Edwards Campaign Isn't Afraid to Dis Fox News ("not a legitimate objective source of news")

[JohnLocke]

Edwards Campaign Isn't Afraid to Dis Fox News
By Ben Smith--The Politico
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
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John Edwards has led his Democratic rivals in pulling out of two debates scheduled to be aired on the Fox News Channel, a move that won him sharp attacks from the channel's spokesmen. It also left Democrats wondering how Fox News chief Roger Ailes -- a legendary Republican political operative -- might respond.

A 10-part special on Edwards' personal wealth, scheduled for next January, perhaps? Edwards aides joked that they'd open their car doors with a little extra care but said they had decided they could confront Fox at little cost to the campaign. "What are they going to do?" Edwards aide Jonathan Prince said of Fox executives. "The more that they behave outrageously, the more they show that they're not a legitimate objective source of news."

And so Edwards and the Democrats appear to have put the nation's top-rated cable news channel in an unusual position: defense. Pushed by MoveOn.org and liberal bloggers and then supported by his leading Democratic rivals, Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Edwards played a key role in shutting down the two debates. Now the former senator from North Carolina is trying to turn his hostility toward Fox into an asset with Democrats already suspicious of the network.

"Edwards is doing to Ailes what Ailes used to do to political opponents," said Ken Auletta, a writer and longtime observer of the television industry and of Fox News. "You put the other guy on the defensive. Edwards' move puts Fox on the defensive, and so Roger has to answer questions he'd rather not address. Suddenly, he's playing defense."
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Read the rest here.

[NormanYorkstein]

1. good, the more FOX is called out the better

Edwards is doing great on this.

[hurricaneric]

2. I think this is great

Edwards is awesome, and I think it's high time Fox started to get squezzed a little.

[Botany]

3. I am so proud of John Edwards

As a skilled trial lawyer he knows that if he can force his opposition
to show their bad side to the jury (in this case the American people)
he can win his case. So if Fox goes after him then his case looks
just that much stronger.

[Erika]

4. Faux Noise is a comic strip done by Mallard Fillmore

who hasn't seen a sober day in years.

[HughMoran]

5. Well, it's about time

The Fake News Channel has been intimidating Democrats for far too long now.

I'm liking Edwards more and more each day...

[JohnLocke]

6. Kick (nt).

[PreacherCasey]

7. Good for him. I support Kucinich, but Dennis is wrong concerning FOX.

[Forkboy]

9. I feel the same way.

DK is a really good guy but I don't agree with him on this one.

[Forkboy]

8. See how easy that is....now everyone should all do it.

[grannylib]

10. Keep up the pressure. We need to keep it up too, on advertisers on Faux

and on any other station that tries to repeat WH talking point lies as 'news' or that fails to present facts in refutation of WH talking point lies.
Keep contacting not just the media outlets but the people who pay big money to advertise. Money talks, and if the advertisers know the viewers are taking their eyes and their money elsewhere, that's the ONLY thing that's going to change the situation, IMHO.

[renie408]

11. I am also proud of Edwards. He is outlining plans and taking stands. This is good for all Dems. n/t

[kurth]

12. Kudos to Edwards. Fuck Faux News.