Barack Obama Aware Of Fox News, But Doesn’t Watch Cable News, According To Jay Carney

President Barack Obama and Fox News are aware of each other, but it does not appear as though the 44th president of the United States spends much time watching the channel or its cable news cousins.

In an interview with CNN’s Brian Stelter on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” former White House Press Secretary and current CNN contributor Jay Carney detailed Barack Obama’s Fox News awareness and his overall news intake. Industry blog T.V. Newser (which Stelter founded prior to his days at The New York Times and CNN) has the conversation between the two.

“STELTER: Is it true the president doesn’t watch any cable news?”

“CARNEY: It is true, which doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get news, in a real time basis. He does. He’s a voracious consumer of the printed word, even the electronic printed word, and but he doesn’t — he doesn’t watch cable news. I have spent, you know, countless hours with him on Air Force One, especially, in the conference room where we always had the TV on, and it was never in any of the trips I ever took with him, tuned in to cable news.”

Mediaite followed up with some bits of conversation regarding Fox News, with Stelter noting that Carney during their interview had mentioned the president reads The New York Times and POLITICO, but failed to mention anything about Fox News. Carney said Barack Obama was “aware” of Fox News.

“He’s aware of what’s out there…. I don’t think it would be accurate to say that by not watching cable news he’s not aware of what the political fight of the day is. But he maintains a healthy distance.”

Mediaite also caught comments by Carney on the president’s coolness under pressure, which some have criticized. He said it is because the president is thinking long-term instead of in the moment.

“He doesn’t hyperventilate about the political crises of the moment…. He takes the long view. He is very cool tempered. He would often caution us not to get caught up in whatever the fight of the moment. Now, I think that’s a strength. But it also can sometimes mean you’re going to lose the fight of the moment in the media.”

While a joke, Obama appeared less than cool under aggravation when he appeared on “Between Two Ferns” to promote American youth signing up for healthcare through Healthcare.gov.

[Image via Flickr Creative Commons]