On the May 18 edition of Fox News' The Big Story, host John Gibson again responded to criticism (here and here) of his May 11 comments, documented by Media Matters for America, in which he advised his viewers to "[d]o your duty" and "[m]ake more babies," just before claiming that half of all Americans could be Hispanic within 25 years, a conclusion Gibson based on a May 10 report that nearly half of all children under the age of 5 in the United States are minorities. During his May 18 “My Word” segment, attacking “self-appointed media watchdogs,” Gibson reiterated his May 16 defense that he had urged viewers to make more babies because the United States should avoid the trend in Europe, which, according to Gibson, will eventually be overrun with a Muslim immigrant population because of the low birth rate among native Europeans. Gibson asserted: “I did say Hispanics have a higher birth rate than others in this country, but what I also said was that the others shouldn't make Hispanics carry the whole load of population replenishment.”
But his purported explanation simply does not hold up. In his original comments, he predicted that in the United States in 25 years, Hispanics would be in the majority. He then noted that in Europe, immigrant populations are rising, while native Europeans are not “having enough babies to sustain their population.” While Gibson said that "others shouldn't make Hispanics carry the whole load of population replenishment" in his May 18 defense, his original comments made no mention of any other ethnic groups in the United States, only “European ancestry people, white people” and Hispanics, and noted the rising Hispanic population.
Despite noting that Time magazine and Comedy Central's The Colbert Report had cited his May 11 comments, Gibson then claimed that the “outrage” is “confined to the left-wing blogs, which hate Fox and hate [him] for speaking [his] mind and for the war on Christmas and some other things.” Gibson added: “Normally I ignore it. This time I can't.” Gibson later stated: “These attacks fit a pattern. Certain people and self-appointed media watchdogs purposely misinterpret what I've said in order to mount vicious personal attacks,” adding that a “Fox-hating and Gibson-hating blog reported [that] Gibson said brown people are bad, whites should have babies to keep browns down.”
As Media Matters noted, on May 16, Gibson defended his May 11 comments, asserting: “My concern was simply that I didn't want America to become Europe, where the birth rate is so low the continent is fast being populated by immigrants, mainly from Muslim countries, whose birth rate is very high.” He added, “I said ... it was also a good idea if people other than Hispanics also got busy and have more babies. Those people would include both blacks and whites. I suppose Asians, too.”
From the May 18 edition of Fox News' The Big Story with John Gibson:
GIBSON: Now it's time for “My Word.” Since I'm the kind of guy who runs his mouth, I tend to get in a lot of trouble. People get outraged about something I said, but most often it's confined to the left-wing blogs, which hate Fox and hate me for speaking my mind and for the war on Christmas and some other things. Normally I ignore it. This time I can't.
These attacks fit a pattern. Certain people and self-appointed media watchdogs purposely misinterpret what I've said in order to mount vicious personal attacks. I said people in this country should make more babies, particularly those groups whose birth rates are not as high as others. Why? Because we see what is happening in Europe. Russia is a good example. When people stop having babies because they are inconvenient, populations cease being self-sustaining, end up filling population gaps with immigrants who then make demands on the culture the homies might not like, such as demands for Sharia law in some parts of Europe.
My saying this has been widely and incorrectly interpreted as me meaning to say white people in the U.S. should be making more babies because they're being eclipsed by brown people. I did say Hispanics have a higher birth rate than others in this country, but what I also said was that the others shouldn't make Hispanics carry the whole load of population replenishment. It's hard work having kids.
A Fox-hating and Gibson-hating blog reported [that] Gibson said brown people are bad, whites should have babies to keep browns down. This is not true. Not what I said, not what I meant, not what I think, yet this lie has even appeared in Time magazine.
The Colbert Report actually aired a cleverly edited “My Word” to have me saying something they evidently wanted me saying, something shockingly racist. I have expressly stated I have no problem with the evolving racial demographic trends in this country. A browner America doesn't bother me in the slightest. I expect it, and I welcome it.
I don't mind getting hammered for what I did say, that happens plenty. But to get hammered for what I did not say amounts to nothing more than partisan attack for partisan purposes. That's “My Word,” and as a grandfather of two babies and the uncle of two adult Hispanic Americans, I repeat my real feelings on the matter: Have more babies. Everybody. I like babies.
