TRULY SHAMEFUL: Top Story on WaPo Politics homepage: "FOX News not to blame for Sherrod firing"

[kpete]

Top 3 stories on WaPo Politics homepage:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sectionfronts/politics/index.html
FOX News not to blame for Sherrod firing

"""For all the chatter that Sherrod was done in by Fox News, the network didn't touch the story until her forced resignation was made public Monday evening."""

Sherrod: I want to talk to Obama

""""I can't say that the president is fully behind me," Sherrod said Thursday morning."""

Scandal tarnishes White House

"""There was no composure or fortitude on display in responding to the video of Shirley Sherrod."""

WaPo = Truly. Shameful.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/a_question_for_the_press_corps.html#comments

[Vinnie From Indy]

1. The message has gone out to all the regular media whores - protect FOX News

That slimy piece of shit, lying bastard Howard Kurtz goes to great lengths to shield FOX from being discussed as major player in this fiasco. The nakedness of the lies and misdirection being meted out by the likes of Kurtz is astounding.

[LargeGreenSpider]

5. I agree.

But why does the rest of the rancid M$M protect Faux? Why? How did the media in this nation become not only so corrupt, but so totally fearful?

[Stinky The Clown]

2. "You have to have a perverse admiration for the rw machine - they won. Unless . . . ."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8794163

[niyad]

3. "didn't touch the story"??? they SCREAMED the story. the problem is, they think the

rest of the country is as stupid, as ignorant, as brain dead, as memory-deficient as their sheep (er, viewers)


I wish I believed in hell, because that is where they all belong.

WHEN is there going to be any sort of real effort to remove their broadcasting license?

[OHdem10]

4. Republicans protect Republicans.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. It's by Howard Kurtz. Isn't that enough said?

[City Lights]

22. Yes it is.

No need to read beyond the writer's byline. Corporatemediahoore of the highest order.

[gratuitous]

7. After a thorough review, one major media outlet absolves another

Treat this with all the deference, credibility and integrity that you would your standard pro wrestling match, police review board investigation, or military tribunal investigating allegations of wrongdoing by our soldiery.

[time_has_come]

8. I wouldn't blame FOX either. Blaming a bully for a piss-poor response to the bully tactics is wrong.

Sure, it can be argued that if FOX was not dedicated to smearing the Obama administration as they are then the Obama administration might not have fired Sherrod.

If FOX producers hadn't been calling Obama officials seeking comment all day, heightening administration fear of another FOX roller coaster attack, then an Obama official wouldn't have told Sherrod to pull over to the side of the road and resign immediately before the Glen Beck show aired.

That misses the point though. The Obama administration has no excuse for not examining the full transcript and coming to the OBVIOUS conclusion that Sherrod was being taken grossly out of context.

Imagine how competent and smart the Obama administration would look if they had responded to all the FOX outrage with "Uh, no, we're not calling for Ms Sherrod's resignation because what she actually said, if you watch the whole speech, is admirable and deserves praise and is another example of the quality of persons we have appointed to important positions within our administration."

Imagine that.

I can blame fear of past crimes committed for making me cross the road when a couple of young hoodlums are walking down the sidewalk towards me, but when those hoodlums sense my fear and weakness and cross the road after me to demand my wallet, I have nobody but myself to blame. If I had chosen to walk strong and stay on my chosen path the hoodlums would see I was not afraid.
I can blame my mother for giving birth to me everytime something bad happens to me too, I suppose.

This was an Obama admin. screw-up, without question.

[emilyg]

23. Good post.

[ieoeja]

25. An even bigger screwup would be ignoring this chance to take a shot at FNC.

So here we have this wonderful demonstration of FNC lying, and you would rather we use this to attack Obama?

I guess this is why Democrats don't have a 90% majority in D.C. We are on the average person's side on almost every divisive issue, we have all the facts supporting us, but we seem to be stupid as shit when it comes to politics. "Look, they just handed us a weapon! Let's use it against us!"

[time_has_come]

29. Ah, ok. So telling the truth...ie. Obama should have not fallen for this...is "attacking Obama"?

Let's not point out how Obama and his administration responded badly to this with the hope that they do better in the future. No, let's JUST attack FOX...because we can't do both, right?

It's the attitude that Obama can do no wrong and should not be criticized that creates the atmosphere for this kind of screw-up.

Can you deny this: The Obama administration acted out of fear of FOX news and ignorance of the facts which they COULD have gotten their hands on with a little effort....??

You cannot, in all honesty. But you'd rather not hold up the truth here...why?

[ieoeja]

30. Since you "wouldn't blame FOX either", you apparently "can't do both, right?"

[time_has_come]

31. I blame FOX for being FOX, I don't blame them for Sharrod's firing....and that was not...

...one of the "both" items i suggested is possible.

People can attack FOX for jumping all over a story they hadn't properly vetted...label them for the rabid anti-Democrat anti-Obama organization they are...AND criticize the Obama administration for firing Sherrod.

I never indicated the "both" that could be done was blaming both FOX and Obama for the firing of Sherrod.

Let's not waste time on red herrings, shall we?

You were the one, in fact, who suggested we can only pick between accusing FNC of dishonesty in this OR "attacking" Obama.

And therein lies the problem for this administration, perhaps. People like you who think valid criticism is "attacking." If someone in the Obama administration had been using some sensible critical thought during this fiasco then Sharrod would never have been fired.

It appears you think the Obama administration SHOULD act decisively in the face of a threat of a FOX attack without taking the time to find out for themselves what the real story is. You're obviously no friend to Obama.

[sufrommich]

9. "the network didn't touch the story until her forced resignation"

That's a lie. Here's the proof from Media Matters:

http://mediamatters.org/research/201007210066


Fox is going for another snow job. Let's not let them.

[SunsetDreams]

10. ty I was getting ready to post that.

[Blue Owl]

11. The Washroom Post is gagging on Murdock's balls

n/t

[Brewman_Jax]

12. Circling the wagons

to protect the RW squawk machine, as usual. :eyes:

[sufrommich]

13. I'd be alright with the right wing media circling the wagons, it's

to be expected. My problem is with the rest of media cowering in fear of them.

[Brewman_Jax]

16. True

WaPo shouldn't be enabling them. You note that the conservative screed of "personal responsibility" is pretty quiet, like conservatives ever take "personal responsibility" if something is their fault.

[matt819]

14. Boy cries wolf. Dozens dead in stampede. Not boy's fault.

Conservatives really do live in an alternate universe. Using the boy cries wolf analogy, I guess it's the dead peoples' fault because they didn't verify that there was or was not a fire. And, after all, they chose to stampede out of the theater. The boy didn't tell them to run and to kill their fellow theatergoers.

[G_j]

15. it's true that FOX didn't fire her

In a separate issue, FOX deliberately and aggressively smeared Sherrod with falsified 'evidence'.

It appears they are getting away with it once again.

[struggle4progress]

17. Timeline of Breitbart's Sherrod smear (MediaMatters)

Monday
11:18 a.m.*: Breitbart posts Sherrod video ...
Fox News amplifies Breitbart's deceptively edited video. On July 19, FoxNews.com reported: .. a video .. showing an Agriculture Department official .. with a story about how she withheld help to a white farmer .."..The article is no longer available on FoxNews.com ...
1:40 p.m. (approximately): Fox Nation accuses Sherrod of "discrimination caught on tape" before she resigned. Fox Nation linked to Breitbart's Big Government piece and posted the deceptively cropped clips of Sherrod's speech ... http://mediamatters.org/research/201007220004

[struggle4progress]

18. Doocy's deception: "Fox News Channel" did not touch Sherrod story "until she had actually quit"

Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy once again deceptively claimed that "Fox News Channel did not touch" the Shirley Sherrod story "until she had actually quit." In fact, Doocy's statement ignores that FoxNews.com published a story based on the deceptively edited video before Sherrod resigned; indeed, a subsequent FoxNews.com article reported that she resigned "shortly after FoxNews.com published its initial report on the video" ... http://mediamatters.org/research/201007220003

[newtothegame]

19. Self-delete

[dem mba]

20. Jesus did Kurtz do ANY research on this article?

his whole premise is demonstrably false. Unreal.

[mike r]

21. Whatever happened to their "Top Secret America, a two-year investigation into the U.S. intelligence

industry"?

Looks like they gave Dana Priest an A+ for the report she turned in, and that was it. The stories are already forgotten by the establishment.

[blogslut]

24. As usual, Howard Kurtz is full of poo

http://mediamatters.org/research/201007220004

[truebrit71]

26. Howie Kurtz?? ROFLMAO!!

For a second there I thought someone credible had written that...but seeing as how it is Howie the Clown we already know it will be complete horsehit...

[EFerrari]

27. I hope people see this and take it in. n/t

[SoCalDem]

28. Precisely what Fox intended

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8786652