Fox News has become the brunt of censure from the White House with President Obama weighing in today. Alas, the president said nothing to counter the broadsides lobbed at Fox. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has announced that Fox News is “not a news organization so much as it has a perspective.” David Axelrod went on ABC's "This Week" and called for a proper shunning of Fox by the "good" news organizations.
Is anyone in doubt about what is REALLY going on here? The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, But his favor is like dew on the grass (Prov. 19:12). The President and his administration define a respectable news organization as one that aids and agrees with them. An illegitimate one hinders and questions. The former will receive praise and benefits, the latter will hear the lion roar. President Nixon had his "enemies list" and Lamar Alexander (see clip above) sees the beginnings of something similarly unproductive in this dustup.
Journalistic objectivity, the notion that news can be reported from some value-free neutrality, is a fiction. The optimist and the pessimist report the same fact about their glass of water. But declaring it "half full" or "half empty" ascribes to this fact meaning that comports with their decidedly different outlooks. All news organizations attempt to give meaning to the facts they report; they use them to tell a story drawn from what is seen and heard. Their selection of what video clips to show (and which to reject), how it should be edited, and which sound bites to play will reflect their sense of what is important.
So I find it more than a little ridiculous for Fox to be impugned for offering "perspective," when every news organization does no less. In fact, I appreciate Fox for regularly bringing together proponents of opposing views, a practice rarely seen on the "good" news networks. Which is worse, the news organization that is clear about its "perspective," or one which peddles "perspective" no less while pretending it doesn't?
I am not objective. I am unashamed, even proud, to view my world through the lens of the Bible. Where someone might celebrate the latest victory for a "woman's right to choose," I will weep for the innocents. The goal is not to jettison perspective, but to adopt the right perspective, which, from my perspective, will be God's.
While I agree with your perspective on this whole matter, and think that this thin-skinned administration is showing its true colors, I believe this whole dust-up is really a convenient smokescreen, which hides the ineptitude of the West Wing frat boys.
Obama's numerous "present" votes as a senator should have given us a clue that he might have difficulty with actually taking action. He wasn't even a very effective deliberator as a senator. How can we seriously expect him to be a man of action, or even a decent leader.
The presidency is in childish hands; a mockery of what was an inspiring and honorable position of world leadership. What was once "a shining city on a hill" has become a bastion of baffoons.
Posted by: John | October 23, 2009 at 11:30 PM