A BOLD MOVE. John Edwards is the first Democratic presidential candidate to pull out of the Fox News sponsored Democratic presidential primary debate scheduled to take place in Nevada later this year, and kudos to him for doing so. None of the Democrats will get a fair hearing on that channel as it currently exists, and freezing Fox out of the loop early is a good way to make a play for fairer coverage later in the campaign season, as well as for fair treatment of the eventual nominee. Fox is biased, but it's still enough of a news organization that a lack of access will sting mightily and could lead to newsroom reforms.
Stepping out of the debate is a smart tactical move for Edwards, as well. Already, MoveOn.org, which is running a campaign to get the Democratic Party of Nevada to drop Fox as its primary debate sponsor, has sent out a press release praising him. �We applaud John Edwards for sending a clear message to voters, the media, and other candidates: Fox is part of the right-wing smear machine and should not be treated like a legitimate news outlet,� Eli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn.org Civic Action, said in the release. That kind of publicity comes in especially handy for online fundraising as candidates head toward the end of the first quarter. Edwards' move is also a reasonably good way to put Hillary Clinton, in particular, in an awkward position, in that she has cultivated a personal friendship with Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch, who reportedly held a fundraiser for her last year. The safe solution for the rest of the pack: Pressure the Nevada Democrats to pull the plug on Fox, pre-empting any need for individual action, and then follow their lead.
--Garance Franke-Ruta
