Sheesh.
So here's what happened: FoxNews was doing a story on the indictment of Rep. William J. Jefferson, who was charged with bribery. Unfortunately, the network ran footage of House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers of Michigan, instead. Both Jefferson and Conyers are black.
I searched for footage of this mistake, preferably one without political commentary on the mistake itself, but all I could find was the video below from Talking Points Memo. Nevertheless, you're all big boys and girls and should be able to make up your own mind about what transpired.
Following the video is FoxNews' on-air apology, which Conyers did not accept, at one point saying, "this type of disrespect for people of color should no longer be tolerated."
FoxNews blamed the gaff on a production assistant who grabbed the wrong tape. Conyers himself was upset that the apology did not go into specifics.
I think the "fair and balanced-ness" of FoxNews varies depending on the show being aired, but it's been clear from the beginning that the network has always seen itself as iconoclastic, an alternative to the other mainstream outlets. In this age, people will essentially gravitate towards whatever media outlet jibes with their own personal beliefs, which probably doesn't bode well no matter what your affiliation happens to be. I've seen stuff on FoxNews that leaned heavily to the Right, and seen things on CNN that leaned heavily to the Left, and I've also seen things on both networks I felt were relatively balanced in their approach. It's easy to slap dismissive labels onto things and only watch what fits in with your particular worldview; it's a bit more difficult to open yourself up to different outlets of information and then make up your own mind.
Now, does FoxNews' mistake mean it has a "disrespect for people of color?" I have no idea, though I can't imagine why it would, or what purpose that would serve. I see the mistake as nothing more than a mistake, but at the same time, a more thoughtful apology would have probably been in order, if for no other reason than to clarify any misinformation that resulted from the mistake.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-06-2007 @ 2:42PM
patrick said...
i think it was good of fox to downplay the mistake
its a bad sign when people of the united states are so quick to brand other people racists and accuse them of having a secret adgenda
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6-06-2007 @ 2:47PM
const said...
why is this is worthy of posting? they showed the wrong video and apologized. who cares.
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6-06-2007 @ 4:00PM
BC said...
This becomes a bigger story than it would have been because Fox and its affiliates have made a number of other "mistakes" regarding prominent black Democrats, e. g., reporting the hoax that Barack Obama attended an Islamic madrassa, or showing a photograph of Obama while reporting on a convicted child molester. CBS reported a hoax regarding President Bush and people resigned and were fired in addition to issuing the grudging apology.
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6-06-2007 @ 10:42PM
Vito said...
Racism doesn't have to be overt or blatant. It was extremely thoughtless, and has not (nor would it) happen with a prominent white Republican. Even if it isn't much to be offended by, it's a pretty bad error on the part of a news organization.
If anything, it's a sign of shoddy journalism. Fox has shown many of those. Well, as long as it leans to the left. They seem to have their facts pretty darn straight when it comes to Republican news.
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6-06-2007 @ 11:19PM
Malcontent said...
How many mistakes has Josh Marshall made on his blog? How could that have possibly been intentional?
I've worked in TV newsrooms, and I know many of the people at Fox News, and I can't believe this warrants the hyperbole, unless you're part of the grievance industry like Josh Marshall.
Yes, Fox News is farther to the right of the rest of the media, but that is an indictment of the rest of the media and not of Fox News. Like anyone on Earth would have gotten the point anyway if it had been an intentional slur.
Grow up, Lefties!
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6-06-2007 @ 11:30PM
Malcontent said...
BC: Way to downplay what actually happened with 60 Minutes. The most widely viewed and, in many circles, widely respected TV news magazine in history ran a smear piece against George Bush involving deliberately fabricated documents. It was also deliberately timed during the election to inflict the maximum damage.
The story was echoed in the rest of the media and would have stood except for that part of the blogosphere that called "shenanigans."
To compare a few stupid, isolated mistakes that happened on Fox -- when crap like that happens to the detriment of conservatives practically every minute in the 90 percent of the media that is dominated by liberals, to say nothing of CBS's fraudulent attempt to bring down a president -- is the height of absurdity. Shame on you!
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6-07-2007 @ 2:13AM
dwxpub said...
This was not good of Fox to downplay their apology. If the first one was published in a newspaper, it would not have been enough - it certainly isn't enough for TV.
Their second was much more complete, and covered what they did and why it happened.
And malcontent - there are near constant "mistakes" regarding conservatives? Please, find some where CNN labeled and indicted Democrat as a Republican. Fox however, only seems to make mistakes in one direction.
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6-07-2007 @ 11:49AM
Gordy said...
Wow. This is considered 'racist' and Jo Biden's comments still have gone unchecked? No to mention Hillary's 'black talk'.
Idiots.
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6-09-2007 @ 12:02AM
Joey Geraci said...
Malcontent, isn't it funny the misinformation that has run rampant about the CBS story. If you bothered to actually research the facts, you would see that 60 minutes was basically right in the fact that they presented in their report. Yes, the actual evidence they presented in the news piece turned out not to be solid enough to air, but further investigation ignored by the "liberal" news media showed that everything that 60 minutes alleged was actually very close to the truth.
The fact that anybody feels the need to defend Fox News in any way, shape, or form is laughable. While they undoubtedly have some hard working and competent people working for them somewhere in their organization, the vast majority of the network is filled with either partisan hacks or ignorant fools. CNN is no bastion for journalistic impartiality and integrity, but it's overall and consistent quality and general newsworthiness makes Fox News's propaganda yellow journalism even more striking in comparison.
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6-09-2007 @ 12:03AM
Joey Geraci said...
Malcontent, isn't it funny the misinformation that has run rampant about the CBS story. If you bothered to actually research the facts, you would see that 60 minutes was basically right in the fact that they presented in their report. Yes, the actual evidence they presented in the news piece turned out not to be solid enough to air, but further investigation ignored by the "liberal" news media showed that everything that 60 minutes alleged was actually very close to the truth.
The fact that anybody feels the need to defend Fox News in any way, shape, or form is laughable. While they undoubtedly have some hard working and competent people working for them somewhere in their organization, the vast majority of the network is filled with either partisan hacks or ignorant fools. CNN is no bastion for journalistic impartiality and integrity, but it's overall and consistent quality and general newsworthiness makes Fox News's propaganda yellow journalism even more striking in comparison.
Reply
6-09-2007 @ 12:03AM
Joey Geraci said...
Malcontent, isn't it funny the misinformation that has run rampant about the CBS story. If you bothered to actually research the facts, you would see that 60 minutes was basically right in the fact that they presented in their report. Yes, the actual evidence they presented in the news piece turned out not to be solid enough to air, but further investigation ignored by the "liberal" news media showed that everything that 60 minutes alleged was actually very close to the truth.
The fact that anybody feels the need to defend Fox News in any way, shape, or form is laughable. While they undoubtedly have some hard working and competent people working for them somewhere in their organization, the vast majority of the network is filled with either partisan hacks or ignorant fools. CNN is no bastion for journalistic impartiality and integrity, but it's overall and consistent quality and general newsworthiness makes Fox News's propaganda yellow journalism even more striking in comparison.
Reply
6-09-2007 @ 12:04AM
Joey Geraci said...
Malcontent, isn't it funny the misinformation that has run rampant about the CBS story. If you bothered to actually research the facts, you would see that 60 minutes was basically right in the fact that they presented in their report. Yes, the actual evidence they presented in the news piece turned out not to be solid enough to air, but further investigation ignored by the "liberal" news media showed that everything that 60 minutes alleged was actually very close to the truth.
The fact that anybody feels the need to defend Fox News in any way, shape, or form is laughable. While they undoubtedly have some hard working and competent people working for them somewhere in their organization, the vast majority of the network is filled with either partisan hacks or ignorant fools. CNN is no bastion for journalistic impartiality and integrity, but it's overall and consistent quality and general newsworthiness makes Fox News's propaganda yellow journalism even more striking in comparison.
Reply
6-09-2007 @ 12:07AM
Joey Geraci said...
Sorry for that, post wasn't showing up.
Maybe the admins could clean that up? I would if I could.
Reply