Fox Guest: Fox News Is 'Making It Up'

Tom Ricks denies he apologized for calling network 'a wing of the Republican party'

Defense policy expert Tom Ricks has accused Fox News of "making up" their claim that he apologized privately after he'd announced on air that the network is "operating as a wing of the Republican Party." You can watch the much-publicized initial incident below, in which Ricks accuses the network of "hyping" the Benghazi incident.

Ricks alleges that Fox executive Michael Clemente invented the apology because "when the facts aren't on their side, they [i.e. Fox News] attack the person." Clemente earlier told the Hollywood Reporter that Ricks "apologized in our offices afterward but doesn't have the strength of character to do that publicly."

Politico's Dylan Byers has shared the follow-up note that Ricks wrote to Clemente denying that any apology took place. After his interview on Fox was abruptly ended, Ricks shared his thoughts with the Washington Post and described his statements about the network as "speaking truth to power."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUz3pIPmTY

Via Politico and the Week.

Was Tom Ricks rude or merely honest to call Fox a "wing of the Republican party"?

[RobertJHarsh]

But the thing is that FOX is GOP owned but MSNBC is the polar opposite. They are truly the angry liberal network and a Democrat spokeschannel. At least CNN tries to hide the commie leanings.

[Sonny]

@RobertJHarsh But the difference is....That most Democrats do NOT rely on MSMBC to get their information...Quite the contrary...We (what you call "liberals:) have a wide network of information sources, and (and this is important) a wide area of interests, and concerns...Unlike the people who listen to fox...The all merely take their "talking points" form just this source or Limbaugh...and they all walk "Lock-Step"...no matter what....That is the key difference. We ("liberals") are a very diverse group of the American fabric...The right, however, is composed of many people who simply refuse to think for themselves---and would much rather simply take their "marching orders" from Fox.

[CanisCanemEdit]

@Sonny - That's not really fair, Sonny. If most "Democrats" do not rely on MSMBC why is it so widely quoted along with the Huff Post and Mother Jones?

I see the difference as the Democrats rule most of the television air waves along with the liberal agenda.

Liberal causes get worked into the plots of network shows along with whatever the topic of the day is and usually pointed to make anyone not in line with the cause look "evil".

Left leaning anchors put on the most extreme Right aisle individuals in the attempt to make it look as if all conservatives are patterned after the same mold.

I know lots of Democrats and I know NONE who adhere completely to the bullshit and blather that gets spewed out of the Liberal machine.

Republicans on the other hand seem to have that one damned TV channel that yaps incessantly about the topic tu jour and then has the talk radio end tied up.

Right leaning anchors put on the most extreme Left aisle individuals in the attempt to make it look as if all liberals are pattened after the same mold.

I know lots of Republicans and I know NONE who adhere completely to the bullshit and blather that gets spewed out of the Conservative machine.

In truth, both sets of pundits make Americans look dumber than hell.

Both sides keep Dems and Repubs so worked up bitching at each other they can never sit down and solve problems.

[Sonny]

@CanisCanemEdit Ok, and I'm being very serious...I don't know who you are listening to---but I have never heard of anyone "quoting the Huff Post, or Mother Jones" except only on MSMBC...Further, I sincerely don't know what network shows to which you refer...But I can say this to you...."turn the damn channel" if you don't like what is being shown. There are NO "left-leaning anchors"...But the right calls them that, when they don't follow some obscure "story" that the Rush Limbaugh's of the world "think up". Fox News, on the other hand..clearly makes statements that are heavily biased to the right side...A blind man could see it...And I will also stipulate that MSNBC does the reverse for the "left"...But as far as I'm concerned...That is the extent of it...All of this crap about the mainstream media being "biased" towards the left has NEVER been proven...and not much more than a republican talking point.

[CanisCanemEdit]

@Sonny - No left leaning anchors? Where would I even start?

Dan Rather and his phony attack on Bush in 2004 that cost him his job? He floated a story based on forged documents that claimed Bush had gone AWOL from his Texas Air National Guard unit back in 1973.

Internet users viewing the "documents" realized that while they were supposed to have been created on a 1970s era typewriter were actually made using a Microsoft computer font and obviously these computers did not exist in 1973.

This takedown of a network news anchor put the Internet on the map as a force to be reckoned with.

Gabriel Giffords shooting? Members of the media began to blame her attack on the “violent rhetoric” of conservatives in general and the Tea Party movement in particular. A “climate of violence” perpetrated by the right was at fault, said the media. This line of attack on the right was unleashed by the media before the name of the attacker was even known.

It later turned out that shooter Jared Lee Loughner had no discernible political beliefs at all and, in fact, had been targeting Giffords before the Tea Party movement was even started.

Duke Lacross rape accusations? The story became national news as the media pushed the meme that it was a “race” thing, that privileged, white college kids raped a poor black exotic dancer because they thought they could get away with the crime.

Turned out that the girl was lying about the whole thing.

How about Juan Williams and NPR?
In 2010 when he uttered what his employer, National Public Radio, claimed was a “racist” attack on Muslims and then fired him for it, Williams became a cause célèbre in conservative circles.

What was this "racist" attack?

Juan said ..."when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

Oops. Thought police. Juan said a truth.

Then of course you have Bill Mahr calling Palin a cunt and that gets defended by ABC's Jake Tapper because Palin is in "the public eye".

However Limbaugh called a Fluke a Slut (for claiming that she spends over $3000 annually on contraception) and he is attacked by the mainstream media.

Had the Fluke comment been made by Joh Stewart, I am guessing it would have been considered hysterical.

As for the rest, well, I do turn the channel.

Every time the show starts making married or religious families look stupid;
gay people or single people raising kids looking carefree and easy;
drug cookers looking cool and heroic;
or women getting degraded.

And I never, ever watch news. That's like going to a library and having someone tell you about the books.

As for FOX and Limbaugh, they are equally evil and not to be trusted.

But to say that Dems are smart and Republicans are dumb is just....well....silly.

[woodtick57]

All you have to do is see them contradicting themselves from one week to the next. i think that makes up over half of the Daily show footage....

even jaun williams and Geraldo have gone against the hand tat feeds tem in pointing out how tey twist the 'news' they report....

[martydotcom]

I can't imagine anyone disputing that. From the demographics of the audience (78% Republican), to the utter lack of liberal counterpoints on the show,
to the known politics of Rupert Murdoch, their Chairman,
to their parent corporation's million dollar contributions to Republican causes,
and to Newscorp's willingness to take in any fallen Republican operative in order to give them a chance to redeem themselves,
It's a wing of the Republican Party and they are non stop liars. John Steward. bases his show on faux news flubs.

[DrMoonshine]

Everyone would be alright, if they weren't scared to the spine from watching TV. Every time I encounter someone who quotes Fox News, they all seem soulless with bags under their eyes as if everyone in the world is against them. It's like one of those crazy homeless people downtown dressed up as Jesus screaming "THE END IS NEAR! REPENT NOW!". Except these people scream "Pack your bags to Canada! China is coming! Socialism is coming! King Obumma gunna tak our freedum and our guns! I have no idea what I'm talking about but Fox News said so!"

[woodtick57]

Dude, you totally nailed that one. you can thank Buckfan4life for proving your very prescient post's veracity...

[martydotcom]

I've counted about 15 of the regulars that fit the description to a Tea (sic)

[TheViper]

Couldn't agree more. Plus bonus points for making me think of the episode of South Park. "Their gunna take our guns".

[DrMoonshine]

It saddens me that there is only a small percentage of our population left with anything that closely resembles rational thought. These sheeps who proclaim themselves as "republicans" marks anyone with rational thought as a "dummycrat" or a liberal. As if everyone has to be stupid like them otherwise you're anti-American.

[DrMoonshine]

@TheViper Theey took oouuurrrrrr jaabs! Funny because ever since Alabama scared of their illegal workers, many of their agriculture goes unpicked and dies right on the stalk. A once self sustaining state now relies on food imports from surrounding neighbors because nobody wants to work the jobs that were "stolen" from them.

[VisionVI]

He was being completely honest, Fox "news" is NOT news it is "entertainment" non-news just ask FoxNews CEO Roger Ailes he said it was "entertainment".

They pander to the right and LIE when will these people figure it out?

Fox "News" is not news... A news agency's responsibility is to explain THE story....Not explain THEIR version of the story.

[bsking]

never heard of this guy. I don't think it matters what he says.

[John_Matrix]

Whether his words have any mass appeal or not doesn't make them any less true.

[bsking]

@John_Matrix I would argue that point. this guy is a nobody gonna make a name for himself, in my opinion , I never heard of him ... don't care what he thinks

[John_Matrix]

@bsking

You may not like what he has to say but Fox news is as biased as MSNBC, just on the opposite side, and they have been caught on at least two instances I can recall right off that they've falsified and embellished stories they've reported on.

[bsking]

@John_Matrix which two?

[martydotcom]

@bsking Pulitzer Prize winning writer from that bastion ofbliberal thinking the Wall Street Journal. Generally regarded by left (he also worked for the Washington Post) and the right as the most competent writer on security and defense issues. Thankfully we don't have to depend upon your opinion as to. who is creditable

[jessejaymes]

Both Fox and MSNBC are a reflection of the extremism of both sides. Neither should be taken as news. I consider them more as a political version of the movie "dodgeball" except there are no good guys in this one.

[Denizen_Kate]

Apparently, Tom Ricks agrees with you. I wonder why Politix didn't include this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-p... .

[Buckfan4life2]

The liberals and the liberal media is whats wrong with the republicans. This man is a liar and so is the media on about everything they say or print. The whole country is trying their best to destroy the GOP and Fox news. Why is it that you people can't see that this country has been invaded by millions of anti-America people joining forces with the anti-American democrats and these peoples only obstecals are the GOP and the only voice of the conservatives,Fox News. Laugh all you want but you won't be laughing in the near future. Why would a country that has had 4 years of lies,coverups,high unemployment,trillions of dollars in debt and our econemy on the brink of disaster all from this setting president but we turn around and give him another 4. Just look at the way they have turn the republican party and fox in to a laughing stock. Just think, Fox is the ONLY conservative station left and they are doing their best to get it taken off the air. Then what do you have???? Every news network is PRO GOVERMENT. Don't you people get it??????? This is scary folks and I can't believe that people have become so blinded by our goverment and the media. The end of our great nation is right around the corner and Iam holding every one that voted for this man guilty.

[woodtick57]

the GOP needs no help in destroying itself. the freakjob candidates they put up last cycle is proof positive of that.

That post from someone talking about mindless fox zombies screaming about the end of the world comes to mind here...

[DrMoonshine]

The only voice of the conservative was Ron Paul. So if Fox News pushed him aside for the likes of Santorum, Perry, and Bachman -who were complete sociopaths- what does that make them?

[woodtick57]

@DrMoonshine

Conservative for a bygone world, maybe...

[Bellweather]

Since I worked as a Neighborhood Team Leader for OFA and actually helped Obama to win this election, does that make my "guilt" more culpable?
HELL YES WE DID!! Get over it.
FORWARD!

[TheViper]

WOW! You like the kool aid doncha? Like woodtick said "The end is near".

[Romney2012]

Who cares? Fox is as Republican as NBC is Democrat! It's a known fact! There's nothing to debate here!

[armed_liberal]

Is anyone surprised that Faux News is a Republican tabloid?
Who cares? The factless Republican echo chamber following Southerner won't listen to the truth. They can't handle the truth.

[JohnVicky]

Now that was a short interview, LOL. I'll bet the producers are saying who booked this guy for the show and heads will roll. But finally a real journalist with the creds and the guts to call out the phony's on Fox Snooze.

[DARSB]

How is Fox News' partisanship a question? Its on-air personalities frequently parrot RNC talking points, often word for word from the party memos. Mr Ricks was correct in pointing out only Fox had hyped the Benghazi tragedy, and his interview was abruptly cut short because of it.

[CitizenX]

I actually think that Fox was setup initially as a propaganda organ for RWNJs.

[Ashstop]

As more facts come out Tom Ricks and the liberal mainstream media get more and more egg on their face!! If Fox hadn't " made it up" we'd all still be believing it was a "spontaneous protest over some video those people over there don't even have the broadband to watch" that the WH wanted us to accept like brainless sheep!

[martydotcom]

please explain to me what the White House stood to gain or lose be it a planned or unplanned attack. Keep in mind we could not use Blackhawk type contractors for security due to Libyan ban. they had a bad habit of shooting civilians, but we did lose more than 100 security contractor in Iraq and Afghan with no notice from Fox. Also appreciate our military is over tasked and embassy security budgets were cut by GOP house.

[Ashstop]

@martydotcom
This happened before the election, WH want us the think the war on terror is over, to admit this was an act of terror would be to admit he hasn't won that war... Instead we were lied to, to me this is covering for the enemy... We were attacked and our goverment covered for the attackers and placed blame elsewhere , what is treason?
I'm sure the terrorist couldn't believe their eyes and ears!!
4 of our own were horribly HORRIBLY killed, the WH not only looked away, they deverted attention away from the attackers to win an election.

[martydotcom]

@Ashstop Assuming Lieberman who has no horse in the race, retiring in Jan. replied tonight: I asked rice jif there were any white house personnel or dem political personnel involved in her briefing she. said no and I believe her. do you seriously believe this would affect the outcome of the election?? Romney was dead man walking after 47%. Covering for the enemy I find a tad absurd. Keep them off high alert while trying to track them down sound more reasonable. after all Obamabs is not afraid to use drones to target our enemies and our forces - bin Ladin. Treason sorry can't agree

[Ashstop]

@martydotcom
I agree that Obama didnt need to do it to win the election but that is hindsight, at the time polls showed it was close so it was a concern for him,as for as Ms.Rice still denying it.. If she is that far out of the loop that when the whole country knew different she was on talk shows 5 days later telling us lies then it just proves she was a scapegoat!!! I admire her throwing herself under to protect Obama but I want someone willing to do that for her country, not her boss.
"If" the WH did as I said,( and I believe they did) diverted attention away from a direct attack on us by terrorist killing Americans, to keep from losing points in the close at the time polls then I would call it treason

[Denizen_Kate]

Regarding "Tom Ricks and the liberal mainstream media " -- he's even more insulting to MSNBC: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-p...

Feel better now?

[MRMacrum]

The guy is known for being blunt. As to his assertion that Fox News is a wing of the Republican Party, well, I wonder if he does not have that relationship backwards. Or maybe it is more that is is hard to tell the two apart.

[martydotcom]

the best part is Fox created an apology when none existed. I can't wait to see the Daily Show -John Stewart's take on this faux pas

[WMCOL]

MSNBC is conservative owned.

[Thegrif]

Does it matter? What I mean is, any news is only speckled with truths anyway, I think. I also think that may very well be the plan of those creating the news. Keep "we the people" fighting, unable to connect all the dots because all the dots are not before us. Look plan ole news don't sell papers, so to speak. I use to wonder how a news paper totally devoted to good news would do in America, not very well I imagine.
I think if we the people knew all the truth, if all the cards were on the table, we may find we really can work this out, that we can compromise. That we all just want the ability to chase happiness. I sometime think our gov't is really the greatest union buster out there, they busted the union of the people. We fight among ourselves, while the instigators just smile and wave. I think our gov't makes fools of us all and we can't even see it for our anger of each other.
IDK but what if it is all just smoke and mirrors?

[Dan_Tien]

He said, "when the facts aren't on their side, they [i.e. Fox News] attack the person." Yes, that sounds very familiar.

[nomocrap]

It does sound familiar. It sounds like what happens when a conservative is on the today show.

[Dan_Tien]

@nomocrap Haven't watched that pseudo-news program for decades either.

[nomocrap]

That makes 2 of us I don't watch news or read newspapers. If I want the truth I research and find it myself. Unfortunately most people won't believe the truth if it conflicts with their personal views.

[nomocrap]

I do think its funny that you have a liberal news hack who is part of a wing of the democratic party slinging mud at Fox News. Maybe he should try cleaning his own house first.

[joyshusband]

Sounds real familiar, like the dems recently calling McCain and Graham racists and sexist over Susan Rices inadequacies.

[Grubby]

Fox is the only unbiased network in existence. They actually tell the truth, and investigate stories. The other uber-liberal news outlets try to do everything they can to cover up for this radical administration. Come on, what would happen if a Republican president sent out his pawn to tell the American people that there was a "spontaneous demonstration" that spiraled out of control from a stupid web video, resulting in the slaughter of our ambassador whose body was dragged through the streets (never heard that on the liberal networks now did you?), then apologized to the world for the video, then denied the terrorist connection for 2 weeks, then finally admitted pieces of fact when the truth was already out? Pelosi and Reid would be calling for impeachment, we would have Congressional hearings, accusations would be flying, and the liberal press would be all over it like flies on moldy cheese. The incident would be labeled "Watergate 2", if it had been a republican administration. It is only because it is a left wing liberal in the White House that this is being ignored. And the coup de gras? Blame FoxNews for having the audacity to speak of this - we should cover it all up and pretend it didn't happen. Al Gore was all wrong with his "Inconvenient Truth". Benghazi is a true "Inconvenient Truth" - the result of extreme incompetence by our Idiot in Chief.

[dances-weebles]

*rotfl* you missed your calling.

[Denizen_Kate]

Wow, that must be some really tasty kool-aid. Try this analogy: a president decides he wants to invade a country that has not been threatening the U.S., so he makes up stories and falsifies intelligence reports about weapons of mass destruction and has his popular lacky, a revered former military man, go before the UN and tell lies and half-truths. The result is the deaths of thousands of young American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. And what was Fox News telling us? "Mission Accomplished" and whatever else the CinC told them to say. Sorry, Grubby, but you don't get to have it both ways. When Bush was in the Oval Office, Fox News seemingly got their news feed directly from a fax machine in the West Wing. Since that half-black dude took over, Fox has had to make stuff up in order to keep folks such as yourself angry and afraid. Judging by your comment, they're having a great deal of success at doing just that.

[Grubby]

@Denizen_Kate Not angry. Just prepared for what is coming. And it is coming.

[SavageMazx]

Big freaking deal, (R) Fox News Network or (D) MSNBC......if you don't like it modern technology has provided you with this device that enables you to change the channel, or better yet, turn of the TV, do some research and decide for yourself.....