Fox News Exec Responds To Hillary Clinton's Al Jazeera Comments

[onehandle]

Fox News Channel's Michael Clemente said he was "surprised and kind of curious" by Clinton's remarks. "We've got leadership issues there, the safety of people, the safety of our own people," said Clemente, senior vice president for news. "Some big issues. All of a sudden there are headlines about Al-Jazeera versus the news in this country? It's just surprising. Curious more than surprising."

Representatives from CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC news all declined comment Friday on what Clinton said. But former CNN Washington bureau chief Frank Sesno agreed with her assessment. "She's right," said Sesno, who is now director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University. "Cable news has become cable noise. It was intended to be an opportunity to inform people, and instead it has become an opportunity to inflame people."

The cable news shift toward opinion has paid off handsomely for ratings leader Fox News Channel and, to a lesser extent, MSNBC. CNN has resisted a partisan drift to concentrate more on news and has suffered in the ratings the past couple of years. With budget cuts, the influence of the major broadcast news divisions has been waning.

Even with the move toward opinion, the news networks often provide informative coverage when there is breaking news, such as the Egyptian revolution, Sesno said. What's lacking is an attention span – a willingness to stick with stories and provide context. There's an addiction to "this just in," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110305/ap_on_en_ot/us_clinton_media_5

[Historic NY]

1. They just don't get it............they not reporters their opinionators.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. Fox News worried about public safety? Bullshit!

They have made my life a living hell the way they've scared the white folk in this country to fear anybody that could even remotely carry a tan.

[dotymed]

3. REINSTATE THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE

I know it is at the very bottom of a long list of changes that Progressives seek. IMO, it should be near the top. This alone, (Truth) would have a dramatic effect on the people who believe they should support neo-cons/neo-liberals/the ruling elite (all the same).......echo chamber...........

[woo me with science]

6. That's not the answer.

Journalism does not equal the same number of opinions on each side.

Journalism strives to investigate thoroughly, report facts, and remain as objective as possible.

It should appall all of us that so few are even trying to do that anymore.

[dotymed]

8. That is what the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE was all about.

The rule: news had to reported objectively. When (and it is inevitable) a point of view was expressed, free "air time" had to be given for those with differing viewpoints.
It IS appalling that the courts have decided that "news" programs are not even responsible to be truthful.
MONEY.........

[sabrina 1]

4. Hillary was NOT praising Al Jazeera or RT news. People

completely misunderstood what she was doing.

She was bemoaning the fact that the U.S. has lost control of the 'message' around the world and was basically conceding that people are more interested in 'real news' than in U.S. Corporate Propaganda now.

What she was asking for was more funding to make the U.S. propaganda BETTER. She was NOT advocating REAL NEWS for the U.S.

She boasted about 'how good we were during the cold war' at 'propaganda' but after the fall of the Berlin Wall, according to her, (she must have been sleeping during the run-up to the Iraq War) we didn't feel the need for really good propaganda to 'get our message out to the world'.

She is so completely wrong, and so blinded by ideology that she doesn't get that people KNOW what our 'message is' and they have rejected it.

But people should not confuse her statements with an acknowledgement that this country needs some real news organizations.

She was simply trying to get funding for what she thinks would be better propaganda to 'get our message out'. What our message is she didn't say. War, war and more war??? Torture is not torture in the Great WOT?? People have rejected that propaganda as they rejected the old Soviet Union propaganda for what it is.

Now, if we could just get her to stand up for REAL NEWS organizations, instead of threatening to prosecute them under the Espionage Act, we might get somewhere in this country.

[mwooldri]

5. I will agree with Hillary Clinton and Frank Sesno too.

The comments published to the article listed in Yahoo! are definitely interesting. I can only assume that the majority of these people haven't watched a good amount of Al Jazeera output, because it's mainly a tirade of misunderstandings, xenophobic, anti-tolerance and other crap.

[Critters2]

7. "CNN has resisted a partisan drift to concentrate more on news"

What?!!

[Beacool]

9. At least FOX responded..........

"Representatives from CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC news all declined comment Friday on what Clinton said."

:eyes:

[vroomvroom]

10. I'm confused -- If they're all about Ratings isn't Fox/MSNBC et doing the right thing?

I want news but seeing as how their goal is to make a profit and seeing as how ratings only seem to come when they are opinionated then it seems logical why Fox and others try this. So in ways blame the people for only being interested in junk food news-tainment. And even more so, blame the government for removing the Fairness Act (?).

[stevenleser]

11. From the perspective of their corporate execs and shareholders? Yes. From the people's perspective?

Not so much.