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By Mark Memmott

The stories about what the Obama White House has to say about Fox News Channel keep coming.

There was White House communications director saying telling Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post and CNN "let's not pretend they're a news network the way CNN is."

Also last week it was NPR's David Folkenflik reporting that "the White House is taking direct aim at Fox News, the news organization that is the home to the most potent collection of its conservative critics."

This week it's ABC News' Jake Tapper asking why the Obama team was treating one of the "sister organizations" so badly -- and the news that the White House had tried to block a Fox News reporter from interviewing the so-called pay czar. (After all the networks objected, the White House relented.)

It seems like time for a survey:

Thank you for voting!

The White House on this one; Fox News isn't "fair and balanced." 17% (205,828 votes)

Fox News on this one; it asks questions others don't and the White House should be able to handle them. 81% (959,375 votes)

Neither side. They're both trying to play this "feud" to their advantage. 1% (17,396 votes)

Total Votes: 1,182,599

View Comments (905)
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Update at 8:50 a.m. ET, Nov. 2: Another update on the response to this post.

As you can see, there are now more than 1.1 million votes on the survey and 2,100 comments with this post.

We've also received several hundred e-mails. Here's a representative sample:

-- Chuck Parker: "Conservatives should be allowed to have one Network on their side, that being FOX since the libs have ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC acting as unpaid mouth pieces for Obama."

-- Wendy Glenn: " WE LOVE FOX. They tell it like it is and we make up our mind. It is a REAL news station. From loyal patriotic Arizona Ranchers!"

-- Paul Ingram: "NPR should be more objective instead of being a mouthpiece for the Obama administration, What a great opportunity you have of education and spreading truth to the population , taking neither side in any political dispute. Just the unvarnished facts."

-- Lyn Underdahl: "Fox News provides the opportunity for its listeners to be informed about all the issues. President Obama wants it 'His way or the highway'. Fox News has taken in on the 'high way' by encouraging Americans to get involved in what is being said, what is happening and those in charge who dictate what will become law. The talent of the News staff @ Fox is very credible. Hats off to all of you at Fox News! You make a difference in our World. Thank you for caring about about your listeners."

Many e-mailers wanted to make sure we knew that there had been an online effort, fueled by e-mail chains and blogs, among Fox News fans to "win" the poll. John Plotkin said he had received an e-mail from conservative "friends," urging that he vote in the survey. "If you think your poll results are accurate, think again," Plotkin added.

As I noted on Saturday, this isn't a scientific survey. It's an online poll that successfully got folks talking about a very interesting story.

Thanks again to all those who've taken part. We hope to keep hearing from you.

Update at 7 a.m., Oct. 31: I would like to say thanks to all those who were inspired to vote. As Raw Story explains, the poll touched off a competition. That's a good thing, in my opinion. These kinds of surveys aren't meant to be scientific. They're intended to stimulate discussion and give folks another way to express themselves. We certainly accomplished that.

Now, can I make a small request? Perhaps some who came here to vote and comment could come back on occasion and contribute again to the discussions? We value your input.

Thanks again,

- Mark

Just one comment here...can you just imagine if any other president had created such a feud with the media? Think about former President George W. Bush- he had many more media outlets against him. Had he chosen even one to treat the way the Obama administration has, there would have been even more relentless criticism. It's nice that some of the networks have objected to just a bit of the treatment of Fox News by the White House, but if they were in the same position there would have been a much bigger uproar.

Oh- a comment about one of the comments that the voting was not scientific (no one claimed it was) and there was a concerted effort to sway the voting towards Fox News by conservatives. That kind of an effort is basically a grassroots effort. There is no reason those that stand with the White House could not do the same. This is what a Democracy is all about- the ability to speak (or vote) freely. I personally think that to get over 1 million votes on any poll is a pretty amazing accomplishment and should speak volumes regarding what the grassroots populations thinks. Had this been a vote regarding presidential candidates it would have been considered a landslide. I think it is a bit whiny to complain that conservatives were able to "get out the vote" on this issue and try to discredit the results because of it.

My opinion on Fox News? It's the only reliable source of daily news in my book. But I also read news online. And, I have a brain that I try to use to analyze what I hear. I don't blindly follow anyone. Especially the White House.

If you've been keeping up with the media war between the White House and Fox News, just remember that it's not bias if it's in your favor. Of course the White House is going to have a quarrel with Fox News. They slant to the right and are critical of White House policy. They're not going to have a beef with MSNBC or CNN because they slant to the left and don't seem to question the policies.

In the end it's a matter of perspective, but unfortunately this is a dangerous game being played by those in power and in the end the public will loose far more than just a cable channel they may or may not agree with.

We're fortunate to live in a country with multiple news sources to choose from. If you don't agree with what you see or read, choose another. We're even more fortunate to engage those news sources through the technology we have today and offer up our own alternative point of view. How many people in the world have the freedom to do that?

Attacks on a news outlet regardless of their views or reporting is really an attack on all news outlets. If they attempt to drive out or marginalize one, who's to say they won't go after another... then another... and another until the news becomes a mouthpiece for those in power.

This is where it all starts and if you ask your friends and neighbors they'll certainly have their opinions on which news outlet they prefer. Great! Terrific! Let's celebrate. However, let's not celebrate attacks on the press. We have it for a very good reason and we still have the freedom to decide on the information we want to comsume and what we want to reject.