In September 2010, I was approached by a Fox News public relations employee who pitched me on the idea of writing a column praising the news outlet for refusing to broadcast the burning of a Koran by pastor Terry Jones—and to criticize other outlets for not taking this same prudent stance.
In the intervening time between receiving the pitch and hitting “publish” on my column, CNN followed suit. Not seeing the Fox PR department as my assignment editor—but still seeing the idea they pitched me as legitimate—I took it upon myself to write a piece that praised both outlets for doing the right thing. In a column titled “Fox News, CNN Made Right Decision on Koran Coverage” at the now-defunct AOL’s Politics Daily, I wrote that “Fox News deserves kudos for its leadership and journalistic judgment, and CNN also deserves praise for ultimately coming down on the right side of this decision.”
Instead of my Fox PR contact being pleased—or even appeased—she became irate. “Why is CNN being praised in the headline with FOX?” she emailed. “Are you kidding? The point is that they are COWARDS and were wishywashy (sic) the whole time and couldn’t make a clear stance. Where is that in your piece? Yet, you are giving them praise in the headline and suggesting they made the SAME CALL AS FOX?”
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