Slammed.

[Davemcc]

Obama's attempt to circumvent the 1st Amendment has been shut down by the major news outlets. Big O and his administration are trying to eliminate media opposition and control the press. I don't care what you think of Fox News, but a free press is constitutionally guaranteed and vital to the maintenance of a free nation.

From Wikipedia:

"Content regulation

The courts have rarely treated content-based regulation of journalism with any sympathy. In Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo, 418 U.S. 241 (1974), the Court unanimously struck down a state law requiring newspapers criticizing political candidates to publish their responses. The state claimed that the law had been passed to ensure journalistic responsibility. The Supreme Court found that freedom, but not responsibility, is mandated by the First Amendment and so it ruled that the government may not force newspapers to publish that which they do not desire to publish.

Content-based regulation of television and radio, however, have been sustained by the Supreme Court in various cases. Since there are a limited number of frequencies for non-cable television and radio stations, the government licenses them to various companies. The Supreme Court, however, has ruled that the problem of scarcity does not permit the raising of a First Amendment issue. The government may restrain broadcasters, but only on a content-neutral basis."

 

[dapack69]

I don't think there is one thing that he has done that I agree with...oh yea, I am Republican.

 

[jinjuku]

Obama's attempt to circumvent the 1st Amendment has been shut down by the major news outlets.

GROAN! There is no circumvention of the 1st Amendment. There is still freedom of the press. The WH is simply making a decision to not give or give an interview. I may just start a free Modern American Civics website. A little education goes a long way.

Maybe a better understanding of this sort of thing would lead to a better country than the axe grinding that it is. Fox News gets more helter skelter every year.

 

[highfigh]

GROAN! There is no circumvention of the 1st Amendment. There is still freedom of the press. The WH is simply making a decision to not give or give an interview. I may just start a free Modern American Civics website. A little education goes a long way.

Maybe a better understanding of this sort of thing would lead to a better country than the axe grinding that it is. Fox News gets more helter skelter every year.

HElteR sKelteR, or not- they often have opposing viewpoints from Obama and the rest in power now. They're a major network and I can't think of a single time when one was excluded from interviewing a President.

While they didn't censor Fox's content directly, not allowing Fox to gather the same content as the other networks effectively eliminates the ability of that network to compete with the others in this instance. If any connection to this situation can be found to Jeff Immelt, it should be seen as a problem. GE CEO Jeff Immelt sits on Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and GE owns MSNBC.

 

[jinjuku]

HElteR sKelteR, or not- they often have opposing viewpoints from Obama and the rest in power now. They're a major network and I can't think of a single time when one was excluded from interviewing a President.

While they didn't censor Fox's content directly, not allowing Fox to gather the same content as the other networks effectively eliminates the ability of that network to compete with the others in this instance. If any connection to this situation can be found to Jeff Immelt, it should be seen as a problem. GE CEO Jeff Immelt sits on Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and GE owns MSNBC.

And the Bush administration kicking a press team off of air force 2 is what?

As far as the press in general? Real reporting and journalism died DECADES ago.

 

[jinjuku]

So either we have Obama not granting an interview to FOX, or the prior administrations laughable argument that habeas corpus is NOT IMPLICIT.

I know which one scared the bejebus out of me more...

 

[Davemcc]

GROAN! There is no circumvention of the 1st Amendment. There is still freedom of the press. The WH is simply making a decision to not give or give an interview. I may just start a free Modern American Civics website. A little education goes a long way.

Maybe a better understanding of this sort of thing would lead to a better country than the axe grinding that it is. Fox News gets more helter skelter every year.

It's more than that. You see, there is a full out attack on Fox News to de-categorize Fox as a "news" media. If this is successful, the administration could presumably tax and/or regulate it out of business which I understand is a topic that has already been broached by the administration.

http://news.aol.com/article/white-house-advisers-say-fox-news-is-not/698675?icid=sphere_blogsmith_inpage_poldaily

Picked this up off another site, could use some confirmation.
"The White House comments as well as targeting are in violation of US Code, the Executive Branch is by law to be "transparent" and provide equal treatment to any and all news organizations inquiring."

 

[jinjuku]

It's more than that. You see, there is a full out attack on Fox News to de-categorize Fox as a "news" media. If this is successful, the administration could presumably tax and/or regulate it out of business which I understand is a topic that has already been broached by the administration.

http://news.aol.com/article/white-house-advisers-say-fox-news-is-not/698675?icid=sphere_blogsmith_inpage_poldaily

Picked this up off another site, could use some confirmation.
"The White House comments as well as targeting are in violation of US Code, the Executive Branch is by law to be "transparent" and provide equal treatment to any and all news organizations inquiring."

I personally see FOX as editorial organization with a conservative agenda to meet. Maybe FOX should get back to reporting the news instead of being angry white privileged men.

FOX and News? I dunno.

 

[Davemcc]

So either we have Obama not granting an interview to FOX,

Not at all. This is about an administration official calling for a press pool interview and excluding Fox in violation of press pool protocol. But more than that even, this administration is trying to convince (or coerce) other news organizations to agree that Fox is not a news organization so that they can shun Fox and other critics, eliminate opposition and control the media. I hope you can see the danger in that regardless of any constitutional or code violations. A free press is at the core of your democracy.

or the prior administrations laughable argument that habeas corpus is NOT IMPLICIT. I know which one scared the bejebus out of me more...

Bush is gone. Deal with it. I thought that would be enough to make people happy...but I guess strict compliance with "The One" is the only way to broker peace these days, eh?

 

[Davemcc]

I personally see FOX as editorial organization with a conservative agenda to meet. Maybe FOX should get back to reporting the news instead of being angry white privileged men.

FOX and News? I dunno.

As I said in my opening post, I don't care what your opinion of Fox News is. I hope you can see the larger issues at stake, vis-a-vis the operation of a free press without interference or stonewalling from gov't. It's Fox News today. Which network is next? Who would dare become a critic of the administration if that meant losing a broadcast license? What is a valid public debate if one side has the power to silence opposition at will?

 

[Nemo128]

FOX and News? I dunno.

Calling FOX news is like calling the National Enquirer a newspaper. Pfft.

I have just as much issue with "liberal" media that spews their biased rhetoric. I just see so much less of it. It's also probably because I don't watch much TV.

Bash me if you want, I find The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to be better sources of news and fact checking. At least they bash both sides of the isle.

Davemcc, one of the tenets of debate is the use of FACTS. Since when has FOX been concerned with FACTS? Fair and balanced my... you ever hear of "journalistic integrity"? Cuz they haven't, and they stopped being journalists the moment they lost that integrity.

 

[Matt34]

With ABC, CNN and MNBC pandering to this administration, who needs a state run media? When you have mass media outlets that fall so far to the left with an agenda it's only expected to have opposition to the right. I don't care for Fox news either but again, doesn't the POTUS have better things to do than have a back and forth with Fox talking heads because they disagree with his policies? Or does he feel them a threat to his Socialist conversion of this country?

 

[jinjuku]

Not at all. This is about an administration official calling for a press pool interview and excluding Fox in violation of press pool protocol.

Is not a violation of Freedom of the Press.

Bush is gone. Deal with it.

Unfortunately millions of Americans and myself are having to 'Deal with it' every day It's going to go on for near future also.

 

[highfigh]

And the Bush administration kicking a press team off of air force 2 is what?

As far as the press in general? Real reporting and journalism died DECADES ago.

Depends on why they were booted. IIRC, he said he couldn't talk about something and they just wouldn't stop badgering him about it. If you have more info about it, post it. I looked- didn't find anything.

I agree with the last comments.

 

[highfigh]

"I personally see FOX as editorial organization with a conservative agenda to meet."

What's your point? When did that become a reason to not talk to any media outlet? If it was a Republican President and they kept a liberal TV news crew out, you'd be screaming for their heads.

"Maybe FOX should get back to reporting the news instead of being angry white privileged men."

Show a network that doesn't pander to any group and just presents the news as it happened, without some kind of slant. I dare you.

"FOX and News? I dunno."

Most networks and News? Ditto. It's all sensentationalized BS. They report on what will make their guy or the other guy look one way, or another, depending on the bias of that company. Period.

 

[GO-NAD!]

With ABC, CNN and MNBC pandering to this administration, who needs a state run media? When you have mass media outlets that fall so far to the left with an agenda it's only expected to have opposition to the right. I don't care for Fox news either but again, doesn't the POTUS have better things to do than have a back and forth with Fox talking heads because they disagree with his policies? Or does he feel them a threat to his Socialist conversion of this country?

I think that the median political view in the US is skewed so far to the right, that any attempt by the media to walk down the real centre, is seen to be the ravings of loony leftists...

 

[highfigh]

I think that the median political view in the US is skewed so far to the right, that any attempt by the media to walk down the real centre, is seen to be the ravings of loony leftists...

Read the US Constitution and then come back to comment on what our government is supposed to be/do. Government can't be allowed to have too much power and it definitely should never be able to completely control what information is disseminated, unless it would compromise national security. That said, the ones who determine this last point need to be objective about it, not arbitrary. Look at the USSR, China and North Korea- they tell the people what they want them to read, see or hear. Remember Pravda? That's the Russian word for 'Truth'. How about Baghdad Bob? He's a classic and recent example. He was on camera, saying that death would come to the American infidels and that they were nowhere near Baghdad when they were right down the road from him at the time.

 

[adwilk]

Obama's attempt to circumvent the 1st Amendment has been shut down by the major news outlets. Big O and his administration are trying to eliminate media opposition and control the press. I don't care what you think of Fox News, but a free press is constitutionally guaranteed and vital to the maintenance of a free nation.

"

 

[rnatalli]

I actually enjoy hearing conservative positions because I agree with some of them, but Fox News flat out lies far too often to push their point of view. This is fine, but you can't call it news when you do it.

 

[highfigh]

I actually enjoy hearing conservative positions because I agree with some of them, but Fox News flat out lies far too often to push their point of view. This is fine, but you can't call it news when you do it.

They all lie and they all think they have the best news reporting. Unfortunately, we all need to check out what they present to us and that takes time. OTOH, if they all reported the same thing, there would be no need to have so many outlets.

The point of this whole thing is being shoved aside by quibbling about which network is best/worst. The problem is that the administration didn't grant access to a major network because they don't like them and that's not how a President should act. His admin reflects on him, for good or bad and he reflects on all of us. The government as laid out, needs to be honest and clear about their plans, open to our suggestions, wants and needs and to allow all of our media (no longer only the press) free access to all events, not just the ones they agree with. The fact that GE used baillout money that paid SEC security fraud charges and that shows leniency from the current admin that gives them an unfair competitive advantage by virtue of Immelt being part of Obama's group, as well as the fact that they used OUR money to pay it without admitting any guilt. Since Immelt is CEO of GE, which owns MSNBC, this definitely wouldn't be tolerated in any other situation.

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/08/05/general-electric-pays-off-regulators-with-bailout-money/

A president that can control whole industries, manufacturing, health care, media access to events and information is extremely dangerous. Granted, a government can't spill all of the beans WRT to military and some other future plans but they can't give preferential treatment to some media. The media are supposed to give candidates equal time so prospective voters won't see only one side, right? How can they justify telling only one side once they're in office?

The middle needs to be much stronger and the extremes are trying to drive the rocket sled to he!! from both ends.