by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Oct. 18, 2009
All Rights Reserved.

              Entering into a no-win battle with the FOXNews Network, the White House blasted the GOP-leaning cable network for biased reporting.  Calling FOXNew “a wing of the Republican Party,” White House Communication Director Anita Dunn leveled the charges at FOXNews for consistently anti-Obama reporting.  President Barack Obama noted there is “one television station that is entirely devoted to attack my administration,” rejecting FOXNew’s claim of “fair and balanced” reporting.  FOXNews President Roger Ailes, a GOP political operative dating back to the Nixon administration, was a former communication director of President George H.W. Bush before Rupert Murdoch offered him the job.  Dunn went over the deep end blasting FOXNews for trashing the Obama administration.  Whether news or editorials, FOXNews has a right to its conservative views.

            Dunn doesn’t blast MSNBC News for its left wing leanings, allowing “news” anchors Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow to routinely defend the Obama administration.  Nor, for that matter, did Dunn object to MSNBC’s wholesale eight-year-long denunciation of former President George W. Bush.  “The administration was being attacked, members of the administration were being attacked, policies of the administration were being misrepresented—and that’s a generous interpretation of how they were being described,” said Dunn, going after FOXNews.  Dunn doesn’t recall MSNBC’s and CNN’s practically nonstop attack on the Bush White House.  Even CBS News Anchor Dan Rather got into it, costing him his job Jan 10, 2005 for running a story on Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard on “60 Minutes” July 4, 2004 based on forged documents. 

            Right wing commentators, led by 58-year-old syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh, believe that most network and cable news are routinely biased against conservatives.  Dunn doesn’t mention the long-standing left wing bias, only cites FOXNews for its one-sided programming.  “The reality is that as some point, the administration has to defend itself,” insisted Dunn, causing more problems for the White House.  Fingering FOXNews, no matter how justified, backfired for the administration, creating unwanted controversy.  Embroiled in its battle over health care and reviving the economy, the White House can’t afford useless diversions.  Dunn’s salvo detracts from the White House agenda of fixing the economy and promoting its version of national health care.  Calling the White House “crybabies,” FOXNews host Chris Wallace dismissed Dunn’s remarks.

            White House officials get all the good press they want from CNBC and CNN for the most part.  CNN often plays “devil’s advocate,” occasionally criticizing the White House to look “fair-and-balanced,” to borrow FOXNews’s phrase.  “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,” said CNN analyst David Gergen.  Gergen, a Harvard Kennedy School of Government professor and former White House advisor, believes that Dunn fueled the controversy by attacking FOXNews.  Attacking FOXNews has given the upstart cable network free publicity, driving up its Nielsen ratings.  “It’s going to spike Fox’s ratings,” said Gergen, acknowledging that FOXNews already leads the ratings race.  Whatever frustration the White House has with FOXNews, the White House should have avoided the confrontation.

            Instead of pointing fingers at FOXNews, the White House should accept the full spectrum of news reporting on the administration.  Dunn should retract her statements against FOXNews not because they’re inaccurate but because it gives the cable giant more clout.  White House officials must accept the good with the bad, including the pass on most issues they get from major news networks and certainly CNBC and CNN.  “There is room for a more nuanced strategy,” admitted Dunn, back-peddling on her prior remarks.  FOXNews has complained for some time that they don’t get their fair share of White House interviews.  White House chief strategist David Axelrod denied that FOXNews has been blackballed.  He met with Roger Ailes about a month ago to mend fences and make peace.  So far, the White House has looked worse for picking an unnecessary food fight.

            Obama’s media war with FOXNews has backfired, boosting ratings for the conservative cable network.  Instead of whining about mistreatment, the White House should make amends, placing administration officials on FOXNews shows.  White House officials miscalculated, complaining about too much about mistreatment.  If the White House complains about Fox, they need to publicly express gratitude to the big three and other cable networks for their unwavering support.  White House officials must rethink their strategy of complaining about Fox.  Dunn needs to stop stirring the pot and make her best effort at reconciliation.  “The notion ought to be to restore professional relations to the extent possible and not make this a long-term war,” said Gergen, advising Dunn to back off.  Dunn’s right that there are too many big problems confronting the country to waste so much precious time.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.