Fox debunks Fox: Documents don't contain "language pertaining to a potential ban on recreational fishing"
March 10, 2010 6:47 pm ET by Eric Hananoki
In a March 10 FoxNews.com article about the White House "fighting back against fishing aficionados who say President Obama is planning to impose regulations that will give their hobby the hook," reporter Joshua Rhett Miller writes that "neither document [from the Interagency Ocean Policy Task] contains language pertaining to a potential ban on recreational fishing, as some reports had previously asserted":
Obama established the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force in June to address increasing pollution and habitat destruction within the nation's oceans, coastal regions and Great Lakes. Led by Nancy Sutley, the task force released an interim report in September that outlined nine priority objectives of the plan, including the coastal and marine spatial planning.
Three months later, in its interim framework, the task force defined that planning as an "effective process to better manage a range of social, economic, and cultural uses," including commercial and recreational fishing, mining, tourism and traditional hunting, among others.
But neither document contains language pertaining to a potential ban on recreational fishing, as some reports had previously asserted.
Fishing enthusiasts became alarmed when a story posted on ESPNOutdoors.com and widely circulated by bloggers alluded to the potential of a ban on recreational fishing. The Web site has since posted a clarification stating that columnist Robert Montgomery's opinion piece was improperly labeled.
Despite that clarification, recreational fishermen are reeling, fearing their rods are at risk.
While FoxNews.com writes that "some reports" and "bloggers alluded to the potential of a ban on recreational fishing," FoxNews.com doesn't acknowledge that Fox News itself has been spreading the myth. Since yesterday, Fox Nation, Fox Business Network and the Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck have pushed the bogus claim. As of 6:27pm E.T. today, Fox Nation is still promoting the absurd story online:
And the stimulus package didn't have language giving money to ACORN.
And China is not drilling for oil off the coast of Cuba.
And there were no extant WMD in Iraq.
And Saddam Hussein was not behind 9/11.
Shall I go on...?
Just sayin'
And the stimulus package didn't have language giving money to ACORN.
And China is not drilling for oil off the coast of Cuba.
And there were no extant WMD in Iraq.
And Saddam Hussein was not behind 9/11.
Shall I go on...?"
And Lee Harvey Oswald was not the lone gunman ;)
And it's a legitimate news organization...
With real journalists...
And it's opinion never bleeds into its reporting...not that FOX has an "opinion", of course.
And FOX News wouldn't dream of right wing advocacy...
<sarcasm>
2. ESPN's "clarification" is sorely lacking. They are now labeling it an opinion piece, but it's fatally factually flawed - that's the problem with it. They said that they should have included opposing 'views', but they should have included the FACTS and not included bogus OPINIONS that are unsupported by the facts!
Imagine that - yet another conspiracy theory unsupported by any evidence that the rightwing ran with!