| 00:00:00 | The number
one cable news channel.
|
| 00:00:02 | >> Let's not pretend they're a
news network the way cmn.
|
| 00:00:09 | >> Some journalists cry foul.
|
| 00:00:14 | >> Top democrats and the
president's men and women go
behind doors to hatch a health
care plan.
|
| 00:00:19 | What happened to those campaign
promises of transparency and
does the press even care?
|
| 00:00:23 | Rush gets gang tackled by the
media about a plan to buy the
rams.
|
| 00:00:28 | Were they off sides?
|
| 00:00:34 | Tbs news investigators cbs for
the letterman canal and what
about this bizarre story?
|
| 00:00:39 | >> This was never designed to
fly.
|
| 00:00:42 | >> Was the coverage
overinflated.
|
| 00:00:44 | >> On the panel writer and fox
news contributor judy miller.
|
| 00:00:48 | Syndicated columnist, cal
thomas.
|
| 00:00:50 | >> Jim pinkerton fellow at the
new american foundation.
|
| 00:00:53 | And juan williams, news analyst
and fox contributor.
|
| 00:00:59 | I'm jon scott.
|
| 00:01:01 | Fox news watch is on right now.
|
| 00:01:03 | >> The reality for this, that
fox news often operates almost
as either the research arm or
the communications arm of the
republican party.
|
| 00:01:12 | They're widely viewed as you
know, a part of the republican
party, take their talking
points, put them on the air,
take their offices and research
and put them on the air and have
fun, but let's not pretend
they're a news network the way
that cnn is.
|
| 00:01:26 | >> That's white house
communications network anita
dunn speaking with cnn.
|
| 00:01:32 | The broader part of the efforts.
|
| 00:01:33 | White house to avoid fox news
and freeze it out of access to
the president and other top
officials, here is a primer for
those at the white house in case
they have slipped and are
watching us right now, on a
typical day, fox news carries
straight news coverages in the
evening a mix of news programs
like special report and the fox
report, book ended by a series
of opinion shows.
|
| 00:01:54 | Now, some of those shows are
occasionally tough on the
president.
|
| 00:01:59 | dunn's
remarks, fox news senior
vice-president michael clem men
taye said in part it's
astounding the white house
cannot distinguish between news
and opinion programming.
|
| 00:02:11 | It seems self-serving on their
part and as he told the new york
times, the average consumer
certainly knows the difference
between the section of the
newspaper shall the a section of
the newspapers and the editorial
page.
|
| 00:02:21 | All right, so, speaking of
opinion programs on fox, jim,
glenn beck installed the red
phone.
|
| 00:02:27 | He's waiting for a phone call
from anita dunn, hoping that
she'll give him a call.
|
| 00:02:33 | Take a look at some of that and
then I'll get to my question.
|
| 00:02:37 | >> Phone at the white house,
where if russia did something,
now, they'd pick it up and the
president could say what are you
doing?
|
| 00:02:45 | We're going to bomb you and then
talk things out.
|
| 00:02:48 | Well, we have installed this
telephone, the only people that
have it are the people now in
anita dunn's office in the white
house.
|
| 00:02:57 | We actually tried to give her
the number today we're not just
going to leave it on the, you
know the message machine because
I'd hate for that to get out.
|
| 00:03:04 | So, we're still asking the white
house to call us back.
|
| 00:03:07 | >> All right, so, there's some
of what glenn did.
|
| 00:03:10 | Does it illustrate the point
though, jim, most people can
tell the difference between
opinion and news?
|
| 00:03:15 | >> I think most people can see
that this is the best thing that
ever happened to glenn beck, you
know, this is a brilliant move
by his part in terms of
capitalizing on this fight, but
look, what is so striking to me
about this is the number of
liberal journalists or liberal
observers who have said the
white house is making a huge
mistakes not just on the
politics of it, but the first
amendment issues.
|
| 00:03:39 | John nichols at the nation
magazine and camille polly at
salon and megan garner columbia
review, on and on and on saying
to the white house this is a bad
thing to do just on the
constitutional principle of it
let alone the politics.
|
| 00:03:53 | >> One on the other side of it.
|
| 00:03:55 | Helen thomas was on alan colmes
radio show this week and said
it's about time the white house
started treating fox thewes this
way.
|
| 00:04:03 | Is that a typical attitude from
the white house press corps?
|
| 00:04:05 | >> The white house press corps,
no.
|
| 00:04:07 | I think what you just heard from
jim is more typical people say,
thinking back to president nixon
and his attitude towards the new
york times and "the washington
post," that no matter which side
of the political aisle you're
on, to see people in power
acting in this way really
invites corruption, corruption
of a kind that would, you know,
impede our democratic principle,
our democratic values.
|
| 00:04:27 | Now, if you want today make the
case against fox, you can do
that.
|
| 00:04:30 | Especially you can make the
case, well, combee, now what, on
this network you heard people
call the president racist and
heard especially by the people
who run the communications
department why didn't fox carry
the president's joint address to
the congress?
|
| 00:04:43 | And then they say, oh, well, gee
that must mean that fox--
you know what?
|
| 00:04:47 | I think that people can have the
right to make these decisions
and I think that people have to
be held accountable what they
do, but it's a huge difference
between saying air going to seek
out and punish fox and calling
people specifically to account
for what they have done or said
on fox.
|
| 00:05:01 | >> Let the marketplace decide?
|
| 00:05:02 | >> Yeah, just one point, of
course, fox broadcast, didn't--
>> correct.
|
| 00:05:07 | >> Just so, I mean, really not
convinced the people who
normally are watching, you know,
dancing with the stars and
american idol and really care
that much about what the
president is saying, but fox
news and fox business did cover
it.
|
| 00:05:20 | >> Right.
|
| 00:05:21 | >> You know, richard nixon as
one pointed out.
|
| 00:05:26 | Had a long running feud with
"the washington post" and the
new york times, how did that go
for him?
|
| 00:05:30 | >> It did not go well, which is
why the liberals are now saying,
president, you really
ought to think about this and
what's interesting is that this
campaign against fox is coming
from anita dunn, not the
president.
|
| 00:05:43 | When the president was asked why
people hate him, he said, oh,
no, no, no, criticism keeps you
on your toes and it makes you
more aware.
|
| 00:05:52 | Gives you a sense of yourself
the, you have to keep on going.
|
| 00:05:56 | 'S not doing this, but having
someone who is suppose today
resign the end of this year do
it.
|
| 00:06:01 | I think it's just sheer
politics.
|
| 00:06:03 | >> That quote she alludes to i
think comes from a fourth grader
at one of the president's public
appearance, the kid said, why do
people hate you?
|
| 00:06:13 | They're supposed to love you.
|
| 00:06:15 | God is love.
|
| 00:06:16 | Does this suggest that the kid
is reading tea leaves and
sentiment is shifting.
|
| 00:06:24 | >> And kids love god and bank of
america is god.
|
| 00:06:28 | First of all, the white house
needs an enemy and so much of a
double standard here.
|
| 00:06:33 | When the republicans are in
control and they have an enemy
that's a bad thing.
|
| 00:06:36 | When the democrats are in
control, they can do, remember
the time magazine coverage, the
gingrich that stole christmas,
the evil one.
|
| 00:06:44 | The other point here is that
there's no republican leadership
at the moment.
|
| 00:06:47 | There's a vacuum, so in order
for the democrats, especially
the administration to lash out
to somebody, who are they going
to lash out at mitch mcconnell?
|
| 00:06:56 | He's hardly a charismatic figure
in the republican party.
|
| 00:07:02 | >> They were lark out at rush
limbaugh.
|
| 00:07:08 | >> A caution to anita dunn, make
sure you don't have any youtube
videos, you praising chairman
mao.
|
| 00:07:18 | Get that under control before
you go public with your--
>> and putting mao and mother
teresa in the same sentence as
the people that she regards as
the best political philosophers,
I thought that was an amazing
statement, only glenn beck
covered it.
|
| 00:07:32 | >> She tried to explain it away
saying it's a joke.
|
| 00:07:34 | If you watch the whole video
that's no joke, she explained
the reason she liked him as a
philosopher, remember, when
bush was asked his
favorite philosopher, he said it
was jesus, he was mocked.
|
| 00:07:44 | Nobody is mocking, except us,
anita dunn.
|
| 00:07:50 | >> What's interesting in this
story, we live in a changed
media world where cable news and
personality driven shows on
cable news are the ratings
grabber, especially in the
evening.
|
| 00:08:00 | And, but it's interesting you
don't, for instance, see the
bush administration going after
keith oberman or rachel mod
dock, I wonder why.
|
| 00:08:10 | And you see the obama
administration saying it's
kosher and we can appeal to our
base going after glenn beck and
after sean hannity, I wonder.
|
| 00:08:19 | >> It's time for a break, but we
have lots of extras available to
you on our website, including
some of the spirited discussions
that we get in here during our
breaks and you can hear them
after the show.
|
| 00:08:30 | com/fox news watch and
we'll be back in two minutes to
talk more about rush limbaugh.
|
| 00:08:34 | >> The way to make government
accountable is to make it
transparency.
|
| 00:08:39 | >> It's transparency shrouded in
secrecy as top democrats meet on
their health care plans.
|
| 00:08:43 | Is the news media concerned or
cheering for the cause?
|
| 00:08:46 | Plus, limbaugh makes a bid, but
gets the bum's rush by the
press.
|
| 00:08:52 | The sparkly flakes.
|
| 00:08:56 | The honey-baked bunches!
|
| 00:08:58 | The magic's in the mix.
|
| 00:08:59 | My favorite part? eating it.
|
| 00:09:02 | Honey bunches of oats.
|
| 00:09:03 | Taste the joy we put in every spoonful.
|
| 00:09:07 | We call the bunches in honey bunches of oats
the prize in the box.
|
| 00:09:10 | Well, now there's a prize inside the prize.
|
| 00:09:12 | Pecans! pecans!
|
| 00:09:13 | Baked into crunchy oat bunches.
|
| 00:09:15 | Taste the delicious surprise in every spoonful.
|
| 00:09:18 | New honey bunches of oatswith pecan bunches.
|
| 00:09:21 | Beautiful.
|
| 00:09:33 | P @@xúú#÷$00D(@@çñúh@p@ñúp @@8 A short time
ago, this woman was limited by
her lack of mobility.
|
| 00:09:56 | A month ago this man wasn't even able to
get
around his house.
|
| 00:10:00 | These are people who chose mobility.
|
| 00:10:01 | And they chose The SCOOTER Store.
|
| 00:10:03 | If you're living with limited mobility, call
The SCOOTER Store today.
|
| 00:10:07 | I guarantee, no other company will work harder
to make you mobile.
|
| 00:10:11 | If we pre-qualify you for a new
scooter or power chair and Medicare denies
your
claim, The SCOOTER Store allows you to keep
your
scooter or power chair at no cost.
|
| 00:10:20 | That's The SCOOTER Store guarantee.
|
| 00:10:22 | I expected they'd help me file some paperwork
with
Medicare and my insurance.
|
| 00:10:26 | I never expected them to be so nice ...or
work so
hard to get me a power chair at no cost to
me.
|
| 00:10:32 | You don't qualify for Medicare?
|
| 00:10:34 | No problem.
|
| 00:10:35 | We'll work with your insurance company, even
help with financing.
|
| 00:10:38 | If there's a way, we'll find it.
|
| 00:10:39 | Call The SCOOTER Store for free information
today.
|
| 00:10:59 | @n
>> The way to make government
responsible is to hold it
accountable.
|
| 00:11:33 | And the way to make government
accountable is to make it
transparent so that the american
people can know exactly what
decisions are being made, how
they're being made and whether
their interests are being
well-served.
|
| 00:11:45 | >> Really?
|
| 00:11:46 | That promise from president
obama came earlier this year,
but there hasn't been a whole
lot of transparency in evidence
this week as the health care
debate heated up and went behind
closed doors on capitol hill.
|
| 00:12:01 | The president promised
transparent, and on the health
care and read it on the
internet.
|
| 00:12:07 | >> I think people exposed acorn,
go behind closed doors and find
out what's going on.
|
| 00:12:13 | This is 1/6 of our economy.
|
| 00:12:16 | This is the most important
legislative actions in years.
|
| 00:12:19 | So, the public, which will be
most affected by it, not
congress, ought to know what's
going on.
|
| 00:12:24 | >> So, juan, where is the press
pushing for transparency?
|
| 00:12:27 | >> The press is, I think, you
know, missing in action.
|
| 00:12:30 | But let me just say, cal, the
history of the united states and
the history of the senate and
the house is that these get done
in private and if only, if only
in the modern era that we've had
sunshine laws and that we've had
open door policies and promises,
the thing here is that
hipocracy.
|
| 00:12:47 | If you promise transparency,
what are you doing now?
|
| 00:12:49 | >> And exactly right, a
clarification, president obama
during the campaign said not
only would you put everything
online he put it on tv.
|
| 00:12:55 | He put it on c-span, all of the
c-span will be covering all the
deliberations.
|
| 00:13:01 | In fact.
|
| 00:13:01 | >> 72 Hours before they--
>> what's interesting though.
|
| 00:13:04 | Now that c-span is not
realistic, they're fot going to
do that, but putting things on
the internet would be easy and
as a rasmussen poll showed
recently, 83% of americans think
it's a good idea to have
legislation out there at least
three days or even two weeks
before it goes--
and they're fot doing that
either.
|
| 00:13:21 | Have we as a nation become so
jaded to political promises we
just, in the media, oh, expect,
they're going to break a
promise?
|
| 00:13:28 | >> I think we have become jaded.
|
| 00:13:30 | I don't think that anybody
really expected the white house
to make good on this pledge of
transparency and by the way, is
the white house really to be
blamed for what congress has
decided, as juan pointed out, in
this instance?
|
| 00:13:43 | Congress likes to do it this
way.
|
| 00:13:46 | It's like sausage being made.
|
| 00:13:47 | You need to know about the
outcome and what deals were made
in order to secure that outcome,
but whether or not you need to
know as it's going on, I'm not
sure that wouldn't impede the
process of getting to a health
care bill that the public
evaluate it and it's done.
|
| 00:14:01 | >> To his credit, jack halferty
of cnn founted the number of
health care lobbyists on this
particular legislation, three
for every member of congress.
|
| 00:14:11 | Now, there are 535 members of
congress, do the math.
|
| 00:14:13 | That's unbelievable.
|
| 00:14:15 | The press, if this were a
republican administration, let's
say trying to reform social
security as george bush tried to
do, would be all over this.
|
| 00:14:22 | >> Cal, cal, look, they are all
over it.
|
| 00:14:24 | I think there are reporters
trying to get inside.
|
| 00:14:27 | It's people who want the
stories, the difference here is
that at this moment, if there
were, you know, we have a 24
hour news cycle.
|
| 00:14:34 | Can you imagine if every little
bit of the deliberation ended up
on fox news?
|
| 00:14:39 | That would open the door to the
lobbyists were you talking about
coming in and bickering, we'd
never get as a nation anything
done.
|
| 00:14:48 | I think at that point the press
might be destructive.
|
| 00:14:52 | >>?
|
| 00:14:52 | In the meantime, step back and
do analysis and michael cannon
at cato institute says there
isn't 829 billion dollars
billion, it's a 2 trillion
dollar bill.
|
| 00:15:02 | >> No doubt the costs are going
up.
|
| 00:15:03 | It's time for another break.
|
| 00:15:04 | If you come across a story
though about media bias, e-mail
us, at news watch, I always get
this wrong.
|
| 00:15:11 | News watch@foxnews.com.
|
| 00:15:13 | We'll be back to talk about the
drama in colorado surrounding
what some in the press are
falling balloon boy and mo
>> rush bids on the rams, but
the media call a penalty ap the
deal gets squashed.
|
| 00:15:27 | Why the bad sportsmanship?
|
| 00:15:28 | And a little boy's unfit
punishment gets attention in the
press.
|
| 00:15:32 | Did it hurt or help?
|
| 00:15:35 | ANSWER IS NEXT ON NEWS WATCH. tJ@SFbhçlKPttJ@SFbakúKPtJ@SFbd
÷eKPs
>> Rush limbaugh has been
making the news a lot lately.
|
| 00:18:57 | A lot of it began last week when
rumors began circulating that
the radio talk show host was a
part of a group of investors
louis rams
football team.
|
| 00:19:07 | Here is a headline from october
9th that really got things going
from the new york daily news,
black nfl players crush prospect
of playing for a rush
limbaugh-owned st. louis rams.
|
| 00:19:20 | Well, then things really heated
up and the media backlash
against this possible bid became
so fierce that the ownership
group dumped rush.
|
| 00:19:28 | Reportedly it's looking for a
replacement.
|
| 00:19:30 | All right, cal, you're not only
a nfl football fan, you're also
a rush limbaugh fan.
|
| 00:19:36 | Did he get unfairly penalized
here?
|
| 00:19:38 | >> Of course, but I'd like to
know what the new guidelines
are.
|
| 00:19:42 | Every season there are new rules
for football, can't touch the
quarterback this way, can't have
this kind of play.
|
| 00:19:48 | So if there are going to be
rules for speech and ownership
will that extend to behavior on
the field.
|
| 00:19:53 | No more players who fight with
dogs.
|
| 00:19:56 | No more shacking up.
|
| 00:19:57 | No more having babies out of
wedlock, no more rape?
|
| 00:20:01 | What are we talking about?
|
| 00:20:02 | A behavioral code for everybody
or nobody?
|
| 00:20:04 | Second thing I'd like to say,
the media has played this game
so well for so many years.
|
| 00:20:09 | I've got news for you, there are
more than two black spokesmen in
america other than jesse and al.
|
| 00:20:16 | >> Michael wilmont of "the
washington post" wrote "limbaugh
every day and publicly judges
people, turns thumbs up or
thumbs down on someone's
candidacy or worthiness, now
he's been judged thumbs down,
not interested", would this be
an issue, juan, if rush were a
liberal?
|
| 00:20:35 | >> Well, obviously not because
keith oberman continues to
broadcast on nbc, nfl games and
thumbs up and thumbs down, mocks
people, speaks in a derice seive
way about public figures every
day.
|
| 00:20:52 | Apparently that's not the
standard.
|
| 00:20:55 | The commissioner says rush is
too divisive and I suppose he
was talking about a comment that
limbaugh made on espn about the
eagles quarterback donovan
mcnabb.
|
| 00:21:04 | But as I recollect, this was the
comment that I've heard in
barrooms and elsewhere, about
you know, whether or not the
media in fact was favoring him
cause of the history of the
nfl not having many black
quarterbacks and mcnabb being--
let's put that aside.
|
| 00:21:19 | Is that truly sufficient to say
that the man can't own a team?
|
| 00:21:22 | That seems to me it's about
politics.
|
| 00:21:24 | >> If you want to talk about bad
owners let's talk about dan
"
>> now we're talking.
|
| 00:21:34 | >> Washington post?
|
| 00:21:35 | >> Washington--
trying to do a media show.
|
| 00:21:38 | Sued the ticket season holders
when they went bankrupt and
can't afford to buy the tickets
anymore and investigate why the
average nfl ticket is $75 and
bear $7 according to the usa
today.
|
| 00:21:50 | >> Another story that caught our
tension, zachary christy made
headlines around the world when
the story appeared monday in the
new york times, the headline
read "it's a fork, it's a spoon,
it's a weapon", the times
reported that the delaware first
grader had been suspended from
school for 45 days under the
school's zero tolerance policy
for bringing a camping untensil
that featured a fork, a spoon
and a small knife all in one.
|
| 00:22:16 | Well, the school board
ultimately apparently didn't
like the publicity, they met and
they gave the kid a break.
|
| 00:22:22 | Judy, is this an example of the
press doing something right?
|
| 00:22:25 | >> Well, this is an example,
exactly what the press should be
doing.
|
| 00:22:30 | And that's exposing I had
idiotsy when it's done and as
fox exposed the no flying the
flag rule at an apartment in
oregon and undone once the
spotlight was put on the
behavior.
|
| 00:22:50 | That's our role.
|
| 00:22:50 | >> Let me ask a question hereof
my fellow journalists.
|
| 00:22:53 | If this had been a black kid in
a ghetto school who had brought
in this instrument, do you think
that america would--
I don't think so, I think a
totally different reaction and i
think it's--
I understand this is a small
child in delaware and looks
like, you know, a small
accident, but is there a
different standard?
|
| 00:23:13 | >> Juan, you might be right,
which is why phillip howard who
runs a good cold common good and
the death of common sense 15
years ago, a brilliant guy said
all of these kind of rules
obviously need some human
judgment on them.
|
| 00:23:27 | >> Context, political context.
|
| 00:23:29 | >> Another story involving a
six-year-old, it dominated news
conference thursday
afternoon,the saga of what some
in the immediate yar calling
balloon boy happened in my home
state of colorado.
|
| 00:23:39 | Here is how we covered it on
fox.
|
| 00:23:42 | Shepard smith now.
|
| 00:23:43 | >> You're looking live outside
of denver, colorado, where a
balloon apparently contains a
six-year-old boy, a balloon that
looks like a spacecraft.
|
| 00:23:53 | >> Fox news wasn't alone in
covering this, cnn and msnbc
headline news also were glued to
the story for much of the
afternoon.
|
| 00:24:02 | And we caught a lot of heat for
it.
|
| 00:24:03 | Jim, people said, you know, gave
way too much coverage to what
turned out to be a nonstory.
|
| 00:24:11 | What do you think?
|
| 00:24:11 | >> I mean, it's an editorial
judgment.
|
| 00:24:15 | You know, they are compelling to
watch 'cause you don't know how
the story is going to end and if
you get hoaxed, tt proves you
don' know how the story ends
all along.
|
| 00:24:26 | >> And if news is what people
are talking about, tell you
what, everybody was talking
about the story.
|
| 00:24:31 | >> No question.
|
| 00:24:33 | It wasn't just the cable
channels this was on the
networks and also on radio and
internet, it was compelling.
|
| 00:24:41 | The thing is, now what, you pick
this up and drop it, you would
do so at great cost to your
audience, to your numbers and
ratings because everybody is
talking about it, jon.
|
| 00:24:50 | >> We have to take one more
break.
|
| 00:24:51 | When we come back, cbs news
investigates the letterman
scandal.
|
| 00:24:58 | >> Bad feelings at black rock as
cbs news investigates their own
about the letterman scandal.
|
| 00:25:02 | Will the report be fair?
|
| 00:25:04 | That's next on news watch.
|
| 00:25:34 | A
kelly saunder'snature valley.
|
| 00:26:47 | ♪♪♪♪
|
| 00:26:48 | ..
|
| 00:26:52 | ♪♪♪♪
|
| 00:26:56 | and slower.
|
| 00:26:57 | ♪♪♪♪
|
| 00:27:00 | elk mountains, colorado.
|
| 00:27:03 | Where's yours?
|
| 00:27:04 | 100% Naturalnature valley granola bars.
|
| 00:27:08 | The taste nature intended.
|
| 00:27:46 | >>> Court documents related to
the david letterman scandal was
released on thursday.
|
| 00:27:53 | The producer for 48 hours
allegedly threaten to way book
allegedly to reveal affairs with
his staff.
|
| 00:28:01 | Also this week, word that cbs
news has a reporter that is
going to repair a plot as
hatched by its own staffer.
|
| 00:28:14 | What do you think about that?
|
| 00:28:19 | Cbs investigates cbs?
|
| 00:28:22 | >> I go back to watergate.
|
| 00:28:25 | This is classic, fox in a
chicken coop.
|
| 00:28:30 | >> I'm not so sure.
|
| 00:28:32 | >> They investigated dan rather
and he is out of a job.
|
| 00:28:39 | >>> Cbs will make a decision do
we want him.
|
| 00:28:43 | If they do want him they will
whitewash.
|
| 00:28:48 | >>> At the same time everybody
will say whitewash.
|
| 00:28:52 | >> They have to do the story.
|
| 00:28:54 | We of a long tradition of this.
|
| 00:28:56 | News organizations do internal
investigations after something
like this.
|
| 00:29:01 | >> I don't think this was an
internal investigation.
|
| 00:29:04 | I think other channels would be
doing their own stories and they
would be left behind.
|
| 00:29:10 | So the difference with dan
rather, I think the lawyers,
this is journalism.
|
| 00:29:17 | We'll see what happens.
|
| 00:29:18 | But here you have.
|
| 00:29:20 | Letterman show is a huge
moneymaker for cbs.
|
| 00:29:24 | >> They like that part.
|
| 00:29:26 | >> The problem is it becomes
ex-girlfriends and it becomes
impossible for it to do it this
way.
|
| 00:29:36 | >> All right.
|
| 00:29:36 | That is going to be wrap this
week.
|
| 00:29:39 | Thanks for the panel.
|
| 00:29:41 | I'm jon scott, thanks for
joining us.
|
| 00:29:44 | We'll see you again next weekend
with another edition of fox news
watch.
|
| 00:00:00 | Knock the number
one cable news channel.
|
| 00:00:03 | >> Let's not pretend they're a
news network the way cmn.
|
| 00:00:10 | >> Some journalists cry foul.
|
| 00:00:14 | >> Top democrats and the
president's men and women go
behind doors to hatch a health
care plan.
|
| 00:00:19 | What happened to those campaign
promises of transparency and
does the press even care?
|
| 00:00:24 | Rush gets gang tackled by the
media about a plan to buy the
rams.
|
| 00:00:28 | Were they off sides?
|
| 00:00:35 | Tbs news investigators cbs for
the letterman canal and what
about this bizarre story?
|
| 00:00:40 | >> This was never designed to
fly.
|
| 00:00:42 | >> Was the coverage
overinflated.
|
| 00:00:44 | >> On the panel writer and fox
news contributor judy miller.
|
| 00:00:49 | Syndicated columnist, cal
thomas.
|
| 00:00:51 | >> Jim pinkerton fellow at the
new american foundation.
|
| 00:00:54 | And juan williams, news analyst
and fox contributor.
|
| 00:01:00 | I'm jon scott.
|
| 00:01:02 | Fox news watch is on right now.
|
| 00:01:04 | >> The reality for this, that
fox news often operates almost
as either the research arm or
the communications arm of the
republican party.
|
| 00:01:13 | They're widely viewed as you
know, a part of the republican
party, take their talking
points, put them on the air,
take their offices and research
and put them on the air and have
fun, but let's not pretend
they're a news network the way
that cnn is.
|
| 00:01:27 | >> That's white house
communications network anita
dunn speaking with cnn.
|
| 00:01:32 | The broader part of the efforts.
|
| 00:01:34 | White house to avoid fox news
and freeze it out of access to
the president and other top
officials, here is a primer for
those at the white house in case
they have slipped and are
watching us right now, on a
typical day, fox news carries
straight news coverages in the
evening a mix of news programs
like special report and the fox
report, book ended by a series
of opinion shows.
|
| 00:01:55 | Now, some of those shows are
occasionally tough on the
president.
|
| 00:01:59 | dunn's
remarks, fox news senior
vice-president michael clem men
taye said in part it's
astounding the white house
cannot distinguish between news
and opinion programming.
|
| 00:02:11 | It seems self-serving on their
part and as he told the new york
times, the average consumer
certainly knows the difference
between the section of the
newspaper shall the a section of
the newspapers and the editorial
page.
|
| 00:02:21 | All right, so, speaking of
opinion programs on fox, jim,
glenn beck installed the red
phone.
|
| 00:02:28 | He's waiting for a phone call
from anita dunn, hoping that
she'll give him a call.
|
| 00:02:33 | Take a look at some of that and
then I'll get to my question.
|
| 00:02:38 | >> Phone at the white house,
where if russia did something,
now, they'd pick it up and the
president could say what are you
doing?
|
| 00:02:46 | We're going to bomb you and then
talk things out.
|
| 00:02:49 | Well, we have installed this
telephone, the only people that
have it are the people now in
anita dunn's office in the white
house.
|
| 00:02:57 | We actually tried to give her
the number today we're not just
going to leave it on the, you
know the message machine because
I'd hate for that to get out.
|
| 00:03:05 | So, we're still asking the white
house to call us back.
|
| 00:03:07 | >> All right, so, there's some
of what glenn did.
|
| 00:03:10 | Does it illustrate the point
though, jim, most people can
tell the difference between
opinion and news?
|
| 00:03:15 | >> I think most people can see
that this is the best thing that
ever happened to glenn beck, you
know, this is a brilliant move
by his part in terms of
capitalizing on this fight, but
look, what is so striking to me
about this is the number of
liberal journalists or liberal
observers who have said the
white house is making a huge
mistakes not just on the
politics of it, but the first
amendment issues.
|
| 00:03:40 | John nichols at the nation
magazine and camille polly at
salon and megan garner columbia
review, on and on and on saying
to the white house this is a bad
thing to do just on the
constitutional principle of it
let alone the politics.
|
| 00:03:54 | >> One on the other side of it.
|
| 00:03:56 | Helen thomas was on alan colmes
radio show this week and said
it's about time the white house
started treating fox thewes this
way.
|
| 00:04:04 | Is that a typical attitude from
the white house press corps?
|
| 00:04:06 | >> The white house press corps,
no.
|
| 00:04:08 | I think what you just heard from
jim is more typical people say,
thinking back to president nixon
and his attitude towards the new
york times and "the washington
post," that no matter which side
of the political aisle you're
on, to see people in power
acting in this way really
invites corruption, corruption
of a kind that would, you know,
impede our democratic principle,
our democratic values.
|
| 00:04:27 | Now, if you want today make the
case against fox, you can do
that.
|
| 00:04:31 | Especially you can make the
case, well, combee, now what, on
this network you heard people
call the president racist and
heard especially by the people
who run the communications
department why didn't fox carry
the president's joint address to
the congress?
|
| 00:04:44 | And then they say, oh, well, gee
that must mean that fox--
you know what?
|
| 00:04:47 | I think that people can have the
right to make these decisions
and I think that people have to
be held accountable what they
do, but it's a huge difference
between saying air going to seek
out and punish fox and calling
people specifically to account
for what they have done or said
on fox.
|
| 00:05:01 | >> Let the marketplace decide?
|
| 00:05:03 | >> Yeah, just one point, of
course, fox broadcast, didn't--
>> correct.
|
| 00:05:08 | >> Just so, I mean, really not
convinced the people who
normally are watching, you know,
dancing with the stars and
american idol and really care
that much about what the
president is saying, but fox
news and fox business did cover
it.
|
| 00:05:20 | >> Right.
|
| 00:05:21 | >> You know, richard nixon as
one pointed out.
|
| 00:05:26 | Had a long running feud with
"the washington post" and the
new york times, how did that go
for him?
|
| 00:05:31 | >> It did not go well, which is
why the liberals are now saying,
president, you really
ought to think about this and
what's interesting is that this
campaign against fox is coming
from anita dunn, not the
president.
|
| 00:05:44 | When the president was asked why
people hate him, he said, oh,
no, no, no, criticism keeps you
on your toes and it makes you
more aware.
|
| 00:05:53 | Gives you a sense of yourself
the, you have to keep on going.
|
| 00:05:57 | 'S not doing this, but having
someone who is suppose today
resign the end of this year do
it.
|
| 00:06:02 | I think it's just sheer
politics.
|
| 00:06:04 | >> That quote she alludes to i
think comes from a fourth grader
at one of the president's public
appearance, the kid said, why do
people hate you?
|
| 00:06:14 | They're supposed to love you.
|
| 00:06:15 | God is love.
|
| 00:06:17 | Does this suggest that the kid
is reading tea leaves and
sentiment is shifting.
|
| 00:06:25 | >> And kids love god and bank of
america is god.
|
| 00:06:29 | First of all, the white house
needs an enemy and so much of a
double standard here.
|
| 00:06:34 | When the republicans are in
control and they have an enemy
that's a bad thing.
|
| 00:06:36 | When the democrats are in
control, they can do, remember
the time magazine coverage, the
gingrich that stole christmas,
the evil one.
|
| 00:06:44 | The other point here is that
there's no republican leadership
at the moment.
|
| 00:06:48 | There's a vacuum, so in order
for the democrats, especially
the administration to lash out
to somebody, who are they going
to lash out at mitch mcconnell?
|
| 00:06:57 | He's hardly a charismatic figure
in the republican party.
|
| 00:07:03 | >> They were lark out at rush
limbaugh.
|
| 00:07:08 | >> A caution to anita dunn, make
sure you don't have any youtube
videos, you praising chairman
mao.
|
| 00:07:18 | Get that under control before
you go public with your--
>> and putting mao and mother
teresa in the same sentence as
the people that she regards as
the best political philosophers,
I thought that was an amazing
statement, only glenn beck
covered it.
|
| 00:07:32 | >> She tried to explain it away
saying it's a joke.
|
| 00:07:34 | If you watch the whole video
that's no joke, she explained
the reason she liked him as a
philosopher, remember, when
bush was asked his
favorite philosopher, he said it
was jesus, he was mocked.
|
| 00:07:44 | Nobody is mocking, except us,
anita dunn.
|
| 00:07:50 | >> What's interesting in this
story, we live in a changed
media world where cable news and
personality driven shows on
cable news are the ratings
grabber, especially in the
evening.
|
| 00:08:01 | And, but it's interesting you
don't, for instance, see the
bush administration going after
keith oberman or rachel mod
dock, I wonder why.
|
| 00:08:11 | And you see the obama
administration saying it's
kosher and we can appeal to our
base going after glenn beck and
after sean hannity, I wonder.
|
| 00:08:19 | >> It's time for a break, but we
have lots of extras available to
you on our website, including
some of the spirited discussions
that we get in here during our
breaks and you can hear them
after the show.
|
| 00:08:30 | com/fox news watch and
we'll be back in two minutes to
talk more about rush limbaugh.
|
| 00:08:34 | >> The way to make government
accountable is to make it
transparency.
|
| 00:08:39 | >> It's transparency shrouded in
secrecy as top democrats meet on
their health care plans.
|
| 00:08:44 | Is the news media concerned or
cheering for the cause?
|
| 00:08:47 | Plus, limbaugh makes a bid, but
gets the bum's rush by the
press.
|
| 00:10:18 | x x
>> The way to make government
responsible is to hold it
accountable.
|
| 00:11:34 | And the way to make government
accountable is to make it
transparent so that the american
people can know exactly what
decisions are being made, how
they're being made and whether
their interests are being
well-served.
|
| 00:11:45 | >> Really?
|
| 00:11:46 | That promise from president
obama came earlier this year,
but there hasn't been a whole
lot of transparency in evidence
this week as the health care
debate heated up and went behind
closed doors on capitol hill.
|
| 00:12:01 | The president promised
transparent, and on the health
care and read it on the
internet.
|
| 00:12:08 | >> I think people exposed acorn,
go behind closed doors and find
out what's going on.
|
| 00:12:13 | This is 1/6 of our economy.
|
| 00:12:17 | This is the most important
legislative actions in years.
|
| 00:12:19 | So, the public, which will be
most affected by it, not
congress, ought to know what's
going on.
|
| 00:12:25 | >> So, juan, where is the press
pushing for transparency?
|
| 00:12:27 | >> The press is, I think, you
know, missing in action.
|
| 00:12:30 | But let me just say, cal, the
history of the united states and
the history of the senate and
the house is that these get done
in private and if only, if only
in the modern era that we've had
sunshine laws and that we've had
open door policies and promises,
the thing here is that
hipocracy.
|
| 00:12:47 | If you promise transparency,
what are you doing now?
|
| 00:12:49 | >> And exactly right, a
clarification, president obama
during the campaign said not
only would you put everything
online he put it on tv.
|
| 00:12:56 | He put it on c-span, all of the
c-span will be covering all the
deliberations.
|
| 00:13:02 | In fact.
|
| 00:13:02 | >> 72 Hours before they--
>> what's interesting though.
|
| 00:13:05 | Now that c-span is not
realistic, they're fot going to
do that, but putting things on
the internet would be easy and
as a rasmussen poll showed
recently, 83% of americans think
it's a good idea to have
legislation out there at least
three days or even two weeks
before it goes--
and they're fot doing that
either.
|
| 00:13:21 | Have we as a nation become so
jaded to political promises we
just, in the media, oh, expect,
they're going to break a
promise?
|
| 00:13:29 | >> I think we have become jaded.
|
| 00:13:30 | I don't think that anybody
really expected the white house
to make good on this pledge of
transparency and by the way, is
the white house really to be
blamed for what congress has
decided, as juan pointed out, in
this instance?
|
| 00:13:44 | Congress likes to do it this
way.
|
| 00:13:46 | It's like sausage being made.
|
| 00:13:48 | You need to know about the
outcome and what deals were made
in order to secure that outcome,
but whether or not you need to
know as it's going on, I'm not
sure that wouldn't impede the
process of getting to a health
care bill that the public
evaluate it and it's done.
|
| 00:14:01 | >> To his credit, jack halferty
of cnn founted the number of
health care lobbyists on this
particular legislation, three
for every member of congress.
|
| 00:14:11 | Now, there are 535 members of
congress, do the math.
|
| 00:14:14 | That's unbelievable.
|
| 00:14:15 | The press, if this were a
republican administration, let's
say trying to reform social
security as george bush tried to
do, would be all over this.
|
| 00:14:23 | >> Cal, cal, look, they are all
over it.
|
| 00:14:25 | I think there are reporters
trying to get inside.
|
| 00:14:28 | It's people who want the
stories, the difference here is
that at this moment, if there
were, you know, we have a 24
hour news cycle.
|
| 00:14:35 | Can you imagine if every little
bit of the deliberation ended up
on fox news?
|
| 00:14:39 | That would open the door to the
lobbyists were you talking about
coming in and bickering, we'd
never get as a nation anything
done.
|
| 00:14:48 | I think at that point the press
might be destructive.
|
| 00:14:53 | >>?
|
| 00:14:53 | In the meantime, step back and
do analysis and michael cannon
at cato institute says there
isn't 829 billion dollars
billion, it's a 2 trillion
dollar bill.
|
| 00:15:02 | >> No doubt the costs are going
up.
|
| 00:15:04 | It's time for another break.
|
| 00:15:05 | If you come across a story
though about media bias, e-mail
us, at news watch, I always get
this wrong.
|
| 00:15:12 | News watch@foxnews.com.
|
| 00:15:14 | We'll be back to talk about the
drama in colorado surrounding
what some in the press are
falling balloon boy and mo
>> rush bids on the rams, but
the media call a penalty ap the
deal gets squashed.
|
| 00:15:27 | Why the bad sportsmanship?
|
| 00:15:29 | And a little boy's unfit
punishment gets attention in the
press.
|
| 00:15:33 | Did it hurt or help?
|
| 00:15:35 | Answer is next on news watch.
|
| 00:18:55 | >> Rush limbaugh has been
making the news a lot lately.
|
| 00:18:58 | A lot of it began last week when
rumors began circulating that
the radio talk show host was a
part of a group of investors
louis rams
football team.
|
| 00:19:08 | Here is a headline from october
9th that really got things going
from the new york daily news,
black nfl players crush prospect
of playing for a rush
limbaugh-owned st. louis rams.
|
| 00:19:20 | Well, then things really heated
up and the media backlash
against this possible bid became
so fierce that the ownership
group dumped rush.
|
| 00:19:29 | Reportedly it's looking for a
replacement.
|
| 00:19:31 | All right, cal, you're not only
a nfl football fan, you're also
a rush limbaugh fan.
|
| 00:19:37 | Did he get unfairly penalized
here?
|
| 00:19:39 | >> Of course, but I'd like to
know what the new guidelines
are.
|
| 00:19:43 | Every season there are new rules
for football, can't touch the
quarterback this way, can't have
this kind of play.
|
| 00:19:48 | So if there are going to be
rules for speech and ownership
will that extend to behavior on
the field.
|
| 00:19:54 | No more players who fight with
dogs.
|
| 00:19:56 | No more shacking up.
|
| 00:19:57 | No more having babies out of
wedlock, no more rape?
|
| 00:20:01 | What are we talking about?
|
| 00:20:03 | A behavioral code for everybody
or nobody?
|
| 00:20:05 | Second thing I'd like to say,
the media has played this game
so well for so many years.
|
| 00:20:10 | I've got news for you, there are
more than two black spokesmen in
america other than jesse and al.
|
| 00:20:17 | >> Michael wilmont of "the
washington post" wrote "limbaugh
every day and publicly judges
people, turns thumbs up or
thumbs down on someone's
candidacy or worthiness, now
he's been judged thumbs down,
not interested", would this be
an issue, juan, if rush were a
liberal?
|
| 00:20:36 | >> Well, obviously not because
keith oberman continues to
broadcast on nbc, nfl games and
thumbs up and thumbs down, mocks
people, speaks in a derice seive
way about public figures every
day.
|
| 00:20:52 | Apparently that's not the
standard.
|
| 00:20:56 | The commissioner says rush is
too divisive and I suppose he
was talking about a comment that
limbaugh made on espn about the
eagles quarterback donovan
mcnabb.
|
| 00:21:05 | But as I recollect, this was the
comment that I've heard in
barrooms and elsewhere, about
you know, whether or not the
media in fact was favoring him
because of the history of the
nfl not having many black
quarterbacks and mcnabb being--
let's put that aside.
|
| 00:21:20 | Is that truly sufficient to say
that the man can't own a team?
|
| 00:21:23 | That seems to me it's about
politics.
|
| 00:21:25 | >> If you want to talk about bad
owners let's talk about dan
"
>> now we're talking.
|
| 00:21:35 | >> Washington post?
|
| 00:21:36 | >> Washington--
trying to do a media show.
|
| 00:21:39 | Sued the ticket season holders
when they went bankrupt and
can't afford to buy the tickets
anymore and investigate why the
average nfl ticket is $75 and
bear $7 according to the usa
today.
|
| 00:21:51 | >> Another story that caught our
tension, zachary christy made
headlines around the world when
the story appeared monday in the
new york times, the headline
read "it's a fork, it's a spoon,
it's a weapon", the times
reported that the delaware first
grader had been suspended from
school for 45 days under the
school's zero tolerance policy
for bringing a camping untensil
that featured a fork, a spoon
and a small knife all in one.
|
| 00:22:17 | Well, the school board
ultimately apparently didn't
like the publicity, they met and
they gave the kid a break.
|
| 00:22:23 | Judy, is this an example of the
press doing something right?
|
| 00:22:26 | >> Well, this is an example,
exactly what the press should be
doing.
|
| 00:22:31 | And that's exposing I had
idiotsy when it's done and as
fox exposed the no flying the
flag rule at an apartment in
oregon and undone once the
spotlight was put on the
behavior.
|
| 00:22:50 | That's our role.
|
| 00:22:51 | >> Let me ask a question hereof
my fellow journalists.
|
| 00:22:54 | If this had been a black kid in
a ghetto school who had brought
in this instrument, do you think
that america would--
I don't think so, I think a
totally different reaction and i
think it's--
I understand this is a small
child in delaware and looks
like, you know, a small
accident, but is there a
different standard?
|
| 00:23:14 | >> Juan, you might be right,
which is why phillip howard who
runs a good cold common good and
the death of common sense 15
years ago, a brilliant guy said
all of these kind of rules
obviously need some human
judgment on them.
|
| 00:23:27 | >> Context, political context.
|
| 00:23:29 | >> Another story involving a
six-year-old, it dominated news
conference thursday
afternoon,the saga of what some
in the immediate yar calling
balloon boy happened in my home
state of colorado.
|
| 00:23:40 | Here is how we covered it on
fox.
|
| 00:23:43 | Shepard smith now.
|
| 00:23:44 | >> You're looking live outside
of denver, colorado, where a
balloon apparently contains a
six-year-old boy, a balloon that
looks like a spacecraft.
|
| 00:23:53 | >> Fox news wasn't alone in
covering this, cnn and msnbc
headline news also were glued to
the story for much of the
afternoon.
|
| 00:24:03 | And we caught a lot of heat for
it.
|
| 00:24:04 | Jim, people said, you know, gave
way too much coverage to what
turned out to be a nonstory.
|
| 00:24:11 | What do you think?
|
| 00:24:12 | >> I mean, it's an editorial
judgment.
|
| 00:24:16 | You know, they are compelling to
watch 'cause you don't know how
the story is going to end and if
you get hoaxed, that proves you
don't know how the story ends
all along.
|
| 00:24:27 | >> And if news is what people
are talking about, tell you
what, everybody was talking
about the story.
|
| 00:24:32 | >> No question.
|
| 00:24:33 | It wasn't just the cable
channels this was on the
networks and also on radio and
internet, it was compelling.
|
| 00:24:42 | The thing is, now what, you pick
this up and drop it, you would
do so at great cost to your
audience, to your numbers and
ratings because everybody is
talking about it, jon.
|
| 00:24:50 | >> We have to take one more
break.
|
| 00:24:52 | When we come back, cbs news
investigates the letterman
scandal.
|
| 00:24:59 | >> Bad feelings at black rock as
cbs ns investigates their own
about the letterman scandal.
|
| 00:25:03 | Will the report be fair?
|
| 00:25:05 | THAT'S NEXT ON NEWS WATCH. [ Female Announcer
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|
| 00:27:47 | >>> Court documents related to
the david letterman scandal was
released on thursday.
|
| 00:27:54 | The producer for 48 hours
allegedly threaten to way book
allegedly to reveal affairs with
his staff.
|
| 00:28:02 | Also this week, word that cbs
news has a reporter that is
going to repair a plot as
hatched by its own staffer.
|
| 00:28:15 | What do you think about that?
|
| 00:28:20 | Cbs investigates cbs?
|
| 00:28:23 | >> I go back to watergate.
|
| 00:28:27 | This is classic, fox in a
chicken coop.
|
| 00:28:31 | >> I'm not so sure.
|
| 00:28:33 | >> They investigated dan rather
and he is out of a job.
|
| 00:28:40 | >>> Cbs will make a decision do
we want him.
|
| 00:28:44 | If they do want him they will
whitewash.
|
| 00:28:49 | >>> At the same time everybody
will say whitewash.
|
| 00:28:53 | >> They have to do the story.
|
| 00:28:55 | We of a long tradition of this.
|
| 00:28:57 | News organizations do internal
investigations after something
like this.
|
| 00:29:03 | >> I don't think this was an
internal investigation.
|
| 00:29:05 | I think other channels would be
doing their own stories and they
would be left behind.
|
| 00:29:11 | So the difference with dan
rather, I think the lawyers,
this is journalism.
|
| 00:29:18 | We'll see what happens.
|
| 00:29:19 | But here you have.
|
| 00:29:21 | Letterman show is a huge
moneymaker for cbs.
|
| 00:29:25 | >> They like that part.
|
| 00:29:27 | >> The problem is it becomes
ex-girlfriends and it becomes
impossible for it to do it this
way.
|
| 00:29:37 | >> All right.
|
| 00:29:37 | That is going to be wrap this
week.
|
| 00:29:40 | Thanks for the panel.
|
| 00:29:42 | I'm jon scott, thanks for
joining us.
|
| 00:29:45 | We'll see you again next weekend
|
