FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

CONTACT

Erikka Knuti (202) 756-4135
eknuti@mediamatters.org

Jessica Levin (202) 772-8162
jlevin@mediamatters.org

Fox News: Leaving Fairness on the Cutting Room Floor

Network Demonstrates Pattern of Airing Selectively Edited Footage to Smear Progressives

Washington, D.C. -- In the last two weeks, Media Matters for America has documented multiple examples of Fox News hosts and correspondents airing doctored video or quotes clearly taken out of context to smear progressives. These instances were not anomalous but part of a larger pattern -- detailed today in a Media Matters special report and video.

Watch the video in its entirety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC2DJR8IJLo

"Fox News is cropping and rearranging reality instead of reporting the facts," said Erikka Knuti, a spokesperson for Media Matters. "It is deceptive and dishonest. Fox News viewers deserve the unedited truth, not the manufactured smears they've been getting."

Media Matters has documented numerous examples -- dating back to 2006 -- of Fox News airing deceptively edited footage of President Obama, former Vice President Al Gore, Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton, Rep. Barney Frank, and several Democratic senators. Indeed, Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum recently apologized for one such instance. However, from April 24 to May 1, the network's deceptive editing was especially egregious. Media Matters found Fox News airing deceptively cropped clips on three separate occasions:

Fox's Garrett deceptively cropped Obama remark on judicial role

http://mediamatters.org/research/200905030003

Summary: Fox News' Major Garrett deceptively cropped a remark by President Obama that Garrett said "aggravates those who believe justices should follow the Constitution and legislative intent," omitting Obama's statement that he would seek a Supreme Court nominee who "honors our constitutional traditions" and "respects ... the appropriate limits of the judicial role."

Ingraham uses doctored video to smear Gore

http://mediamatters.org/research/200905010049

Summary: O'Reilly Factor guest host Laura Ingraham presented clips of Al Gore's recent congressional testimony that had been edited to remove his statements that he donates the money he makes from his climate-related work to a non-profit organization.

Goler reverses meaning of Obama quote to falsely suggest he supports European-style health care

http://mediamatters.org/research/200904250003

Summary: Fox News' Wendell Goler cropped a comment by President Obama and took it out of context to falsely suggest that he supports creating a health care system "like the European countries." In fact, Obama was paraphrasing the town hall question he had been asked before explaining why he opposed such a system.

For more examples of Fox News' deceptive editing, visit

http://mediamatters.org/reports/200905050003

For more information on Fox News, visit

http://mediamatters.org/topic/onlyonfox/

###

Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Media Matters for America is the first organization to systematically monitor the media for conservative misinformation every day, in real time. For more information, visit www.mediamatters.org