Whiner-in-Chief
(Blog Post) Griping about Republicans on Fox and off-message bloggers in pajamas hurts Obama much more than the targets of the administration's wrath. Full Story »
Posted by Cynthia Gilbert - via Memeorandum, The NationReview
John Nichols makes a compelling case in this opinion piece for President Obama to order his staff to stop whining about Fox News. Nichols argues that ALL media is, by definition, biased, and that, besides, if one looks at the historical record, the folks at Fox News are rank amateurs when it comes to bashing the incumbent. Indeed, in Mr. Nichols' opinion, President Obama's skills and persona are such that he needn't fear the needling he might get from Fox (or any other interviewers). Most interviewers should be able to understand that THEIR credibility is on the line if their biases become too obvious or personal during an interview. O'Reilly seems to understand this. Hannity not so. Nichols has a valid point here, and while I'll continue to boycott Fox News in general, I'll tune in when they interview President Obama (unless it's "with the emotional wreck that is Glen Beck," of course).
My view on media bias (i.e., journalistic ethics) is that journalists should correct their own by calling each other to the higher standard of excellence that they all claim to own. To some extent we're seeing that process at work in several recent opinion pieces. The rest of us can participate in this process as well by choosing not to read or listen to the media outlets or folks who we believe are living beneath acceptable journalistic standards.