It's difficult to believe that President Obama and his team can spend as much time as they do dealing with the media and know so little about them, but it's true. Or, maybe they want to make the president's life more difficult and thwart his agenda.

Case in point is the administration's attacks on Fox News. The president and his team believe that Fox News has crossed the line from journalism into commentary disguised as straight reporting.

There are a number of things wrong with their approach. First, the president is arguably the most powerful person in the world. It is unseemly for him to sling mud at a news outlet. It diminishes him and his office, making both seem smaller than they are, and it elevates Fox News to worthy-opposition status.

Secondly, it's a matter of control. Push the media away, refuse interviews and to answer questions, and you can guarantee that their stories will be more one-sided -- exactly what you didn't want to happen.

The media are there to ask questions, not serve as a mouthpiece for the government. It also is the government and the public's link to each other. The president and his handlers need to use that link to try to get their point across. But you can't do that if you're not talking.

The repercussions don't stop there. Fox News has a large conservative following. A lot of those people tune into Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and other conservative commentators who daily brutalize Democrats and President Obama. Not talking to Fox just gives these commentators more ammunition to demonize the president.

And this segment of voters are people the president needs most to reach to try to win the middle and pass his agenda. In seeking to punish Fox for not being a member of Team Obama, what Team Obama has done is to ensure that more of the people the president needs to reach think less of him. Not a winning formula.

-- Ben Wearing

Executive Editor

822-1421

bwearing@salina.com

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says....
Faux is the most biased news station there is, and they DO demonize the president and there are a million and one examples of how they outright lie. I'm thankful that the president defended himself. This is what he should do. And ignore rags that lie..
10/26/2009

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outfoxed says....
Ben, If you think that President Obama granting an interview will have any effect on the tone of Fox "News", you are seriously delusional.
10/26/2009

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