Is Fox News a real news organization?

There's been quite a bit of fuss over the Treasury Dept. trying to exclude Fox News from interviewing Kenneth Feingberg (maybe it's because they insist on calling everyone Obama appoints a "czar"). Obama, and many of his staff, have said Fox is not a real news organization and shouldn't be treated as such. If you've ever watched the documentary Outfoxed, you probably share this view. But to be fair I decided to take a look at all the major news websites and see if I could tell a difference.

This is a single snapshot of today at a little around 4pm CST. I reprint, you decide.

Here's cbsnews.com



The main article is critical of Obama, so that's good. It means they're not part of the LIBERAL media. The rest is different news headlines about different subjects.

Next is abcnews.com



Again, mostly headlines, different from those on CBS. The only questions here seem to be fair minded, not pointed and they are asked in the right hand section in a paid ad and an ad for 20/20.

Here's CNN:



Lots of headlines here. Nothing good or bad about Obama, or even healthcare. That's weird.

How about the EVIL MSNBC.COM (which is also NBC). Surely that website must be all LEFT leaning?



Well there is Nancy Pelosi on the left hand side. But the main article is about NATO agreeing with General McChystal that Afghanistan needs more troops. And there's a headline about "politics at play as Obama talks energy at MIT". I would expect a left leaning headline to be more like: "Obama courageously speaks truth at MIT".

NOW FOR FOX NEWS. See if you can tell the difference.



Here's the problem with the site. Commentary is mixed with headlines. "Too Much of a Good Thing" about the public option "being pushed" by Nancy Pelosi. Under that is FOX FORUM: YOU can still stop Obamacare. First, it's encouraging it's readers to "stop Obamacare." That's not what a news organization should do. Second, it should be called Health Care Reform because that's unbiased. A commentator can call it Obamacare, but a NEWS organization shouldn't. Like Olbermann and others can refer to the Bush Tax Cuts and how they were bad, but news organizations shouldn't.

Headline: Obama loses bid to control press. A more accurate headline would be "exclude" press. Control press sounds more like he was mandating editorial content. It's not like the Obama administration sent someone on air as a commentator (or how about three)without saying they were being paid.

Another FOX FORUM: time for Obama to quit attacks, grow up.

These aren't polls off to the side or listed as commentary. They're right under the headlines as if they're news.

Finally, here's The Nation website which is an unabashedly left wing magazine. They are dedicated to news and commentary (and say so)



Each of these articles is meant to convey information and a point of view. Yet looking at them they're more subtle than FOX. The first article is meant to convince you that we should leave Afghanistan not send more troops. The question, Is it worth it? is more nuanced than "Is Obama threatening press freedom?"

When a self-proclaimed Leftist Liberal magazine hides it's position more than a "NEWS" organization, maybe Obama and Axelrod have a point.