KSFO program director retracts Soros Nazi smear: "These statements are not accurate, and KSFO regrets that they were broadcast"
On the February 26 edition of San Francisco radio station KSFO's Morning Show, KSFO program director Ken Berry issued a "program announcement" in which he acknowledged that assertions by Morning Show co-hosts Melanie Morgan, Lee Rodgers, and Tom Benner (known on the show as Officer Vic) on February 8 about billionaire philanthropist and progressive financier George Soros were "not accurate."
As Media Matters for America previously noted, during the February 8 Morning Show, Rodgers repeated and embellished a discredited right-wing smear, claiming that Soros "apparently very cheerfully and willingly went to work for the Nazis," and Officer Vic added that "he just kind of complied willingly." For her part, Morgan alleged -- without explanation -- that Soros did so "[i]n order to further his own career."
During the February 26 broadcast, Berry retracted their remarks:
BERRY: During our February 8th broadcast, the hosts of this program mistakenly stated that financier George Soros "cheerfully" and "willingly" went to work for the Nazis after his native Hungary was occupied during World War II, when Mr. Soros was 13 years old. The hosts also mistakenly stated that Mr. Soros "ran around Hungary with Nazi officials, serving eviction notices to people who were going to be shipped out on the death trains," and that he did so "to further his own career." These statements are not accurate, and KSFO regrets that they were broadcast.
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Well, who's Morgan going to blame for this?
This is a weaseal if they really meant to apoligize they would have insisted that the liars themselves state that they were lying by having the station manager do it they can claim they were "accurate" but the station was caving in to "financial" pressures while they continue to continue to lie and smear any they want to.
Means nothing If the broadcasters themselves won't take responsibility for thier lies they should immediately be canned.
Anything less is just a weaseal.
Ahhhhhhhhh, YES!! A one line smear retraction after 2 weeks.....KSFO is sooooo responsible...
Still...a right-wingnut "news" outlet made a retraction of an erroneous story.
Somebody check the temperature in Hell.
Have the actual smearers issued their own retractions?
You're on it, Deeznuts. The whole strategy was to make Hell freeze over.
So the media can chuckle as they report "Hell freezes over- so much for global warming!".
Mel and her band of thugs opened a door Disney really really did not want opened, out of their control anyway...
These people are downright disgusting. Soros was a 14 year old boy for goodness sake! Any suggestion that he collaborated with the Nazis is one of the most vile smears that you could level. What the hell is wrong with KSFO - are ratings from the pig-ignorant animals who lap this garbage up that important to them? I, for one will be making sure that i make a list of KSFO sponsors so that i can avoid buying anything from them or their subsidiary companies. I can't believe that this is the level that these right-wing scumbags have stooped to - what do they think - that the Holocaust was simply a telemovie? This sickening garbage is not only an incredible smear on Soros - using the Holocaust in such a cheap, lying way in order to further your political views and to smear a decent man who has given so much to so many worthy causes is an absolute OUTRAGE! What is it going to take for some standards of basic decency to be brought back into broadcasting - KSFO is a damn disgrace and for Ken Berry to characterise this as mistaken statements is a cheap lie - what a coward!!!
Right up there with O'Lielly trying to smear a kid snatched and raped for years as being a 'willing' participant. Sick petty people, all of them.
I don't get it. Did the program director offer this retraction based on legal fears. I know it is difficult to make the case for slander when a public figure is involved but in this particular case could they have been vulnerable to a suit from Soros? Sorry I don't belive these guys suddenly had a sudden attack of integrity.
Oh and when is Melanie Morgan, Lee Rodgers, and Officer Vic going to offer their apology and retraction?
Spot on! I don't think for a second that this pitiful excuse for a retraction was based on anything other than the financial implications of a libel suit. Integrity is a completely alien conceptbto the hateful, money-grubbing reptiles at KSFO.
Somebody get fired ?
hahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
not a chance
Our hosts made an error (ie LIED).
We apologise (Because we got caught-- AGAIN).
But no one will be fired and they're free to keep doing it again and again.
Useless apology.
But...I guess it's better than nothing. (Not much better)
HA HA!!!
Wonder how Melanie Morgan is taking this.... I would love to hear her appologize.
It makes me nauseus to hear how low a once great station has sunk. KSFO at one time, was undisputedly one of the finest stations in the country. With talent the likes of Don Sherwood, Al Collins, Dan Sorkin, Terry McGovern, Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons, KSFO was THE station in the SF Bay Area. Who owned the station at this time? Gene Autry (not exactly known for being an unabashed liberal). The family values conglomerate known as Disney owns it now and what do we get? Pure unadulterated slander and hate. Take me back to my boots and saddles.
Anyone check on hell lately? I think they may be experiencing a cooling trend down there.
Hey, Melanie... how does that crow taste? ;>)
Oh, I see....Melanie Morgan smeared Soros "mistakenly"...right?
What bullsh*t.
Hmmm. Good. Interesting development. I wonder why Lee Rodgers didn't read that. He was the one who made the comment.
Now I'm going to see if Rodgers will say he mistakenly suggested that someone " blow his [Kevin Holder's} bleeping head off."
I suppose they will get Barry to read that too.
And BTW, who went "cheerfully" to work for the Nazis? I don't remember, even in history class when we read about the origins of the Nazi Party, reading "willingly and cheerfully" in describing the Nazis.
I doubt if the Nazis themselves used those words in their P.R. Sort of hurts the whole menacing street cred angle.
"...who went "cheerfully" to work for the Nazis?"
I dunno... maybe some of the guys selected for the breeding program?
I think Goebbels did !
Credit Spocko, if credit is due!
Any damage to the revenue stream, by causing some advertisers to think twice about associating themselves with much-blogged hate speech is almost certain to catch the attention of management, and to engender damage-control by management. If that means an apology, heck, those are cheap!
I think the current Pope also was a member of a Nazi youth organization. Perhaps he could offer an explanation.Children were forced to do Nazi bidding. It's amazing how the word "Nazi" is thrown around to smear and hurt people. Funny ,when it is directed toward any neo-conservative how quickly they take offense.
it's always OK to do whatever it takes to smear a liberal, no matter how offensive the comment. however, anyone who criticizes a conservative is an enemy of the state. liberal media... where?
it is ironic that many conservatives believe in "godwin's law," only up until they decide to break it - then, hey, no problem.
In my world these are not "mistakes" they are lies. They live in a better world. "These statements are not accurate" should read "These statements are lies."
The Pope worked for the Nazis too. Because he was forced to. Refusing to work for the Nazis equated death. People just don't use their brains sometimes.
My email to Lee Rodgers:
I am sorry to hear from your programming director that you and your partners at KSFO totally made up claims that George Soros, "ran around Hungary with Nazi officials, serving eviction notices to people who were going to be shipped out on the death trains," and that he did so "to further his own career."Please double check your facts before issuing them the next time, to avoid further damage to your credibility.Sincerely,A. Perez
The FCC should take a very close look at this station. It is one thing to go after a person for his or her views, beliefs and leanings, and even wrong doings. But to flatly LIE and besmirch someone's character with vile and gutless spew is a leap into sewage. Someone needs to stop this garbage that is being primed on OUR airwaves.
So now that we know noone got fired, KSFO has rightfully earned the reputation of allowing misinformation disseminated to millions for two weeks. that has to be a lump in the throat of the shareholders.
This "correction" is so limited as to be devoid of meaning. To state the hosts of this program mistakenly stated that financier George Soros "cheerfully" and "willingly" went to work for the Nazis after his native Hungary was occupied during World War II, when Mr. Soros was 13 years old doesn't mean KFSO is retracting the assertion that Mr. Soros went to work for the Nazis. It appears they are only saying Mr. Soros did not work "cheerfully" and "willingly." It still leaves open an avenue for the the employees of KFSO to claim that Mr. Soros worked for/with the Nazis.
Then The hosts also mistakenly stated that Mr. Soros "ran around Hungary with Nazi officials, serving eviction notices to people who were going to be shipped out on the death trains," and that he did so "to further his own career." really requires more explication. Ms. Morgan, Mr. Rogers and the other employees of KFSO should be required to go on air and admit they now understand they were mistaken and explain fully why they originally made these "misstatements." In particular, Morgan, and the other employees of KFSO should explain why they made these statements and upon what information they relied in reaching these, as you've admitted, mistaken, conclusions.
Further, Ms. Morgan and the other employess should detail what measures they will take in the future to ensure such errors will not occur in the future. A refusal by Ms. Morgan and the other employees of KFSO to offer these explanations and assurances of future accuracy should be treated as a breach of contract on their parts. Reasonably, they should be suspended from appearing on air until they comply.
Yea, that will happen when Hell DOES freeze over!! What they did was issue a no apology apology. Having someone other than the "on air personality" read a statement is not an apology, its a cover up. CoverYourAss (CYA).
Whew, i'm out of breath again!! First Bill'o is outed as a hate monger by that abused children outfit in FL and now this! Damn, if there are'nt some cracks in the echo chamber. Congrats to Spocko, Soros and the staff of MMFA, this is verifiable proof that progressives can strike back. On ward and upward! More letters to advertisers and the FCC, troops!
Bye for now, going back outside to run up and down the street in glee!
Just a reminder: KSFO is owned by Disney.
Jeez, I'd think it was for real except for the weasly way they used words like "Mistakenly" instead of LIED.
And it would have been more appropo if the beyotch herself had to read it on air and had to use the words "We lied deliberately" instead of a weasly "mistaken" nonsense.
But at least it was something. Not much but something.