She called him her "baby daddy" in announcing him after he won the senate.

As far as the "Baby mama" comment specifically it was just wrong on so many levels. There's just a level of respect one should have for the wife of a candidate and the possible First Lady of the United States.

The term "baby mama" came about to refer to women who continually have kids out of wedlock and who never marry. It refers to the low class welfare queens with loose morality. The term has entered the mainstream and thus made less harmful, however, no one would ever think to call someone's actual wife a "baby mama", unless joking and among friends. In the case of Fox News it's blatantly disrespectful and smacks of racism (due to the image of the low class black woman who bares children out of wedlock, often poor, often seen as immoral) of them to refer to Michele Obama in this manner.

To anyone who thinks the term is no big deal, image John McCain's wife being refered to as his "Old Lady".

This is a bit ironic, considering that Rupert Murdoch owns both Fox News and the Wall Street Journal.

I still don't think it's acceptable.... to use those terms when you're supposed to be an objective media group (lol). Would they call Cindy McCain John's baby mama? Highly doubt it.

Werd lula!

I think that the driving force monitoring the media isn't activist groups. They have almost no clout or reach when compared to the Daily Show. The blatant remarks that require an apology are really not the problem. Rather, the real problem is in the day to day reporting, something the Daily Show has aggressively tackled.

She herself opened the "baby" dialogue. I think it was stupid stupid stupid for fox to put that on their show, but as a third party member with no ties to either candidate I must say that her stating he is her baby daddy opens herself up for this kind of banter. Stupid on both sides. Her original comment was just pandering for the black vote. There is nothing "ghetto" about the obamas.

I do not think there is any justification for Fox's use of the phrase.

Should Fox then call Mrs. McCain his Trollop?

Well of course you don't Jill, don't be silly.

And will anyone at least acknowledge that she opened up the dialogue?

It's not a dialogue - a dialogue is two way communication.
Had she referred to him as 'my greatest American hero', fox wouldn't have run with it.

Well that just wouldn't be as funny, would it?

Hey Jill, Who owns the New York Times, CNN, and other news sources and what are their political allegiance? I mean if you are going to say an owner can't have an unbiased company, then there would be absolutely no unbiased news.

GS,

I think that what you say has some merit, that there is a double standard in that Michelle can make a mildly off color joke and others can't. But there are two things in response to that:

--Michelle is black. Insiders to any minority group have always been given more leeway in how they talk about themselves than outsiders. Jewish comedians have used this a lot.

--Fox claims to be a news source. They should be held up to a higher standard than just about anyone else. Newspapers have entire style guides to avoid these kinds of mistakes.

This is nothing but an attempt to "ghettoize" the Obamas. If Fox is going to go after the Obamas at least stay on the issues. I know this won't happen though b/c that's what they do.

Fox News needs to issue an apology.

The more people complain, hopefully the more people will listen.

The use of this term by a national news agency is unacceptable under ANY circumstance--let alone as the central 'joke' of their story (Ha, ha). And it's completely inappropriate when discussing the wife of a candidate for president. And I don't think there is any equivalent on the other side of the aisle (as one of the options suggests). I can't imagine a network like CNN (for example) ever referring to any member of McCain's family with such blatant disrespect and bigotry.

who dat is, dats jus ma baby daddy. ho hum, i think its ridiculous that this is a conversation. i mean i have never heard that term referred to any other politician and while im not someone who likes to point out racism, does anyone honestly think that fox news would of used this term of the obamas were not black?

sommelier-i tried to find the link of michelle obamas "baby daddy" comment. can you send it to me? im interested to know what context it was used in. thanks!

It was her introduction for him at his rally right after he was elected senator. I don't have time to search for the link right now because my sweet husband just walked in with pizza (yay, no cooking tonight). I heard the speech today on the radio, so it shouldn't be hard to find. I will be back on later and if you haven't found it, I will search it out. Cheers, off to eat some yummy pizza with a yummy man!

Yeah, I don't recall when Bush was running anyone referring to Laura as "Vehicular Manslaughter Mama".

VarooMM!

or referring to mccains wife as betty ford mama

GS, I think it is completely different thing when you are joking among supporters, and when you are a "news" channel. And if you looked at the transcript, she called him "my baby's daddy", which technically he is.

Ultimately, my opinion is that a news channel and broadcasters are held to journalistic standards. Fox News even admitted it was a very bad choice:

"A producer on the program exercised poor judgment in using this chyron during the segment," Fox's Senior Vice President of Programming Bill Shine said.

Cine, no, I don't think there are many sources of unbiased news out there, tragically. IMO, the choices are between the lesser of many evils (which is why I try to get information straight from candidates speeches, and not pundit interpretations of their speeches). Since Rupert Murdoch has stated publically that he formed Fox with the specific intent to be biased, it is hard to argue that they are an unbiased source. If CNN ever stoops to this level, let me know and I will think it is terrible as well. CNN is bias, I just tend to think it isn't as extreme as Fox.

Here is the transcript of what Michelle said:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0411/02/se.06.html

I have not seen the video or heard the speech where Michelle referred to Obama as a baby daddy. If in fact she did, then it is completely different then calling Cindy McCain Betty Ford Mama or calling Laura Bush "Vehicular Manslaughter Mama", because neither one of them have referred to themselves or their husbands as something derogatory.

I don't think Fox was right for calling her a baby mama, but she set herself up for it, if she did call Obama a baby daddy.

Jill, Wall street journal has not stooped to this level, so are you going to give them a read? Or automatically assume that they are going to be like Fox News?

Cine, as usual you're fair-minded. It's totally a respectful way to address a potential first lady.

thanks jillness, wow that took me back, an up and coming young man. it reminds of when i saw him speak at the convention when he was running for senator. i later told my mom, i just heard a speech from our first black president.

Racc as usual you take what you want from my post. I said I don't think it was right what Fox did, but they did not pull it out of thin air.

And as for your condescending remark about my fair mindedness, hows that pot calling the kettle doing?

Oh and thanks for the link Jill!

Hey, at least I consider voting for McCain. The fact that you are even suggesting that it's okay to call a woman who might be our first lady "baby mama" is okay strips the thin veneer of whatever unbiased limn you presume to coat yourself.

lets just say that michelle brought on herself, shouldnt fox have more integrity than to say "baby mama" a term coined on jerry springer.

I have to agree that if Michelle playfully introduced Obama as her "baby daddy" then she initiated this whole thing. I also agree that any news media shouldn't have played along. However, it could be a good lesson to all to be careful of what you say, it could be used against you. Funny how people just haven't learned that yet.

Actually, Cine, I read an interview with Rupert Murdoch last month, and he is revamping the WSJ and changing the format. Let me see if I can find it. (And I have been reading the WSJ for a few years now, and continue to read it, and yes, the changes are apparent).

in michelles defense, she was pretty elated, im sure she wasnt thinking "my husband may be president some day and fox news may nit pick every single word i say" fox on the other wrote and edited and put it on the air.

i heard murdochs son was taking over fox news and that it may become a little more fair and balanced.

I definitely think it was in poor taste to say that about Michelle.

I also think it is in poor taste for Michelle to say something like that at a political rally.

These are terms that are better left for conversations among friends and comedy movies.

Also, I think it's crazy to argue about which news channel/newspaper is more or less biased. Fox News and CNN are both biased...as long as you know that and know that what you are watching is biased, it puts you a little ahead of the game.

Who the hell cares that you Considered voting for McCain? What does that have to do with anything? For all it is because your girlfriend is a McCain supporter and asked you to take a look at him. Oh wait that is right, you are a Catholic when it is convenient or a Conservative when it suits you on this site.

And I don't know what part of "I don't think Fox was right for calling her a baby mama" you are not understanding. I mean how else can I phrase it for you. I did use small words so that can't be it.

going from left to right it goes: msnbc,cnn, fox. sooo that puts cnn kinda in the middle.

Jill don't break my heart and tell me they are changing Wall street journal. That would be lame.

We're all friends here, right? Just making sure!

Michelle said it once in public 4 years ago and therefore, she initiated this? That's a big stretch. It's also hard to believe that anyone at Fox was paying that much attention to Mrs Obama at a rally 4 years ago, or to think anyone at Fox has that long a memory.

I don't know why don't you ask Racc that?

"to think anyone at Fox has that long a memory."

Okay, that made me lol.

Steph, she did say it, so I really don't think they pulled it out of thing air. Regardless, they were wrong to use it.

:KUMBAYA:

Oh come on, the media (and many voters) are constantly all over what these people have in their pasts. That goes for both sides of the political forum, you know this stuff is going to creep it's way out their closets at some point.

Again I'm not saying it's right, but honestly, how do we stop it? How can we let the media know that we don't care about this crap in the past? Or is it because we do care, as long as it isn't defamatory against our candidate?

I'm not denying she said it, I do question the notion that Fox knew it or that it means that Mrs. Obama then initiated this. It's blaming the victim. And reporters heard the trollop remark, yet I don't think anyone would say McCain initiated it if they started printing that for Mrs. McCain.

I just think that the point is that EVERYTHING that is said about the Obamas is scrutinized, where it's really not for many other people running for office (McCain for example). Ageism is awful, too, and people don't seem to have a problem with that.

In general (NOT neccessarily with this particular comment) I think people should be a little less worried about every single word that they say.

At the very core of this is whether or not Fox was wrong in describing Michelle this way. I think we have all agreed they were out of line.

Cine, the WSJ is going to start having more political coverage...and a sports section!

what deragatory thing did fox say about mccains age? and mccain publicly pokes fun at his age, michelle obama only used the term that one time.