Fox News executive under fire for comments on Obama and socialism

[FightingIrish]

Fox News vice president and Washington managing editor Bill Sammon said in 2009 that despite making on-air claims that President Obama advocates socialism, he privately found the notion "rather far-fetched," according to newly-released audio.

Media Matters, the liberal media watchdog group, uncovered the comments, which Sammon made while on a cruise sponsored by Hillsdale College, a conservative school.

"Last year, candidate Barack Obama stood on a sidewalk in Toledo, Ohio, and first let it slip to Joe the Plumber that he wanted to quote, 'spread the wealth around,'" he said. "At that time, I have to admit, that I went on TV on Fox News and publicly engaged in what I guess was some rather mischievous speculation about whether Barack Obama really advocated socialism, a premise that privately I found rather far-fetched."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20048382-503544.html

 

[mnradiofan]

I certainly hope he gets the same treatment that the NPR executives got. Fair is fair, right?

 

[ajc_trw]

I certainly hope he gets the same treatment that the NPR executives got. Fair is fair, right?

Why would Fox News stoop to NPR's tactics. NPR fires while Fox hires. Juan Williams comes to mind.

 

[mnradiofan]

I certainly hope he gets the same treatment that the NPR executives got. Fair is fair, right?

Why would Fox News stoop to NPR's tactics. NPR fires while Fox hires. Juan Williams comes to mind.

NPR was pressured into firing, or forcing resignations, of two executives over unfortunate comments like that.

 

[Al Timiter]

Just imagine if Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer or Brian Williams had made the same racist comment that Juan Williams made about being on planes with Arabs!...even outside of their newscasts and/or on another media or media platform. Do you think CBS, ABC or NBC would have had the right to take action?

 

[mnradiofan]

Just imagine if Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer or Brian Williams had made the same racist comment that Juan Williams made about being on planes with Arabs!...even outside of their newscasts and/or on another media or media platform. Do you think CBS, ABC or NBC would have had the right to take action?

If they had policies that stated such as part of maintaining Journalistic Integrity, yes.

Juan Williams was a reporter for NPR, and NPR tries it's best to report FACTS not opinions. Because of the comments that he made, there was serious doubt as to whether he could maintain unbiased reporting, or whether the audience of NPR would have taken such reporting as fact, rather than opinion (or bias).

Personally, I don't like this policy, but fact is that it existed and he intentionally violated it (probably in order to get a higher paying gig at Fox News).

 

[FreddyE1977]

see the other thread here about Media Matters' ginning up a deliberate campaign to
try and go after Fox News.

Obama himself stood in a driveway in Toledo, Ohio and told a voter that he believed in
"spreading the wealth around". One could very plausibly interpret that statement as endorsing
some form of Socialism.

 

[Nate Wesley]

see the other thread here about Media Matters' ginning up a deliberate campaign to
try and go after Fox News.

Obama himself stood in a driveway in Toledo, Ohio and told a voter that he believed in
"spreading the wealth around".One could very plausibly interpret that statement as endorsing
some form of Socialism.

If one only viewed or heard that snippeted comment, simpletons undecided voters could have easily made that interpretation--for some reason, they had ample opportunity to reach that conclusion watching FNC, the only news outlet brave enough to warn Americans about the 'terrorist fist jab'.