Fox News is wing of Republican party, says White House

The White House is in a war of words with Rupert Murdoch's Fox News channel over "biased" coverage of the Obama administration.

White House communications director Anita Dunn said the broadcaster is a "wing of the Republican party" and when President Barack Obama appears on it "he's going on to debate the opposition".

Ms Dunn also told rival channel CNN: "They take their opposition research, put it on air. Let's not pretend they're a news network the way CNN is."

Fox News accused the White House of confusing the channel's commentators with news reporters. It is the only major TV network not to carry a recent presidential press conference. Glenn Beck, a Fox News commentator whose show is watched by two million, has accused the President of being a racist with a hatred of white people.