First I want to make it clear up front that I have watched CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News a great deal over the last 10 years so I have enough experience to weigh in on this dust up between the White House and Fox News.
Members of the Presidents staff have accused Fox News of "not being a real news organization". So if Fox News was not doing a good job of being the watch dog the press is suppose to be then why would institutions like the New York Times say this:
"Executives at other news organizations, including The New York Times, had publicly said that their newsrooms had not been fast enough in following stories Fox News had been heavily covering through the summer and fall — namely, the focus on past statements and affiliations of White House adviser Van Jones that ultimately led to his resignation and questions surrounding the community activist group ACORN"
I believe that the vast majority of Americans can distinguish between commentary shows (that tell you on almost every show that they are not journalist but are commentators) and news programs that call themselves that. If you watch Glenn Beck and Chris Wallace and you can not tell the difference then you are blinded by your own prejudices. Glenn Becks web site actually says the "fusion of entertainment and enlightenment" which pretty much tells you this is not news from a journalist. It does not appear that our current Presidents administration can tell the difference between commentators and journalists. .
Napoleon Bonaparte
“A journalist is a grumbler, a censurer, a giver of advice, a regent of sovereigns, a tutor of
nations. Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.”
Perhaps the White House has started their anti-FNC efforts because they fear the information presented. Perhaps we should all watch FNC, check the facts presented ourselves (easy enough with youtube and the Internet today) and then decide whether there is merit to what the White House is communicating or not.
Benjamin Franklin gives us another reason to look into this ourselves and decide:
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of
speech.”
The purpose of the free press and the job of journalist is to be a watchdog and inform the citizenry when wrongs are done and abuses occur. Watch CNN, MSNBC, FNC, etc, and then decide for youself who is truly being a watchdog and who perhaps is being a lap dog. While we all know the internet is full of wrong information we also know that many facts can be confirmed through the use of the internet.
Quotes are from this source
