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Fox News VP in May:  We don't have an accuracy problem - how's that still going?

November 23, 2009 3:24 pm ET by Eric Hananoki

In May, new Fox News senior vice president Michael Clemente told TVNewser that "probably the most important imprint [of Fox News] has been the fact that no big story has ever had to be taken off the air, that for almost 13 years, there hasn't been the kind of issue that others have had in terms of having to take things down, or apologize, or pay out on.  So I'd love to have the next 13 years be as strong as the previous 13 have been."

Today, FishbowlDC posted a Fox News memo acknowledging "a series of mistakes on FNC in recent months" and pledging to "quality check everything before it makes air, and we never having [sic] to explain, retract, qualify or apologize again."  The memo added that "[m]istakes by any member of the show team that end up on air may result in immediate disciplinary action" and "jobs are on the line here."

Fox News' first year under President Obama has been rife with errors, falsehoods and smears.  We've documented that Fox News has apologized for some - but certainly not the vast majority - of its misinformation.

Over the years, Fox News has protected its brand by pushing the myth that it hasn't had to issue retractions for its stories.  Like Clemente, in 2005, Fox News chairman and chief executive officer Roger Ailes was quoted by the Washington Post claiming that "in his nine years at Fox, 'I've never deleted a word, a phrase, a story. ... Unlike Newsweek and the Koran incident, [Ailes] adds, Fox hasn't just done a major retraction." 

While Fox News management may quibble about the definition of "big" and "major," the Fox News "no retraction" line is silly.  Even before Clemente and Ailes' remarks, Fox News issued multiple retractions and apologies.  During the 2008 campaign, Fox News was one of the leaders in spreading the smear - later retracted - that Obama "spent the first decade of his life, raised by his Muslim father -- as a Muslim and was educated in a madrassa."  If you followed the cottage industry of smears against Obama, this was certainly a "big" story. 

It's clear that Fox News has a cultural problem.  What's not clear is whether Fox News management will make good on its threats.      

To wit, Fox & Friends has been repeatedly admonished for airing multiple fake stories - including the madrassa smear.  Then-Fox News executive John Moody issued memos and statements warning staff to get things right.  Sound familiar?  Yet Fox & Friends and the offending hosts are still on the air, pushing smears and falsehoods - when not photoshopping pictures of New York Times reporters, or remarking on America's lack of pure genes. 

More recently, Fox News apologized for starting the fake story that Obama watched an HBO documentary of himself instead of election returns.  Fox News was apparently so serious about its apology that Fox News Watch host Jon Scott repeated the fake story again days later while mocking Obama.

Tags: Fox News Channel

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    • Author by historygeek001 (November 23, 2009 3:55 pm ET)
      17 1
      Of course Fox doesn't have an accuracy "problem;" they WENT TO COURT FOR THE RIGHT TO LIE. That's not a problem; they're doing exactly what they want to be doing: they are flagrantly lying and doing everything they can to advance a narrow, far, far, FAR right wing extremist ideology. They're not even close to being a news organization; they spout Republican talking points verbatim. It's reached the point that it is impossible to tell if Fox is getting their orders from the Repubs or the other way around, but whichever is the case, it does not matter--they are so ridiculously dishonest that if they say grass is green, any thinking individual will check. And no, ratings have no bearing on whether what they are saying is accurate, it only shows that there are people tuning in. Defending them, at this point, is so deliberately irrational as to be pathetic.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by poli.sci.media5290 (November 23, 2009 8:14 pm ET)
           
        @historygeek001. Excellent point. Too many people forget about that case. Another example of the lengths that Fox & other corporate media will go to slant the news. That case should be required reading in all journalism schools.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by Samurai Cowboy (November 23, 2009 8:49 pm ET)
        7  
        I have reported this story several times using a different source with the same story. It needs to get out as much as possible.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by Don Hussein Fabuloso (November 24, 2009 1:17 pm ET)
        1  
        Historygeek, that was my first thought when reading;
        ...for almost 13 years, there hasn't been the kind of issue that others have had in terms of having to take things down, or apologize, or pay out on

        Their propaganda has been called out, and they spent a lot of time and money winning the legal right to not be responsible for accuracy. Now they're bragging about it ?
        Report Abuse
    • Author by wzwriter (November 23, 2009 4:28 pm ET)
      10 1
      I'll believe it when they fire Hannity, O'Reilly, or Beck.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by sleepy joe (November 24, 2009 4:05 pm ET)
           
        Fire Hannity, O'Reilly, or Beck? That will never happen. That's almost 100% of their viewers.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Limit Corp. Ownership (November 23, 2009 4:52 pm ET)
      10 1
      What a joke...

      They're probably giving out bonuses for the best lies.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by captfoster2 (November 23, 2009 9:59 pm ET)
        2  
        I second that L.C.O. (only no bonuses will be given, accept to the top manager(s) who is/are able to get away with it the longest?)

        Or, it will end just like the Abu Ghraib scandal did, where this Cluster Fox situation will ultimately end with the firing of a few 'bad apples' within their ranks where everyone will be led to believe that it was not upper management who made the calls to do this but a few low ranking foot soldiers...
        Report Abuse
    • Author by aneil (November 23, 2009 5:44 pm ET)
      5 1
      There were a ton of mistakes in the memo!! "Fox News, even our memos are loaded with errors!" And there's no need to retract a story when all your stories are paranoid, right wing fiction.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by rte148 (November 23, 2009 6:37 pm ET)
      7  
      With the "right" of free speech goes the "duty" of accuracy when presenting what you assert are facts.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by steeve (November 23, 2009 6:43 pm ET)
      4  
      "We have to all improve our performance in terms of ensuring error-free broadcasts."

      Have to? Why? The quality of your broadcasts have nothing to do with your ratings. Why devote effort to something that doesn't earn a single penny? Why pretend that it's important? I thought this was a business.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Nobodyputsbabyinacorner (November 23, 2009 7:22 pm ET)
         
      They certainly haven't had the credibility issues that ABC and CBS have had.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by clearstate (November 23, 2009 8:06 pm ET)
         
      All they are doing is blowing smoke. Its the same thing when the one producer was "disciplined" for getting the crowd to cheer louder during their broadcast. Nothing is going to happen. They're going to pull the same stunts; lies, distortions, made-up stories, and smears. Now they're just being told to be sneakier about it.
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    • Author by Samurai Cowboy (November 23, 2009 8:47 pm ET)
      7  
      Since its inception in 1996, Fox News Channel has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican National Committee. They have propped up Rupert Murdoch as a figurehead owner because of his ultra-conservative beliefs. The RNC provides Fox with everything that they need for the broadcast day, including false stories, smears and talking points in the daily marching orders that Roger Ailes collects from RNC headquarters everyday. They are also responsible for hiring the likes of Beck, Hannity, O' Reilly, and the rest of the fruit loops that work for them and perpetuate their daily fraud of providing "Fair and Balanced" news.
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    • Author by Samurai Cowboy (November 23, 2009 8:57 pm ET)
      5  
      Fox inflates their ratings to make it appear that more people watch that actually do. Both Arbitron and Nielsen rating are measured in 15 minute blocks, not full hours. As an example, here are the Nielsen ratings of the top 15 cable shows for the week of Nov. 9 - 15 ankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Nov. 9-15. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:

      1. NFL Football: Pittsburgh vs. Denver (Monday, 8:30 p.m.), ESPN, 11.35 million homes, 16 million viewers.

      2. "ICarly" (Saturday, 8 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.44 million homes, 5.03 million viewers.

      3. "SpongeBob Truth or Square" (Saturday, 9 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.4 million homes, 4.65 million viewers.

      4. "Suite Life on Deck" (Friday, 8:30 p.m.), Disney, 3.31 million homes, 4.77 million viewers.

      5. "Penguins of Madagascar" (Saturday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.219 million homes, 4.49 million viewers.

      6. Movie: "ICarly Movie: Go to Japan" (Wednesday, 5 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.214 million homes, 4.47 million viewers

      7. "White Collar" (Friday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.17 million homes, 4.27 million viewers.

      8. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.15 million homes, 4.05 million viewers.
      connections

      * Barack Obama
      * White House
      * MSNBC
      * U.S. Republican Party
      * Lou Dobbs

      9. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 9:30 a.m.), 3.148 million homes, 4.27 million viewers.

      10. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.145 million homes, 4.43 million viewers.

      11. "Sportscenter" (Monday, 11:41 p.m.), ESPN, 3.07 million homes, 4.01 million viewers.

      12. "ICarly" (Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.06 million homes, 4.07 million viewers.

      13. Movie: "ICarly Movie: Shelby Marx" (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.05 million homes, 4.45 million viewers.

      14. "Monk" (Friday, 9 p.m.), USA, 2.994 million homes, 4.38 million viewers.

      15. "The O'Reilly Factor (Tuesday, 8 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 2.994 million homes, 3.93 million viewers. Monk owns you, Bill.
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      • Author by worrierking (November 24, 2009 10:28 am ET)
        2  
        So a bright, yellow, sponge, who lives in a pineapple under the sea, draws more viewers than O'Really?

        I'll bet Sponge Bob's fans are brighter too. fan
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Sarah's Trusty Telepalmer (November 24, 2009 3:17 am ET)
      3  
      clemente doesnt even believe his own crap... he is just a corporate hack protecting his brand name.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by snoopy (November 24, 2009 10:26 am ET)
      4  
      Just found this on Fox:

      Top Republican Lawmakers Not Invited to Obama's First State Dinner

      Oops!

      State dinner: Boehner, Reid snub invite

      Heads will roll, I tell ya!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by gs-425 (November 24, 2009 10:54 am ET)
        5
      Wow....the "misinformation" link is to every story ever done by FOX. Now who's lying
      Report Abuse
      • Author by political_left-religious_right (November 24, 2009 11:13 am ET)
        3  
        Wow....the "misinformation" link is to every story ever done by FOX [sic]. Now who's lying [sic]

        You are, chump. The link is to special page filled with examples of misinformation by Fox, not every story ever done by them.

        Now, if you want to bring your reputation out of the gutter by actually providing a genuine lie by MMFA, go right ahead. We can wait.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by LynnTTT (November 24, 2009 11:40 am ET)
      3  
      A few days ago foxnews.com had a story title something like " Acorn mismanaged $ 200,000 of DOJ funds". I read the article and it didn't say that so I added a comment and signed off. Later, on a fact-finding site(maybe Media Matters), I saw an article saying that the story was not true, Acorn never receied the funds directly and the non-profit that did get the funds and pass a grant on to Acorn was under investigation, but no mis-management is alleged. Tried to go back to Fox- guess what? No story, It has disapeared and I can't find it in archives either. No apologies, never said it (but millions read it)
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