Obama: Fox News is 'destructive' to America
(CNN) – President Obama is pulling no punches when it comes to Fox News, declaring the cable news outlet to be "destructive to [America's] long-term growth."
In a more than 8,000-word interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Obama compared the cable news channel to papers owned by William Randolph Hearst at the turn of the 20th century that unabashedly pushed the media titan's own political views.
"You had folks like Hearst who used their newspapers very intentionally to promote their viewpoints. I think Fox is part of that tradition – it is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view," Obama told the magazine.
Officials in the Obama White House have long made Fox News a punching bag, launching a full blown offensive last year when aides declared the network to be "opinion journalism masquerading as news." Then-White House Communications Director Anita Dunn said the cable outlet "operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party," and top aide Valerie Jarret called Fox "clearly biased."
But the new comments from Obama constitute the president's most direct attack yet on the network owned by business mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Fox News pushes "a point of view that I disagree with. It's a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world," Obama said.
"But as an economic enterprise, it's been wildly successful. And I suspect that if you ask Mr. Murdoch what his number one concern is, it's that Fox is very successful."
Fox has yet to respond to the president. But during the administration offensive against the network last year, network spokesman Michael Clemente slammed the White House for continuing "to declare war on a news organization instead of focusing on the critical issues that Americans are concerned about."
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I agree with the President, the majority of discussions on Fox News are rediculous and in no way contructive or beneficial to the prosperity of the Country. They represent a divide that continues to prevent the country from coming together on important issues. They should at least change the name from Fox News to Fox Opinion.
Absolutely right! They should all just go away and create their own nutjob community. Lets give them a reservation somewhere.
Thank You, Mister President; but do we really believe any of the morons who watch the FOX comedy channel on a daily basis will turn it off now? Anyone reading here who watches that pathetic parade of fear-mongering; turn the station.
no class-nuff said
Wow, that's rich, considering that every other news media outlet is in the Democrat pocket.
Fox News isn't destructive to America, Mr. President. You are.
Luckily, our president supports First Amendment guarantees of free speech.
So, Fox news is opinionated. What does that make the New York Times and the Washington Post?
Fox news is for blind followers that are not educated enough to make up their own minds. I rarely watch, but every once in a while I will turn it on for a good laugh...but after 5 minutes I start to get sick and have to switch the channel.
Faux news is bias? DO-OH!!!
Obama is pathetic. He pokes his nose into local issues where it doesn't belong (see Beer Summit), has continued every crappy Bush policy (TARP, Iraq, Afghanistan, Tax Cuts), and whines like a little girl about the press. Good God, you're the freakin' PRESIDENT, man! Act like it! Try *leading* instead of complaining all the time.
Mr. President... you have decided to govern a "center-right" country from the far-left perspective. What else did you expect other than backlash? Hope and Change might stir up the uninformed masses to get you elected, but those words don't solve problems. They are not sound economic principles and they do not fix the systemic issues in our economy and the culture of "give it to me" that has been created in this country. For all the things GWB did wrong... one of the things he did very much right was to ignore the news media and keep the office of POTUS above it all. Can't say the same for you or your administration.
Doesn't like any of the news Media to actually speak the truth. Obama needs to go.
The truth reveals all corruption and lies, so of course to Obama, FOX is destructive. He wishes he could just conceal the truth from everybody's eyes. Ever wonder why more and more of his hand picked staff are resigning, being fired, or in some kind of scandal?
Fascist propaganda, especially of the ilk of Fox "News" is destructive and divisive. You'll notice FOUR paid "under-contract" Fox commentators are in the run for President 2012. So basically we are facing a Fox Coup to takeover our nation.
Politician is NOT a profession, it's a collection of personality disorders.
Corporate media is destructive to the entire planet. They all accept funding from the pentagon to brainwash us into being a warmongering nation in the interest of the central bankers and their friends.
Fox news is the worst of the worst but they are #1, CNN is the real news network but being a far right wing news network is winning for now.
This is in the category of "the sky is blue" and "water is wet". It's a statement by the President that is undeniably true, and yet he will be criticized for it.
I do not always agree with the way a story is presented on any news agency, but this is a dangerous precedence to set by any president. The president seems to be bothered more than he should and spends an awful lot of time trying to discredit anyone that disagrees. Trying to discount an entire news organization JUST because it does not agree with his policies or process is sounding very 1984 to me.
Said the Pot to the Kettle...
I would like to believe that most thinking Americans understand the liberal tactic of accusing your opponent of the very things you yourself are guilty of..
No question. Fox is destructive to Obama's socialist agenda. They expose it when Obama wants to hide it. Thankfully thewre IS a network like Fox that can counter the lies and misinformation from MSNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Bloomberg, et al. who do their best - especially MSNBC with the Prime-Time Socialism Block of Matthews, Olbermann and Maddog - to help the president ram his socialism home.
Keep being destructive, Fox! Help Save America!
Fox is the only major media outlet that doesn't pucker up and kiss Obama's.... ring. And this no-content, political animal has the gall to say they are destructive? Fox is the only mechanism that keeps Obama and his band of tax cheats in check. Obama is the most destructive force in America today. Perhaps he should shut up and go bow to the king of Saudi Arabia again or maybe he can go dialog with Amanutjob in Iran. Perhaps he can further demonize the companies and people that create jobs so we can continue to languish in this recession that he has magically declared "over". Yes, Fox is biased. However, considering that every other media outlet is considerably left of center Fox is a welcome voice to those of us paying the bills in this country. And apparently a lot of other people feel the same. Look at its ratings compared to CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, .........
History may show that Fox saved us from a socialist take over. CNN on the other hand is a liberal rag that loves Obama and hates good ratings. CNN does not like taxing paying middle class people who go to work every day. CNN loves Democrats who have been using "Race Baiting" for votes, while keeping minorities in cess pools of crime and coruption for decades. CNN thinks socialism works. Your viewers do not. Ken Krieger Cape Coral, Florida
We all know by now that Obama hates Fox News and the Tea Party because they favor small government instead of large liberal initiatives. Is it news anymore that he doesn't care about the truth, or the will of the people, or the constitution?
FOX News is such a clearly biased "news" network that I'm not sure how their consciences allow them to claim to be "fair and balanced." They have every right to express their opinions, but the fact that they present these biased opinions as impartial facts is disgusting to me. If they would just openly admit that they are fiercely conservative and present their shows as the partisan programming they are, I would be all for them continuing with business as usual. It's important to have many different points of view available to the American public, but to lie and pretend like you are presenting both sides of the story is irresponsible. They should be ashamed.
having a channel like Fox News helping the Republican party shouldn't it be consider like a Corporation giving money to a Political Party? shouldn't there be a limit? is obvious that there is a blur line and things will continue the way they are.
Where was Fox News when the rights of the American people were obliterate by the Bush administration?
I wouldn't do everything for money. Fox News will. Shameful.