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WH Comm. Dir. Dunn reportedly slams Fox: "It's opinion journalism masquerading as news"

October 08, 2009 12:14 pm ET by Media Matters staff

From an October 8 Time.com article:

The general in this war is [White House communications director Anita] Dunn, 51, a veteran campaign strategist who arrived at the White House in May. She has been a force in Democratic campaigns since the late 1980s and helmed Obama's rapid-response operation during his run. At the White House, she has become a devoted consumer of conservative-media reports and a fierce critic of Fox News, leading the Administration's effort to block officials, including Obama, from appearing on the network. "It's opinion journalism masquerading as news," Dunn says. "They are boosting their audience. But that doesn't mean we are going to sit back." Fox News's head of news, Michael Clemente, counters that the White House criticism unfairly conflates the network's reporters and its pundits, like Glenn Beck, whom he likens to "the op-ed page of a newspaper."

Tags: Fox News Channel

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    • Author by Bad News (October 08, 2009 12:20 pm ET)
        1
      "Please Don't Fox News Me" What does this Phrase actually Mean?
      Don't Lie, Don't Smear & Don't Mis-inform, does this help set the Scene?
      Don't be a Bill O'Reilly, A Glenn Beck or a Sean Hannity or any other Fox News Reject.
      Look to real Pundits like Keith Olbermann & Rachel Maddow you know, those Commentators that have actually earned our Admiration & Respect.

      Speak truth to power.


      Mr. News
      Report Abuse
    • Author by goesto11 (October 08, 2009 12:41 pm ET)
      3 1
      How many op-ed pages of how many newspapers in this country have called President Obama a racist?

      Sorry, but Beck is nothing like an op-ed page, which normally features thoughtful and fact-based opinions.

      Except when George Will is involved.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by IRONY 101 (October 08, 2009 1:04 pm ET)
        2  
        Or Cal Thomas...
        Report Abuse
      • Author by SMTDL (October 08, 2009 1:23 pm ET)
          1
        Exactly Right..Opinions are one thing...interpretation/understanding/ analysis of a factual occurrence...but making up lies ,smearing,deliberate distortion of statements are all very different ..Ms Dunn is being kind to call it opinion journalism.It is in no way journalism.They almost never retract debunked stories or make corrections of obvious lies when proven as such ..they do little or no vetting.They mostly spew right wing talking points and hate speech,attack non conservatives,Democrats,and perceived progressive entities..like Hollywood...and promote obstruction or attack on the government..they even imply that violence is acceptable !!News and journalism should never be used in conjunction with this propaganda organization!!!
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    • Author by greymatter (October 08, 2009 1:18 pm ET)
      3 1
      This isn't the first time Fox has hidden behind the "those are opinion shows" defense. The problem, however, is that Fox does nothing to clearly distinguish their "news" shows from their "opinion" ones. Most viewers of Fox, the ones that like them and think they are fair and balanced, often do not understand the difference. Many times I've heard "I saw on the news last night" when someone was referring to something they saw on Glenn Beck or The O'Rielly Factor.

      Fox News Channel, as a name, also carries an insinuation that everything on the channel is "news". Perhaps if they more clearly labeled their editorial shows as editorial, then kept the hosts of those shows off their "news" shows, and made it obvious which is which, this wouldn't be an issue.

      Mr. Clemente's comparison fails in that the op-ed page of a newspaper will be clearly marked as such, and that a newspaper doesn't devote 90% of it's pages to op-ed with only a few carrying actual "news".
      Report Abuse
    • Author by pros2pros2940 (October 08, 2009 2:07 pm ET)
      2 1
      The other problem with the FoxNews propaganda is that right wing radio amplifies and repeats the falsehoods as news by playing clips from the shows. It's a giant echo chamber.
      Report Abuse

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