Fox News Host: Covering Romney’s International Trip Feels Like Being In ‘A Modified Petting Zoo’

[kpete]

Source: Think Progress

Fox News Host: Covering Romney’s International Trip Feels Like Being In ‘A Modified Petting Zoo’
By Annie-Rose Strasser on Jul 30, 2012 at 12:24 pm

Journalists following the Romney campaign on the road have voiced some gripes with how they are being treated. They have been asked to submit quotes for approval, barred from asking questions on the rope line, and were temporarily barred from entering a fundraiser to which they’d been promised entry (after media outrage, the campaign reversed its decision).

Now, Fox News’ conservative host Greta Van Susteren has joined the chorus of journalists complaining about treatment from the Romney campaign. As she follows the campaign through Poland today, Van Susteren posted to her blog saying that the press has had no access to the candidate, and that she feels like she is in a petting zoo:



There has been no press access to Governor Romney since we landed in Poland. We (press) are in a holding pattern (I can’t help but feel a bit like the press is a modified petting zoo since we are trapped in a bus while Polish citizens take pictures of us.) Under the headline “Governor Romney won’t like this” we saw a big sign in the crowd for Rep Ron Paul.

The Romney campaign has granted some interviews to journalists, including Van Susteren herself. But he has been much more secretive than predecessors, including Obama who, when traveling abroad, held two press conferences, two appearances on Sunday talk shows, and several television and in-person interviews.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/07/30/606221/press-feels-like-a-modified-petting-zoo-on-romneys-international-trip/

[msongs]

1. terminally stupid reporters should quit covering this racist charade nt

[yellowcanine]

2. If Greta is sad it can't be all bad.

Just sayin. She is an overrated blabbermouth.

[KamaAina]

3. It's "modified" because the animals are tied to car roofs.

[freshwest]

8. Sad, but true.

[a kennedy]

9. and that's true....

[nxylas]

4. If that's how he treats his own propagandists...

...what's he going to do when confronted with a real journalist (assuming there are any left)?

[L0oniX]

5. Are they really going to nominate this asshole?

[Betty Jo]

45. There is a tiny bug

Tell me youare doing this?????

[Sentath]

47. Sigh

L0oniX gets another one

[SoapBox]

6. Hilarious

Mittens, oh Mittens...you are such a freak.

It is endlessly amazing, how these people get themselves embroiled with the Thugs, Bullies, Baggers and ConServaTurd types.

The more they get into that "bubble" the more they seem to forget about the vast MAJORITY of people.

Just keep it up Mittens...and Greta, I'm SO happy that you are upset!

[progressivebydesign]

7. the Press needs to just go home. They DO have the power to simply stop covering him.

There is NO Fairness Doctrine anymore is there? (tho Fox's idea of equal coverage means drooling over the GOP candidate, and trashing the Democrat.)

Why do the journalists put up with this? Everyone else can see that the reason he is off limits is because they're hiding things. No tax returns, no Olympic records, no Governorship records, and now he's been hidden from the press over and over again.

Greta, get the memo, they are calling it the "Mitness Protection Program" to keep him from being seen for who he truly is. No, really.. it's real

[riverwalker]

10. but Greta, he's your guy n/t

[nolabear]

11. That man could piss off Mahatma Ghandi and Mother Teresa. LOVIN" it!

When Fox hates him, he's gotta be toast.

[icarusxat]

40. just a guess

I bet Will Rogers never met him.

[freshwest]

12. What WOULD the Dittoheads do if FOX endorsed Obama?

Just sayin'

[justabob]

21. pretty sure

the suicide rate would spike.

[freshwest]

24. Or the number of people shooting their teevees dead would skyrocket! LOL!

[justabob]

31. Lol, yes

yours is probably more realistic than my scenario.

[freshwest]

36. I'm pretty sure that just unplugging it wouldn't cover the outrage, huh? Thanks. ;)

[chknltl]

32. Simply can not happen.

Dana Skully would stop him before he got anywhere near the press with such an insane endorsement.

[freshwest]

37. But that's a fictional character. Wait, everything Fox does is fiction. Be still my heart! It's on!

[TrogL]

13. Never, ever piss off the media

(copycat http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018161422)

Even if they are bought and paid for, they'll still bite if they don't get what they want.

[C_U_L8R]

14. And they're surprised by this?

I don't know who's the more arrogant dope... them or Mitt !!??

[LynneSin]

15. Well if there is no press then there is no chance of his gaffs being reported

Just saying

[MADem]

16. Well, ain't THAT special! I guess Murdoch has let loose the dogs of war! nt

[samsingh]

17. greta, poor baby

[liberal N proud]

18. Here is what I don't get...

The Romney campaign treats the media including FOX like the dog they put on the roof.

The media in return, grovels to the campaign and promotes the candidate like he should be king.

is wrong with our media? I know rhetorical question!

[xtraxritical]

26. Romney buys advertising, nuff said.

[liberal N proud]

28. It's bigger than that

That is part of it but it is bigger.

[Jamaal510]

33. Mitt R0bme is like the bad boy

who abuses his GF in a relationship. He doesn't act right with the press, yet they're still somewhat soft on him.

[DFW]

19. So far?

It sounds like covering the Romney foreign trip is like being witness to as many parodies of America as might be expected on a tour by Stephen Colbert's character, or maybe the Marx Brothers.

[JohnnyRingo]

20. Press is the life blood of a campaign.

Romney doesn't want to upset them. That's the hand that feeds him free face time.

[caseymoz]

22. I think Romney is sunk.

Even so, don't relax. Because we still have to make billionaires waste billions trying to get this roasted turkey into the White House.

My father, a Madman from that age, said there are some products no amount of advertising and marketing can sell. We might be seeing one of them right now.

[Uncle Joe]

23. Romney is a con man, he can't risk being exposed even by Republican worshiping FOX,

that's pretty bad.

The electorate will need to be drastically dumbed down to put him in power.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[xtraxritical]

27. His religion was founded by a con man.

[icarusxat]

41. no tax returns?

is he worried the 99% will discover he has paid no taxes or that his fellow Mormons will find out that he paid no tithing?

[starroute]

25. They already said they mean to ignore the MSM in favor of Breitbart and Drudge

So I guess they don't care how much they piss them off.

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/07/01/509328/romney-advisors-reveal-strategy-ignore-journalists-pander-to-right-wing-conspriacy-websites/?mobile=nc

Jul 1, 2012

In a stunning interview with Breitbart.com, two top advisers to Mitt Romney revealed the campaign’s plan to largely ignore journalists in favor of right-wing conspiracy websites. . . .

Romney campaign spokesman Lenny Alcivar recently outlined how the campaign will avoid journalists and cooridnate and communicate their message through Brietbart.com and the Drudge Report:

When this election is over, one of the lessons that will be learned by the mainstream media is that they no longer have a toe-hold on how Americans receive their news. Never before – in a way that has taken Democrats off stride – have we seen the confluence of an aggressive online community, led by Breitbart, and an aggressive campaign team not willing to cede an inch of ground to Democrats. This combination has created a new political reality. We no longer allow the mainstream media to define the political realities in America. The rise of Breitbart, Drudge and others, combined with an aggressive Romney campaign is a powerful tool in the arsenal of the conservative movement.

…The governor will no longer allow the mainstream media to dictate the terms of this debate. This is just the beginning… We are witnessing the rise of the center right media.

[libodem]

29. Faux loves to toss the term

Elitist around. Now, they may observe the true embodiment. Must suck to be them. Losers.

[patrice]

30. Obvious. He's HIDING.

[1StrongBlackMan]

34. I have been thinking ...

Without the media's help (particularly, that of fox"news&quot ... I think romney should prepare for a convention fight.

Now this not exactly helpful comment ... from fox?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

35. If the ballot gods allow diebold to elect the Mitt then don't expect more of the same.

Expect things to become drastically worse for all of us.

[Zoeisright]

38. Quityerbitchin', Greta.

You made this man. Now you're reaping the "benefits".

[DCBob]

39. OMG... even the Faux newsers are complaining.

This idiot has succeeeded in pissing off nearly every person on earth with his stupid comments and actions in the past few days. This guy is so totally unprepared for the office of the President its beyond words.

[47of74]

42. Modified petting zoo?

Nah, not touching that one.

[Monk06]

43. When the far right wing bloggers er.. journalists push the hate button you're in trouble.

Romney is less liked by the bagger brigade than McCain.

[Kalidurga]

44. What the hey!!!!

Romney is trying to pee on his base????

[samsingh]

46. that's what mittens has in mind for America