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Another F in geography: Fox News' Doocy and MacCallum think Iraq borders Afghanistan

December 08, 2009 11:10 pm ET

From the December 8 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

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Previously:

Fox News graphics department has shaky grasp of Mideast geography

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    • Author by ReasonAndResolve (December 08, 2009 11:27 pm ET)
      7  
      Murdoch should buy these guys a map. Wait, no, they wouldn't want any actual facts lying around...
      Report Abuse
      • Author by rtejon (December 09, 2009 9:36 am ET)
        1  
        There must be a map somewhere in the studio that they see every day, but of course that doesn't mean any of it ever registers with them.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by coldteablues19577325 (December 08, 2009 11:29 pm ET)
      3  
      Sigh ..... I'm ALMOST embarrassed for them.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Bad News (December 08, 2009 11:32 pm ET)
      3  
      Doofus & Doocy, Why do these two words seem so Interchangeable?
      Is it because when you use them "Ignorance" is more Easily Explainable?
      Doocy, Why is it when i hear that name it reminds me of when my Girlfriend will ask me in the middle of the night to go buy some Feminine Hygiene?
      Doofus & Doocy, Sounds like Two Cartoon Characters, You know what i Mean?

      Speak truth to power.


      Mr. News
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    • Author by Rasta Farian (December 08, 2009 11:53 pm ET)
      4  
      Wow.

      Well, at least they didn't cut that from the taping. It only confirms how completely stupid and ill-informed their so-called journalists are.

      That was pitiful.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Sharpe (December 08, 2009 11:54 pm ET)
      1  
      FAIL!
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      • Author by Conchobhar (December 09, 2009 12:02 am ET)
        1  
        And what does Fux's market share say about Fux's credibility? Nothing. But this says a lot about the quality of Fux's share.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by oscar the grouch (December 09, 2009 12:12 am ET)
      1 9
      Public Education Graduates, perhaps?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by pete592 (December 09, 2009 12:43 am ET)
        5  
        Yes, Oscar, exactly right.

        There are two public school teachers, one in Kansas and one in New Jersey, that told these two when they were young that Iraq borders Afghanistan.

        It worked so well on MacCallum, in fact, that even her professors at the private St. Lawrence University were unable to convince her that Iraq does not border Afghanistan.

        There's nothing you can't figure out, Oscar. We are in awe of your intellectual awesomeness.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by oscar the grouch (December 09, 2009 9:22 am ET)
            2
          Pointing out that if you showed a map of the area in question to almost any group of people in this country, a large number of them would be unable to correctly identify the various countries in the area. Probably OK for the man/woman on the street uninvolved in anything that doesn't focus on them, unacceptable for those in a position to "influence."

          Ah well, off to earn a few dollars, will return to stir the pot later.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by rms (December 09, 2009 10:13 am ET)
            1  
            "Pointing out that if you showed a map of the area in question to almost any group of people in this country, a large number of them would be unable to correctly identify the various countries in the area."

            Yes, but the "almost any group of people" are not going to be talking with alleged authority about the country's respective geographical locations on national TV.

            And those people who watched Fox at this time, and heard this mistake, and bought into it, are now less well informed than before.
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          • Author by srichardson (December 09, 2009 10:14 am ET)
            1  
            Come on Oscar, we've been fighting these two wars for years. Any journalist should know the two countries don't border each other. They just acted out stupid on their morning "news" show!
            Report Abuse
          • Author by PurpleState (December 09, 2009 11:04 am ET)
               
            Asking the "person on the street" is one thing, but the fact they attempted this on O'Reilly's show just opened them up to criticism. If they wanted to test their knowledge about things, then they should be prepared for the ridicule.
            Report Abuse
          • Author by pete592 (December 09, 2009 12:23 pm ET)
            1  
            a large number of them would be unable to correctly identify the various countries in the area.
            And it is your theory that those are the people who went to public school, while the rare ability to identify them is a direct indication of a private education. I'm just trying to understand this, Oscar, since I want to give you the benefit of the doubt and let you prove you're not just seizing another opportunity to take a cheap shot at the public school system.
            Report Abuse
    • Author by ILikePizza (December 09, 2009 2:43 am ET)
         
      The best part is their reactions, Doocy an always performing plastic weather guy response, Krusty the Clown of Fox... and MacCallum's stunned realization that despite anchoring the news for five years on Fox none of the fair and balanced facts have sunk in, you can almost see her "thinking" that's probably something I should have known...
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    • Author by skiploader1111 (December 09, 2009 2:54 am ET)
      3  
      "There must be a little part." -Doocy

      HOLY COW! Even after hearing he was wrong, he was still convinced that Iraq was somewhere near Afghanistan.

      HEY EINSTEIN. There must be a little part of Mexico that borders Montana. Right?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by rtejon (December 09, 2009 9:32 am ET)
           
        Obviously he's completely ignorant of the Dari-speaking people of western Afghanistan and the related reasons why Iran is more hostile to the Taliban than to any other foreign adversary.
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    • Author by rwmacdonald2091 (December 09, 2009 5:33 am ET)
      2  
      Now come on folks, aren't we being just a bit to critical here? After all Iran and Iraq both start with "Ira". Come on, it was just one lousy letter!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by IRONY 101 (December 09, 2009 6:40 am ET)
      1  
      Dumb and Dumber...

      But, don't worry...15 minutes later neither one of these bozos remembered a thing. It's natures way of sparing stupid people from perpetual embarrassment.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by ProgLib (December 09, 2009 7:35 am ET)
      1  
      thats not too surprising... just the typical, daily brain fart in the every day life of a fox news personality.
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    • Author by Boxer1979 (December 09, 2009 7:51 am ET)
      1  
      Another F in geography: Fox News' Doocy and MacCallum think Iraq borders Afghanistan

      Here you go Doo Doo and MacCaldumb:

      [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/afghanistan/images/afg_021217_032-s.jpg]
      Report Abuse
      • Author by John Paradox (December 09, 2009 2:22 pm ET)
           
        Of course, the Faux News official map shows how Egypt is located between Syria and Iran....

        [http://i647.photobucket.com/albums/uu198/ecostarr/3765147402_4012bf812c.jpg]
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    • Author by temphandle tearfully55timetable (December 09, 2009 8:06 am ET)
      1  
      The fact that Fox and Bill O'reilly even play that insipid game speaks volumes as to the intelligence of Fox viewers.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by mfinn7314 (December 09, 2009 8:46 am ET)
      3  
      They both get 2 wrong answers in my book. They didn't know that Iraq does not have a border with Afghanistan. They also didn't know that Iran does have a border with Afghanistan. 2 very important pieces of information. Just how many reports have they done on all three of these countries over the last 8 years or so where their lack of geographical knowledge affected their understanding of what they were talking about (keeping in mind that they don't need to know what they are talking about in order to keep parroting, er... I mean talking).
      Report Abuse
    • Author by RavenRog (December 09, 2009 9:09 am ET)
      1  
      I bet at least 7 out of 10 would not get that question right.

      But yeah, people in the news business should know that one.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by nerzog (December 09, 2009 9:09 am ET)
         
      This seems to be a common misperception among Troglodytes. I had a well-educated Conservative acquaintance years ago who made the same error. He was using it as a reason to invade Iraq, since terrorists were slipping back and forth across the "border between Iraq and Afghanistan".

      My guess is that the Neocons used this geographical ignorance among their followers to build support for their little Iraq Adventure, and some don't know any better to this day.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by wzwriter (December 09, 2009 9:28 am ET)
      2  
      ...and Doocy and MacCallum think they can see Russia from their studio. :-)
      Report Abuse
    • Author by PurpleState (December 09, 2009 9:31 am ET)
      2  
      I do wonder...how did they do on the rest of the test? Were they asked how to spell "oligarchy"?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by terrapin53 (December 09, 2009 9:57 am ET)
      1  
      IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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    • Author by blueline99 (December 09, 2009 12:03 pm ET)
      1  
      The looks on their faces when they were told the right answer is priceless.

      Not only were they wrong, they were both sure they were right and were confused on how they could be wrong... Doocy even tried to talk his way into... "there must be a little part?"

      Yeah, it's called Iran.
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