Western Courier

Issue date: 4/28/06 Section: Opinion

For years, Fox News has bragged about being the most "fair and balanced" TV news network. This is just another inaccuracy to most viewers, as Fox News - the home of Bill O'Reilly - tends to lean to the conservative side of most issues. As a result, Fox News has gained notoriety as being the least impartial network.

So why, then, did President George W. Bush announce Fox News anchor and talk show host Tony Snow as the new White House press secretary?

News of Snow taking the job came shortly after it was revealed that Bush's approval rating has reached a new personal low: 32 percent. Appointing a Fox News anchor as White House press secretary will not alleviate any of the criticism the Bush administration has received.

Snow is known in the journalism world for writing editorials. From 1979 until 2000, Snow wrote columns for a number of newspapers. Changing from an editorialist to a press secretary creates ethical concerns: columns are very different than press releases.

In columns, writers are able to take information and present it in a way that supports his or her point, opting to leave out some pieces of information. In press releases those little bits of information cannot be omitted. In a heartbeat, Snow will be changing from asking questions to answering them at the White House.

Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary, announced his resignation after almost three years at the podium. During McClellan's tenure, the relationship between the administration and press corps deteriorated.

McClellan did such a bad job that Bush should have tried to fill the press secretary's void with a person who would bring less controversy to the position. The appointment of Snow to the position does not look good for "fair and balanced" Fox News nor the White House.

It is very possible that the 22 years of editorial background will come into play during Snow's tenure as White House press secretary. After years of slanting information to his benefit and working for Fox News, Snow may be partial to the right in press releases, which will not uphold proper journalistic standards and result in further criticism of the Bush administration.

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