.

Seems it is Beck and Hannity that Gibbs is referring to. They must be scoring some points for the WH to even notice them.

Tapper, you are asking for it. They will eventually get around to you when they have eliminated Fox. Are you ready for them? Great job, btw!

I know right wingers can;t remeber anything beyond what the right wing talking heads tell them but perhaps you remember the resolution to condemn MoveOn for a newspaper ad.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Which party was in the majority at the time?

“Posted by: Fascist Hyena | Oct 20, 2009 2:23:18 PM”
Same right winger last week:
“In short, in contrast with growing dollar scepticism and even though US external accounts continue to point to dollar weakness despite the recent correction, the fast rebound of the US economy and the undoing of the monetary stimulus may deliver higher rates in lieu of a weaker dollar in 2010.”

===Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.===
He much prefers CNN where they fact check SNL skits critical of the president. That is fairness.

even more Fox nonsense:
Fox News’ Hemmer “keeping track of the stimulus money” — by lifting research from GOP website. On April 23, Hemmer repeatedly suggested information about four “interesting” projects reportedly funded by the recovery act was obtained through Fox News’ own research, even though nearly all of the information Hemmer mentioned, as well as that included in on-screen text and graphics, first appeared on Rep. Eric Cantor’s Republican Whip website.

Wallace revives rationing bogeyman. On August 16, Wallace repeatedly advanced the
Fox inaccuracies cont…
conservative talking point that Democrats’ health care reform proposals would create a system of rationing care, omitting the fact that rationing already happens under the current system. Indeed, Wallace did not acknowledge that rationing already occurs, even after his guest, American Medical Association president J. James Rohack, said, “[T]here’s a myth that rationing doesn’t occur right now. … That’s why this bill’s important. It gets rid of some of the rationing that’s occurring right now.”

Oh yeah the right wing.
And no I was not pleased that quite a few Democrats voted for it.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 20, 2009 2:32:15 PM
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You’ve failed miserably with your continued attempts to spin facts here. Maybe you should be a little more careful about who you call liars and hypocrites.

All you need to know about Obama can be summed up in these headlines from today:
PARTY! Obamas big on White House gigs…
——————————————————————————–
PAPER: Excuses wearing thin for president, media pals…
——————————————————————————–
WIRE: Higher jobless rates could be new normal…
——————————————————————————–
Poll: Only 34 percent of Californians approve of Pelosi’s performance…
——————————————————————————–
Dems paying off Docs to support ObamaCare?

Your using media matters and moveon.org talking points to try to prove Fox News is not a real news organization? Oh brother.

Why doesn’t this administration just dance around and sing “tattle tale, tattle tale, hang your britches by a nail” when speaking about FOX News? They are like a bunch of children who have gotten caught because someone “told” on them. Guess what? That’s SUPPOSED to be the job of the news media. Could anyone imagine if we didn’t have FOX News to balance out the “reporting” we are exposed to on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, not to mention the print media as well? These so called journalists are so in the tank for Obama it’s pathetic. Without FOX we wouldn’t have known about ACORN, Van Jones, the “stimulus” money that is going to pet projects, Jeremiah Wright, etc. So, go ahead WH, get on the floor, kick and scream, throw a tantrum, and whine about everything that’s going on that isn’t your fault. It’s really setting a good example for the kids…if things don’t go your way, just blame it on the other guy. That always works.

Thank you, Jake for questioning this. I prefer to channel surf most news networks (CNN, FOX, ABC, CBS) to get a broader coverage of the news. The 5pm and 9pm time slots on FOX are clearing skewed to the right–actually Beck is Libertarian–and they do not hide behind that fact. I’m okay with that but apparently somebody in the WH is not. I am intelligent enough to know how inflection is put on a word or words in a sentence or even the choice of words to know what is being hinted at in the way a news story is presented. Let me draw my own conclusions. I don’t want the WH choosing who gets to be a news organization and who doesn’t. Again, thank you for stepping up and asking the question…please don’t stop!

Kudo’s Jake–for standing up for free press. Now it’s Fox. Next it’s ABC and so forth. This country was founded on the principles of freedom. Our Founding Father’s are rolling in their respective graves. Government-controlled media has made it’s way to the Pennsylvania Ave. Keep up the pressure. p.s. Gibbs IS an idiot.

In 2012, when conservatives take over the White House, will the 4th Estate be okay with black lists naming 99% of them?
Anyone that has wasted a couple of hours watching MSNBC prime time has got to be rolling over on the floor, listening to the W.H. call out Fox for having a perspective. LMAO

Thank you for being an honest journalist. You are an essential part of American democracy. Keep it up and may your tribe increase.

===The right wing pushed for MoveOn to be censured by act of Congress. It was put up for vote by Republicans who called Democrats refusing to vote for this traitors. ===
This is not the left wing pushing, it is the office of the President. It isn’t even congress. It is the office of the WH. There is a difference.
This push to attack Fox isn’t about Fox, it is about containing the other news outlets. A warning shot across their bow. Don’t report on the Van Jones’ controversy. Don’t report on Anita Dunn’s controversial remarks. Don’t report on anything else Fox uncovers. I don’t have a problem with that, if the other news organizations would stop getting tingly feelings up their legs, fact checking comedy skits, and doing a 2 hour infomercial inside the white house. Do their job and they will all be reporting on the same news.

“In 2012, when conservatives take over the White House, will the 4th Estate be okay with black lists naming 99% of them”
Take a good look at the real face of the right wing.
The only thing that interest them is power.

Obama is as wimpy as Carter and as thin-skinned as Nixon.
History is repeating itself.
Look at how Nixon ended up.
Without Jake and Fox News America becomes Venezuela.

A new Washington Post/ABC news poll Tuesday reports that only 20 percent of Americans now consider themselves Republicans — the lowest number in 26 years.
That’s not exactly a national vote of confidence.

Jake, thank you for standing up for freedom of the press/freedom of speech.
These are our First Amendment rights.

I’m not sure which is more disturbing; an executive branch waging war on the freedom of the press,
Or the frightening number of Americans that excuse it!

A new Washington Post/ABC news poll Tuesday reports that only 20 percent of Americans now consider themselves Republicans — the lowest number in 26 years.
That’s not exactly a national vote of confidence.
____________________________________
Despite all the nonsense put forward by the remnants of the far right wing in America attempting to smear the President and the Democrats, most Americans have not forgotten the 8 years under Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the Republicans. Most want nothing more to do with the Republicans.

This administration has dispensed with and shows no respect for the dignity of the Office of the President of the United States.
The White House looks utterly silly, thin-skinned, and unprofessional as they continue to pick a fight with FOX and will only serve to weaken whatever position they hold with the citizens of our country. Unbelievable.
Thank you, Jake, for YOUR fair and balanced reporting.

Bottom line? Fox is growing, this attack by the executive branch is helping them grow, and the NY Times has just fired 100 reporters.
Interpret that news as you will.

Awesomely awesome awesomeness. Whatever ABC is paying you, you’re worth double.
Tapper Rocks!

I’m so glad Andrea Mitchell of NBC set me straight today… She said George Soros isn’t a left winger (she disputed Senator Hatch in an interview). I’m so glad she cleared that up for me.

Does anyone know when (or rather, if) Obamaco is planning to stop campaigning and start governing?

k, This wasnt so much an attack on Fox news…instead it was an attempt to keep the other guys in check…These comments were made this weekend, the same weekend protestors took to CBS< NBC< ABC< and msnbc for not reporting real news…my opinion- but think about it- one said dont follow Fox and the other said the other news agancies should treat them as a news org either…kind of socialistic..

Fox is booming.
Conservatism is booming (see Gallop for details).
The hard-left New York Times is laying more staff off.
Hard-left CNN viewership is down 30 percent.
Hard-left MSNBC viewership is down 10 percent.
40 percent of Americans now strongly dissapprove of Obama versus 28 percent who approve (see today’s Rasmussen).
Despite the breathy assertions from the Obama Kool Aid Kids here, things are moving away from Obama and the hard left at a very rapid pace.
Keep the faith, folks. We will win the country back from the arrogant, incompetence children in the White House.

Nice to see Tapper and Richard Cohen even in the WAPO today, showing this WH to be a convoluted leftist captured group with no discernible plan to really create jobs, believe in free speech for say, Fox, Talk Radio, the Net or have a foreign policy. In my 70 years on God’s green earth(without the help of crazed enviros btw) I have never seen such a socialist pacifist agenda driven Administration. FDR would be in shock and Truman would read this faux Messiah out of town.

CNN + Nancy Grace – Really? My God she convicts most all her victims before they are tried in court !!!!

So, Jake, I’m paying attention and I have been for a couple months now (as you suggested per email after stumbling upon my obscure blog and questioning why I thought you were just another one of the things wrong with journalism today– though I said that, admittedly, in much stronger and in your face terms)and here’s what I see in this instance– a teachable moment about the current state of journalism missed BIG TIME in favor of the he said, she said superficial story du jour. Are you going to follow up with some investigative journalism, evidence one way or another as to whether the WH is correct? Or do you just want to get into the mix? I realize you’re ambitious, and you may think this makes you look gutsy as others suggest. Giving you the benefit of the doubt, perhaps you intended to give Gibbs an opportunity to be gutsy and to do the teachable moment himself in a WH press briefing? If not that would mean that perhaps you honestly do not see the difference between Fox– with a possible exception for Major Garrett (as Dunn mentioned) and Shepard Smith–and the other news shows or stations you mentioned? Or maybe you wanted to throw your conservative fans a bone? As Steve Benen points out it seems that for you and others of the establishment, the problem isn’t that Fox News is making a mockery of modern journalism– heck no, you seem to want to join right in if given that opportunity– the problem, you say, is that the White House has acknowledged the problem and is calling them out. Seriously? Perhaps, I was right in my email back to you when I said your ambition clearly seems to lie more in becoming popular, being provocative for provocation’s sake, and earnng money and ratings (see Fox News Channel) rather than advancing truth and tackling tough issues that people need to know about– NEED to know about. Sometimes those items don’t generate as much ginned up buzz. But hey, bully for you, I’m sure folks like connor are excited that the comment number is up on this post– must mean this is way more important than Afghanistan and other topics. (Eyeroll.)

If Glenn Beck is lying
Posted by: barry
‘IF’ ??
that would be funny if it wasn’t so sad…

Team Obama is much worse than the Carter years. At least the horse holders for Carter would protect him from himself periodically. Whoever thinks they are in charge of staying on message is LOST! (Fear they all think they are in charge — especially Gibbs, Emanuel, and Axlerod! Obama is beginning to really look a bit dull!

msnbc.
chris matthews.
andrea mitchell.
and the rest of the crew that pushes the WH’s agenda and fawns and swoons at every turn, thus helping to get their man into the white house in the first place.
this white house only understands how to campaign – not how to govern.
2010 – good bye house democrats, good bye harry reid.
2012 – good bye barack obama.
i’m an independent and the minute you even THINK about siding with a far, left, liberal democrat – they remind you so quickly why you shouldn’t.
thank god for jake tapper.
you are the only decent one left.
the only one.

I don’t happen to care for much of what Fox News puts on the air (and I’m not a fan of TV news in general), but I think Jake Tapper deserves major kudos for standing against White House overreach, to put it politely. It’s one thing for an administration to disagree with a news outlet. It’s another thing to claim they don’t have a right to do what they’re doing as a news organization. It has a chilling effect, IMO.

Tha MSM got spanked and they can’t handle it… OK MSM…now sit… good boy…roll over .. good boy…
Freaking funny as ####.
Keep it up Gibbs..ah I mean Bagdad Bob :)

“what’s frightening is the growing cult of violent rightists threatening america with terrorism from within”
WTH is that about?
___________________________________
joedoe – you only need to pay attention to the type of frightening, violent right wing nonsense posted on this blog. Pay attention for a few days – you’ll see exactly what is meant.

Oh Yeah said: “just see where america was when Bush took office and where he left it……. nuff said”
How about this… look at where America was in late 2006 when Repubs controlled the WH and Congress.
Now look at what happened since early 2007 when Democrats took over the Congress and Senate.
….nuff said!

Obama’s thugs have a long history of buying off or intimidating the media. Axelrod was a Chicago Tribune reporter and Obama’s billionaire buddy and Auto Czar Steve Rattner was a NY Times reporter and was an intimate pal of NY Times publisher Pinch Sulzberger.
In 2008, 83 year old Milt Rosenberg, a beloved voice of reason in Chicago, had his radio show bombarded with pro-Obama stooges who flooded his phone lines when he had a show discussing Obama’s time with the Annenberg Challenge. Obama’s stooges also stole McCain signs en masse, tried to shut down NRA ads, tried to prohibit anti-Obama bumper stickers in MO on top of voter intimidation tactics by black panthers, acorn etc. Obama goons invented stories like the pregnancy story, book burning, about Palin and pushed lies about McCain and a lobbyist affair.
Now Obama’s goons like Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and Rick Sanchez, are throwing around phony Limbaugh quotes, and trying to muzzle their single opponent in the press–Fox News. Chris Wallace is a solid journalist who plays it down the middle. Britt Hume is a consumate professional. Sheperd Smith is liberal as is Rivera and Greta Van Susteren.
Obama’s hirlings now are holding out the prospect of bailing out failiing old media outlets to turn them into “non-profits”. Typical Obama–trying to buy allegiance.
The enemies list label in Nixon’s time was worn proudly. Now, the press is cheering Obama as he tries to shut down dissent Hugo Chavez style.

Careful, Jake!
You keep this up and the WH will ban you. You’ll be canned from ABC and have to go to Fox as they’re the only ones (other than lonely ol’ you) that DARES question anything about this WH.

It wasn’t too long ago that dissent was called Patriotic.
Now it’s called racist.
Funny that.

Jake:
Thanks for being the only MSM reporter to actually do his job. Your colleagues should hang their heads in shame, but they’re mostly shameless, so…

“Those right wingers are SOOO dangerous… remember all the damage they caused in Pittsburgh recently?”
No property damaged in Pittsburgh “just” three dead police officers.
AP: “A man opened fire on officers during a domestic disturbance call Saturday morning, killing three of them, a police official said.
Friends said 23 year-old Richard Poplawski feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns.”
That was after your hero Beck kept telling his insane audience that Obama was coming for their guns.

It wasn’t too long ago that dissent was called Patriotic.
Now it’s called racist.
____________________________________
Nobody brought up racism here – you did.
That’s been the tactic of the right all – pretend someone is calling decent ‘racism’ and then attack.

“You’re only looking at the PARTY. The same polls show that TWICE as many people are Conservative as comapared to Liberal.”
And yet the GOP is handily losing generic ballots.

“Can someone be specific as to the lies Fox news has told. Thanks”
Sorry… nobody can point to ANY. That’s the funniest part!

Jake you are going to get yourself put on the “enemy” list for continuing to ask questions. You were on top of the ACORN scandal while everyone else in the MSM acted like they had no clue including the your own news organization.
Thank you for continuing to keep this WH in check. I don’t care what party they belong to, power can corrupt and it looks like this WH is heading down that road.

“I think the impetus from Conservatives and Independents through Fox news has given a voice and soon a prominent presence to the “Oath Keepers”"
So how many kids will be killed in a right wing nut’s bombing this time?

Sorry… nobody can point to ANY. That’s the funniest part!
Posted by: ster | Oct 20, 2009 3:31:37 PM
_________________________________
Read, you would know that a number of examples have already been posted on this blog . . . see below.

For voters, the economy outpaces all other issues by a wide margin, according to a new Public Strategies Inc./POLITICO poll.
As the nation struggles to climb out of a recession, 45 percent rated the economy as the most important issue in deciding their vote if the congressional election were held today, followed by 21 percent who said government spending, 20 percent who chose health care reform and 9 percent who said the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just 4 percent ranked climate change as the top issue.
______________
But Obama wants to spend time and tax dollars targeting Fox and trying to ram healthcare down our throats.
Un-freaking-believable.
Obama is a staggering fool.

Sorry… nobody can point to ANY. That’s the funniest part!
Posted by: ster
funny part is that I posted a bunch, not that you would check, tyically Foxian… here’s a short sample of many
Henneberg repeats right-wing myth that hate crimes bill could gag ministers. During the April 29 edition of America’s Newsroom, correspondent Molly Henneberg repeated the right-wing myth that under the proposed Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, religious groups “may be prosecuted for their religious beliefs if they believe that homosexuality is a sin,” and the disputed claim that the legislation “could gag ministers who preach that [homosexuality is a sin], or even if a church may not want to marry a gay couple.”
Fox News’ Hemmer “keeping track of the stimulus money” — by lifting research from GOP website. On April 23, Hemmer repeatedly suggested information about four “interesting” projects reportedly funded by the recovery act was obtained through Fox News’ own research, even though nearly all of the information Hemmer mentioned, as well as that included in on-screen text and graphics, first appeared on Rep. Eric Cantor’s Republican Whip website.
America’s Newsroom promotes McCaughey falsehood that stimulus would “hav[e] the government essentially dictate treatments.” On February 10, Hemmer and Kelly promoted the falsehood — which first appeared in a Bloomberg “commentary” by serial misinformer Betsy McCaughey and was subsequently promoted by Limbaugh and Matt Drudge — that the economic recovery bill included a provision that would, in the words of guest Stephen Moore, a Wall Street Journal economics writer, “hav[e] the government essentially dictate treatments.”

jake, thanks for asking the questions no one else is asking, even if the response is ludicrous.

Beck’s stated goal: Get administration officials fired, “take down this administration”
In recent days, Glenn Beck has said that something he is “working on” will “take the administration down” and that White House interim communications director Anita Dunn “will have to go away” after “what we show you tonight.” Beck and his fellow Fox News personalities have repeatedly called for Obama administration officials to be fired, asked people to dig up information on administration officials, and fearmongered about President Obama, his advisers, and his policies.
Now imagine if the Republicans had subpoena power.

Jake, you are among only a handful of reporters outside Fox and some online mags that have the balls to actually ask the administration an uncomfortable question. Here’s hoping against hope that your MSM colleagues will re-discover the raison d’etre of the 4th estate.

“For years, Bush mostly avoided taking questions from media veteran and Hearst Newspapers columnist Helen Thomas….”
___________________________________
Bush basically refused to face the media for months at a time, never mind face questions from the tough reporters . . . people don’t remember what a lockhold Bush’s Whitehouse had on the media . ..

It’s amazing how many people are for the White House to suppress free speech. No one is forcing anyone here to watch Fox News. It’s a free country for the time being and you can choose (I know that frightens many of you who want to government to hold your hand on everything) what to watch. Do any of you understand the larger picture here? Free speech for me, but not for thee.
If this was Bush calling out MSNBC, everyone would be howling. But since it’s Fox News, it’s suddenly okay? When has it not be okay to question the current administration? What is going on here? I thought dissent was patriotic, but now it isn’t.
If I was CNN, MSNBC and the like, I would be embarrassed with the way Emmanuel and Axelrod patted me on the nose for being a good, obedient media channel.
I don’t know what’s more frightening: the fact that many don’t know the difference between journalists and commentators, the fact that many seem to be okay with suppressing free speech or that many are congratulations a journalist for doing his job – asking semi-tough questions.
What has happened and is happening to this country?

Julieterra, that’s because by that time Helen Thomas was certifiable. Once she was good, but she’s been the crazy aunt in the attic for years. Where have you been?

so I respond and post some of many examples of Fox lies, innuendo and false reporting and what’s the reaction from Faux supporters
C R I C K E T S

AWESOME JAKE!!

Thank you Jake for asking the real question. As usual Gibbs gives a silly answer and is an embarrassment to all of us. I am so glad that ABC has a good, hard hitting White House Correspondent. Thank you for your common sense.

This is dangerous but fortunately self limiting. Dems out in 2010, then Obama.

so I respond and post some of many examples of Fox lies, innuendo and false reporting and what’s the reaction from Faux supporters
C R I C K E T S
Posted by: Oh Yeah | Oct 20, 2009 3:44:58 PM
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Who/what were your sources?

It isn’t. The right wing posters are usually directed here en masse from right wing sites who actually point them towards a specific blog here and give them the talking points to use.
====
Really? Do tell.
And how do you find your way here, julieterra?

Obama should spend more time fighting the Taliban instead of fighting FOX News. Politicians having critics is part of a free, democratic society.

First, George asked Obama a valid, tough question on This Week and now Jake asks a tough one for the administration to answer. Finally, I’m seeing ABC as a real, credible news organization. Nice work! I won’t watch the other networks who have no integrity at all.

Jake Tapper: Lost Count
Robert Gibbs: 0

Well, let’s see.
Fox is booming.
The Wall Street Journal now has the largest circulation, taking the lead from left-leaning USA Today.
Conservatism is booming (see Gallop for details).
The hard-left New York Times is laying off another 150 staff.
Hard-left CNN viewership is down 30 percent.
Hard-left MSNBC viewership is down 10 percent.
40 percent of Americans now strongly dissapprove of Obama versus 28 percent who approve (see today’s Rasmussen).
Despite the breathy assertions from the Obama Kool Aid Kids here, things are moving away from Obama and the hard left at a very, very rapid pace.
Keep the faith, folks. We will win the country back from the arrogant, incompetent children in the White House.

“Even you can tell when the Drudge crowd has been directed this way.”
____________________________________
Well can’t you?

Maybe Fox should take it on the chin, just so the next administration in 2012 can do the same to MSNBC. Running Schultz, Matthews, Olbermann and Maddow out of the business then would be worth the price Fox has to pay now.

julieterra- I just looked, and there doesn’t appear to be a link from there today. My guess is this is something people feel strongly about, and ABC’s Political Punch is hardly some obscure place to find.
I think it’s silly to assume the “other side” needs marching orders of some sort. Especially since we’ve seen the same source used as a “fact check” by several people today. And it wasn’t from the right. Better to give people the benefit of the doubt, I think.

“The price of liberty is eternal diligence”
-Thomas Jefferson
(NOT Mao)

If they think FOX is not a News Organization, why do they issue press credentials to them. They should take away thier press credentials immediately.
==========
Heh. I think Fox should call their bluff, don’t you?

Jake Tapper is one of the few White House Reporters who has any sense of integrity.
Good work, Jake.

You’re a decent human being Tapper, I genuinely mean that.

I guess you’re not considered a legitimate news organization in this administration unless you’re drooling over yourselves with praise for the thin skinned crybaby.
Just what is it about exposing a corrupt organization like taxpayer funded ACORN advocating child prostitution that offends?

In attacking Fox alone, Obama has given his seal of approval to the coverage by the other networks. If I were a journalist, I’d be embarassed by that little pat on the head, but then, I take more pride in my work than most journalists do these days.

Tapper: It’s escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations “not a news organization” and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization.
*********
This reminds me of 1st grade, when a friend would say, “I don’t like her. Let’s not talk to or play with her.” Except it isn’t. It is our White House. Acting like school children. How sad.
Jake, Great job on explaining the difference between news and opinion segments to Gibbs. I still don’t think he understood…

===So is the ignorance willful or just run of the mill ignorance? ===
Apples and oranges. Fox hasn’t been accused of printing classified material during a time of war.

Jake you are officially my hero today. Thanks for asking the question. All news organizations should be asking this same question.

Oh oh, the right wing metaphor police are out today telling people how they can or can’t use metaphor. Neat.
Posted by: julieterra | Oct 20, 2009 4:20:32 PM
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Just admit it. You thought Mike Wallace was dead. You were wrong.

“Smear campaigns? Like the ones you did constantly against President Bush for 8 years?”
____________________________________
Provide some logical arguments and you might be listened to . .. the juvenile name calling and smear campaigns against the Democrats from the right only serve to embarrass the remnants of the decent conservative movement in the country.
You ought to be reminded, by the end of his term close to 70% of Americans felt Bush had done a poor job – it was his policies that knocked him over, and the dreadful state of the country.

I stopped watching the MSM in 2008 because I couldn’t stand the Obama worship. Although I don’t watch much TV, I paid for cable so that I could tune into Fox, which I had seen at a friend’s house. I will never go back to watching the main-stream media. Fox has earned my respect.

Keep it up Tapper. Thanks.

Nobody makes me or anybody else watch Fox News at 5 and 9. In fact, the WH is obviously nervous about Fox News or they wouldn’t be always talking about them.

“The mob boss from Chicago currently residing in the White House should just do what all the other banana republics do: disappear their employees and broadcast recordings of his speeches 24×7.”
___________________________________
More smear and fear . . . seriously, nothing else at all to offer?
Do you not see how boringly obvious the right wing tactic is? Karl Rove part 6,7,8, 9, 10 and on to infinity.
Smear the person and attempt to instill fear of the person.

“Smear the person and attempt to instill fear of the person.”
Hmmm…sorta like what the WH does to anyone who dares disagree with them, eh?

You have single-handedly restored my faith in journalism. Thanks for asking the question I have been thinking!

Thanks Tap! Just watch your back…

I can’t believe the White House is so stupid they can’t understand the difference between opinion shows like Maddow (MSNBC), Hannity (FOX), etc, and the news.
Are they really that stupid?

Good for you!

“this article is linked to real clear politics…not exactly a right wing blog.”
Real clear politics is a right wing blog though they do some objective things like poll compilations.
This is also linked at hotair, free republic, instapundit among other right wing sites.
Politico has also linked to it though they are more middle of the road.

We’ll see how well this approach works to marginalize Fox News. Currently, they’re enjoying ratings that the other networks would love to have and all the negativity from the White House is just adding to their success.
Not exactly a very intelligent strategy but based on everything we’ve seen thus far from the Obama team, it’s not surprising.

“Debatable. Foreign intelligence thought Saddam was up to no good, as did ours”
If something was debatable one would except some sort of confirmation before launching an invasion that killed 100,000 Iraqi civilians and over 4000 American soldiers.
Blix was on the ground telling us there were no WMD.
The Bush admin decided to invade anyway.

Jake has asked tough questions in the past from this White House and he and Helen Thomas are the only non-FOX reporters that have, from what I have seen. At some point you to decide, are you a pprofessional journalist or a lap dog. Jake is NO lap dog.

thanks Jake. It is positively Nixonian the way these guys roll.
I am a 24 yr Dem who started watching FOX during the DEM primaries when I saw how unfairly most of the media was treating Hillary and how far they were going to support Obama..
after years of assuming they were unfair I was shocked to find FOX was the most fair in their coverage by far. I believe a PEW Research paper found the same thing,.when they attacked Rick Santelli from the podium of the press room I knew it did not bode anything good for freedom of the media.

Great Jake. You are fast becoming the new Cronkite.

CBS lost all credibility after Dan Rather crashed the network over Bush and the bogus documents. And it’s an open question as to who’s more obsequious: Brian Williams or Charles Gibson.
But since Williams editorializes with both intonation and content, I stick with the ABC Evening News AND Fox News. There are interesting contrasts aplenty.
That having been said, Obama is seriously in error in conducting this war against Fox News. Thanks for playing things straight, Mr. Tapper. You’re always a good read.

So the White House has declared that Fox News is “not a news organization”. It would be more accurate to say that the Obama administration is not the executive branch of the federal government, it is a “campaign organization”. Obama, Axelrod and Rhambo are petty Chicago politicians whose only achievement is getting elected. They are incompetent amateurs at leadership and governing.
Fox News is informative and unafraid to challenge the incompetence of the Obama administration and their questionable ideology and hidden political agenda.

Good going Jake. Especially since you seem to be bucking the WH’s attempt to get you all (the media) to agree that Fox is not a news org.
Mind you .. I don’t watch Beck, don’t like Hannity, etc.
I do watch Fox and CNN and MSNBC.
But you have always impressed me and still do. Keep up the good work and thanks for your service to the country!

“Why is that appropriate for the White House to say?”
Are you implying that the White House cannot have an opinion about what constitutes a news organization? Would you object to the White House expressing its opinion that the World Weekly News is not a news organization?
I say it’s about time that we recognize that Fox is an opinion factory all day long and behave toward them accordingly.

Thank you Mr. Tapper. Fox is killing all the other cable channels because they actually break stories. You can’t tick off half your audience by refusing to cover stories (Van Jones, ACORN, etc.) to make your guy look good.
Those on the left should defend the right of Fox to broadcast anything they see fit. If is is untrue, lawsuits will follow. You don’t have to watch Fox news, but the WH attack is a bit disturbing. I’ll bet many new viewers are turning on Shep Smith and thinking hey, they actually do have full coverage of both sides.

“For anyone likes having a “leader” who tries to manipulate which media outlet will be favored with access”
That’s no way to speak of Sarah Palin.

Thank you, Jake, for spanking that dimwit Gibbs with a lesson in what’s news and what isn’t.
This whole effort (the brainchild of Rahm “Tiny Dancer” Emanuel) on behalf of the White House is aimed more at folks like you (journalists) than even the public. Kudos to you for standing on principle… something of which this White House is woefully bereft.

Since when does a “news” organization actively promote and advertise for another group (ie: Tea Parties).
That’s not reporting, Tapper, that’s propaganda. Get it through your head and stop acting dumb. FOX went from being biased to being a full on advocacy network for the nutroots with Glenn “Obama’s a RAAAACCIIIISSST” Beck.

There are several very simple ironies worth pointing out here – here are just two:
1) CNN has the stones to fact check comedy skit on SNL that makes fun of Obama, but does not apply the same standards to fact checking its own reporters when it came to statements allegedly made by Rush Limbaugh…and this qualifies as a “news organization” according to the WH?
2) If the WH believes Fox is not a news organization and does not have any interest in disputing specific stories and reports (in lieu of just smearing the entire organization), then why are they watching Fox every night? They obviously know and care about what Fox is reporting every hour of every day. Why not just get it over with and say Fox is simply a racist organization? Everyone knows this is coming at some point.
If the left would get off their knees in service of Obama, they’d see they are getting played for fools.

I wish we had at least ONE totally-down-the-middle MSM outlet. Jake would be one of just a few of the best folks who should work there.

ABC: With all sincerity, thank you .

Baghdad Bob Gibbs: There are no news organizations here! Fox doesn’t break any stories. Glen Beck didn’t out Van Jones! Those are opinions! Ignore the tanks… errrr.. evidence of corruption that you THINK you see!

“Everyone who doesn’t routinely watch FOX knows that they are guilty of intentionally cropping remarks”
Nothing cropped about Rev Wright and I think that was one of the big lies that the libbies promulgated.
He said what he said, no one from the Real Media said a damned thing about it, other than to minimize it.
And then the Real Media goes ahead and bases their attacks on Limbaugh on completely made up quotes…
Go figure.

Jake should have said, “So, does that mean if you don’t like my reporting, I should no longer be considered one?”

Perhaps now that the country is witnessing the same kind of marginalization, intolerance of dissent and intimidation (including through use of the race card) that Hillary Clinton and her supporters were routinely and relentlessly subjected to in 2008, Mr. Tapper or one of his colleagues might revisit the caucuses and the delegate count “victories” Obama claimed and recount that history in a more objective light.

Faux News deserves what they get. They are distorting and politicizing Obama’s message. The only reason Obama’s poll numbers are dropping is because the dumber Americans get their news from RACIST Faux News. You know if you hear something about ACORN or Obama officials from Faux News but not from the real media, you KNOW it’s a lie!!! ACORN did not help those people. It was FAKE. The real media does not create hateful fake stories to attack politicians they don’t like.
I will be happier when we have government-run healthcare, government-run media, government-run school system… and one political party that really works for America. Then we wouldn’t have all the lies and stealing. It works for other countries — why not us?

Thanks Jake…for speaking truth to power and looking for the truth. We need more like you in the MSM. ABC does seem to me to be the best of the networks when it comes to journalism…Tapper, Stephanopoulos and George Will are why I watch ABC news. Peggy Noonan seems to have become too elitist and non-conservative to the point that I don’t think she can offer a legitimate conservative point of view.

As far as I have seen, Jake Tapper is the only member of the mainstream media to confront the administration for their attempted intimdation of a news organization that has not suffiently applauded official state policy. Good for you, sir. It is nice to know that at least one man at one MSM porganization is not a lapdog for these thugs.

They dislike Fox just like many of us Americans dislike this “Administration”.

Fox has O’Reilly, Hannity & Beck. MSNBC has Olberman, Matthews & Maddow.
Why is it that only Fox supposedly sacrificed its news credentials because of the bloviators on its primetime lineup?
Sure, the White House can choose to whom press credentials are extended. But if they’re going to talk about “fairness of coverage,” then they ought to be “fair” and apply the same standard across the board.

Halli, by your perverse logic, then neither is MSNBC a news organization. You point to the opinion programming of Fox News rather than their actual NEWS to make your obviously faulty case.
Yet somehow you omit the likes of Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

Barry Bonds posted a comment saying: Umm, Rev. Wright was quoting a U.S. Ambassador when he said that “America’s chickens have come home to roost.”
Who was he quoting when he said: “Not God bless America, God Damn America!”

Thank God there are people like Jake around.
Send Ms. Dunn to South Korea to visit the sites were thousands of Americans died at the hands of the Chineese army sent by Mao Zedong!
Thank God Fox is the only cable “news network” willing to report what is truly happening.
MSNBC is a pigs trough, but at least you know what you are getting.
CNN hides in its complicity to silence others (through the White House)…don’t trust them one bit.

“Who was he quoting when he said: “Not God bless America, God Damn America!”
Goldwater?

Tapper rocks.

“…according to government officials and reports…”
—————————————
Well then it MUST be true because everything government officials and reports tell us is true…and you all better believe these reports and officials or you are racists.

RyanC,
They’ll always cite some “emergency” or “crisis” when they take your rights away.
Some of bills that failed during the last administration are one example. This administration has a continuing crisis to justify a full-fledged assault on basic rights.
And no amount of bleating about “hate groups” and “death groups” will change that.
Good job, Tapper!

Thank you for standing up for your industry and for the Constitution by challenging the White House’s outrageous behavior. Whether or not you agree with the viewpoints expressed on Fox, at least you are able to realize that if they can come after Fox today, they can come after you tomorrow — and that what is under attack here is not actually any particular media organization, but instead, the freedom of every American to express their views, whether or not they correspond to those in power at the moment.

ral,
You’re a demagogue.
I oppose libs politically, but they aren’t all bad people. Some are my best friends and family. Try to not look at everything through your political hate.

Pat Buchanan on what he thinks is White America
“America was once their country. They sense they are losing it. And they are right.”

Fox,
“and in other news today, Obama and many of his minions appeared on the Mainn Stream Media and lied about other stuff which will gradually find its way into the Main Stream Media.
Those that don’t watch Fox will just have to wait to find out from their favorite networks or cable news outlets

“Let them know that we, as Americans, will not stand for them using the power of the white house to try to stifle opposing views.”
Pretty words, Beatrix. Pretty empty.
Did you spend the last eight years criticizing Faux Noise when anyone who disagreed with their reich-wing, jingoistic, war-mongering lies was called traitorous and unpatriotic by them.
If you didn’t, you’re being just a tad disingenuous now.
When Hannity and convicted felon and Iran-Contra criminal Ollie North were lying and doing their best to stop any voice of reason against starting an unnecessary war while ignoring those who attacked us on 9/11, you were just as vocal then in support of those who disagreed with Faux, right?
Sure you were. Because otherwise you’re just a big ol’ hypocrite now.

Good for you. The White House is just serving notice to all media outlets that criticism of the Administration absolutely will not be tolerated.

Mr. Tapper,
Kudos to you! I admire you for having the guts to do the right thing. Not always an easy thing to do in your business. While I certainly agree that Fox is certainly not as “fair and balanced” as they claim, they must be at least as balanced as the opinion programming of Matthews, Olbermann, Schultz, and Maddow. The press is the fourth branch of government and you seem to be one of the few reporters with the integrity to take that charge seriously. Thank you and keep up the good work!

Fox really couldn’t love this more.
Every time the administration does stuff like this, several, 10s, 100s of thousands of people say “what is this all about? Let me just check out Fox News and see what this is all about…”
Then the see stuff they’ve never heard in any of the other media, stuff that a lot of people at least think deserves mention.
And Fox News’ audience grows and grows and grows.
The only winner in this is Fox News, really. It must be killing the other outlets. Tapper is basically begging him “Quit killing us, amigo! We’re on your side!”

“Listening to that tool is like listening to Rev Wright on what he thinks is Black America.”
Pitchfork Pat a tool?
I thought the populist right wingers would love him.

THANKS JACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep the truth out there, Tapper.
Gibbs is an unctious, smug deceiver. It was wrong to attack the media when Nixon did it, it’s wrong when Obama does it.
Actually, I see some strong similarities.

“Listening to that tool is like listening to Rev Wright on what he thinks is Black America.”
Pitchfork Pat a tool?
I thought the populist right wingers would love him.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 20, 2009 6:07:25 PM
*********
You are not making any valid or true arguments for the left.

FoxNews is fair and balanced.
After all they paid Karl Rove as a political consultant and on air commentator but did not make him disclose his advisory role for the McCain campaign.
That was “fair” to Karl because otherwise he would have admitted being the shill we know he is.
And it was “balanced” for FoxNews because now they could lean on Karl’s opinion guilt free.

“When you accuse someone of what you are doing, it’s called projecting.”
I admire your attempt to teach.
Just know that it is likely to fall on deaf ears.

Hey, Mondo,
“Whatever faults Bush had he was certainly light years ahead of Obama when it came to being classy.”
You learned this on Fox, right? They certainly spent long enough selling it, no matter how much illegal and deadly stuff Bush did, Fox was there for him.
But then, it helps when your political party buys a media outlet and uses it for propaganda – 8 years later and the faithful will still repeat the lies.
Bush was a dangerous ex-drunk with a bad case of unearned entitlement. He brought the country to shame and ruin.

“But then, it helps when your political party buys a media outlet and uses it for propaganda…”
_________________________
What part time job does Jeff Immelt have these days?

Thanks for helping yet again to show Gibbs to be the complete fool that he is. I suppose Obama is the real fool though as he allows his tool of a press secretary to spout such nonsense. Who do they think they are picking up brownie points with or what do they think will ultimately happen when this battle is over? The last time this was tried was when Nixon tried to marginalize the WaPo and we all now how that worked out for him.

Jake -
Thanks for being the one reporter consistently showing up to do your job – report facts, inquire, and challenge answers with respect. Too few traditional reports anymore – too many out seeking to “make a difference”. Just the facts… just the facts.

Obama’s minions, and a lot of their defenders here, are incapable of grasping the difference between running a PR campaign and running the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government. It is long past time for Obama to stop campaigning for one party and start governing the entire nation. This attack on Fox News is an abuse of power against the one outlet which hasn’t bent its proverbial knee before Obama, and is breathtakingly ill-considered. Hubris will be Obama’s undoing; it is only a matter of time.

in other “news,” the White House just declared that Jake Tapper isn’t a real news reporter.

The 1st amendment – despite occasional nods to it – has never been hugely popular with liberal politicians.
By ‘fairness’, they tend to mean, ‘we will decide what you can and cant say’.
Fox News may not have the integrity of say, Jim Leher, but its not the job of the White House to decide what is and isnt ‘real news’.

Jake Tapper – excellent question. There goes your invite to the Christmas party

ral says: “20% – not half, not even close.”
You did not read. My statement was that half of the country is conservative. That is far different from saying that half the country is registered Republican. I am registered as an independent, but identify myself as a conservative just like a large number of Americans. I am not the only intelligent life out there on the conservative side, and we can see right through this B.S. put out by the MSM and the Obama press office. Independents gave Obama a chance, but they are turning against him and this will be obvious in 2010 and 2012. Just watch the gubernatorial race in VA on Nov. 3rd to see what direction the country is headed.

About time the MSM started asking a question or two of this Administration. Censorship of the media is always one of the first steps any dictator takes. Look it up.

Congrats Tapper! It’s nice to see there are still a few real jopurnalists left.

Good job Jake.I notice your one of the few reporters who actually does their job.Real journalist are more rare then a honest politician.Reporters arent suppose to be shills for any political party.

Thanks Jake! You’re my new personal hero. Keep it up but beware…you might be next…

Great job Jake! You made Gibbs “uncomfortable”. Hope you got someone watching your back. You’re probably on the Obama enemy’s list.
All we want are honest reporters doing the job the press is supposed to do. Hell, they don’t even have to be honest … just report fairly and report ALL the news.

Ryan you compare apples to oranges the networks are not compared to cable in any of the ratings systems, but this is for you:
Nielsen rating for Oct.12/2009
The O’Reilly Factor (Fox News)3.4
Hannity (Fox News) 2.4
Special Report with Bret Baier (Fox News) 2.4
The Fox Report with Shepard Smith (Fox News) 2.0
On the Record with Greta van Sustern (Fox News 1.8
Your fund raising numbers are also misleading “The Republican National Committee reported raising $8.7 million in September and a combined $22.9 million for the 3rd quarter. By comparison, the Democratic National Committee reported slightly more than $8 million last month and $24.2 million for the quarter”. You need to report the whole thing, DNC best quarter, RNC best month. This is the rest of the story ” But the RNC still has more cash on hand, more overall money raised and zero debt. The DNC has $16.3 million cash on hand; The RNC has $21.8 (down about $2 million from June, which the RNC says is for prepping the New Jersey and Virginia governor’s races.) The DNC is is carrying $5.1 million in debt; The RNC has $0 debt. The DNC has raised a total of $46.7 million this year; The RNC has taken in $51.9 million.”
To top all this the last CNN poll shows that half, yes half of the people in the country do not agree with the presidents positions. You may go ahead and draw your own conclusion , but please post all the information not just parts of it.

I don’t like Fox either, I watch George on Sundays, maybe MTP if they have a eally good guest, but it was a little creepy this weekend when they said other news networks shouldn’t consider Fox as news either. I wondered then why it didn’t bother some of you other journalists at a fundamental level, and I wondered where the public outcry and ranting was from my dear old poli/sci prof. Ranting from Fox doesn’t count, I think they are enjoying the attention from POTUS. I guess since the rest of the networks don’t have such polarizing (being nice here) figures they feel safe from “punishment”?

I have news for you Tapper, Fox News was never a real news organization. They are nothing but a 24/7 right wing propaganda channel. Now I am sure Murdoch and Ailes would love to hire you one day for millions.

“How are you going to win 2010 and 2012 with those numbers”
Considering those numbers are largely unchanged over the last few years, I would imagine the Democrats will try to win how they won in 2006 & 2008, boots on the ground, ads on the airwave and rapid response teams.
Latest WaPo poll has Democrats beating Gopers 51 to 39 in generic polling.
And the DNC, DCCC, and DSCC are outraising their GOP counterparts.
Right now the GOP is trying to stave off a internal war (see NY-23) as lunatic right wingers threaten to jump ship.
Maybe you guys should run Glen Beck?

Considering those numbers are largely unchanged over the last few years, I would imagine the Democrats will try to win how they won in 2006 & 2008, boots on the ground, ads on the airwave and rapid response teams.
**********
LOL, Ryan – Now we know obama’s tactics. That 35% of the voting public – the Independents – are SCARED of obama’s leftist policies and his attacks on a news station – they are running away like crazy! He ran as a moderate and now we are discovering he’s a socialist. The American public will not be tricked again.

Republicans are panicking because old angry white conservative christians are fading, while a diverse multicultural America rises. Time is on the side of Democrats and Independents.

Jack, I am not sure what your point was with the questions about FOX, do you beleive FOX is real News Organization? Do you beleive FOX is not the voice for the Rep? Do really think its not just their opinion show that only lean to the righ?..Maybe its you who beleive in FOX and if you do, I am sure they would hire you in a sec. Anyone I mean anyone who dont see that FOX is a 24/7 Propaganda machine, I have a 3 dollar bill to sell you…

“He ran as a moderate and now we are discovering he’s a socialist. The American public will not be tricked again.”
_____________________________________
Nonsense. Obama ran on health care reform and universal access. He also ran on addressing global warming, withdrawing troops from Iraq and increasing the effort in Afghanistan.
That’s what he ran on, that’s what is happening.

Nonsense. Obama ran on health care reform and universal access. He also ran on addressing global warming, withdrawing troops from Iraq and increasing the effort in Afghanistan.
That’s what he ran on, that’s what is happening.
Posted by: julieterra | Oct 20, 2009 7:33:21 PM
***********
Not really. Many liberals are not happy with him either – he hasn’t passed anything he promised. And he’s not getting a public option, which really makes the lib socialists angry. Aren’t you angry that he hasn’t accomplished one thing while in office?

What does the White House hope to accomplish with this “War on Fox”? With so much else on it’s plate this unnecessary confrontation seems very ill-conceived, not to mention petty and vindictive.

Great job Mr. Tapper!
It’s good to see that journalism isn’t completely dead.
This administration needs to be taken to task just like any administration should.

I agree with those here and on other sites expressing SERIOUS concern that the real problem is the government, ANY government, determining who is and is not a news organization. That is NOT what America is about, and if the White House pushes this much further, they will be creating an enormous problem for themselves – I, for one, will NOT stand by and see the government dictate who will and will not have access to governmental officials to interview or investigate. Get your head together people and STOP drinking the kool-aid, whether red or blue!!!

Kudos to an ABC reporter. It’s a shame people cannot realize FOX is a News channel that also has Opinion segments. I can understand the confusion it causes the government educated.

“Maybe you guys should run Glen Beck?”
I’d love to see those presidential debates. When faced with tough questions, Beck would just start crying.

Such paranoia at the White House about Fox news. The administration is not a real administration. Have you watched what the president says, and then does? Transparency has been replaced by paranoia.
The White House can’t decide whether to call Fox news “fake” or “scary” or just “an organization that has its number”.
By 2012 the White House will look back and see that they didn’t get re-elected because Americans believe in free speech more than Chicago thuggery.

Thank you.

No administration should have the right to say ” we will deal with them, … but not them ” in regards to news organizations. It is not the role of an administration to be the arbiter of news, any more than it is the role of a news organization to decide what news that they will provide. The media’s sole obligation is to provide the news and let me, as the public, decide what I think, based on what I know to be wrong & right.

this is pure BS, and Gibbs knows it.what sanctimonious site did he or Obamanation fall off?

I have a journalism degree and have been so disappointed in the past year and a half at the different in the way Barack Obama was treated from any other candidate who ran against him.
In my mind I don’t think this is about a particular network, but about the right of journalists to practice their craft. If it really was about one network having commentators with a specific point of view, then MSNBC, PBS, and CNN would have to also be held accountable for not portraying a middle of the road point of view.
The punitive action taken by the White House says far more about them than it does about Fox News, regardless of whether you agree with viewpoints expressed on Fox.
Thank you Jake and ABC for having the courage to ask the questions. I hope you are not also punished by the administration.

Gilbert…You’re the only person I’ve seen talking about FOX being “shut down”. Also it seems like most people who have posted comments are more middle of the road than “the paranoid right”. Sounds like someone else might be a little paranoid.

Thank you Mr. Tapper.
That was a fair question (still unanswered).

Thank you, Jake, for standing up for asking the tough question and standing up for the rights of all Americans.

Thank you for Standing up to Mr. Gibbs, he is the most condesending person I have ever watched. Other than you and Major Garret the rest of the press corps are totally intimidated by Gibbs and afraid to ask any questions of substance.

I knew Obama was against the second amendment, but now it seems he’s trying the throw the first amendment under the bus as well. How much more of the constitution does Obama not like?

Gibbs: Evidence-free blather.
Did Axelrod or Rahm give any specific instances to back up their assertions when they were trashing FOX on the Sunday news shows? Or were they equally evidence free.

Did Obama run on creating an enemies list, silencing dissent in the media, creating a snitch on your neighbor website at the WH and generally personally attack anyone who disagrees with him?
I don’t recall hearing that on the campaign trail. Maybe that was stated during one of those private san francisco meetings where he bashed people who believe in gun rights and religion. And by religion, I don’t mean the reverend wright religion of hating white people and the United States.

And for all those bashing Fox News, how exactly would you classify MSNBC?

Any fair minded person can see what the WH is trying to do. Maybe it’s “fear mongering” to say this but what happens when there are no news organizations left to disagree.
Hats off to you Jake.

Thank you Jake! I can’t tell you how proud I am of you for standing up to an Administration that I think really feels that freedom of speech is no longer relevant (or rather it is as long as it is favorable to the Administration). It’s really OK to present opposing sides of issues, as Fox News does, and have people make up their own minds. I watch George Stephanopolis without fail on Sunday but listen to Rush Limbaugh during the week. I am smart enough to figure out what’s right with opinions I receive. Every time I hear that my opposing opinion doesn’t count I lose faith in all that use to be America. Thank you for standing up for all Americans and our right to free speech and differing opinions!!

So Journalism isn’t dead. Apparently Mr. Tapper was the first non-Fox Journalist to stand up for what is right in a room full of big time Journalists. Should we now grade the rest of the Journalists in that room on a curve or will the thought police come after us, too? Thank you.

Mr. Tapper you are doing a great job. Thank you for asking questions that other reporters won’t.
It’s almost 9:00, I’m going to tune in Fox News to hear the truth that has Mr. Gibbs so upset.

Jake thanks for sticking up for freedom of the press. I have a new liking & respect for you. You are a very brave man.

Obama’s enemies list has just grown by one reporter Jake. Keep up the good work.

Thank you so much for standing up for free speech, We all have a right to our opinion, Mine being little by little, our rights are being taken from us, by those that are suppose to represent us. Frankley it scares me, the road our Gov. is taking us down,We’ve always been a diverce nation, we should use that, not shut it down. THANKS AGAIN_KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!! And GOD BLESS you.

Good job Tapper, Murdoch will be happy to give you a tea bag.

Gibbs’ point, which seems to be ignored by Mr. Tapper, is that the organization Tapper works for, as well as other outfits like CNN, Univision, and yes, MSNBC, also engage in legitimate, non-partisan journalism, as well as occasionally engaging in slanted, opinion journalism, like the kind done by Lou Dobbs and Jake Tapper on the right or Keith Olberman on the left. FoxNews doesn’t; unlike real news outlets, it doesn’t break stories or investigate, so much as it airs the unfiltered opinions of the Republican Party. And unlike MSNBC, it doesn’t have someone like Joe Scarborough giving the other side. FoxNews is to journalism what professional wrestling is to sports. Asking the President to treat Fox the way the White House treats real journalists would be like demanding Obama invite the winner of SummerSlam to the White House along with the Super Bowl champs.

“Gibbs’ point,”
Gibbs didn’t make a point other than “we have an opinion.”
You made an argument that’s better than what Gibbs said. I disagree with it, but at least you attempted to substantiate your view. What Gibbs said was completely empty.

Mr. Tapper,
It’s been my observation for a long time that for war and foriegn correspondants, one of their survival mechanisms is that they report on each other when they are wounded, captured, or killed. Both to honor them but also as a way to try and ensure thir future treatment, because “but for luck or God, may go I”
You are one of the very few journalists who understand that the access may be denied to you next as well as the wrath of the Administration.
If I had a dollar for every time Chris Matthews has said “speak truth to power” I’d be a rich man.
Thanks and good luck.

Quiz: Other than Tapper’s questions above, name the last difficult question put to any administration official on any subject by CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS.

Well done Jake. You are in good company.
“The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure.” –Thomas Jefferson to Lafayette, 1823. ME 15:491

Seriously, Obama dislikes all of the Constitution.
ALL. OF. IT.
Yes, seriously.

Thank you Mr. Tapper, I was beginning to think that Major Garrett was the only one with guts enough to stand up to Mr. Gibbs. I think Mr. Gibbs can be very glib at times.
I am saddened that the White House has chosen to “attack” a news media. This is very tenuous ground. Silencing the dissenting press is the beginning of the end to free speech and challenges our liberty. Tyranical governments begin by controlling what is released and what is published in the press. I do not think our government is tyrannical but we must always be aware of the erosion of liberties or face eventual totalitarianism.

Good work Jake….these incapable buffoons in this adminstration need to be called-out more often by people like you.
OBAMA LIES.

“Look at every one of their shows, not just the opinion shows; check out the morning show, the American News, 2 hours of nothing but anti-Obama. ”
When’s the last time you actually watched FOX? As opposed to listening to someone else talk about them?

FOX is No. 1 and kicks the living snot out of “journalists” Olbermann and Mr. Maddow …..that really infuriates you looney barkhumping lefties doesn’t it…..hehehehehe.
OBAMA LIES.

“Treating Fox News as a “news” channel would be like treating Rush Limbaugh’s radio show as news.”
Actually, Rush covers quite a few stories that the MSM won’t touch. You’re aware of that the MSM was taken in the the fake U.S. Chamber of Conference press conference, right? No? Rush covered it. You’re aware that a USCC rep actually showed up at it and pointed out that it was bogus, right? No? You’re aware that the MSM still was taken in, despite presence of said representive, right? No?
Probably not, if you rely on the MSM for your news.

“Fox News!
We Distort! You Comply!”
It’s the White House telling people what to do, not FOX News.
You’re okay with that?

The hopelessly biased FOX has on Lanny Davis right now. I guess he’s there to present the far right-wing view?

“Look at every one of their shows, not just the opinion shows; check out the morning show, the American News, 2 hours of nothing but anti-Obama. ”
When’s the last time you actually watched FOX? As opposed to listening to someone else talk about them?
I watched the morning show last Friday while I was off work last week. There show was very ant- Obama. I can’t believe any sane person can say they were not. That Bill Himmer guy was very anti Healthcare, not questioning the repub but was very defensive with Dems. Either you haven’t watched in awhile are your repub glasses are keeping you from seeing the truth.

If Obama wants to dismiss FOX as not a real news agency, I’ll be glad to dismiss him as not a real president.
He can’t get healthcare passed, but he can attack the watchdogs.
If he keeps going like he is now, my observations will come true in 2012.

This is a simple matter. Just yank Fox News’ press credentials. Let’s see Mr. President put his money where his mouth(piece) is.

Sanchez, I didn’t say you could take a break!!! Get back into my garden and get those beans picked, or I’ll send you back across the border where you might need one of my guns to survive in that shithole from which you came!

“I think Fox checks their sources better than Dan Rather!”
Well, let’s be fair. You’re talking about a very low bar there.

“The paranoid right is alive and well. Obama is coming to take away your guns, bibles, conservative radio and Fox News. Oh my!”
So it’s not allowed to express concern over the legitimate point that the occupant of the White House, and his staff, are mounting a campaign against a press organization? And if you do, then that’s just paranoia?
You know, we’re only going by Obama’s own words? He has, after all, made derogatory remarks centered around guns and religion. His administration has expressed antipathy to conservative radio.
I know, I know. It’s not fair to smear them with their own words.

And Hemmer had Dems on the show? How can that be? Were they there to present the extreme right-wing position? Because, after all, FOX never has on anything but what would precisely and perfectly echo RNC talking points, right?
Not sure what’s your point???? I thought a real news group were not suppose to have an opinion.

I am a liberal, hard core democrat for life, and this frightens me. Recall the old adage about “they came for the others, I said nothing, and when they came for me there was no one to stand up for me.” Whether you agree with Fox or not, (and I have called them Faux news myself), it is horrible that our own government would do this. Thank you Jake for asking this question. This is a democracy, and whether it is a democrat or a republican administration, the press must act as the watchdog for the people and the people should appreciate their efforts, even when it points out flaws of the “home team.”

“Not sure what’s your point???? I thought a real news group were not suppose to have an opinion.”
Tell me you’re not serious. It’s common that news organizations have straight news shows and shows that focus on opinion and commentary. Are you telling me you think people like Olbermann and Maddow are straight news?

” I mean, they pretty much do whatever the GOP tells them too.”
Okay. The people at FOX say they don’t receive orders from the GOP. You have the right to make your claim, which contradicts theirs. What’s your evidence?

Famous quotes
Kennedy: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
Clinton: I did not have sex with that woman!
Obama: The current crisis is … uhhh … Fox News and … uhhh … Bush’s … uhhh … fault. And hope and change and change and hope!

The Whine House Press Secretary needs a Whine Flu Shot.

Sanchez, I didn’t say you could take a break!!! Get back into my garden and get those beans picked, or I’ll send you back across the border where you might need one of my guns to survive in that shithole from which you came!
Posted by: Alyssa | Oct 20, 2009 9:54:13 PM
*******
Does the Obama administration pay you to print garbage like this also?

Jake,
Thanks for being non-partisan. Your job is to ask questions. Not from a side, not with an “agenda” and you do that. Its so funny that Gibbs referenced Hannity and Beck as his problems with FOX. Can you please point out to your colleagues in the WH press room that there is a difference between opinion and reporting facts. Maddow, Olberman = Beck , Hannity…..Got it people?!?! Thanks again Jake, keep it up.

Jake,
Thanks for being non-partisan. Your job is to ask questions. Not from a side, not with an “agenda” and you do that. Its so funny that Gibbs referenced Hannity and Beck as his problems with FOX. Can you please point out to your colleagues in the WH press room that there is a difference between opinion and reporting facts. Maddow, Olberman = Beck , Hannity…..Got it people?!?! Thanks again Jake, keep it up.
Who = OReily? who= FOX the morning show? Who= The America Newsroom? Who= Neal Quvito? Who Greta? should I go on?

Jake Tapper confronted this nouveau-Nixonian paranoid administration that was supposed to be post partisan & transparent.
Watch out, Jake, you’re probably on Pres. Obama’s enemies list! God Bless you for your courage defending another news organization’s first amendment rights.

“Does Jake actually expect us to believe that he can watch any random day of FOX News programming — even minus the slant they readily admit in their “opinion” programs — and not detect the right-wing-bias???”
You seem to have missed Tapper’s (rather obvious) point.

Hat’s off to Jake’s courageous news reporting. Americans should be careful what we wish for….Chicago politics in the White House, means they think they can do whatever they want..
*********
Isn’t it scary that we are calling journalists courageous for ASKING a real question to the Whitehouse?? These people are supposed to protect us, not ATTACK us!

Bravo Jake,
it’s not the White House’s prerogative to declare what is news and what isn’t. Citing Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity is like citing New York Times’ Opinion section. Get real. No one is opinion free.
It’s scary that they are going after Fox for disagreeing with them. It’s important to have the voice of dissent as close to power as possible. Kennedy recognized as much and called on the press core to vigorously scrutinize and call out his administration when it faltered. Thankfully you are doing so here and disagree with Fox’s politics or no I hope the rest of the mainstream media sticks by them. It’s important to have a diversity of opinion analyzing the day’s events.

Nice work, Mr. Tapper. It’s heartening to see the Fourth Estate trying to rouse itself from the dusty sleep of decades.
Please keep asking the hard questions for us…and remember that that’s where your reporter’s soul will find its true fulfillment.
‘lil g.

God, it is good to see a professional newsman still plying his craft in this great country of ours. I would like to also thank you Jake. When, someday, the scales fall from the eyes of the great majority of your colleagues they will see that you were manning the trenches while they slept.

Didn’t see any answer to my question. That’s okay, I’ll post it again:
Quiz: Other than Tapper’s questions above, name the last difficult question put to any administration official on any subject by CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS.

I’m so proud of you. I hope others can stand with you and will share your courage. This administration has made it quite clear that they do not want any negative press or opposition. You may have just labeled yourself as a person with a “perspective,” but that is good. Everyone should have an opinion or two! That’s what separates us from the sheeple!
Fox News invites liberal commentators to all of their “opinion” shows most every day. I don’t see too many conservatives on the other networks on a regular basis. But the only way that we can make up our minds is to hear both sides… or all 100 sides… of an issue.
There are plenty of radicals on both sides of the fence. Most are wanting to improve ratings and payscales…and that’s ok! We know the difference between elightenment and entertainment.
It’s a shame the White House doesn’t.
My dad was a hero like you. I know this means a lot to your family.
Thanks, Jake!

A big thanks to Tapper for aiding the spirits of this citizen. I had begun to feel Baghdad Bob was the new norm in reporting in the US. Today, you restored a small ounce of hope and I appreciate you for it.

I’m glad JT asked this question, but really, this is courageous? Courageous? Does the word have no real meaning anymore? It is interesting that Gibbs never really answered the question. Why is it appropriate for the White House to decide what is and is not a news organization?

Gail, you say FOX isn’t a news organization, and your evidence for that assertion is what’s said by … Media Matters?
Yes, that’s the sound of shrieks of laughter you hear.

Kudos to Jake Tapper. I hope more journalists step up and start asking the hard questions of this White House that doesn’t want us to hear differing viewpoints about what is going on in our country. I think they forget that they work for the American people,and we have a right to information and to form our own opinions.

THANK YOU, JAKE!! Good God – where’s the outrage from the other bodies in the Press Room? How DARE the White House try to silence FREE SPEECH – no matter what your opinion on Fox News is!

PD
I said in the beginning of my post why Faux is not a news organization. It’s because they lie!
I just want Jake to ask the “hard “questions about Faux. Is it important to gauge the appropriateness of the WH stating that Faux is not a “news organization” or should he really focus on whther or not the assertion of the WH is true?
Last thing:
With everything of importance that could be asked from question on health care, the economy, the Afghan war , Iraq.. etc. THIS is what Jake gets called “courageous for asking? Gimme a break!

You are a truly fair reporter, Jake, that’s what I respect most about you. The only agenda you’re pushing in your work is…your work. No politics, straight-up reporting. Everybody in your trade, even those at Fox, can learn a lot about what they’re supposed to be doing just by watching you. Keep up the great work!!!

Thank you Jake Tapper for restoring my faith, in a small part, in the world of news journalists for questioning the blatant attack by the White House administration against Fox News – for reporting the news that the rest of the news media either miss or choose not to reveal or question. You are a real news journalist and all of the others need to hang their heads in shame.

FOX is a partisan Republican propaganda vehicle.

What a pathetic display by Tapper. I watched footage taken during the last tea party. It was horrifying and sad to see so many uninformed, confused and angry people. Many people interviewed confirmed that the (mis) information they were receiving came from Fox. Don’t you ‘journalists’ have a job to do? Shouldn’t you honestly be advocating for the American people? You should be ashamed. Why don’t you call out Fox for what it really is – a propaganda tool for the right and not a legitimate news organisation.
I’m watching this from Australia – no wonder the US is falling apart. It’s truly tragic to watch.

So glad you stepped up and asked that question Jake. This administration is so full of “spin masters” I get dizzy just listening to them. Everything unfavorable to them is “a distraction” and they are masters at dodging answers to anything that puts them in a bad light. Fox’s opinion pieces do tend to be ultra conservative, yes, but where were these people who now complain about that when the mainstream media was drooling all over Obama during the election campaign period. MSNBC was so “in the bag” for Obama as to be ridiculous. I lost respect for Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson both, not to mention Chris Mathews as they all completely lost their impartiality. In Fox we do have some people who are not afraid to stand up to the administration and hold them accountable. They were right about ACORN and about Van Jones, as well as Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers. Instead of ostracizing them, the American public should be listening to them more carefully. The increase in their ratings seems to indicate that that may be happening.

..as well as Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers.
Posted by: Kathy
and what were they [fox] right about with regard to Obama?

Fox News has been nthing more than a propaganda outlet for the GOP for years. Why is it that Republicans, who usually argue that people should be held responsible for what they do, cry bloody murder when Fox News is being held responsible for what it has been doing?

news flash:
With their loss in in 2008,
Republicans in 2009, after 8 years have discovered that there are in America: poor people, unemployed, victims of discrimination, hungry families and children, 2 wars, uninsured familes going broke from health care expenses, and that there is this thing called foreign policy that requires careful thought and strategy.
Somehow, during the Bush administration Republicans were oblivious to the above.

Thank you Jake!! If anyone should want to protect Free Speech, you would think it would be journalists!!!!

“First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
Pastor Niemoller
THANK YOU Mr. Tapper for speaking out in the face of this governmental outrage.

Posted by: CJ
and exactly who, is coming for you?

Thank god. At least someone is at least asking about this.
The administration is definitely being uncovered with this.

Thanks Jake for remembering that there is a first amendment, and asking the greatest question today. Who are you to decide what is news and what is not? That so many on the left ignore the danger posed to the first amendment by Obama’s actions is down right scary. How could anyone with any sense of what our freedoms cost rationalize that the rules should apply to one group and not another.

Jake- I’m glad to see that Fox News isn’t the only one that can ask a question of the Obama Administration.
I haven’t watched ABC news in over a year, but when I heard you asked a tuff question, I wanted to see it.
I’ll put ABC back on my list to watch now!
Thanks

If journalist keep OR start asking follow-ups it will not take long for the veil of secrecy and un-transparent ways start to be torn down. The administration cannot handle negative talk.
This always right attitude and bigger then thou idealism is sickening. After all these town hall meetings and words spoken against goings on in Washington will be brushed away and the American people will be left holding the bag.
We will be is such a shape our country will be unable to do anything in the world that needs to be done. More importantly unable to assist those in need because the dollar will be worthless.
Live withing your means was what my dad always preached to me—he was so right…Take heed America make the government live within its means….
This is puking sick what is happening. SEnd the troops Mr. President—screw the politcal agenda in Afghanistan, they weren’t there when we went in….protect our guys that is your job and the troops are needed NOW!

That so many on the left ignore the danger posed to the first amendment by Obama’s actions is down right scary. Posted by: Dave C
I must have missed the part of the 1st amendment that states Gibbs & Obama lose their rights ..
Posted by Oh, Yeah
Fortunately, however, Mr. Tapper did NOT miss the part about the abuse of power in Obama and Gibbs using their official positions to arbitrarily declare a news organization “not a news organization” based solely on their editorial stance, use their official positions to inveigle other news organizations to play along, then try to fig-leaf their abuse of power by claiming it’s just a personal opinion, even as they continue to use their official positions against those whose editorial stance is adverse. Shades of Nixon’s Enemies List!
Query (not that I expect an honest answer from commentors): If the Bush Administration had done the same thing to, say, NBC, on the strength of the editorial stance of some of their opinion shows on MSNBC, would you still be as warmly supportive of the act?

To all of you young, aspiring, journalist students out there…luckily, your generation has Jake Tapper with ABC News, and Major Garrett with Fox News, to look up to as examples of how to boldly question our government, in order to inform the people of the truth. Yes, there are award winning journalists around the world doing great things in the field to look up to also. As for the White House, I trust the work Tapper and Garrett are doing. They’re not lapdogs, they’re watchdogs. Thanks guys, America IS watching, and America thanks you.

I voted Hillary in the may primary in Indiana… am gay… Social Moderate, Fiscal Conservative… GO JAKE!!! Hold them accountable!

I’m not too familiar with Tapper, but I will be going forward.
Jake, I hope you read these posts. We really need someone to act as a counterweight to the spin from the White House. Thank you for attempting to hold them accountable, and PLEASE keep it up.

Jake,
You’ve gained a huge amount of respect from your collegues in the news media.
Thank you!

Jake Tapper: Thanks you for showing some guts and integrity.
Ironmike: show the proof that Fox reports lies, innuendos, and distortions. You can’t do it. As for Beck, he uses their own words on video and in their own writing.

CNN, MSNBC & all the rest have been openly partisan towards the Democrats for decades now. More than 90% of the press voted for Obama and 87% for Clinton. There is real bias, but it’s not coming from Fox. Half of the garbage they run like Geraldo, Greta, & all the regular crazy lefties like Sharpton, Beckel etc push the cover more left than the hack Hannity. Beck bashes all of the crooks & is independent. O’really is just not watchable, no matter what your party affiliation, or lack.
Fox needs to drop OReilly & bring in Lou Dobbs to fill his slot. Dobbs & Cavuto are the best regular anchors out there & Dobbs not look at home on the Communist News Network anymore. To much heat for doing his job.
Send OReilly to MSNBC, BACK TO THE TABLOIDS WHERE HE BELONGS!
He can have endless wee wee mathes with the unwatchable bloviator, the whack job Olbermann, Obama’s other minister of propaganda (besides Gibbs & Mathews…that is.

Although FOX is just one of many private corporations that this administration has attacked, without regard to their thousands of employees, this is particularly disgusting and adolescent. Is the President aware of what is happening in the world? Does he care, or is he too obsessed with defaming Insurance companies, Energy Companies, Medical Professionals, Automotive Companies, Wall Street, The Chamber of Commerce, Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. Alinsky would be proud, however, Americans are disgusted and embarrassed.

The government no longer has to answer to the people. Obama, & minions, have turned it around—now it is the people that have to answer to the government. The press should be there protecting us, the people, instead, they are speeding up the demise of our once-free nation.

Thanky you for asking the questions that need to be asked not the questions they want you to ask. True journalism is a necessary check and balance for the government. Regardless of who is power. It protects our greatest treasure “freedom”. Thank you.

uh oh!!! Tapper! Look out!! you will be considered no longer a news reporter because you dared to challenge them!!!
GIVE’EM HELL BIG MAN!!! It’s about time!!!!

Jake,
Thanks for restoring a little bit of integrity to the news gathering industry. I hope you keep up your tough questioning. I may just turn on ABC news again. The reason I turned it off is simply because I can’t stand listening to supposed professional journalists fawning and tripping all over themselves around this administration. Seems to me that your job is to ask tough questions, and demand good answers. This is a good start.

Thank you Jake! Its about time!

We are counting on you, Jake, to keep the WH power grab in check. Please stand strong and represent us in our our desire to hold on to a free press.

So far the only liberal journalists to call Obama’s thuggery into question have been Juan Williams & Jake here.
As Obamas naked disregard for the constitution becomes more and evident to these reporters in the white house press pool, it will be interesting to see how many get unformfortable bending at the knee to this guy.
Gibbs has to the the worst press sec in years though…

Jake, Thanks for your courage, fairness and journalistic integrity. You didn’t have to stick your neck out for FOX, but you did and many of us are thankful for people like you.
While the rest of the MSM rolled-over and showed their bellies, some of you stood up for 1st Amendment rights in the face of DC hypocrites – Helen Thomas included.
Freedom of speech – freedom of the press, thank you for being a patriotic American!

While I agree that FOX has devisive opinion shows, I use my right to NOT watch the network and state that opinion.
Yes, POTUS and the WH staff have a right to their opinion just as any other American should.
However! What is troublesome to me is that they are using their positions of power (along with taxpayer dollars for WH website and staff) to “suggest” and “recommend” other news organizations not treat Fox as a news org.
Now, I may be wrong, but I am pretty sure the President of the United States’ “suggestions” carry FAR more weight (deservedly so) than anyone else’s. Having that power, it just isn’t appropriate to campaign against ANY news organization by ANY President.
What a waste of time and resources! They could be using the 30 minutes or so on each of the Sunday morning shows and website space to “suggest” something far more constructive and positive.

Mr. Tapper…Thank you, thank you, thank you! for having the intestinal fortitude to at least ask the questions that everyone…liberal, conservative, independent, or apathetic…should be asking.

Imagine the outcry had GWB’s administration “suggested” that MSNBC be ostracized because of Olbermann, Matthews, and Maddow. He would have been excoriated and branded a coward. Funny how only Tapper has had the courage to call out the WH regarding their plan to destroy Fox News. The double standard rears its ugly head once again.

Make that Bogus Potus…

It’s time to put aside our differences and proceed on a path toward cooperation based on mutual respect and interests. Of course that is only if you are Ahmedinejad, Kim Jong Il, Hugo Chavez, Ghadaffi, the ChiComs et al. If you’re a Republican, conservative, or Fox News viewer; well, you just need to shut up and get with the program.

dare nigeria says: “It is an opinion which should not be forced on my sub-conscious.”
LOL I guess if you want to prevent something from being forced on your “sub-conscious” you will have to either man up and strengthen your “sub-conscious” or just isolate yourself from the world. Good luck on that.

Bravo! You have truly demonstrated a credit to your profession which has been seldom been seen in recent times. I believe that to challenge an administration when they attempt to silence a voice of dissent is effectively a violation of the First Ammendment (which many of your colleagues seem to have forgotten is at the root of their profession). How do I nominate you for an award. Standing up for the interests of “the people” (as our founding fathers would say), regardless of your personal views is what will allow us to remain the greatest nation on earth. I wish that so many of your colleagues (across all of journalism would wake up to that fact).

Jake – Thank you for protecting the little credibility remaining with the WH Press Corps. All members of the WH Press Corps should be up in arms about this treatment of FNC. It’s absolutely shameful that it took this long for someone from the WH Press Corps to make a stand. It seems what Team Obama’s intimidation game is working…If this works with FNC, what’s to keep Team Obama from doing the same to the next media org. that has the courage to actually do some real reporting on his administration? I know that’s a big assumption though. And the funny thing about this is – the real victor in this entire story is FNC. Their ratings are through the roof and only getting stronger.

“Now, I may be wrong, but I am pretty sure the President of the United States’ “suggestions” carry FAR more weight (deservedly so) than anyone else’s. Having that power, it just isn’t appropriate to campaign against ANY news organization by ANY President.”
Actually, you are wrong. I put obama’s opinion significantly below that of my one year old golden retriever. Significantly.

I think it is absolutely amazing how many crybabies there are who don’t like that the most popular news channel won’t carry chairman Moabama’s water. Maybe they just are trying to represent the views of their viewers, who are much larger than any of the other Obama shill networks?

In response to sicsempertyrannis’ post, how do we first of all explain the fact that the Earth’s temperature has been gradually dropping since 1998?
I learned in grade school, way back when school was for education, as opposed to indoctrination, that CO2 feeds the plant life on this planet, which in turn produces oxygen for those in the animal world. It’s a cyclical thing we have very little control over. Did you ever ask why “chicken-little-gore” is becoming a multi-multi-millionaire while perpetrating his scam on the unsuspecting brain washed masses of governmentschool miseducated people?
Thanks to Fox News for reporting the real news.
Get a life, sic

So if you are not kissing obama’s butt and lapping up everything he does and says, then your are either a racist, right winger or Fox News….. OH Ph-Lease! It is not the president’s job to decide what news is & what is not. How about the WH worry about running the country and not Dictating who is a news organization. Good Grief common sense is dead!

What out George, the truth as they see police will be coming for you. 30 years ago it was an ice age, now it’s global warming. I guess the farce science is based on whatever windbags like Gore can make money off of.
Don’t mention for a moment that they grew wine grapes in the UK a thousand years ago because it was so much warmer.

You’re entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts. Fox, CNN, NBC, ABC, all of ‘em, they give opinion as if they were facts.

Jake:
I admire your courage in asking this question. Does anyone else in the room there have any courage, skepticism or concern over what is being said and done to this country? Do you ever stand up, turn around and shout, “Do you guys believe ANYTHING that Gibbs is telling us????”
Keep it up Jake. You’re making soft contact. American people need to have the government questioned skeptically, harshly and if they’re truthful–let the truth be told, if not, let the lies be told. Their adults, Jake, and the risks are real.

I love the warmest on record comments. The written record on temperatures is a spec of sand on the beach of the earth’s history. The earth has been warming and cooling for a billion years. And liberal nutcases are going to base all their assumptions on 150 or so years of data?
What is shocking is not that so many people don’t believe in man made climate change, it’s that so many people do.

I get the impression that the White House thinks Fox News is Thomas Becket (“Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?”) and is hoping the other news agencies will do the rest of their dirty work for them. Thanks, ABC News, for not falling into that trap.

Let’s keep the torches lit and the pressure on. The quicker Obama is rendered impotent, the better for America and the world.
Here’s some good news out today:
“The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 27% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty percent (40%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -13. That’s just a point above the lowest level ever recorded for this President. It’s also the sixth straight day in negative double digits, matching the longest such streak.”
Obama wants our freedom and tax dollars as his Marxist play things. Let’s push back HARD and ensure that he doesn’t get them.

If Jake keeps this up, he will end up on Fox, the highest rated news channel in existence.

I watch Fox News for the last six years; they are neither fair or balance. I do not care who is the President; I want honest, fact finding reporting. Instead of attacking the White House; Mr. Tapper should check to see if the allegations are true. Isn’t he a journalist? Or simply check media matters website.

“If Jake keeps this up, he will end up on Fox, the highest rated news channel in existance.”
Wrong. Fox is the highest rated CABLE news channel. The evening news programs from ABC, NBC and CBS still out-rate Fox’s highest rated shows.

President Obama gave fair warning when he said if you Lie and Deceive the people we will call you on it.
——
What lies and deception? Please document. No innuendo from Media Matters or other leftist, statist blogs. I want quotes like those used by Fox News to document their news. I want evidence to the contrary that their statements are lies.
If you are using polls, please use the most accurate poll during the 2008 election campaign. That would be Rasmussen. Please do not use polls that are inaccurately weighted.
Thank you.
What this country needs right now is a true statesman in the WH and maybe a new Bernstein and Woodward who would actually do some investigative reporting. It took two college students to show the true nature and character of ACORN.
MSM needs to do their job. If not, they can go away. I will not cry if they are damaged. They need to earn their pay.

WWW says: “The evening news programs from ABC, NBC and CBS still out-rate Fox’s highest rated shows.”
____________
Barely, dude, barely. O’Reilly’s ratings for example are comporable to Couric and Leno despite the fact that all Americans have free access to network television.
Americans are growing tired of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and MSNBC’s dishonesty and fawning over Obama. Viewers are voting with their feet.
It is a beautiful thing.

Has anyone figured out yet which right-wing website is dumping on this blog?
————-
Amazing! Can’t or won’t answer the questions so you attack those who don’t carry the water for the leftist, statist WH? So “Axelrod” of you.

Barely, dude, barely. O’Reilly’s ratings for example are comporable to Couric and Leno despite the fact that all Americans have free access to network television.
______
LOL no they’re not. Why must right wingers live in an alternative reality? O’Reilly’s numbers aren’t anywhere near even the lowest of the nightly news casts.
And O’Reilly isn’t even news – he’s an entertainment show. It would be more accurate to compare him to something like CSI – which also crushes him.

Good questions, good journalism. Healthy skepticism is all it takes for people to believe you. I might start watching abc again.

Tapper: Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one?
Gibbs: Because shut up, that’s why.

There is a real problem with the legitimacy of Fox as a news organization. Fox often chooses to hype some stories and ignore others based solely on whether said stories are in line with their political agenda.
A good example of this was the recent tea party protest in D.C., which was covered extensively on Fox. Fox claims the nearly day-long coverage it gave the tea-party protest was because of the “unprecedented” number of protesters that showed up (D.C. police estimated 65-70K).
A few weeks later a huge gay rights rally happened in D.C., with a larger estimated attendance (D.C. police put it at 70-75K) and Fox gave it less than 2 minutes of coverage.
When your political bias directly affects whether or not you cover very similar stories, I think it is fair to question whether you are a legitimate news organization or just a propaganda machine.

Yeah, and how dare anyone claim that the Nation of Islam’s The Final Call is not a news organization either.
Seriously, though, that is a good question to Mr. Gibbs. How is Fox News different from ABC News? Is there a categorical difference or a difference of degree? It is hard to see corporate media in the US as really news. It is mostly a form of morbid entertainment. Fox is like the Jerry Springer show, ABC is like the Real Housewives of Atlanta. They are both trashy TV, for slightly different trashy audiences.

Jake Tapper is a patriot. He has been sympathetic to the Obama Administration, but now he’s more concerned about the welfare of his profession. As well he should be. The media is one of the fundamental principles that this country was founded on. Not only do they have the right to question, it is their role to question what the government does to us. Without the series of checks and balances placed on the government in this country, we would soon be just like any other country in the third world. Don’t believe me? Just look around and tell me what you see.

On my way to watching Fox at 5 and 9 as Mr. Gibbs suggested I stubbled on a block of programs on a network called MSNBC. I was treated to commentary from Chris, Keith, Rachel and Ed – and it seemed alot like what Mr. Axelrod bumbled out to GS on This Week – ie. a net work pushing a point of view. I look forward to Ms. Dunn announcing that this is not a legitimate news organization.

On my way to watching Fox at 5 and 9 as Mr. Gibbs suggested I stubbled on a block of programs on a network called MSNBC. I was treated to commentary from Chris, Keith, Rachel and Ed – and it seemed alot like what Mr. Axelrod bumbled out to GS on This Week – ie. a net work pushing a point of view. I look forward to Ms. Dunn announcing that this is not a legitimate news organization.
__________________________
Of course the difference between MSNBC and Fox are legion. Among them, MSNBC opinion shows are fact based and push reasonable points of the view. That’s the big difference.
Rachel Maddow thinks the public option is a good thing advances that position. Hannity thinks democrats want to destroy America and must be stopped.
If you think those two opinions are coequal then you’re wrong. One opinion is a rational point people can disagree about and one opinion is fear mongering, pandering, and an obvious rating grab.
They don’t do the same thing. It’s not even close.

cricket…I don’t see a “problem” however I do see a news organization exercising it’s Constitutional First Amendment rights…and if YOU are uncomfortable with their opinions or find it objectionable, try doing some exercising, your Universal Declaration of Human Rights, yourself and get off the couch and TURN IT OFF…

Kudos to Jake Tapper for questioning the White House regarding whether or not FOX is a news organization!!!! 1st point; our government should NOT be telling news organizations what they should or shouldn’t report unless it is something that is related to national security. 2nd point; we have the freedom of speech and the press. we don’t have to agree with what is said, we can agree that we have the freedom to say it or print it. Where are we headed next, government run communications and news organizations? That is a scary thought, smacks of communism or socialism.

aileen…Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression: this right includes freedom to hold opinions WITHOUT interference, which even includes the Obama WH, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.”
The current administration has departed from the above statement by singling out one news organizations over all others by unfounded and unproven accusations…It’s a simple concept really: Discredit the spokesman, Fox News, thus the opponents, WH, hope that supporters or potential supporters, listeners and Independent voters, will withdraw or withhold their support…..Soooo predictable….

ABC News and the other news networks should be concentrating on the bias of Fox News instead of attacking the White House for pointing out the TRUTH about the Fox GOP channel.

+1 Jake.
By the WH standards most news organizations are real news organizations. MSNBC and the NYT as much as if not more than Fox, why are they not singled out?
Basically the WH has established who is the watchdog media and who is the lapdog media.

“A good example of this was the recent tea party protest in D.C., which was covered extensively on Fox. Fox claims the nearly day-long coverage it gave the tea-party protest was because of the “unprecedented” number of protesters that showed up (D.C. police estimated 65-70K).”
You must watch MSNBC because it was more like 1 million. Don’t forget Cindy Sheehan. Liberal media gave one woman who protested wall to wall coverage for months. She is still protesting and yet the liberal media suddenly moved on- go figure.

Hey Cricket. What rights don’t Gays have that they’re picketing for and makes it a HUGE news story? They’ve been doing this for DECADES. When was the last time well more than 70 thousand people got together to protest the tyranny of tax and spend government. I think it was back in the 1770s. Yeah, that’s a big news story.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression: this right includes freedom to hold opinions WITHOUT interference, which even includes the Obama WH, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.”
***
I can’t speak for Aileen but I have to say I’m curious. Where does it say that others have to see the communication that grows out of the freedom of opinion and expression as “news” or even “newsworthy” rather than, say, “opinion journalism” or “entertainment with a GOP slant” or whatever.
As Aileen said, “This is NOT censorship for god’s sake. No one’s free speech is a stake here. Be serious.”
I fully agree with Cricket that it is legitimate to question their legitimacy.
When Nixon didn’t like a news outlet, he directed federal prosecutors to investigate journalists, including going through their taxes. Nixon assembled ACTUAL enemies lists, and used the power of his office to target and try to destroy his adversaries.
President Obama has done nothing like that. He’s called a spade a spade. And, frankly, the hypocrisy stuns. the Bush/Cheney administration did their utmost to paint much of the opposition party, as well as credible journalistic institutions like The New York Times, as traitors. Heck, Bush’s dad is still calling folks like Olberman and Maddow “sick puppies.”
I like the article at Media Matters by Eric Boehlert titled “Jake Tapper can’t figure out how Fox News is different from ABC News?” Lots of links to great “news” stories propagated by Fox “News.”

So ya missed 8 am to noon when they had the former Republican Congressman?

How is Fox different from a news organization?
Gee, I dunno, Jake. When was the last time ABC News organized and pimped a partisan political protest?
***
Good question.
Perhaps Jake’s contract is coming up and he’s looking for a new gig where he clearly already has a rabid fan base. LOL!! Look at these responses. Ridiculous.

There’s nothing wrong with political commentary programs – god knows Rush Limbaugh is on plenty of stations.
But calling out political commentary that pretends to be news is fair. Fox News is political commentary, 24/7. It’s not objective journalism.
Again, nothing wrong with it, this nation has a long history of news organizations being arms of political parties.
But don’t pretend it’s not true when it quite obviously is. Tapper is being disingenuous.

A package of cake has to warn you “may contain traces of nuts”
So why isnt fox news legally required to have a warning on the screen which says “may contain lies”
Because I have a serious allergy.

our government should NOT be telling news organizations what they should or shouldn’t report
that’s not what’s happening. The White House is simply accurately describing what Fox News is. It is neither telling them what to report, nor preventing them from doing so. It is also not preventing them from broadcasting the lies it’s broadcasting.
It is fair to point out a lie when you see one.

Please, Fox has been reading the Republican Talking Points memo and calling it news for a long time now. It’s about time the White House stopped reaching out to them as a news organization because they aren’t one. There isn’t a single thing broadcast by Fox that hasn’t been twisted, often to the point of dishonesty.
I’ve always liked news that presented dissenting opinions but those opinions need to be based on facts, logic and reason not bluster, out of context quotes and all too often fabrications.
It’s a shame that news stations have become so politicized that our nations youth has more confidence in the news presented on comedy news shows and I honestly can’t blame them.

Someone may consider telling Gibbs it ain’t wise to bring a butter knife to a gun fight! How the administration feels this fight with FNC can benefit them escapes me. I can see how it benefits FOX and Murdoch. Chicago doesn’t impress me but Australia is a different story. Now there are some real MEN!
the DNC motto now vote early vote often and use many names.

You know, it’s funny to read this, because every journalism professor or school newspaper adviser I’ve ever had has taken at least part of the semester to talk about the difference between news and partisan outlets.
Fox’s many and frequent transgressions, of which you seem to be totally ignorant, were held up as examples of things journalists shouldn’t do.
You know, things like literally reproducing Republican party memos as headlines, with the original typos included. Things like selective editing of interviews to smear politicians. Things like promoting partisan protests, or shouting down political opponents and cutting off their microphones. Things like cutting away from coverage of our President’s health care events when the audience is being too supportive of him.
An even better example is to go to Fox News and look at
where you’ll learn that the most pressing issue for America’s future is (GASP!) ISLAM IN THE SCHOOLS! AND THOSE DAMNED LIBERAL TEXTBOOKS!
So, maybe you just got out of J-school too early, and maybe you don’t actually watch Fox News, but the consensus among people preparing the next generation of journalists is pretty much in line with the White House, and, uh, reality.
Seriously though, if you want a job with the partisan press, go get one. Stop pretending to be a real journalist.

NO ONE HAS TRIED TO STOP FOXNEWS FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Any one making that argument is being disingenuous. The issue is the fact that they are partisan “news channel” that distorts facts. Remember when they said they were the only “news channel to cover the 9/12 march? When in fact they weren’t. They claimed your employers gave a crowd estimate of over million. Foxnews’ Glenn Beck said 1.7 million from a college he couldn’t remember the name of and you think that’s journalism? Of course no one at foxnews could explain how 1.7 million people were able to get in and out of Washington without causing one traffic jam or one bus to run late, just every day traffic.

@timajin
You are proving my point. Why is the tea party story more important than the gay rights story?
You say it’s because the anti-tax protests are more unique, and yet the exact same type of protests were held in April of this year (and also got huge amounts of coverage on Fox). The gay rights march was actually the largest ever held in D.C., and happened at a time when the military is actively reviewing D.A.D.T. and several states are debating gay marriage.
Both stories are newsworthy, only one was covered.
This is hardly the first time Fox has chosen to ignore stories that are newsworthy because of political bias. It’s just a very striking example given the closeness of the events and the huge disparity in coverage.
Again, I have no problem with entertainers like O’Reilly, Beck, or Hannity pounding the drum on certain issues to drive up ratings. I do, however, take issue with a “news” organization doing the same thing.

Way to go Jake!
not sure when the white house was put in charge of determining what who is and is not a news organization. Waiting for them to brand the WSJ next.
To all of you out there who believe in professional journalism — time to stand up and defend yourself. I’m frankly shocked the ACLU has not come out to support Fox on this issue.

ok for once I will have to back abc, finally is the main stream media, seeing the danger of the white house controlling the media. Bravo Mr. Tapper

“How is Fox different from a news organization?
Gee, I dunno, Jake. When was the last time ABC News organized and pimped a partisan political protest?
How often has NBC News made the “mistake” of posting a photo of a disgraced Republican elected official, and accidentally identified him with a “D” after his name? Or vice versa?
When was the last time CBS News taped an interview with an elected official, and then edited the video to bolster an argument that the official said exactly the opposite of what he or she actually said?
If you truly cannot see the difference between what Fox and news organizations do, Jake, you’re probably in the wrong profession – or at the very least, working for the wrong “news” organization.”
The reason you’re seeing this comment over & over is because someone made the mistake of deleting it – & the commenter they deleted decided they needed a little help to “catapult the propaganda” … frankly I think it was nice of her not to mention FOX shooping Dems pictures to make them look evil, or cutting someone’s mic as soon as they make a good point.

I find it humorous that some commenters are so adamantly defending the White House’s assertion (opinion) that Fox News is a NOT a news organization. Just because you don’t agree with their reporting or that they report stories that are negative towards the Obama Administration doesn’t mean they aren’t a news organization. They have reporters who gather news. They even have one–Major Garrett–who is a member of the White House Press Corps. And they report the news. Thus by definition they are a news organization.

Hey Jim, I seem to remember CBS News using forged documents to attack Bush right before the 2004 elections. Funny how there wasn’t an effort by the Bush Administration to marginalize CBS after that travesty.
And I love the lefties here who attack Fox News for “lies” while casually spread their own lies, ie: Atretrioeciii’s lie about Bush barring Helen Thomas from press conferences. Never stop being classy libs.

You gonna delete this one? Guys like you Jake get in trouble because they think they are much smarter than they are. As a former reporter, I would have relished taking apart your wholesale ownership by the powers that be. Good luck with that impending Fox News gig.
How is Fox different from a news organization?
Gee, I dunno, Jake. When was the last time ABC News organized and pimped a partisan political protest?
How often has NBC News made the “mistake” of posting a photo of a disgraced Republican elected official, and accidentally identified him with a “D” after his name? Or vice versa?
When was the last time CBS News taped an interview with an elected official, and then edited the video to bolster an argument that the official said exactly the opposite of what he or she actually said?
If you truly cannot see the difference between what Fox and news organizations do, Jake, you’re probably in the wrong profession – or at the very least, working for the wrong “news” organization.

Hey Jim, I seem to remember CBS News using forged documents to attack Bush right before the 2004 elections. Funny how there wasn’t an effort by the Bush Administration to marginalize CBS after that travesty.
_____________________________
Except the underlying story the docs laid out were true. You can pitch a fit all you want but Bush was a draft dodger who never served his time.
And lets not forget the NY Times knew about the last administrations domestic spying program before the 2004 elections and sat on the info for over a year.

“Since when do people get equal time with the President? What a foolish thing to say.”
Actually Eric, it’s a long-standing tradition to give the response from the opposition after a presidential speech. Or have you never watched a State of the Union address? But giving Obama a full hour infomercial, as ABC just sat there mesmerized and nodded in agreement, yeah, no bias there. I’m sure if they did that with Bush you’d have no problem with it, because liberals never whine.
Oh wait, they still haven’t got over losing in 2000, despite trying to steal it. So much for “elections have consequences” and “all I have to do is win.”

Better be careful ABC, Obama may blackball you too like they did to the Tampa TV station that asked Joe Biden a “hard” question during the campaign and FOX for asking Obama’s people “hard” uestions. Feedom of the press is no more!

Uh…since when is airing an interview or speech “pimping”? For those of you who can’t discern the difference, we had Fox “journalists” promoting a partisan political protest – there’s a vast difference between that and sitting down in an interview with the president or airing a president’s speech. And no, the networks are not compelled to give a rump minority “equal time” every time they interview the president or air one of his speeches. In the latter case, I can’t think of any speech he’s given to Congress where the opposition wasn’t given an opportunity to rebut. But after an interview? Each and every tme they show a clip of one of his speeches? Puh-lease. And let’s not forget that you guys are the ones against the Fairness Doctrine, which would, in fact, impose such a requirement, because you know that it would pretty much put Fox and Limbaugh and the rest out of business if they had to give equal time to people presenting actual facts. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, fellas.

Hey, remember that time Fox News ran a GOP press release and pretended that it was independent reporting? Jake probably doesn’t – but it didn’t happen on one of their opinion shows.
Or how about that time when the Bush Administration “froze out” MSNBC? Even Dana Perino remembers that happening, but I’m not sure about Tapper.

Hey, remember that time Charlie Reina told us about the daily internal Fox memos instructing how to frame the news?
Or how about that time when Scott McClellan told us about how the Bush White House was distributing memos exclusively to Fox – in order to shape the debate?
Or how about their ridiculous shilling for the 9/12 marches, protests that drew roughly the same number of people as the gay rights march one month later?
Hey Jake, you remember any of that?

Quote:
“Hey Jim, I seem to remember CBS News using forged documents to attack Bush right before the 2004 elections. Funny how there wasn’t an effort by the Bush Administration to marginalize CBS after that travesty.
_____________________________
Except the underlying story the docs laid out were true. You can pitch a fit all you want but Bush was a draft dodger who never served his time.
. . .
(Posted by: Eric | Oct 21, 2009 6:07:44 PM)”
Ooops! Sorry Eric, me boy, you lose!
The documents were indeed forgeries; Bush did serve his time; and as a pilot, he even volunteered to go to Viet-Nam — which would make him the only “draft-dodger” anyone ever heard of who volunteered to go to Viet-Nam!
Who says so?
As Bernard Goldberg noted recently, CBS says so. Just go to the very large report that CBS itself compiled in the aftermath of the attempted media assassination of George Bush by Dan Rather and Mary Mapes during fall of the 2004 presidential election cycle.
Here is what Goldberg found right in that very extensive CBS Report, at page 130:
“Mapes had information prior to the airing of the September 8 [2004] Segment that President Bush, while in the TexANG [Texas Air National Guard] did volunteer for service in Vietnam but was turned down in favor of more experienced pilots. For example, a flight instructor who served in the TexANG with Lieutenant Bush advised Mapes in 1999 that Lieutenant Bush “did want to go to Vietnam but others went first.” Similarly, several others advised Mapes in 1999, and again in 2004 before September 8, that Lieutenant Bush had volunteered to go to Vietnam but did not have enough flight hours to qualify.”
Oh, and one more thing, Eric . . . the world is NOT flat. Hate to break it to you, pal. But it’s for your own good.

Jim/Looch/whateveryouwanttocallyourself, you honestly claim that ONLY people associated with Fox have ever slanted a story or reported things in a less-than-transparent way? What fantasy world are you living in?
You use an example that fact that Fox ONCE posted a picture of a crooked Republican with a D after his name instead of the correct R. Couldn’t have been an error, had to be an attempt to cover for Republicans, you seem to think. Well, there’s a running joke on some websites called “name that party” that keeps track of how often the media companies of which you seem to approve– NYT, CBS, NBC, ABC, Washington Post, CNN– conveniently leave off the D when a Democrat is accused/convicted/caught up in a scandal. Frequently the fact that the politician in question is a Democrat is either absent from a story or buried deep down in the story.
Example– I remember when the NJ sting operation hit in July. Forty-four people, including several rabbis, were arrested. Most were government officials– mayors, state reps, etc. All of them save ONE were Democrats. Did it get painted as a Democrat scandal? Nope. You had to read deep into the stories to determine the party of the accused, in most cases.

Fox ONCE posted a picture of a crooked Republican with a D after his name instead of the correct R.
Would that be Ted “They put a new first floor on my cabin” Stevens, Mark “txt me” Foley or Mark “hiking the Appalachian Trail” Sanford?
Anyways, you remember that time when Scott Norvell, Fox News’ London bureau chief wrote an op-ed for the European edition of the Wall Street Journal?

Hey Jake, remember way back when during the Bush Administration – there was that one woman who showed up everyday, Helen I think her name was, she got to ask something like three questions in eight years. Remember her? Boy you guys sure did a great job standing up to that Administration trying to shut down questioning and reporting from your “sister organizations”.

Good for you, Mr. Tapper. The White House is attempting to silence – by demeaning – a news organization that at times has voiced an opinion that opposes that of the White House. The principle would be the same were it George Bush and MSNBC. Once a news organization is marginalized, the precedent has been set, and then other news organizations know they can be similarly marginalized if they don’t march in lock step with the White House. Even Helen Thomas says this is the most controlling White House she has ever witnessed, including Nixon’s. Time to nip this stuff in the bud. Besides, why is the President so thin skinned? He’s got plenty of buddies in the media, yet he gets his shorts in a twist b/c they don’t all agree with him. One wonders why … .

“Fox is only the begining. This can happen to all the news outlets. The White House wants control of the media.
You and the others may be next.
It doesn’t matter right or left, the matter is FREEDOM of speech!
Thank you Mr. Tapper, but you might be next in line!”
Next in line for what horror? Being accurately described?
What freaking babies you conservatives are. The White House has done nothing more than accurately describe what Fox is.
Is Fox so ashamed of itself?

Ask the White House if reeducation camps for Fox News employees will be covered under the administrations health care plan.

Jake, if you aren’t pretending that there is in fact a meaningful distinction between FOX’s opinion and news operations, I don’t know what to say. That’s just so….precious. You’re just too good for this world, Jake.

You can call him a “draft dodger” for that all you want, but it was perfectly legitimate and done by countless others as well as Bush.
_____________________
so the fact that lots of rich kids dodged the draft makes it ok?
Bush was A) Pro War B) Dodged the Draft
That makes him a disgusting human being and a coward. That much is obvious.
Banging the drum for war while being too chicken poop to fight it himself makes coward. You know that.

Imagine if Tony Snow had come out and blasted MSNBC – the whole world would have taken pause.
___________________________
Oh please. The entire republican party waged war on MSNBC and has been for years. And what is their sin? They slant left in their opinion shows.
So Olbermann thought it was shameful to spy on americans and Beck thinks Obama hates white people. You think those 2 things are equal? How crazy you must be.
Also the Bush White House did attack MSNBC. They sent a public letter to the head of NBC news complaining that MSNBC was letting opinion influence their news reporting. Why are you unaware of this? Because nobody said “BOO” about it that’s why. Nobody cared. So your entire point is wrong and obviously so so please stop making it.

Responding to the post by: Eric | Oct 21, 2009 10:28:48 PM.
Eric, I know you don’t like facts, but George Bush was not a draft dodger. It is a fact that he volunteered to be sent to Viet-Nam. Mary Mapes and Dan Rather BOTH knew that prior to airing their dishonest report.
CBS established that fact in their long report about the story that Rather and Mapes manufactured to politically assassinate George Bush.
Again, turn to page 130 of that report:
“Mapes had information prior to the airing of the September 8 [2004] Segment that President Bush, while in the TexANG [Texas Air National Guard] did volunteer for service in Vietnam but was turned down in favor of more experienced pilots. For example, a flight instructor who served in the TexANG with Lieutenant Bush advised Mapes in 1999 that Lieutenant Bush “did want to go to Vietnam but others went first.” Similarly, several others advised Mapes in 1999, and again in 2004 before September 8, that Lieutenant Bush had volunteered to go to Vietnam but did not have enough flight hours to qualify.”

Eric, I know you don’t like facts, but George Bush was not a draft dodger. It is a fact that he volunteered to be sent to Viet-Nam. Mary Mapes and Dan Rather BOTH knew that prior to airing their dishonest report.
_______________________________
I’ve already covered this point. He asked to go to Vietnam under circumstances where there was no actual chance he’d go – and he knew it and his commanding officer knew it. He was never in serious consideration.
They were looking for more experienced pilots. He was turned down on the spot. It was a laughable attempt to assuage his guilt most likely. His request was so laughable that he was told to stop asking. There was 0 chance of his going to vietnam.
It’s not just that he was turned down for not having enough hours – he knew he didn’t have enough hours. Everybody knew. It wasn’t a secret who they wanted for Vietnam…and it wasn’t bush.
So my prior statement remains true. His asking to go to Vietnam back then was as brave as my asking to go to vietnam now.
Then he didn’t serve his time in Alabama while still collecting checks.
The whole purpose of his unit was to dodge the draft for crying out loud. What’s wrong with you people? Stop acting like he’s some kind of hero. His dad pulled strings to get him in specifically to keep him out of vietnam. He’s a draft dodger plain and simple.
No other conclusion is possible for anybody in full possession of his wits and the facts.

In a posting by: Eric | Oct 21, 2009 10:23:46 PM, he falsely alleges with regard to George W. Bush:
“He did some of his time, nobody denies that, but he didn’t serve it all. That’s a documented fact. Denying it just makes you a terrible human being. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Eric, you have no idea what you are talking about. Units at the time let people go early for a variety of reasons. Had George W. Bush refused to report, he would have been disciplined. He was not, because there was nothing to discipline him for.
But volunteer to go to Viet-Nam, he did. He was never a draft dodger.
And you certainly know nothing about me, though you emphatically insist I am a “terrible human being.”
When you don’t know what you are talking about, and you persist in proving it in public — as you have done here — people will naturally conclude that you are nothing but a fool.
If you want to be on safe territory about draft dodgers, talk about Bill Clinton, who WAS indeed a draft dodger!
Having gotten his original draft notice in the spring of ’69, he quickly scrambled to get into ROTC at the University of Arkansas, a commitment he never, ever intended to honor. He thereafter used Senator Fulbright and others to get the deferment to go to Oxford, which ultimately got him past the time the “lottery” was put into effect, and in which he drew a high number.
Bill Clinton never kept the commitment he made to ROTC because he was a liar at heart. On December 3, 1969, he reneged on his ROTC commitment in what we all know was his infamous letter to Colonel Holmes, in which he actually thanked him for saving him from the draft!
We also know from his subsequent history that Bill Clinton is indeed a liar, a habit of a lifetime it seems.
The point is that because he lied about that ROTC commitment, someone went into the service in his place.
Eric, do you know who that person was . . . or whether he was sent to Viet-Nam? Or, whether he lived?
Of course you don’t. But someone had to put themselves in that position because Bill Clinton cheated his way out of the service.
Now, I suppose I could conclude that makes you a terrible person to falsely accuse George W. Bush of being a draft dodger, while not mentioning word one about Bill Clinton.
I wouldn’t do that. But, if someone accused you of being a fool, I would probably not come to your defense.
The reason is that doing so would make me a fool.

Thank you, Jake, for having the courage to ask this question. Please continue to persist. I don’t watch FOX News. I don’t have cable. But I have a voice. And if my voice were loud enough, the White House would direct their operatives to silence or marginalize me also. The debate is never over. This is America.

And I don’t care what W did. One moron doesn’t excuse another. Bipartisanship is a cruel hoax – to ensure our voice, we need tripartisanship at the very least. If our commercialized internet can insure anything, perhaps we can establish a new voice. Perhaps one that won’t be roundly ridiculed and continually marginalized by the powers that be.

If the Republican party died, would that be your “dream world”? It’s bad enough that we’re only presented with two, Wall Street banked “opposing” voices…
Who cares about W? Yeah, he went to war with Iraq to go after the guy who tried to kill his Daddy. I supported Obama only to dethrone the Clintons and the continuation of that awful Bush/Clinton dynasty.
But I had NO clue I’d end up with these thugs in power.
Forget the Republicans. Forget the Democrats.
Imagine how you’d feel if your voice was being marginalized and attacked by the leader of the free world. And you didn’t live in a 3rd world country where they were hoping to steal everything.
Wake up! This is not your normal fight over disparate ideologies.
Intolerance is NOT an option.

So joebob
You think that sending a letter to MSNBC is somehow on par with publicly marginalizing FOX as a news organization? Just a tad different don’t you think?
The fact is Bush took the criticisms and personal attacks and they were relentless and seemingly unending and never once whined about it. This President is whining – he whined recently that “there is a whole hour dedicated to attacking my policies.” Then there is what his Chief of Staff and top adviser said this weekend – and, you have to love how Gibbs ended his conversation with Jake “that’s our opinion.” (what arrogance) On face it is hard to not notice a difference between the hides of this President versus the last.
It is easy to wonder just how tough this President will be as the job goes on? He is not a year at the helm and he is already throwing a fit.
The other interesting part is just how much credibility Beck and Hannity have with this administration. They are watching and it appears they are reacting to the criticisms.
But more than anything else in this debate and the reason I thanked Jake is that this debate has nothing to do with FOX or MSNBC, Hannity/Olberman or one President over another – it is about being diligent in protecting our freedom of speech. If this White House limits access of an entire news organization because they don’t like the criticisms by a couple of their shows or the leanings of the network in general that is tantamount to censorship. If the message from the White House to the other news organizations is to not follow the stories that Fox runs then what is the difference between that and the SS storming in and shutting down newspapers in Berlin in 1944?
So I thanked Jake and I also support Fox and want them both to keep it up.

Thank you Mr. Tapper
your questions to Gibbs were spot on but more inportanty, you presented to the public a real “professional Journalist”. Now maybe the rest of the talking heads will look into the mirrow and reflect on their on qualities… Great job.
Joe

“We do not want to have a Pravda here in the U.S., run by Obama’s team, telling us only what they want us to hear”
Gee Brenda, Fox told you only what the Bush administration wanted you to hear for 8 full years. Wonder why that wasn’t a problem for you?
In case you haven’t figured this out, the White House hasn’t issued any commandments to Fox over what to cover or how to cover it. They’ve merely expressed their opinion that Fox is not a legitimate unbiased news organization. Apparently your belief is that Fox’s “freedom of speech” can only be protected so long as no one else is allowed to express the opinion that what they do doesn’t qualify as journalism. Funny how that works, innit? It’s kind of like me coming here and saying that I think your opinion is stupid – does that stop you from expressing stupid opinions? No. It just means that my opinion differs from yours. And I hate to break it to you, but I’m every bit as protected by the first amendment as you are – and as the White House is.

What about Rachel Maddow and Keith Oberimen? They have opionions all day for the left. The Obama administration had a secret meeting with them and the New York Times as well as MSNBC. Don’t tell me if Bush or someother president did that everyone in the media would be up in arms. The administration looks like a hypocrite when they support opinion shows like Maddow, Oberiment and Mathews; but attacke two shows in the whole Fox viewing of 24 hour news cycle. This makes me want to support Fox more. The white house is acting like Nixon who had an enemies list and look where it got him. This is America not a dictatorship telling us what to watch. great job Tapper.

Bravo,
Thank you for defending Freedom of Speech.

Mikey Kaus, who I don’t really admire since he is a bit of a right wing hack, made a good point about FOX on his blog. The trouble with FOX is not that they are biased, which they obviously are even their supporters proudly boast of it; no , the problem is that they are not independent. Specifically they are not independent from the Republican party. The issue is their general manager Roger Ailes who used to be a big GOP political operator and doesn’t have the moral integrity to say no to his political friends.
When Rove, Cheney or Boener call and ask for a story to get more or less play, Ailes does the dirty deed. This whole “let’s help the GOP win elections” mentality permeates the entire FOX organization and shows up in the mistakes they make on air, their choice of stories, the items supressed, the quotes clipped to look bad (D) or good (R). This has quietly been known by all people for a long time, but nothing creates scandal in Washington like someone uttering the truth in public.. hence J Taper’s”confrontation” with the press secratary.
Smarten up kid.

“Had George W. Bush refused to report, he would have been disciplined.”
It’s so cute that you actually seem to believe that. Unfortunately for your attempt to build an argument that’s anything other than empty posturing, however, George W. Bush failed to report for duty for nearly twelve full months in 1972-73, but he was never punished for it.

It’s just our opinion –
It was also the opinion of Chavez that over 200 programs in Valenzuela were not relevant to him, and so he shut them down!
But what this war on Fox is really about is to distract Obama’s Liberal base because he has done nothing that he promised to liberals. & the fact that although Obama claims to really really want the public option now, when he had said in the past he really really believed that single-payer was the ideal — HE IS NOT WILL ING TO FIGHT (I.E., LEAD) FOR THIS ISSUE. & Liberals are waking up fast and are not liking what they are seeing!

Thank you Jake; I know you are a liberal, but you have my total respect. Americans can have different opinions, but still stand up for what is right. Thank you, Thank You, Thank you.

“because I swore to defend the Constitution of the United States against ALL enemies, foreign AND domestic — think about that!”
That sounds like SEDITION, Jon. BTW, where were you when Bush undermined the Constitution by misleading us into war, warrantless wiretapping, torturing, kicked folks out of town halls for bumper stickers and t-shirts, when Cindy Sheehan was arrested on the House floor for wearing a shirt with names of dead soldiers, when Bush had a meeting with 15 leading GOP talk show hosts, when they outed a CIA agent as political payback, when the Bush administration tortured, when they passed the Patriot Act which allows warrantless searches and seizures, when Cheney blatantly lied about WMDs and warned that by voting for Democrats “we’re going to get hit again”, when they manipulated the terrorism threat level for their political ends (raising the threat level during the DNC convention, for instance), etc, etc. . .
Where were you? Why were you not issuing threats then against Bush and his undermining of our Constitution?

Standing up for “Faux Noise” is the dumbest thing Jake Tappert has ever done. If he can’t see the way every show, and not just the opinion shows, start with the premise that POTUS is wrong, then he must have his head in a permanent dark hole.

Mr. Tapper,
Thanks for standing up for the united states constitution. Its aparant that the White House could use a lesson.

Idiocy on Jake Tapper’s part isn’t new.
Fox news generating opposition stories, such as 9-12 movement and the tea parties, attacking the US government…that is new.

Jake: Thanks for standing up for the First Amendment. And it was right of you to point out the difference between Fox News Reporting and Opinion Reporting (5pm-Beck; 9pm-Hannity). As usual Gibbs comes off as an idiot and it’s beyond me how he got and continues to keep his job.

Since you are about the only reporter asking real questions, please ask these:
Will the public be given a reasonable amount of time to read and digest the healthcare bill before any voting is done? Will we be given enough time for our input on this matter? This bill will affect every man, woman and child in America; do you think the American people should have some real input? Since this bill will affect 1/6th of the nation’s economy, do you think, after the bill is written, that we ought to stand back and examine it for a month or two to try and determine what the unintended consequences of such a bill would be?

I think Jake Tapper will next ask: Why do you claim the Sun sets in the west? Or: Prove to me pigs don’t fly.
Truth is not logic choppin, son!

There is very little worthwhile journalism left on television or cable. Fox is demonstrably the least worthwhile of cable outlets. Yellow journalism makes big money and Fox makes up news as it goes and deliberately reports their brand of “news” in a fashion that appeals to a specific viewing audience.
Mr. Tapper defending Fox news is frankly disturbing and it is one of a myriad of reasons why I no longer watch television or cable news broadcasts. This all started when news departments were subsumed by entertainment divisions. A move that has reduced the quality of journalism across the spectrum. There are no real journalists left in cable and darn few on network telecasts, just news opinion 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Lazy, unintelligent and feckless.

I don’t see why it’s NOT appropriate for the WH to state the obvious in this case. It’s true that individuals and organizations should have the liberty to call the President an idiot, but nowhere is it written that he can’t then return the compliment. People don’t like it, they don’t have to re-elect him.
Are you really maintaining that there is a firewall between news and opinion on Fox? Come on, nobody believes that.

Jon – How in the world do you imagine that Jake Tapper is “liberal”? Can’t you tell when someone is wangling for a job with Faux News? His reporting, and most of what is laughingly called mainstream media, is simply talking- heads-on-tv-repeating-GOP-talking- points; prefaced by “some people are saying”, and proceeding to quote the opinion of some rightwing “think” tank, with no disclaimer explaining the bias of the “some people” they are quoting.
So, Jake is right – Fox News really is as much a “news organization” as any of the others. Want real reporting of both sides of an issue? Check out the Daily Show or Clobert Report, where they actually call public officials on their bs.

Thanks for standing up for the united states constitution. Its aparant that the White House could use a lesson.

Jake!
Ask Gibbs if Obama should demand that ALL the groups that supported him in the ’08 campaign disclose their doners list. C’mon man, challenge them!