A former Obama aide has some words of advice for President-elect Joe Biden: separate from Fox News and get close to left-leaning media outlets.
Tommy Vietor, who co-hosts Pod Save America, said Biden should distance himself from Fox News, which he referred to as an extended branch of the Republican Party. Vietor touched on the contentious relationship the Obama administration had with the network, which was formerly praised by President Trump early on in his presidency.
“Approach Fox News with eyes, not arms, wide open. Call Fox what it is: an extension of the Republican Party. Say it often. Repetitive messaging works — just ask Lyin’ Ted and Low-Energy Jeb,” Vietor wrote in his publication Crooked Media. “Reject the absurd insistence that the network has a ‘real news’ division.”
However, Vietor emphasized that he isn’t arguing Democrats should never go on Fox News but accused the network of spreading conspiracy theories on the coronavirus pandemic and climate change in order to cater to their audience.
“While highly paid Fox executives might be okay with pushing disinformation and calling it entertainment, and some journalists might continue to pretend Fox correspondents are just like them, Joe Biden and the Democratic Party have to take Fox News to madrassa — by refusing to take them seriously as news professionals,” Vietor said.
Vietor said Biden’s team should work on developing relationships with left-wing media outlets such as the Nation, the Young Turks, and his own publication, which he co-founded with other ex-Obama era officials.
“Give them scoops and access and grow their audiences and influence the way Trump’s team has nurtured fringe rags like Newsmax and OAN,” he said.
He encouraged the former vice president to expand his White House digital media team, similar to the efforts the Obama administration did, adding that more people tend to get news from social media than from legacy media outlets.
Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election by several news outlets more than two weeks ago. Trump has yet to concede to Biden and remains in the middle of several legal fights in key battleground states that went to his opponent.
