According to Newsweek's Jonathan Alter, Fox's Roger Ailes is a bit of a crankypants, and then some. Newsweek politics/media columnist Alter published a satirical post-Deep Throat piece about how Watergate might be addressed (or, rather, not addressed) by today's media, in a faux-report which joked that "...former Nixon media adviser Roger Ailes banned the word 'Watergate' from Fox's coverage and went with the logo 'Assault on the Presidency' instead." According to Alter's post on HuffPo, Ailes didn't take too kindly to that characterization, and his
"stooges" were "peddling a story to the press that I was guilty of a conflict-of-interest and should have disclosed in my column that I twice unsuccessfully sought employment at Fox News and now do part-time work under contract to NBC News and MSNBC." (Alter clarifies: job talks fizzled when he realized he was being hired as a liberal whipping boy.) As FishbowlDC points out, it's fun to have a blog to complement your magazine column.

Roger Ailes has a whole network, but for his return salvo he opted for a simple letter...cc'd to the "Washington Whispers" column in DC. A sampling: "You've done some good work in your career. I wish you'd get back to that" and, not at all buying into the right-wing version of recent events, "Fox News Channel didn't report something that just got people killed."

Are we done yet? Hillary Clinton hopes not, she's love to see the media put up their dukes. Ailes' full letter after the jump.

If Watergate Happened Now [Newsweek]
Fox, Watergate and Intimidation Journalism [HuffPo]
Letter from Ailes to Alter [FishbowlDC]

June 7, 2005 Jonathan Alter
Newsweek
251 W. 57th St.
New York, NY 10019

Dear Jonathan,

I was disappointed by your recent cheap shot about me in Newsweek. First, you didn't disclose that you have been paid by MSNBC, our competitor. Second, you have no basis in fact for what you said. In nine years of the Fox News Channel, I've never banned any word, phrase or story, and in fact have often said the inclusion of everybody's point of view is necessary to avoid bias. I did work for Richard Nixon's campaign over 37 years ago for about five months as a TV producer. I had no editorial control. I was 28 years old.

You've done some good work in your career. I wish you'd get back to that. The Fox News Channel didn't report something that just got people killed nor have we fired our executive editor, our top producers, our anchors and we don't have a former attorney general investigating our journalism. I thought you were a better man and a better journalist.

Roger Ailes
Chairman & CEO
FOX News Channel