One source familiar with the dynamic between Fox and Obama, who asked not to be named, said Obama and his staff are in for a rude awakening if they think they can write off Fox News. If a candidate is serious about running for president, he or she is going to need a network like Fox to reach out to all those voters in the red and purple states, the source said.
Bullshit. Fox will lie, set him up. and spin his every word. Fox's loyal audience will not be voting for ANY DEMOCRAT (not to mention any Black person for President, irrespective of political party). And Fox isn't the only station broadcasting in those areas. If those Red State people want to know about the Senator, let them check MSNBC. And let every other station expose every distortion and lie Fox puts out.
Not to mention I'm TOTALLY with Thomas Schaller. See Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South.
These are chilly days on Capitol Hill ... and on the campaign trail for Fox News journalists -- at least when they're anywhere near Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
Sources tell The Sleuth that the Obama camp has "frozen out" Fox News reporters and producers in the wake of the network's major screw-up in running with the erroneous Obama-the-jihadist story reported by Insight magazine.
"I'm still in the freezer," one Fox journalist said, noting that the people at Fox "suffering the most did nothing wrong." (It was "Fox and Friends" host Steve Doocy who aired the Insight magazine piece, which reported that operatives connected to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) found out that Obama, as a child, was educated at a Muslim madrassah in Indonesia.)
Another Fox journalist called the network's airing of the story "unfortunate" for the network's journalists who have to cover Obama and who are being adversely affected despite not being involved in the incident.
Since the madrassah incident, Obama has given interviews to ABC, CNN, CBS and NBC -- pretty much every other network except Fox. Sources close to Obama acknowledged that they're not thrilled to play ball with Fox journalists, but they stopped short of saying they are freezing the network out.
One source familiar with the dynamic between Fox and Obama, who asked not to be named, said Obama and his staff are in for a rude awakening if they think they can write off Fox News. If a candidate is serious about running for president, he or she is going to need a network like Fox to reach out to all those voters in the red and purple states, the source said.
The same source pointed out that Fox News political correspondent Carl Cameron interviewed Obama on Monday during the senator's trip to attend a field hearing on Hurricane Katrina.
But, as others pointed out, Cameron's interview wasn't prearranged; Cameron walked alongside Obama, who didn't even stop while answering the questions.
No one is suggesting the icy conditions are permanent. In fact, a thawing of sorts may already have begun thanks to two telephone conversations Fox News Channel CEO Roger Ailes had with Obama.
Aides to Obama said they weren't sure what exactly was said during the conversations. A Fox News spokesperson, who, though an official voice for the company asked not to be quoted by name, could neither confirm nor deny that conversations took place between Ailes and Obama. But of the "alleged freezing out" of Fox journalists by Obama's office, she said, "If true, perhaps Mr. [Robert] Gibbs should reconsider that ill-advised strategy given his candidate is trailing by 20 points in the polls."
Asked whether Ailes apologized to Obama, an Obama campaign aide said the senator "has not received any written apology."
In other words, aides weren't breaking their backs to go ask the senator whether Ailes had, indeed, apologized.
So maybe there was no written apology, but at least John Moody, vice president for news at Fox, issued this missive to staff in his daily editorial note on Jan. 23: "For the record: seeing an item on a website does not mean it is right. Nor does it mean it is ready for air on FNC. The urgent queue is our way of communicating information that is air-worthy. Please adhere to this."
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Yahoo | Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South author: Thomas F. Schaller asin: 0743290151 |
P6... Are any of the
P6... Are any of the Democratic candidates for President willing, in your mind, to abandon the urge to rely upon a Southern strategy to win a general election?Â
Nope. Though Democrats
Nope. Though Democrats have a 50 state strategy instead of a Southern one, it still means they're trying not to upset the bigots too much.
Freezing Out Fox News
I am not on Obama's bandwagon but he and his campaign have made the right move to freeze out Fox News. Anytime a journalist writes or broadcasts a bullshit story then the elected official and their aides should politely ice that person and never allow them back in the door. Sooner or later that journalist's editors will get tired of that person moaning and pissing about the fact that he or she can't get access to the candidate or campaign. The journalist will be replaced at some point although the network or paper will not ever cop to the real reason. What the candidate and the candidate's aides must never do is add gasoline to the fire. Be polite and smile all the time. Trust me. It works.Â
Fox and Rupert Murdoch make
Fox and Rupert Murdoch make no bones about their political agenda and affiliation. But Obama will fare no better with the Disney Channel (ABC), the GE Channel (NBC) and Viacom's CBS. They are just a little less overt in disseminating corporate propaganda and defending the ruling right wing junta.
That being said, I also think Obama and his crew made the correct decision regarding Fox. Media bias and chicanery should be exposed and opposed at every turn.