Thaindian News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — President Barack Obama in an interview with Rolling Stones Magazine released on Tuesday slammed Fox News by calling the media outlet as being “destructive” for America.

During the interview, publisher Jann Wenner asked Obama about Fox News who said it was continuing William Randolph Hearst’s tradition. Hearst is credited with making yellow journalism possible, beginning his involvement in the media business in the late 19th century and quickly expanding to having almost 30 newspapers in major cities in the U.S.

“I swore to uphold the Constitution, and part of that Constitution is a free press. We’ve got a tradition in this country of a press that oftentimes is opinionated. The golden age of an objective press was a pretty narrow span of time in our history. Before that, you had folks like Hearst who used their newspapers very intentionally to promote their viewpoints,” Obama said.

“I think Fox is part of that tradition — it is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view. It’s a point of view that I disagree with,” he added.

Anita Dunn, former White House communications director, had previously described Fox News as “the communications arm of the Republican party,” but Obama’s words were even more direct, saying the media outlet harms the country as it only focuses on its economic revenue and not its newscasting.

“It’s a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world. But as an economic enterprise, it’s been wildly successful. And I suspect that if you ask Mr. Murdoch what his number-one concern is, it’s that Fox is very successful.”