Fox is NOT a journalistic entity, it’s a political operation.
A person working for a PAC wouldn’t get congressional press credentials, but Fox does.
It’s time to revoke the congressional press credentials for anybody from #Fox.
I’m happy Marcy started the conversation. I want to move it forward. I think that de-credentialing should be one result following the resolution of the Dominion case in favor of Dominion.
Why Bother To Revoke Fox’s Credentials?
Press credentials have VALUE to Fox. It allows them, as a political operation, to masquerade as a news organization. I’m making the case that Fox is like the RNC or a Political Action Committee and not a journalistic entity, therefore they are not entitled to the benefits and protections we offer journalistic entities in America. Having Congressional Press credentials, is a sign of legitimacy. Not having them wouldn’t mean they couldn’t still publish information, but NOT having them, and the REASON they don’t have them sends a message to everyone.
I’m already hearing all the defeatist responses from the left about trying to do this. And the predictions that journalists and media organizations will defend Fox and won’t even TRY to revoke the credentials. We know how the RW would spin this. “Liberals Hate Free speech! Censorship! They hate the 1st Amendment!” So I propose we set up some test cases we can use to raise the issue:
What if the Democratic PAC set up a new company called Donkey News to do “electronic newsgathering and the daily dissemination of news.” and that Donkey News hired “bona fide newsgatherers and/or reporters of reputable standing in their business to cover congress.”
Would the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association accept or reject Donkey News?
(BTW, those phrases are from the membership rules for the House and Senate Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association.) At the hellsite they are @HouseRadioTV @SenateRadioTV @RTCACapitolHill.
I’m hoping they would reject them using the same criteria that the Periodical Correspondents’ Association uses to reject a periodical based on what the organization can’t do.
“The Periodical “does not engage, directly or indirectly, in any lobbying or other activity intended to influence any matter before Congress or before any independent agency or any department or other instrumentality of the Executive branch.”
Periodical Correspondent’s Association rules. Link to Periodical Correspondents’ Association rules.
What if the person under consideration for Donkey News is questioned about his parent organization, the Democratic PAC? Can they use the line, “The reporter works for the news side, not the political lobbying side opinion side.”?
(Here is what the Periodical Correspondents’ Association rules say:)
“No part of your publishing family or parent organization may be involved in providing representation services, feasibility or marketing studies, nor be engaged in research or analysis not available to all subscribers. “
Periodical Correspondent’s Association rules. Link to Periodical Correspondents’ Association rules.
As you read about the Dominion case ask yourself, “Do we have evidence that the parent company, “News Corp” and its directors “engage[d], directly or indirectly, in any lobbying or other activity intended to influence any matter before Congress?” Ask if there is evidence that the parent organization was involved in any activity intended to influence “the instrumentality of the Executive branch?
Will any journalistic entity bring up this issue to RTCA? I doubt it. Marcy suggested that a “good government group” do it. I would like to think that journalistic organizations WOULD want to say this, then read an article “Why journalism schools won’t quit Fox News” in Nieman Lab where they talked to a lot of professors. They didn’t want to do it because it might hurt student’s chances of getting a job.
Fox weaponized 1st Amendment protections to gain political power
I’ve written to some journalism professors and asked, “What would it take to convince reputable journalists and bona fide newsgatherers within RTCA to decertify Fox?”
When I bring up this topic I see people on the left doing the work to validate the excuses for Fox to keep their credentials. I welcome those because then I can see objections from our side. If I can get them to see that it IS a possibility, then some ask, “What’s the point?” I believe doing this is one more way to weaken a massively destructive force in our country.
I’m an activist and blogger. I see myself as journalism adjacent. I know that I could not get Congressional press credentials, just like Marcy couldn’t when she worked for FireDogLake.
I’m writing about this because Fox has abused the protections we give journalists. Journalists use those protections in the quest to get to the truth. The public rightly supports journalists using their power for that purpose. But that is NOT how News Corp & Murdoch have been using those protections.
Jon Stewart described it this way, the right has weaponized the 1st Amendment protections. Listen to him and his guest RonNell Anderson Jones, Professor of Law at the University of Utah discuss the Dominion Fox case. It is clear that Fox execs knew the truth & lied anyway.
They are knowingly exploiting the cracks in a system that believes in the 1st Amendment
They’re gaming a system designed to give journalists broad leeway in trying to expose truth.
They’re reverse engineering it to create falsehoods–then exploit those falsehoods–which appeal to the basest instincts of their audience, to gain political power.
If you think losing credentials doesn’t matter, ask yourself, “What if the congressional press credentials for ABC were revoked? What if Mark Parker, the head of Disney was deposed with the same kind of clear evidence we are seeing in the Dominion case, with News Corp management?”
The DISCUSSION about Fox losing congressional press credentials is about consequences for a political organization using the benefits and protections we offer journalistic entities in America for a corrupt purpose. There should be a price to pay.
I think this masquerade needs to end and it needs to cost “News Corp” money. Losing money is one of the few ways we drive change in corporate media in America. A damaged brand is another.
I do not expect actual broadcast journalistic entities to do this work, even though it would benefit them and the profession. They are gatekeepers. They can revoke credentials. In the past when the Congressional Periodical Correspondents’ Association found out that someone who got press credentials worked for a lobbying firm, they asked them to resign. The person resigned.
The Dominion case is hurting News Corp. There has never been a better time to hurt News Corp and Fox “News”.
I’ve heard lots of ways that Fox will fight this or why this is a waste of energy, so help me out here folks, start thinking of all the ways to USE what we are learning in the Dominion case, the Smartmatics case and the Jan 6th stories to hurt News Corp and Fox.
There is an old Klingon saying, “When your enemy is drowning, throw them an anchor.”
