On Fox News Watch yesterday, the discussion turned to a legal case over whether or not a particular blogger was entitled to the legal protections of journalists. After a report on the case, the panel weighed in. Fox News contributor Cal Thomas offered unintentionally and hilariously ironic standards for journalists that would immediately disqualify many if not most at Fox News!

Thomas said,

I do think there ought to be an independent group of some kind, that everyone respects, that doesn’t have a political leaning one way or another and the people who are applying to be known as journalists ought to have certain basic, non-associations, no political agenda, no contributing to parties, no dog in the fight.

Panelist Judith Miller was laughing off camera. “That would mean Bill O’Reilly would not be a journalist,” she said.

Nor would Sean Hannity, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Karl Rove and others.

“I’m not going to put you on that committee,” Miller joked to Thomas.

Thomas continued, “There used to be standards and rules, at least generally accepted, for what constitutes a journalist. And there are none any more.”

“Journalists aren’t even journalists any more,” panelist Kirsten Powers noted.

If Thomas wants independence and objectivity in journalism, perhaps he could start by making some improvements in those areas right there at Fox News.