A few days ago, Fox news posted an article with fake quotes attributed to Kerry. Go to this link and read the whole story: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_09_26.php#003551 Now, just a few days later, they post quotes from a group called Communists for Kerry. This is what was originally on their site: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134268,00.html Communists for Kerry is actually just a lame ass joke campaign by a group of Republicans. http://www.hellgate.org/ http://communistsforkerry.com/ Of course, now Fox changed the article: It's no "Memo-gate" but I find it impossible that these negative Kerry "jokes" keep finding their way onto the website.
Thanks for the find Oski. This kind of irrespsonisble journalism should get more attention. Personally I think RAther should retire. His reporting was sloppy and unprofessional. I'm sick of people not takiing responsibility lately. Rumsfeld hasn't, Bush hasn't, Rice hasn't, and Rather hasn't either. Rather should retire, and Fox News should make apologies, and tell the truth.
If you believe your respect for fox news cannot possibly drop any lower, then go see that movie 'The Corporation'
unlike CBS, however, Fox owned up to the mistake and published a retraction: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134324,00.html -- For a Friday report on this Web site following the first Bush-Kerry debate, a member of Communists for Kerry managed to persuade a FOXNews.com reporter that he was indeed a Kerry supporter. His true feelings subsequently were misrepresented in a story that was published here over the weekend. FOXNews.com regrets the error. From now on, polygraphs for everybody. Editor's Note On Friday, FOXNews.com posted an item purporting to contain quotations from John Kerry. The item was based on a reporter’s partial script that had been written in jest and should not have been posted or broadcast. We regret the error, which occurred because of fatigue and bad judgment, not malice.
CBS has alos apologized, and Rather himself admitted the mistake. It took them awhile, and I think Rather should still retire, but they have owned up to their mistakes. The Fox story is wholly untrue, unlike the CBS story. The problem with the CBS story was the evidence used for that particular part.
Um...does this whole paragraph sound tongue in cheek to anyone else besides me? "Comrade Kerry"? Come on. Does Josh really think Fox was taking these idiots seriously? This doesn't even come close to Rather and CBS.
Since Fox printed a retraction and admitted the mistake, I think they did take them seriously, which might give a clue as to how serious their news coverage is.
I don't know, that doesn't sound too serious to me. The whole thing sounds like a joke. If Fox is guilty of anything in this case, it's making a lame attempt at humor.
You can make that conclusion if you want, but it's not what FOX news has said. They said their reporter was convinced the group was legit. They apologized for it. They never said it was a joke. The fact that they couldn't tell it was a joke, shows shoddy reporting IMO.
FOXnews really can't pretend to be anything other than the party organ for the Bush Administration. They're a news agency in much the same way that Rush Limbaugh is an impartial radio reporter. As much as CNN and other news outlets are accused (does anyone remember Monica Lewinsky coverage?) of being liberal ( I don't see it personally, except in extreme cases like the recent debacle, and even then it's more about getting the "scoop" than anything else), they at least make an effort to appear impartial. FOXnews barely tries to hide the fact that it's a corporate/Bush crony. I don't attach any more credibility to it than I do to National Enquirer (never look at it) or the Drudge Report (though I still read it sometimes). But, to be fair (and balanced), I don't believe CNN has a huge amount of credibility either with the amount of time they spend reporting useless crap and promoting the projects of TimeWarner "affiliates." But I really can't understand how viewers can take FOXnews seriously at this point - unless they, as neo-conservative viewers, prefer being comfortable to being informed. That was one of the scariest movies I've seen. Important stuff. (I think Oski started a thread on it awhile back)
Hannity is an opinion show. For the record, I don't watch the FNC. A little too much Scott Peterson coverage for me. But this whole "incident" happened on the website, not any particular show on Fox.
it was still reported as a news story not a humor piece. surely someone out there who read it believed it
Fox News Channel admits reporter posted fake story about Kerry WASHINGTON (AFP) - An official at Fox News Channel said that one of its political reporters has been disciplined for posting a fake news item on its website about Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Paul Schur, a spokesman for the network, said Fox's chief political correspondent Carl Cameron had been disciplined for posting an item on FoxNews.com that included several made-up quotes attributed to Kerry. "Carl has been reprimanded," Schur said Sunday, defining further comment. The article alleged to cover a post-debate rally by Kerry at which the Massachusetts senator was purported to gush over his "metrosexual" appearance. "Didn't my nails and cuticles look great? What a good debate!" the article by the Cameron read, purportedly quoting Kerry after the event. "Women should like me! I do manicures," the story also quotes Kerry as telling the crowd. The article also has the Democratic candidate contrasting himself to US President George W. Bush. "I'm metrosexual -- he's a cowboy," Cameron quoted Kerry as saying. Officials for Fox, which has been criticized for being biased towards Bush's Republican party, decline to explain how the spoof article ended up on the network's website. A statement by Fox on the website Sunday apologized for the article, saying it was a joke. "Foxnews.com erred ... on Friday, posting an item purporting to contain quotes attributable to Kerry," the statement read. "The item was based on a reporters partial script that had been written in jest and should not have been posted or broadcast. Foxnews.com also regrets that error, which occurred because of fatigue and bad judgment, not malice." US media quoted a statement by the Kerry campaign's spokesman, Phil Singer, saying Fox was right to own up to the gaffe. "Fox is doing the right thing by admitting its mistake and correcting the record," Singer told the New York Times in an article published Sunday. "George Bush would be well-served to heed the lesson and admit to his own mistakes," Singer said. link (That was cheap shot by Singer BTW... )
