White House Communications Director Anita Dunn and Senior Advisor David Axelrod Address Media Relations and Fox News Coverage in 2009
In October 2009, during the Obama administration, White House Communications Director Anita Dunn stated to the New York Times that the administration would treat certain media outlets 'as we would treat an opponent,' adding, 'We don’t need to pretend that’s how legitimate news organizations behave.' Senior White House Advisor David Axelrod, when questioned about Dunn's remarks, clarified that 'it’s not just their commentators, but a lot of their news programming, in fact, isn’t news. It’s simply promoting a point of view.' He further stated, 'We’re going to appear on their shows. We’re going to participate, but understanding that they represent a point of view.' This exchange occurred amidst a broader context of the Obama administration's relationship with Fox News, which included excluding 'Fox News Sunday' from presidential interviews and the Treasury Department reportedly attempting to limit Fox News's access to an official interview. While the White House denied the Treasury incident was intentional, o...
