My criticism of the "debate" which was moderated by Fox News has not changed since the so-called debate started.
It started with these two posts to Face Book within minutes after the start of the debate:
Followed by this, the next day:
- I'm still mulling information so I can't name a personal winner (yet), but I think the loser was Fox News..and, in particular Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace. It was hardly a "debate," and any debating that went on happened in spite of the Fox News set up and not because of it. Fox ran it like a press conference and Wallace and Kelly ran it like it was THEIR own show in stead of a supposed debate.
Now, I am not endorsing Donald Trumps twitter war against Megyn Kelly, but I am defending his right to do it. And if you're offended, get over yourself. Free speech is free speech. If I only defend speech I agree with am I really embracing the concept of free speech or just my own self absorbed vanity?
The twitter war was reignited a couple nights ago when Trump again took to twitter to attack Megyn Kelly. It prompted Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes to issue the following:
- Donald Trump’s surprise and unprovoked attack on Megyn Kelly during her show last night is as unacceptable as it is disturbing. Megyn Kelly represents the very best of American journalism and all of us at FOX News Channel reject the crude and irresponsible attempts to suggest otherwise. I could not be more proud of Megyn for her professionalism and class in the face of all of Mr. Trump’s verbal assaults. Her questioning of Mr. Trump at the debate was tough but fair, and I fully support her as she continues to ask the probing and challenging questions that all presidential candidates may find difficult to answer. Donald Trump rarely apologizes, although in this case, he should. We have never been deterred by politicians or anyone else attacking us for doing our job, much less allowed ourselves to be bullied by anyone and we’re certainly not going to start now. All of our journalists will continue to report in the fair and balanced way that has made FOX News Channel the number one news network in the industry.
I understand the need to defend one of your employees, and perhaps Ailes should be applauded for doing that. But the letter makes it clear that Ailes doesn't know what a debate is either. So, I guess when it comes to Brett Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace's performance that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. The so-called attempt at a "debate" was nothing more than a Fox News presser. Kelly's questions would have fit on her TV show, but it added nothing to anything resembling what a debate should look like.
On a semi-related note, Trump held a news conference yesterday in which he had Univision's Jorge Ramos escorted from his event because Jorge was being rude and talking out of turn. Though Trump took questions (and even eventually from Ramos), the only thing CNN considered news worthy was the clash between Trump and Ramos. CNN pundits, like other media, are quite absorbed with their own self worth. It's a display which best exemplifies the arrogance of the media. The media LOVES to make themselves part of the news maybe even more than reporting the news itself.
The media needs to get over itself. I think the tides are turning and are vented through people like Donald Trump who challenge the stagnation of American politics and political correctness gone rabid. The target that gets less coverage but is all still the same gone stagnant because of its self-absorbed bloviating is the media itself. But why would the ones being reported negatively report themselves as being reported negative?
