First on CNN: White House pens letter to Fox News executives calling on network to retract bogus FBI informant claims

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN Business

Published 12:14 AM EST, Thu February 29, 2024


New York CNN — The White House is formally calling on Fox News to walk back its coverage of bribery and corruption allegations against President Joe Biden.

In a letter sent to the right-wing network’s top brass this week, which has not been previously reported, Ian Sams, a top White House spokesperson, noted that the ex-FBI informant who was the source of the bribery claims has now been charged by federal authorities for allegedly fabricating the story. “Despite this, Fox has taken no steps to retract, correct, or update its reporting on this false allegation from 2023,” Sams said in his letter to Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott, president Jay Wallace, and Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton.

The letter is the latest from the Biden White House, which has taken a more aggressive approach to news coverage of the president that it sees as unfair in the run-up to the November election. Earlier this month, Sams sent a letter to the White House Correspondents’ Association, protesting coverage of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s handling of classified material.

Over the course of the last year, Fox News hosts have relentlessly promoted serious corruption claims against the purported “Biden crime family,” which have saturated the conservative information space, spawning GOP-led probes on Capitol Hill and fueling an eventual impeachment inquiry against the sitting president.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/media/white-house-fox-news-informant-claims-biden-hnk-intl/index.html

[thesquanderer]

1. A private company (e.g. dominion) can sue for defamation, but the government cannot (1st amendment),

so has to depend on Fox' good will and conscience. Not optimistic.

[peppertree]

12. Plus - it's not news, it's "entertainment"

Ah, the wonders of judicial fiat.

[Scrivener7]

28. But could viewers be allowed to on the basis

that the lies systematically work against the interests of the public?

I don't know, but there should be some way to do that.

[thesquanderer]

30. Except for over-the-air or publicly funded broadcasting...

...content providers have no responsibility that their content favor the interests of the public.

[SouthernDem4ever]

2. Fox thinks freedom of speech means freedom to lie

Dominion voting is the only one so far that challenged that . You would think the FCC would have a long time ago.

[onenote]

4. The FCC doesn't regulate cable program networks

[SouthernDem4ever]

6. Past time to change the rules - at least as far as using the term "News" is concerned

[azureblue]

10. this was done

to allow Fox network to get away with lying.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Yeah they do - but not the content

https://www.fcc.gov/about-fcc/what-we-d

The Federal Communications Commission regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. An independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress, the commission is the United States' primary authority for communications law, regulation and technological innovation. In its work facing economic opportunities and challenges associated with rapidly evolving advances in global communications, the agency capitalizes on its competencies in:

Promoting competition, innovation and investment in broadband services and facilities

Supporting the nation's economy by ensuring an appropriate competitive framework for the unfolding of the communications revolution

Encouraging the highest and best use of spectrum domestically and internationally

Revising media regulations so that new technologies flourish alongside diversity and localism

Providing leadership in strengthening the defense of the nation's communications infrastructure

Specifically - https://www.fcc.gov/general/cable-television-0

Cable Television

Cable television is a video delivery service provided by a cable operator to subscribers via a coaxial or fiber optic cable. Other subscription video service distributors include direct broadcast satellite providers, home satellite dishes and local telephone companies. The Commission’s rules and regulations relating to cable television include carriage of television broadcast signals, commercial leased access, program access and carriage, commercial availability of set-top boxes, emergency alert systems and the accessibility of closed captioning and video description of television programming. In addition to video services, most cable operators offer non-video services, including high-speed Internet access and telephony.

[onenote]

8. The FCC regulates cable television systems not program networks

To the extent they regulate cable networks it generally is by regulating the systems that carry them.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. My reply header had this - "but not the content"

But you pretty much indicated (perhaps inadvertently) that the FCC didn't regulate them at all.

[ScratchCat]

14. Based upon that excerpt

It is my opinion that the FCC could do the following:

1) Since Fox News is chartered as an entertainment channel and not a news corporation, the FCC could dictate to cable tv providers that the channel be identified as such.

2) Then dictate that FNC be moved in the channel line-up away from channels which are actual news corporations and instead put with entertainment channels(just like Newsmax and the other nonsense RW nonsense channel). They can stick it in between E! and Bravo.

It would at least piss them off.

[thesquanderer]

15. I do not believe they are "chartered" at all, unless you are merely referring to their being incorporated,

and I don't think their incorporating requires that (or dictates how) their content is categorized.

I also don't think FCC dictates anything about numeric channel placement on cable systems.

[whopis01]

19. Fox News being accredited as an "entertainment" channel is debunked myth

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fox-news-entertainment-switch/

[et tu]

5. what about smarmatic?

did they settle out of court? just haven't heard much about that case~

[gab13by13]

26. It does in some cases

See Monsanto v Fox, Fox in Florida fired 2 reporters who would not lie on air about its investigations into the use of steroids, antibiotics in farms.

[Novara]

3. And if they don't? Sue for defamation?

I mean, why would they, just because they were asked?

[Justice matters.]

22. Since they're not an accredited "News" network, they should not have access...

to the White House press corp's briefing room.

What next other than a bunch of dangerous clowns be given access to it??

[SouthernDem4ever]

25. good point.

Any sensationalized media should not be included.

[LiberalFighter]

9. Isn't Paul Ryan part of the Murdock Syndicate Crime Family?

[Scrivener7]

29. Is he?? I never knew. That explains how that dumbass Eddie Munster body double

was ever given a platform.

Remember when they kept calling him the budget expert? On the basis of nothing whatsoever?

[Captain Zero]

11. If they don't do it he can make a speech to the nation

Saying he asked them but they ignored him, like they ignore his accomplishments.

[PJMcK]

16. How about this?

If Fox News doesn’t walk back their lies, the White House should publicly and loudly pull Fox’s press credentials.

Since they have stated in court filings that Fox News isn’t a news organization but an entertainment channel, they have no business in the White House press room.

Then the White House should ignore the noise.

[Initech]

17. Good idea, but you know damn well they won't.

I can already see Hannity reading this letter in a joking context and laughing about it. Fuck Fox News.

[onecaliberal]

18. As an American I would love to sue these fuckers out of existence for what they've done to my country.

[orangecrush]

20. Sue them

[riversedge]

21. ...In a statement to The Hill, a Fox News spokesperson said: "Fox News Media has reported on all key developments since

In other words--it does Not seem like Fox will be retracting anything.


White House demands Fox News retract coverage of bribery allegations against Hunter Biden, president
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4497256-white-house-fox-news-hunter-biden-president/


by Dominick Mastrangelo - 02/29/24 10:16 AM ET

.............

.....................

“I would cite the number of times Jesse Watters and Sean Hannity promoted this allegation and made false statements about President Biden on primetime television throughout this time period, but the footnote citations would fill multiple pages,” Sams wrote in his letter to Fox News top brass, which was obtained Thursday by The Hill.

“As you of course now know, the source of this allegation has been federally indicted for making the whole thing up,” Sams continued. “Despite this, Fox has taken no steps to retract, correct, or update its reporting on this false allegation from 2023.”


.................In a statement to The Hill, a Fox News spokesperson said: “Fox News Media has reported on all key developments since the announcement that Alexander Smirnov was charged with lying to the FBI, featuring the story prominently.”

“We will continue to report on developments in all aspects of the ongoing investigations, hearings, and trials,” the spokesperson said.
...............

...........

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

23. Of course not

[Martin68]

24. I love it! One more attack on their lies and bullshit. I have a feeling they are beginning to take these threats more

seriously. If not, the costs will add up.

[Freethinker65]

27. Smart. Intent of letter was for rest of media to talk about two things

First, that the GOP star witness lied in the current case about President Biden benefiting in some way from Hunter's actions.

And second, that FoxNews continues to spread the lies to influence the election.

FoxNews will not comply, but getting the rest of the media to talk about how there is no evidence and to get back to concentrating on facts, rather than accusations is the goal.

Just last night the TV was in in background and I saw local coverage of the dual border speeches. Trump snippet had one minute of Trump citing as fact Trump had tightest most secure borders ever and that Biden opened them (absolutely no pushback) vs. Biden saying stop playing politics and for Trump to join Biden in getting the bipartisan legislation passed. This type of coverage needs to stop.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

31. Fox will not retract these fake stories