"Cheney's Choice of FOX as Messenger Is an Issue in Its Own Right"

[Bluebear]

NEW YORK — For days, the White House press corps has pounded the Bush administration, demanding to learn more about Vice President Dick Cheney's accidental shooting of a hunting companion Saturday.

Cheney finally addressed the incident Wednesday, but the forum in which he chose to do so — in an exclusive interview with Fox News host Brit Hume — quickly became another source of contention.

Fox News executives cast the scoop as the result of persistence and the growing clout of the top-rated cable news network. :puke:

....However, some Democrats and competing broadcasters charged that Cheney chose to speak only with Fox News because of a perception that the cable channel is sympathetic to the Republican administration. They called for the vice president to hold a news conference with the rest of the media. "Now that he feels forced to talk, he wants to restrict the discussion to a friendly news outlet, guaranteeing no hard questions from the press corps," said Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) in a statement.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cheneytv16feb16,0,6154961.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[The Straight Story]

1. actually, I think he made the right choice

I think any smart politician would use the network most friendly to them. If Hillary was going to give an exclusive to one network - which would she choose and why?

[Bluebear]

2. The media's point is he should not get to "choose"

Rather, he should give a press conference with access to the media. He is not FOX's Vice President, he is supposed to be employed by all of us.

[1620rock]

4. The right choice? I think this 'choice'....

illustrates that he indeed does have something to hide.

[The Straight Story]

6. I would agree with that, but if you were him and wanted to cover it up

then you would use fox.

[Eric J in MN]

5. If you're including radio shows, Al Franken might be a good

choice for Hillary Clinton to talk to, if she felt like doing a friendly interview.

(I'm not condoning politicians ONLY talking to a friendly interviewer amid scandal.)

If you just mean TV, I can't name one person who hosts a TV news show I'm confident would be a friendly interview to Hillary Clinton.

[slor]

7. Under these circumstances cheney must offer...

up, well, your namesake. Resorting to faux just keeps the questions brewing. I understand your point, but shooting an old guy in the face, and with alcohol being involved on top of that, simply demands more than an exclusive, one network interview.

[BlueManDude]

8. no it was a mistake - s/one like russert would have been just as friendly

without the fox baggage.

[Eric J in MN]

10. maybe, maybe not

Tim Russert is whorish sometimes, but he gave a relatively tough interview to Bush in 2004.

[BlueManDude]

11. but if cheney survives a russert interview than they're home free

or so the beltway whores would say. there's still a ligering feeling that cheney pussied out and the discrepancies of the story don't help any.

going to fox arouses petty jealousies in the other mediots. there's fox - and everyone else.

[Cleita]

13. In the past news conferences were attended by all

media who would ask questions afterwards. Then they would go back to their respective channels, journals or whatever and report what they had seen and heard. Then maybe there might be the Larry King or Barbara Walters more friendly interview later in the week.

What Cheney did with Brit Hume was a commercial. He still hasn't stood up in front of the nation to be made accountable.

[mikelewis]

3. It was a fine "fuck you" to the media and this is about the only message.

I share with ole Dead-eye.

[mzmolly]

9. What's funny is he may have pissed off CNN/MSNBC to the point where

they actually start reporting the news again? One can dream ey?

[MadisonProgressive]

12. Having those opium dreams again?

[ThoughtCriminal]

14. I noticed that this got a big laugh on Leno

I conversation and on-line, RW's have learned it's embarrassing to site FOX as source - everybody rolls their eyes. They will only grudgingly admit that's where they heard it.