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Howell Raines: Why Don't Honest Journalists Take on Roger Ailes and Fox News?
The Washington Post ^ | Sunday, March 14, 2010 | Howell Raines

Posted on 03/11/2010 5:34:32 PM PST by kristinn

One question has tugged at my professional conscience throughout the year-long congressional debate over health-care reform, and it has nothing to do with the public option, portability or medical malpractice. It is this: Why haven't America's old-school news organizations blown the whistle on Roger Ailes, chief of Fox News, for using the network to conduct a propaganda campaign against the Obama administration -- a campaign without precedent in our modern political history?

Through clever use of the Fox News Channel and its cadre of raucous commentators, Ailes has overturned standards of fairness and objectivity that have guided American print and broadcast journalists since World War II. Yet, many members of my profession seem to stand by in silence as Ailes tears up the rulebook that served this country well as we covered the major stories of the past three generations, from the civil rights revolution to Watergate to the Wall Street scandals. This is not a liberal-versus-conservative issue. It is a matter of Fox turning reality on its head with, among other tactics, its endless repetition of its uber-lie: "The American people do not want health-care reform."

SNIP

My great fear, however, is that some journalists of my generation who once prided themselves on blowing whistles and afflicting the comfortable have also been intimidated by Fox's financial power and expanding audience, as well as Ailes's proven willingness to dismantle the reputation of anyone who crosses him.

SNIP

As for Fox News, lots of people who know better are keeping quiet about what to call it. Its news operation can, in fact, be called many things, but reporters of my generation, with memories and keyboards, dare not call it journalism.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: beyondsatire; chutzpah; foxnews; howellraines
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To: kristinn
Why haven't America's old-school news organizations blown the whistle on Roger Ailes, chief of Fox News, ABCNNBCBS for using the network to conduct a propaganda campaign against for the Obama administration -- a campaign without precedent in our modern political history?

A little truth seeking edit.

61 posted on 03/11/2010 6:26:04 PM PST by JimRed ("Hey, hey, Teddy K., hot enough down there today?" TERM LIMITS, NOW AND FOREVER!)
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To: kristinn
Honest Journalists....standards of fairness and objectivity

LMAO. This poor guy would be suicidal if he was sent to find an honest journalist in this country.


62 posted on 03/11/2010 6:31:43 PM PST by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s, you weren't really there.)
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To: kristinn

This is a joke right?


63 posted on 03/11/2010 6:31:53 PM PST by Outlaw Woman (If you remove the first Amendment, we'll be forced to move on to the next one.)
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To: IowaHawk; EveningStar; Billthedrill
... standards of fairness and objectivity that have guided American print and broadcast journalists since World War II.
64 posted on 03/11/2010 6:40:18 PM PST by dighton
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To: kristinn
a campaign without precedent in our modern political history?

Howell Raines can KISS MY @$$! Mr. Raines - seriously - were you in a coma for the eight years of Bush's Presidency, or Reagan's, or the six years of Nixon's Presidency? Two words for Howell Raines and they're not "Let's dance".

65 posted on 03/11/2010 6:46:44 PM PST by Hardastarboard (Note to self: Never post in a thread about religion again.)
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To: kristinn
Lord in Heaven...

I don't think I've ever ready a more self aggrandizing and pathetic suicide note in my life.

The guy is completely ignoring the monopoly the NYTimes had on political discourse for decades. And how they shamelessly promoted whatever societal changes they deemed important. For decades, almost every evening news broadcast would begin with, “The New York Times is reporting...”, and proceed to explain how we need to spend more on schools, or how our military leaders are lying to us.

Along came the internet...and Free Republic, and for the first time in my life, I witnessed people talking back to editorials. Not like letters to the editor, where they got to choose which ones were published. No...this was raw, angry, intelligent, sarcastic responses to people like Frank Rich. It was one of the most liberating political experiences I ever had.

And as technology blossomed Freepers turned into factcheckers, while the whole time, Dan Rather and Howell Raines had no idea what was going on. Google became the every-man’s Lexis/Nexis.

Conservatives, whose voice the NYTimes had mocked and ridiculed, and whose opinions they considered neanderthal, were no longer willing to accept left leaning news as gospel.

Welcome to Fly-Over America, Mr. Raines.

66 posted on 03/11/2010 6:49:00 PM PST by Tex-Con-Man
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To: kristinn
Jayson Blair

"..Following the revelations of Blair's deceit, The Times moved to uncover how management had allowed a young reporter with what appeared to be obvious problems to rise so quickly through the paper's ranks. The Siegal committee's months-long investigation found "a series of management and operation breakdowns" and "a stunning lack of communication within the newsroom." It found that Blair’s quick advancement may have become favored as part of a "star system" that advanced some reporters close to then-executive editor Howell Raines. "He was given a regular tenured reporting job despite the misgivings of his immediate boss," the report said of Blair. "He was put on high-profile national assignments with his new supervising editors receiving no notice of the serious problems that had marked periods in his previous four years at the newspaper."

Both Raines and managing editor Gerald M. Boyd, considered partially culpable for Blair's indiscretions, resigned a month after Blair's departure..."

67 posted on 03/11/2010 6:54:12 PM PST by Anti-Bubba182
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To: kristinn
"Two words for Howell Raines:" Journalism scandals. Well it used to be two words. There have been so many new Journalism Scandals in the past few years that wikipedia has had to make a separate category for United States Journalism Scandals.

I look forward to Mr. Raines improving his column on the internet by comparing Janet Cooke's imaginary "Jimmy's World" to Fox's Carl Cameron claim in 2004 that John Kerry got a manicure.

68 posted on 03/11/2010 6:57:49 PM PST by jiggyboy (Ten per cent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)
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To: kristinn
Ailes has overturned standards of fairness and objectivity that have guided American print and broadcast journalists since World War II

Hey I found a part of it that's true!

69 posted on 03/11/2010 7:03:13 PM PST by jiggyboy (Ten per cent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)
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To: kristinn

Ahh yes, you’re only an “honest journalist” if your in the tank for Obama.

We know all about “your” type Raines.


70 posted on 03/11/2010 7:07:48 PM PST by Brett66 (Where government advances, and it advances relentlessly , freedom is imperiled -Janice Rogers Brown)
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To: All

Attention Howell Raines:

Your talking points are showing.


71 posted on 03/11/2010 7:21:36 PM PST by Cindy
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To: kristinn
a propaganda campaign against the Obama administration -- a campaign without precedent in our modern political history?

Obviously, this guy wasn't around for the eight years of George W. Bush...

Oh, wait! He was LEADING the daily smear campaign and bashfest. I guess it's just different when the other side fights back.

72 posted on 03/11/2010 7:29:52 PM PST by OrangeHoof ("Barack Obama" is Swahili for "Bend over suckahs".)
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To: kristinn

“using the network to conduct a propaganda campaign against the Obama administration — a campaign without precedent in our modern political history?”

Only unprecedented because it is against a Leftist administration! LOL!


73 posted on 03/11/2010 7:33:12 PM PST by allmendream (Income is EARNED not distributed. So how could it be re-distributed?)
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To: kristinn
The American people and most of our great modern presidents have been demanding major reforms to the health-care system since the administration of Teddy Roosevelt. The elections of 1948, 1960, 1964, 2000 and 2008 confirm the point, with majorities voting for candidates supporting such change. Yet congressional Republicans have managed effective campaigns against health-care changes favored variously by Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Clinton.

Great editing there. And do you really suppose the left would have had such a hard time cramming Nationalized medicine down the American people's throats if the people had ever wanted it?

74 posted on 03/11/2010 7:48:20 PM PST by Minn (Here is a realistic picture of the prophet: ----> ([: {()
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To: kristinn
Howell Raines? Sheesh.

Ah, yes. As we saw in the NYTimes this past weekend, the new meme is: Fox News killed Obamacare. Whaaa! Whaaa!

75 posted on 03/11/2010 7:50:08 PM PST by GVnana ("Obama is incredibly naive and grossly egotistical." Sarkozy)
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To: kristinn

I think Howell has a point here. In fact, Fox should have been kicked off the air when its most prominent journalist used fraudulent documents in an infamous attempt to sway an election against a sitting president he had tried to take down for years.


76 posted on 03/11/2010 8:00:09 PM PST by Minn (Here is a realistic picture of the prophet: ----> ([: {()
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To: kristinn
If this wasn't so ridiculous it would be funny!

QUIZ: What is the political affiliation of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN?

77 posted on 03/11/2010 8:26:11 PM PST by LiteKeeper ("It's the peoples' seat!")
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To: kristinn
“Why Don't Honest Journalists Take on Roger Ailes and Fox News?”

Why should he care whether they're honest or not - doesn't this “noble” end justify any means necessary?

78 posted on 03/11/2010 8:36:30 PM PST by decal (The Key To Flexibility is Indecision)
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To: Rome2000
Only when dueling is once again legalized within the DC limits will the cowardly vermin cease their dishonorable provocations.

Raines is a pussy who would cry if he was called out to answer for his lies.

Such a one as Raines would never enter "the field of Honor", for he is as bereft of that principle as he is of any other you could care to mention...

the infowarrior

79 posted on 03/11/2010 11:27:59 PM PST by infowarrior
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To: kristinn; StarFan; Dutchy; alisasny; BobFromNJ; BUNNY2003; Cacique; Clemenza; Coleus; cyborg; ...
ping to a few FRiends...

Thanks for posting this, kristinn!

80 posted on 03/11/2010 11:35:00 PM PST by nutmeg (Rush Limbaugh & Sarah Palin agree: NO third parties! Take back the GOP)
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