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Olson: Mainstream media are not giving GOP a 'fair shake'
Republicans are not getting a "fair shake" from mainstream media, and prominent reporters are ignoring issues and stories that matter most to their conservative audiences, one Republican lawmaker suggested Tuesday.
That lack of focus means Republicans hoping to advance their positions or make their cases for re-election must instead "utilize the assets that we have, which is Fox, talk radio, and [the blogosphere]," explained Rep. Pete Olson (R-Tx.) in an interview this afternoon.
"There is just a handful of publications that give us a fair shake," Olson told The Bloggers Briefing, a weekly forum moderated by the Heritage Foundation. "We're not getting fair coverage in the mainstream media... there are numerous things that... you know, if George Bush had done that..."
"But if we get [our information] out, we win every time," the congressman added. "We're right... we've just got to keep pushing."
Olson on Tuesday took Fox's side, and he stressed the president's proxy war with the network was "a big mistake." The congressman also praised the network for holding the administration accountable for developments other reporters have largely overlooked -- from questioning Democrats' relationship with ACORN, to scrutinizing the president's September speech to school children, to probing the president's policy czars.
"I get up, and the first thing I do in the morning is look at the headlines on CNN, so I can see what the enemy is up to," Olson said of his own media behaviors.
"I don't like [CNN and MSNBC], but you've gotta deal with them," he added, implying Democrats ought to do the same with Fox.
Ultimately, Olson said the American people were smart enough to detect bias. He also praised bloggers -- the primary audience of Tuesday's brief forum -- and stressed the blogosphere "was good for us [Republicans]."
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