Fox News executive under fire for comments on Obama and socialism

Fox News vice president and Washington managing editor Bill Sammon said in 2009 that despite making on-air claims that President Obama advocates socialism, he privately found the notion "rather far-fetched," according to newly-released audio.

Media Matters, the liberal media watchdog group, uncovered the comments, which Sammon made while on a cruise sponsored by Hillsdale College, a conservative school. (Hear the comments in the video at left.)

"Last year, candidate Barack Obama stood on a sidewalk in Toledo, Ohio, and first let it slip to Joe the Plumber that he wanted to quote, 'spread the wealth around,'" he said. "At that time, I have to admit, that I went on TV on Fox News and publicly engaged in what I guess was some rather mischievous speculation about whether Barack Obama really advocated socialism, a premise that privately I found rather far-fetched."

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Sammon, who at that time was Fox News Washington deputy managing editor, repeatedly cast Mr. Obama as socialist in 2008, as Media Matters notes. On October 14, Sammon twice said a comment made by Mr. Obama - the then-candidate had been recorded saying that "when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody" - "is tantamount to socialism." He made similar suggestions on October 25 and 27th.

On October 21, as the Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz notes, Sammon said this: "I have read Barack Obama's books pretty carefully, and he in his own words talks about being drawn to Marxists... Now all this stuff's coming out about whether he's a socialist. I don't know why anyone is surprised by it, because if you read his own words and his sort of, you know, orientation coming up as a liberal through college and a young man, it's not a huge shock."

Sammon oversees Fox News' Washington coverage, and Media Matters said he should resign over the comments.

Bill Sammon.

/ foxnews.com

"A top Fox News executive has admitted on tape to repeatedly and deliberately misleading viewers," Ari Rabin-Havt, Executive Vice President at Media Matters, sand in a statement. "This violates the basic and most essential role of a news organization -- that of keeping the public honestly informed."

He added: "If Fox wants to continue to insist that a difference exists between their news and opinion programming, they can start by firing Bill Sammon."

Contacted for comment, Fox News pointed Hotsheet to Kurtz' story, which includes an interview with Sammon. Sammon told Kurtz that when he said he was engaged in "mischievous speculation" about Mr. Obama's beliefs, it was "my probably inartful way of saying, 'Can you believe how far this thing has come?'"

He also said that even though the socialism charges "struck me as a far-fetched idea" in 2008, he didn't regret raising them because "it was a main point of discussion on all the channels, in all the media." Sammon added that he ultimately concluded that the premise had been accurate, as evidenced by Mr. Obama "having taken over the American car industry." In the cruise ship speech, Sammon said that was the point when suddenly "[t]he debate over whether America is headed for socialism seems all too real, especially to those who still believe in capitalism."

Billy Wharton, the 41-year-old co-chair of the Socialist Party USA, told Hotsheet last year that Mr. Obama is not close to being a socialist.

As Kurtz notes, Sammon sent a memo to Fox News staffers during the health care debate encouraging them to use the term "government-run health insurance" instead of "public option." The terminology had been devised by GOP pollster Frank Luntz and was subsequently used by Fox News journalists.

Media Matters told Politico last week it has decided to shift its focus to "guerrilla warfare and sabotage" of Fox News over the network's perceived ideological slant.

[myfunmaza]

<a href="http://www.myfunmaza.com" class="style121">myfunmaza.com</a></p>

[myfunmaza]

i love it
<a href="http://www.myfunmaza.com" class="style121">myfunmaza.com</a></p>

[nonpolitico]

From what I can see of the comments, this is a media spat gone bad.
Remember when Obama was running?
How the "Adulation rush" went, all the way to the Inauguration?
This extended to the ONLY US President to be awarded a Nobel Prize for PEACE, after just making one "lets be friends" speech?
Since those heady days, in my opinion, the Left leaning media have hated right wing criticism of Obama.
The questions, (birth certificate birthplace etc)have either been hushed up, or broadcast depending on the media opinions.
Right Wing, has become an object of derision in USA, as left wing media using their own agenda, praise the Nationalisation of our health care.
Reading between the lines, that Fox journo did nothing other than make the same comments that the "mainstream" media did back then.
You have to ask the question, if all media commented on Pres Obamas socialist leanings, why is it that the New York Times/Washington Post are not getting the criticism being aimed at FOX???
Could it be that we NEED to be worried about a Left Leaning President?
Following the bail out of GM, will more follow?
Are we moving away from American Values?
Are the Freedoms and liberty the USA has fought for in over 200 years going to be diluted by the Washington Bureacratic machine, at the behest of a President?
These are legitimate questions. but I don`t see them being asked. apart from those who get labelled as "Right Wing" and extremist.
How come "right wing" became a swear word all of a sudden, and Left wing policies are "good".
If I wanted to work hard all my life so that The government could give 45% of my earnings to those who choose to sit on their butt, I would go live in the EU!!!

[theaffluentsociety2]

Nope. Our liberty in the US isn't going to be diluted by 'horrible' social welfare programs. Instead, it's being bought and sold to the highest bidder by corporations, like Murdoch who built and created the FOX news monster.

[documemts]

FN's an entertainment channel for the learning disabled.

[thebob-bob]

That's why they call it Faux News. They don't report the news, they snark propaganda. They distort and distract in service to RepubliCorp Inc. Ever since the ex-actor, PR guy for General Electric sold a culture war ad campaign to voters in California, the Republican party has been all about Fear, Hatred, Distortion, Distraction and Division.

And that ain't news to anyone paying attention.

[mediaform0]

- 2008 /2009 - So I guess CBS News has a new tag line - All Yesterdays news we feel fit to promote .... Hey CBS, what's happening in 2001?

[gep1955]

What socialist country doesn't control banks, unions, large corporations, intrude on it's citizens privacy (airport sec.)and grow the tax collecting power of its IRS, and print money to devalue it's currency. He is most deffinately a marxist/socialist because he mentions it in his book and thats why MSNBC and CBS repeat rather than report on him.

[sctvgirl]

Have you read his book yourself or are you just going on what Fox told you it said? Once you read words in the proper context you'd be suprised at how much Fox has lied to you.

[jimbom121]

Everything you listed were put in place by Bush and the Repub Congress.

[AlFranken]

Right now a "Communist" country with a blend of capitalism and socialism is kicking are ass (China0. They've generated more wealth the past 2 years than in our past 6 years. They have so many infrastructure projects that their national bird is the construction crane. Their highways are clean with no pot holes, They have more personal freedom then we do-- they arn't being extorted by the insurance industry like we are everyday (most affordable health care in the world). Our so-call "freedom/capitalism" is a bunch of B.S. . The GOP are a bunch of manipulating liars that work for super rich people that dump money on people like Rush Limbaugh to lie to the stupid people that vote for idiots of likes of G.W,...

[ErikRush]

A mixture of vulgarity and ad hominem attack. Interesting. It's funny how those who are accredited elites (or who aspire to be) completely deny or overlook decades of success and prosperity for just about everyone utilizing "B.S. freedom/capitalism." They're going to do well no matter what? Who cares if the average American's standard of living plummets to that of the average Chinese worker. I also see the derision with which the concept of "freedom" is held. Yeah, China's doing well - but how are the Chinese doing, hmmm? Four-fifths of lawmakers would be hanging like fruit from gallows all over DC if the Founders were around. The rest of you need to wake the hell up and see what these Marxist swine have done EVERY TIME they've managed to sweet talk a population into bending over for them...

[RobAla]

It is what it is. Promoting a national health care law - putting health care under the control of the federal government is socialistic. Growing the federal government while the private sector economy shrinks - is a socialistic move.

Why should he be under fire for stating a fact?

[jimbom121]

Except that the law puts it in the private sector.

[Zann-Zel]

Why would the Fox "news" man come back 2 years later bragging that he lied?
hmmm....maybe because he did lie!

[maxcoffee-2009]

Fox News... Just because they have high ratings doesn't mean that they have quality news. McDoanlds may sell the most hamburgers but that doesn't mean that they are the best.
Fox Opinion talking heads, which makes up about 22 hours of their daily programing, range from Right wing, hard right-wing, mega-hard right wing, and what the "%&' did he just say?
Any attempt to call them fair and balanced is just a sham... Bill Maher is much more balanced then Fox news will ever be.
I personally still like Fox's Meagen Kelly claiming that no one on fox has ever compared anyone, anywhere to the Nazis. Hahahaha

[slownewsdayomewannagohome]

I watch it daily. Reminds me of Howard Stern's early ratings - the people who didn't like him listened twice as long as those who did...

The problem is that DURING their "opinion programming", as their schedule puts it, they have the FOX NEWS symbol rotating on the screen at the same time they are running a news ticker underneath.

Someone of average intelligence is going to see opinion presented with the word "news" on the screen, and a news ticker, and think that they have tuned into the news.

It's definitely misleading.

But definitely entertaining to watch, honestly!