In an interview with NBC, President Obama appeared to equate Fox News with talk radio.
Asked whether it’s “inappropriate” for the White House to declare what is and isn’t a news organization, Obama tried to deflect the question.
“I think that understandably since you’re in the news business, this is something that you’re very interested in,” he said. “I think the American people are a lot more interested in what we’re doing to create jobs, or how we’re handling the situation in Afghanistan.”
But pressed for more, here’s what Obama said on the White House’s ongoing war with Fox News.
What our advisers have simply said is that we are going to take media as it comes, and if media is operating basically as a talk radio format, then that’s one thing, and if it’s operating as a news outlet, then that’s another. But it’s not something I’m losing a lot of sleep over.
While this isn’t nearly as strong as White House Communication Director Anita Dunn’s or senior adviser David Axelrod’s criticism of Fox News, it does appear to be the first time Obama has weighed in on the recent conflict.
Here’s the video.
