Media Research Center President Brent Bozell today applauded ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN for uniting with Fox News in response to the Obama White House excluding Fox from an interview with "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg. The networks said none of them would speak with Feinberg if Fox was excluded, and the White House subsequently reversed its decision.
"Not even Richard Nixon would have dared try this. This was a White House attempt at censorship and brass-knuckle intimidation. But it backfired.
"This was more than a strike at Fox News. It was a calculated and frightening declaration of war on our First Amendment right to a free and unfettered press. And it might have been successful had ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC caved to the pressures of the White House.
"But they did not yield and for that, they should be commended. These networks recognized this as a direct assault on free speech. I applaud their dedication to operating on the vital truth that freedom of the press trumps everything, including ratings and market share.
"I urge these networks to remain vigilant in demanding that this Administration take our American rights to free speech seriously, as this is surely not the last attempt by a radically left-wing White House to bully the press."
