It’s not unusual for the White House and the media to publicly disagree. After all, it was only three short years ago that the Bush White House called the New York Times a disgrace.
However, the ongoing spat between President Obama and Fox News seems to be taking the art of presidential feuding with the media to new extremes. White House Communications Director Anita Dunn has said that the White House sees Fox News as “an opponent.” In fact, Politico termed a recent meeting between Fox Chairman Roger Ailes and senior adviser to the president, David Axelrod, as a “Fox summit.”
Of course, much can (and has) been said about this particular feud between those in power and those questioners of power: the media. Our comments will be more general in nature.
First, to state the obvious, if there isn’t some level of conflict between those in power and those in the media, someone probably isn’t doing his or her job. Either the government is failing to do anything, which means it isn’t doing anything worth criticizing, or the media is too cozy with those in power and is failing to question authority. Some disagreement between the media and the government is necessary for a well-informed society and is therefore necessary for a functioning democratic society.
In short, this feud is indicative that something good is happening.
Second, critics of the media would do well to differentiate between the different parts of a given media group. For example, the majority of the animosity directed at the White House by Fox News has come from their pundits, the TV equivalent to an editorial board. Yet, rather than attacking pundits like Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, the White House has continually attacked the entire network.
Anyone in the media knows how frustrating this can be. In recent years, the same problem has affected the Daily Nebraskan when our sports reporters were banned from football practice following a staff editorial attacking the perceived discipline practices of the program. Unfortunately for the sports writers, they were made to suffer for something for which they bore no responsibility.
The White House would do well to remember this point: In a given media group, there are different sections, and one section doesn’t deserve to be punished for the actions of another.
So be grateful for the ongoing fight between the White House and Fox. It means the system is working, the government is doing what it feels it should and members of the media are calling them out when they feel the plans are wrongheaded. This is how our system is meant to work.
While we can dream of a greater degree of civility, let’s be honest: Ours has never been a nation in which civility ruled the public discourse. That doesn’t mean we give up the quest for a more civil public square, but it should give us perspective.
In this feud, the conflict is a good thing. Rather than bemoaning it, we should be grateful.
opinion@dailynebraskan.com
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