National Dems Come Out In Support Of Nevada
National Democratic insiders Paul Begala and Mark Mellman came out in strong support of the Nevada Democratic Party’s decision to cancel the Fox News debate. Here are some excerpts:
From Begala’s op-ed:
That’s why the Nevada Democrats did the right thing in refusing to allow Fox to pretend it is a neutral host for a Democratic debate. The more Fox is seen as “fair and balanced,” the easier it is for the network to swift-boat Democratic candidates and propel misinformation into the mainstream media. Thank God Democrats are finally growing a spine and fighting back. No longer can Fox function as a Republican mouthpiece and expect us to put it on stage as a neutral news source. Like I tell my kids: NHD — not happenin’, dude.
To be clear, this is not a boycott, and it’s not about Democrats being afraid to go on Fox. It’s about how Fox is presented to the public when it voices its right-wing views. During the fight against Fox in Nevada, MoveOn suggested a co-sponsored Fox/Air America debate. Perfect. An avowedly progressive media outlet paired with the conservative Fox. The spirit of “Crossfire” lives. But MoveOn’s compromise was not accepted, and ultimately Fox lost everything.
Looking forward, the victory in Nevada sends a powerful message to Fox: You’re not going to be able to use Democratic debates to whitewash your right-wing bias the way Exxon green washes its reputation by buying off academics and PR flacks.
For Democrats, it sends an equally powerful message: Fight back; you can win. From its first days on the air, Fox News has smeared Bill and Hillary Clinton. And when President Clinton finally called Fox on it, the effect was electric. Across America, progressives were galvanized into action.
And from Mellman’s:
Journalists strive to report the news, not to be the news. So Fox News should have been a bit embarrassed to headline a story that ended with the Nevada Democratic Party canceling Fox’s sponsorship of a pre-caucus debate.
Then again, Fox is not a typical news organization. There are first-rate journalists at Fox, committed to accuracy, objectivity and fairness. However, as a network, Fox’s prime commitment is to the triumph of conservative politics, not to a well-informed public. From hiring hosts to selecting stories to framing questions for discussion, Fox demonstrates its dedication to advancing the ideological interests of the right.
As former Fox reporter/anchor Jon Du Pre put it in the documentary “Outfoxed,” “We weren’t necessarily, as it was told to us, a newsgathering organization so much as we were a proponent of a point of view … we were there to reinforce a constituency.”
Conservatives retort that other media project a liberal bias, while Fox presents a needed counterweight. The liberal bias of network news is debatable; that Fox regularly reports false and inaccurate stories designed to drum up support for their candidates and causes is beyond serious dispute.
Read both op-eds defending the NSDP’s decision. The key thing to remember is that it was activists within the Nevada state party who are responsible for the win against Fox News. The NSDP has learned to be responsive to its members. And Democrats shouldn’t stop here. the CBC is negotiating with Fox News as we speak but ColorOfChange.org, a 70,000 member Black online activist group is on the case.
Similar Posts:
- Carson City Democrats Say No To Fox News Debate
- Its Not About Free Speech, Its About The Truth
- Fox Attacks Obama
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[...] In lieu of the presidential debate canceled by the Nevada State Democratic Party last month, Fox News has succeeded in signing a deal with the Congressional Black Caucus Institute to broadcast a Democratic and Republican debate. The story behind the deal is proving to be rather unsavory. Does anyone remember (Fox) News Corp’s battle with the Nielsen TV ratings company over a proposed change to their ratings system? It turns out that News Corp hired several well connected former Clinton staffers, and perhaps used them to pressure Nielsen not to change their rating system. Yikes, or as Matt Stoller more clearly describes it: “Former (and current) Clinton advisors lobbying successfully on behalf of Rupert Murdoch to help his company cheat advertisers, and working through the CBC and CHC to do it.” [...]
[...] I hope we are finally past the point of network news being intimidated by Fox News (because they’re losers), but just in case, Robert Greenwald has a new campaign to warn the public about Fox News’ efforts to drum up support for military action against Iran. [...]
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The only time Fux turns left is when it broadcasts the NASCAR races. Don’t you love it when DW calls out booger-eater, booger-eater, booger-eater when the race starts?