Star CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour, whom I respect for her passionate coverage of international affairs, recently lamented on CNBC’s “Topic A with Tina Brown” that she felt that the “press was muzzled and … self-muzzled” when covering the war in Iraq.
Amanpour places the blame on “the (Bush) administration and its foot soldiers at Fox News.” It appears that Karl Rove, chief White House strategist, and Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News, are the root of evil in America once again.
In response, a Fox News spokesperson said, “Given the choice, it’s better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda.”
This is more an issue of a rivalry between news sources than an issue of journalism ethics.
It’s the responsibility of the Bush administration to convince Americans and Iraqis that the war is just and that there will be a lasting peace. It is ludicrous to blame another news outlet for muzzling any news that might contradict this message.
According to an evaluation by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, a nonpartisan media research organization based in Washington, CBS evening news war coverage-not Fox-“was the most supportive.”
Seventy-four percent of all CBS on-air comments were favorable toward the Bush administration’s war effort. The most unfavorable reports came from ABC. About two-thirds of ABC’s comments about the war were negative. Most other stations fell somewhere in the middle.
Two separate surveys conducted by the conservative Media Research Center and the liberal group Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting affirm this assessment.
Does this make Dan Rather of CBS a “foot soldier” for the Bush administration? No, he is a known critic of this administration.
All Amanpour’s comments prove is that CNN and Fox News are engaged in a Mississippi State-Ole Miss style donnybrook. The two have been engaged in a battle ever since commentators like Bill O’Reilly, with his self-styled populism, have taken CNN’s thunder.
The average audience for Fox News is 3.4 million households, CNN’s is 2.7 million and MSNBC’s is 1.3 million. Fox News has left the other stations far behind in the ratings.
The reason Fox News’ audience has increased is because Americans want to see both conservative and liberal views in the news. Fox’s primetime combination of “The O’Reilly Factor” and “Hannity and Colmes” account for the lead.
As one who watches both CNN and Fox News religiously, I can say that both stations are unbiased in their news reporting most of the time, yet have taken positions on the political spectrum. CNN is generally more moderate to liberal and Fox News is more moderate to conservative.
This recently discovered market of conservatism is the cause for many stations including MSNBC and CNN to hire more moderate and conservative talking heads like Chris Matthews and Lou Dobbs.
The media as a whole is becoming more balanced, catering to the views of all, not just a select few. This is what a free and independent press is all about.
I remember when Paula Zahn worked for Fox. Now she works for CNN. I remember when Greta Van Susteren worked for CNN. Now she works for Fox. The rivalry exemplifies media competition at its best.
Amanpour’s comments are nothing more than a failed attempt to attack the credibility of her rival.
Edward Sanders is a sophomore political science major. He can be reached at [email protected].