White House Takes Aim at Fox News

The White House has started an offensive of a very different kind this week, its target being Fox News.  Last Sunday, the White House Communications Director, Anita Dunn accused Fox News of being an 'arm of the Republican party', beginning a war of words which continues to rage, dragging in political and media commentators on both sides.  It is the first time since Vice President Spiro Agnew complained during the Nixon years about the "nattering nabobs of negativism," that a white house administration has taken direct aim at the media, and the first time that a particular news organisation has been singled out.

As the battle rages on, nobody on either side seems immune from critizism, with even President Obama himself saying that there is "one television station that is entirely devoted to attacking my administration."  The unusual situation developed after Dunn appeared on CNN last weekend, and has continued to develop with other key white house officials appearing on other programmes and networks to keep up the anti against Fox News, and even the White House blog attacking Glen Beck for spreading 'lies'.

Dunn has additionally commented this week that "The administration was being attacked, members of this administration were being attacked, policies of this administration were being misrepresented — and that's a generous interpretation of how they were being described, the reality is that at some point, the administration has to defend itself."

The trigger for one of the strangest stand-off's in years seems to have been in late September, when President Obama appeared on every Sunday morning talk show except for Chris Wallace's show on Fox News, effectively snubbing the network.  David Gergen, a former White House aide and CNN commentator said; "I would think that what this reflects is a pent-up frustration or rage at the coverage they get, not only from Fox but elsewhere."

There have been strong critics to the White House stance, with some comentators showing support for Fox News, and making the point that the on-going war of words has an impact for the media as a whole.  David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun said; "Whether or not you like Fox News, all of us in the press need to be concerned about the administration of President Barack Obama trying to `punish' the cable news channel for its point of view."

Former Deputy Chief of Staff, and Fox News contributor, Karl Rove waded in on the situation, appearing on Fox News and saying that the White House appears to be confusing news and opinion.  He said; "They're conflating the news side and the opinion side in order to -- in order to attack a media outlet. Again, it's undignified for the president of the United States to be doing."  He added that it is the administration's practice to attack its critics full-throttle.  He then went on to take a more personal dig at the President's handling of the situation, saying; "I think this White House is dominated by Chicago- style politics, so if you don't like the questions that are being asked by Major Garrett or Wendell Goler or Chris Wallace, then you try and demonize Fox News."