Fox News has the reputation of being on the right side of the political spectrum, while the Obama administration, though they claimed to be moderate, are on the far left of the spectrum. So when David meets with Roger to discuss the administration’s concerns with the image Fox News is portraying, it leads me to wonder if all of those “birthers, tea baggers, etc” might just be right with their claim that Obama and the administration are socialistic leaning.

I have asked myself when it would be necessary or proper for the White House to visit our media outlets to discuss what they are doing? Would it be proper for the administration to question news outlets when they are tainting the administration’s image? No, it would not be. Their right to speak their opinion is protected by the Constitution. How about when the media is discussing key issues that deal with the security of our nation? In this instance it is not only proper but necessary for the government to step in, but did they when the media was busy discussing what procedures our CIA operatives were using to extract information that saved American lives?

What I find most alarming about this instance, along with others (Fairness Doctrine),  is that it reminds me a lot of current and past countries that eventually found themselves in a socialistic government, or worse, a dictator . The media is typically one of the first areas that is put under the control of the state when it is leaning towards a socialistic government. By eliminating the media, you enable the governing body to go largely unchecked by masses. One recent example would be Chavez, who after winning re-election took control of the media outlets that had criticized him and then moved to taking over other key industries.

We have recently seen how the media can bring people together to fight against the ills of the government, which is why it is important to have an unfettered media. A free and an unmolested media allows access to news that people might not otherwise have known. This access allows people to arrive at opinions for themselves. It is these opinions that affect they way we cast our vote. It is our votes that elect those in government. So in an indirect way, the media helps to promote a check and balance system within our government. When the current administration starts meeting with those outlets that help promote an opposing view point, I have to question the motives of the government.