Tapper Confronts Gibbs Over Fox News

ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper questions Gibbs on the Obama administration’s attempts to brand Fox News as something other than a news organization.

From this morning’s gaggle in White House press secretary Robert Gibbs’ office:

Tapper: It’s escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations “not a news organization” and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization. Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one –

(Crosstalk)

Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.

Tapper: But that’s a pretty sweeping declaration that they are “not a news organization.” How are they any different from, say –

Gibbs: ABC -

Tapper: ABC. MSNBC. Univision. I mean how are they any different?

Gibbs: You and I should watch sometime around 9 o’clock tonight. Or 5 o’clock this afternoon.

Tapper: I’m not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I’m talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a “news organization” -- why is that appropriate for the White House to say?

Gibbs: That’s our opinion.

Gibbs, of course, never gives a clear answer. He also never addresses the obvious point, that the executive branch is not in the business of issuing opinion statements on private entities; especially a news organization trying their best to hold the executive office accountable. They are not in the business of controlling media through name calling, intimidation tactics, or any other means.

Constitutionally, the executive branch is charged with enforcing laws, and they are ultimately accountable to the citizens of the United States. One way the people are able to keep tabs on the executive branch, is through the media. Therefore, when the executive branch tries to destroy a news outlet's credibility, one attempting to hold them accountable, no less, they are interfering with our right to monitor them, and their activity.