"White House war on Fox: Echoes of Nixon-Agnew"--whoever thought we'd be seeing that headline in the 21st century, as opposed to the late 1960s, and from the Obama-Biden administration? But indeed, it's happening, as noted today by The Baltimore Sun's ace Cable Gamer, David Zurawik.
I have been writing for several months about how thin skinned the White House has been about press criticism -- especially when it comes to the Fox News Channel. I have compared the current administration to the White House of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew, and believe me, I did not do that lightly. Nixon-Agnew was a very dark time for the First Amendment.
I have argued that whether or not you like Fox News, all of us in the press need to be concerned about the administration of President Barack Obama trying to "punish" the cable news channel for its point of view.
Then he links to the "Reliable Sources" segment from yesterday and asks his readers, "Take a look for yourself, and you tell me if this is an administration that respects press freedom."
That's a serious question. Even those who don't like Fox ought to be asking themselves: Do we really want to see the government trying to plow under a media outlet? That's the road to tyranny.
