Obama on ISIL: A Tale of Two Networks

Today's blog is going to focus on Fox News and CNN's online coverage of President Obama's strategy for combating ISIL.  As I began to read each networks article I was at first surprised by the similarities in the two.  However, as I continued to read the reality of a continual bias began to surface.  Each side claimed that President Obama had bipartisan support from various members of Congress, but if one fact checks them it shows that their statements were taken out of context.  In regards to Syria the Fox News article made it seem as though President Obama didn't have a firm strategy, but the CNN article outlined it in detail.  Fox News repeatedly made an effort to point out GOP opposition to Obama's not gaining congressional approval for military action, all while making sure that everyone knew that it was the 2016 GOP hopefuls that served as the oppositions primary voice.  CNN portrayed it as though the president had little to no opposition in ordering further military action.  They made it seem as though 2016 GOP hopeful, Sen. Ted Cruz, was the only opposition and that his fellow republicans in congress sided with the president.  The only quoted member of congress was Rep. Peter King, R-New York, who just last year threatened to switch parties.  Finally the end of each article paints a different picture.  Fox news makes it a point to mention that the president was vacationing again in Martha's Vineyard when James Foley was beheaded. They stated the fact that he decided to play golf immediately after his phone call to Foley's parents and his statement to the public.  In my opinion they mentioned this in order to portray President Obama as unsympathetic.  On the flip side CNN closed out with strong words from President Obama.  They ended with his solemn promise that the U.S. would systematically degrade ISIL's capabilities and ultimately defeat them.  So while there are few similarities between the two, the bias in each cannot be denied.