Fox host appearing at rallies opposing healthcare reform

A Fox News host is scheduled to make several appearances next week at events and forums where he will "discuss the dangers of government-forced health care," alongside the head of the anti-tax and anti-health care reform group Americans for Prosperity.

John Stossel, a former co-anchor of ABC's 20/20, is hosting a new show on the Fox Business Network called "Stossel," which is described as featuring "in-depth reports on domestic and international libertarian issues" like civil liberties, the business of health care and Social Security.

The network refers to Stossel as a journalist on its website---in fact, "one of the most talented and thought-provoking journalists in the field."

But some, like The Plum Line's Greg Sargent, wonder whether the network that "is embroiled in a high-profile battle with the White House over its legitimacy as a news outlet" should be allowing "one of its proudly touted journalists to participate in an event decrying Obama’s health care reform proposals as 'government-forced health care.'”

Fox has been under attack for its alleged "fair and balanced" coverage since White House Communications director Anita Dunn recently said Fox operates as a "wing of the Republican Party."

Dunn's views were reinforced last weekend by several top Obama advisers, including David Axelrod who told ABC's "This Week" that “it’s not just their commentators, but a lot of their news programming if you watch, it’s really not news. It's pushing a point of view."

Stossel's appearance at anti-health care reform rallies, some blogs argue, undermines the arguments of people like Tucker Carlson, a Fox News Contributor,  who penned an item for The Daily Beast Friday saying "the Obama people aren’t at war with Fox because it’s conservative."

"They’re angry because Fox has embarrassed them," Carlson writes. "Its correspondents ask hard questions."

Stossel will join Americans for Prosperity president Tim Phillips and Peggy Venable, the group's Texas president, as well as Canadian small business owner Shawn Danko in Arkansas town hall events scheduled for Texarkana, Little Rock, and Jonesboro next Thursday.

Fox spokespeople did not respond to Raw Story's requests for comment.