Obama says Fox News is ‘destructive’ for country’s growth

Fox News may have the highest ratings on cable news, but President Obama still isn't a fan of the network's point of view.

In a wide-ranging Rolling Stone interview, Obama swung back at the network that provides a major platform for conservative hosts and Republican political analysts (some of whom may also be seeking the presidency in a few years).

Rolling Stone Editor Jann Wenner asked Obama for his view of Fox News and his view on whether conservative mogul Rupert Murdoch's network is a "good institution for America and for democracy."

Obama began by saying that he will always uphold the Constitution's guarantee of free speech, and noted that United States has a tradition "of a press that oftentimes is opinionated." There's only been a short "golden age of an objective press," he said. Throughout American history, he continued, there have also been publishers like William Randolph Hearst "who used their newspapers very intentionally to promote their viewpoints."

"I think Fox is part of that tradition — it is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view," Obama said. "It's a point of view that I disagree with. It's a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world."

"But as an economic enterprise, it's been wildly successful," he continued. "And I suspect that if you ask Mr. Murdoch what his No. 1 concern is, it's that Fox is very successful."

The White House and Fox News have bitterly clashed in the past, but Obama's latest remarks come after a period of relative calm.

The situation was most tense almost a year ago. In October 2009, Anita Dunn — then White House communications director — called Fox News "opinion journalism masquerading as news." The back-and-forth between Fox News and the White House lasted a couple weeks. (Obama has long believed that Fox's coverage is unfair, telling Fox chief Roger Ailes during the 2008 campaign that the network was essentially portraying him as a terrorist.)

However, the two once-warring factions have been pretty quiet -- at least publicly. Of course, that might not be the case once Fox's opinionated hosts offer their two cents about Obama's remarks.

(Photo by Mark Seliger for RollingStone.com)