Fox News exec takes issue with Hillary Clinton’s criticism of US media

[IDemo]

By Sahil Kapur
Saturday, March 5th, 2011 -- 1:43 pm

A Fox News executive said he was surprised and "curious" at Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent praise for Al-Jazeera and criticism of US media.

"We've got leadership issues there, the safety of people, the safety of our own people," said Michael Clemente, a senior vice president of Fox, according to The Associated Press. "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."

Clinton on Wednesday called Al-Jazeera -- which has vigorously covered the pro-democracy movement in the Middle East -- "real news" and fretted that American media was relying too much on "talking heads" rather than informing people.

"Like it or hate it, it is really effective," Clinton told a group of lawmakers. "In fact, viewership of Al-Jazeera is going up in the United States because it is real news."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/05/fox-news-exec-takes-issue-with-hillary-clintons-criticism-of-us-media/

[sufrommich]

1. I knew she'd get grief from the teabagging crowd for that one.

Fox News attempting to school anyone on what constitute real news in this country is beyond hypocritical.

[provis99]

2. why does Fox News care? They're not a news channel.

[ananda]

3. ROFL

That was funny... but very sad too.

[Canuckistanian]

4. She wasn't even referring to Fox

Fox is NOT a news organization. It's a joke and a national embarrassment.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. This was about Wikileaks and Al Jazeera- Clinton needed more $

for her government's propaganda. Not about Fox..
don't buy it.

This was a Fox News commentary to make sure she did.

[underpants]

6. CNN's Reliable Sources last week was a hoot

I happened to watch because it was on

Kurtz had the Politifact CEO on and actually asked him why Politifact is needed.... Uh Howie it is because our "news" never calls out people for outright lies and cleverly worded distortions. Then they bashed Rachel Maddow for calling Politifact out on a mistake that they made in reference to her.

Before that Kurtz had a discussion with the guy who used to run Meet the Press and someone from Medialite (I think) about the daring reporting being done from Libya. No one dared to mention that the reason reporters were suddenly being thrown into remarkable unneccary danger situations was because Al Jazeera exposed them as being basically news operation that never step out of the studio. They don't have bureaus anymore.

The whole thing was hilarious to watch.

[Dappleganger]

7. Fox needs to own their shitty 'journalism.'

[gratuitous]

8. Oh, as if! Give me a break

Like you can tell what's, you know, true or like there's some objective standard of "journalism" just because it reports on actual occurrences and "facts." Sheesh! If you're going to resort to "facts," you can prove anything that's even remotely true. And that's not the way the world works, at least in America. It's all about who's up (us) and who's down (you), and whether this story will get you invited to a swell cocktail party this weekend. "Real" news, indeed! What's up with that?

[electricfarmer]

10. Whazup?

As a journalist, I can say confidently that I can tell the difference between a lie and a fact. And when I am unsure, I use google to get to the truth. The truth is most often NOT subjective. 2+2 is always 4. But I am sure Glenn Beck would find a way to disagree. Fox is a bunch of screaming idealogues, not journalists.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is most likely a duck.

[gratuitous]

11. Welcome to DU

You'll get accustomed to the snark. The major media don't seem interested in facts, but in what sells. And if a lie sells better than the facts, the lie gets aired: viz., the current situation about "greedy" teachers and their staggering compensation.

[electricfarmer]

9. I love Al Jaz

I cut the cable a year ago and don't miss it except for Rachel Maddow and Keith.
Hilary was afraid to tell the truth about Al Jaz. It is unbiased and free from pro American bias. American journalism on tv is corporate to the max.

As a former journalist I can tell you from the inside that the jingoistic right is running the show. Whenever we covered left leaning protests, I was always with a conservative reporter who wanted me to shoot the bearded crazies and nose ring people while he interviewed the most wacky looking nutjobs in the crowd....completely distorting the message.

Al Jaz streams on Roku thru my Netflix acct and it is the first thing I watch every morning.