If it's Sunday, it's beat up on Fox News day.
Earlier today, my NewsBusters colleague Noel Sheppard posted the disparaging words White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had for the Fox News Channel, a sentiment that Obama Senior Advisor David Axelrod echoed on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."
Stephanopoulos pointed out comments made by Mao Tse Tung admirer and White House Communications Director Anita Dunn, in which she criticized Fox News.
"Your colleague Anita Dunn told The New York Times this week that Fox News was undertaking a war against the White House, and said the White House would treat Fox the way we would an opponent," Stephanopoulos said.
Stephanopoulos also pointed out comments that News Corp CEO and Chairman Rupert Murdoch made about the White House attacks, saying that this is actually helping his cable news channel.
"There were some strong remarks out of the White House about one or two commentators on Fox News and all I can tell you is that it has tremendously increased their ratings," Murdoch said.
And Stephanopoulos agreed that it is helping, and asked Axelrod if his strategy to take on Fox News publicly as an opponent was perhaps not the best tactic.
"That does seem to be true," Stephanopoulos said. "Are you worried that your strategy is fortifying your enemy?"
Axelrod dismissed Stephanopoulos' concern.
"I'm not concerned, Mr. Murdoch has a talent for making money," Axelrod said. "And I understand that their programming is geared toward making money."
Axelrod told the ABC host it wasn't just their commentators, like Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, but also their regular news programming. He suggested ABC and other news organizations shouldn't take Fox News seriously.
"The only argument that Anita was making is that they're not really a news station, if you watch even it's not just their commentators, but a lot of their news programming. It's really not news, it's pushing a point of view and the bigger thing is that other news organizations like yours, ought not to treat them that way. And we're not going to treat them that way. We're going to appear on their shows and participate, but understanding that they represent a point of view."
