Fox News PR: You'll Get a Fair and Balanced Beating

Carr Relates Horror Stories of Media Reporters Who've Crossed the Family

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 07.07.08 @ 11:48 AM

This might be a little inside baseball for non-media people, but I'd be happy to lay 100 bucks on the table that every media outlet that covers other media is talking about David Carr's column in the Times today. We've all heard the stories -- or, more likely, seen and heard the media reporter saying, "But ... but ... if you let me ... I'm just trying to ... Of course I mentioned CNN, the story was about CNN ... wait ... I don't know why you're yelling ... Hey, you leave my kids out of this!"

According to Carr, "At Fox News, media relations is a kind of rolling opposition research operation intended to keep reporters in line by feeding and sometimes maiming them. Shooting the occasional messenger is baked right into the process." Beyond the gossip value of the item, Carr goes on to make some very valid PR/marketing points: namely, that Fox News' success stories may get so little play because of the abuse heaped upon media reporters, rather than the network's supposed right-wing slant.

Despite all the details in Carr's piece, he leaves one particularly beaten-down colleague unnamed. Gawker, however, has its own suspicions.