NBC "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert takes a cheap little swing at the Fox News Channel in a Mother's Day interview, which the New York Times Magazine's Deborah "I enjoy the program" Solomon was only too happy to tee up for him:
NYT: Now that Tony Snow, a former Fox commentator, has been named White House press secretary, are you concerned that Fox News will be getting better treatment than NBC from members of the Bush administration?
RUSSERT: I don't think so. No more than they got so far. It's no secret that Fox is on the screen in the White House and on Air Force One.
Cheap shot--and also a diversionary tactic on the order of, "If you can't deny your opponent's existence, deny their worthiness. And try to do it to an audience that won't call you on it, either...like, say, The New York Times."
UPDATE: On FishBowl DC on May 17, a Fox News spokesperson had this to say in response to the NYT interview:
"Tim's sour grapes are obvious here, but at least he's not using his father as a prop to sell books this time around. That said, we wish him well on his latest self-promotion tour."
Well said.
