Russert falsely attributed "epitomized greatness" quote to Rev. Wright
SUMMARY: During the February 26 Democratic presidential debate, Tim Russert falsely claimed that Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the former pastor of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, which Sen. Barack Obama attends, "said that Louis Farrakhan 'epitomizes greatness.' "
During the February 26 Democratic presidential debate, co-moderator Tim Russert said to Sen. Barack Obama, "The title of one of your books, Audacity of Hope, you acknowledge you got from a sermon from Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the head of the Trinity United Church." Russert then claimed, falsely, "He said that [Nation of Islam leader] Louis Farrakhan 'epitomizes greatness.' " Russert went on to ask, "What do you do to assure Jewish-Americans that, whether it's Farrakhan's support or the activities of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, your pastor, you are consistent with issues regarding Israel and not in any way suggesting that Farrakhan epitomizes greatness?" But it was not Wright who said Farrakhan "epitomizes greatness." Rather, in an article in which Trumpet Newsmagazine -- a publication whose CEO and founder is Wright, then-pastor of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, which Obama attends -- awarded Farrakhan the "Lifetime Achievement 'Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Trumpeter Award,' " it was managing editor Rhoda McKinney-Jones, who wrote, "I could not help but think, the Minister, the man with whom I had been so casually speaking, truly epitomized greatness." Fox News' Sean Hannity similarly misattributed the quote on numerous occasions in January. Other media outlets -- in some cases citing Russert -- have misattributed the quote to Wright.
Russert's falsehood about the quote was yet another in a series of falsehoods contained in questions he has asked during the Democratic presidential debates.
Here is what McKinney-Jones wrote of Farrakhan in the article, which appeared in the November/December 2007 of Trumpet Newsmagazine:
Because of the Minister's influence in the African American community, Trumpet Newsmagazine honors him this winter at its Sounds of the Shore gala with an Empowerment Award. It seemed a fitting tribute for a storied life well lived. And as our brief interview drew to a close and he thanked me for taking the time to talk to him, I could not help but think, the Minister, the man with whom I had been so casually speaking, truly epitomized greatness.
The article included praise of Farrakhan from Wright, but nowhere did it quote Wright claiming that Farrakhan "epitomizes greatness" or "epitomized greatness":
"When Minister Farrakhan speaks, Black America listens," says the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, likening the Minister's influence to the E. F. Hutton commercials of old. "Everybody may not agree with him, but they listen ... His depth on analysis when it comes to the racial ills of this nation is astounding and eye opening He brings a perspective that is helpful and honest.
"Minister Farrakhan will be remembered as one of the 20th and 21st century giants of the African American religious experience," continues Wright. "His integrity and honesty have secured him a place in history as one of the nation's most powerful critics. His love for Africa and African American people has made him an unforgettable force, a catalyst for change and a religious leader who is sincere about his faith and his purpose."
The Trumpet Newsmagazine website lists Jeri L. Wright as the magazine's publisher and E. Janet Wright as its executive editor.
In his January 15 Washington Post column, Richard Cohen flagged the comment:
In 1982, the church [Trinity United Church of Christ] launched Trumpet Newsmagazine; Wright's daughters serve as publisher and executive editor. Every year, the magazine makes awards in various categories. Last year, it gave the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award to a man it said "truly epitomized greatness." That man is Louis Farrakhan.
Maybe for Wright and some others, Farrakhan "epitomized greatness." For most Americans, though, Farrakhan epitomizes racism, particularly in the form of anti-Semitism.
Following Cohen's reporting, Hannity misattributed the quote to Wright on the January 16, 17, and 18 editions of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes and on the March 2 edition of Fox News' Hannity's America, asserting, among other things, that Wright "gave an award to Louis Farrakhan, and he said he's a man who truly epitomized greatness." During the January 18 broadcast, Hannity stated, "Now, I know that -- I know that Barack Obama distanced himself from it, but do you think Louis Farrakhan is a racist, an anti-Semite?" On the January 17 edition, he said, "Barack Obama's pastor says he truly -- and what did he say? -- truly epitomized greatness, about a racist and anti-Semite, Farrakhan."
During the February 26 debate, as Media Matters for America noted, Russert repeatedly questioned Obama concerning praise he received from Farrakhan without noting that the campaign was quoted criticizing Farrakhan in the very article Russert cited to note the minister's support for Obama, that Obama himself said in a speech the day before the debate that he is a "consistent denunciator of Louis Farrakhan," or that Obama denounced Farrakhan's comments in his response to Russert's initial question on the subject. Other media also have falsely attributed McKinney-Jones' quote to Rev. Wright:
- On the February 27 edition of CNN's Election Center, correspondent Mary Snow asserted, "Wright's no stranger to controversy. He once referred to Louis Farrakhan as someone who 'epitomized greatness.' " Snow subsequently attributed the quote to the magazine as opposed to Wright, asserting during the March 2 edition of Lou Dobbs This Week, "[T]he church's magazine gave an award to Louis Farrakhan last year, saying he 'epitomized greatness.' "
- In a February 28 article headlined "Obama Rebuffs Challenges on His Israel Stance," Washington Post staff writer Jonathan Weisman repeated the quote and misattributed it to Wright, reporting that during the debate, Obama "disavowed an endorsement from Farrakhan but did not directly answer a question about Wright once having said that Farrakhan 'epitomizes greatness.' " Additionally, as Media Matters noted at the time, contrary to Weisman's assertion, the debate question Weisman referenced was not specifically about Wright's reported remarks on Farrakhan.
- A February 27 Cleveland Plain Dealer article about the debate uncritically reported Russert's misattribution of the quote:
Russert, noting that Wright has said that Louis Farrakhan "epitomizes greatness," asked Obama how he would assure American Jews "that, whether it's Farrakhan's support or the activities of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, your pastor, you are consistent with issues regarding Israel and not in any way suggesting that Farrakhan epitomizes greatness?" Obama answered first by citing his strong support from Chicago's Jewish community, saying that he has been "a stalwart friend of Israel's."
- A March 2 article in Newsday misattributed the quote to Wright:
In recognizing Farrakhan for his work rehabilitating former convicts, Wright said he "truly epitomized greatness." During a private meeting last Sunday with Jewish leaders in Ohio, Obama said commending Farrakhan was "a mistake and showed a lack of sensitivity to the Jewish community," according to a campaign transcript. He likened Wright to "an old uncle who sometimes will say things that I don't agree with."
From MSNBC's February 26 broadcast of the Democratic presidential debate:
RUSSERT: The title of one of your books, Audacity of Hope, you acknowledge you got from a sermon from Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the head of the Trinity United Church. He said that Louis Farrakhan "epitomizes greatness."
He said that he went to Libya in 1984 with Louis Farrakhan to visit with [Libyan leader] Moammar Gadhafi and that, when your political opponents found out about that, quote, "your Jewish support would dry up quicker than a snowball in Hell."
What do you do to assure Jewish-Americans that, whether it's Farrakhan's support or the activities of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, your pastor, you are consistent with issues regarding Israel and not in any way suggesting that Farrakhan epitomizes greatness?
From the February 27 edition of CNN Election Center:
SNOW: Well, [co-host] Campbell [Brown], you know, as Obama denounced Farrakhan, he was also asked about -- at last night's debate -- about the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Wright was pastor of Obama's church, the Trinity United Church of Christ. Obama has said he got the title for his book The Audacity of Hope from one of Wright's sermons.
Wright's no stranger to controversy. He once referred to Louis Farrakhan as someone who, in quote, "epitomized greatness."
From the March 1 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs This Week:
SNOW: Once again, Senator Barack Obama is facing questions about his church pastor and mentor, Jeremiah Wright of the Trinity United Church of Christ. The questions started at the launch of his presidential campaign when he disinvited Reverend Wright to speak. Why the questions? For one, the church's magazine gave an award to Louis Farrakhan last year, saying he "epitomized greatness."
From the March 2 edition of Fox News' Hannity's America:
HANNITY: And of course, we can't forget the connection that Farrakhan has to Obama's own Trinity United Church of Christ. Their minister and Obama's spiritual adviser, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, honored Farrakhan for lifetime achievement saying, quote, "He truly epitomized greatness." Now, that's in reference to the same Louis Farrakhan who once referred to the white man as the "skunk of the planet Earth."
From the January 18 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:
HANNITY: All right, let me ask you about Barack Obama's pastor. He gave an award to Louis Farrakhan, and he said he's a man who truly epitomized greatness. Now, I know that -- I know that Barack Obama distanced himself from it, but do you think Louis Farrakhan is a racist, an anti-Semite?
From the January 17 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:
HANNITY: Mark, let me ask you this. Barack Obama's pastor says he truly -- and what did he say? -- truly epitomized greatness, about a racist and anti-Semite, Farrakhan, and then he talks about the Black Value System. Why not the Christian value system?
From the January 16 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:
HANNITY: Let's look at the church of Barack Obama. We've had his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, trying to defend what he calls the Black Value System. Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen -- hardly a right-winger, by the way -- he wrote a piece about an award that was given.
This is what he said: "Barack Obama is a member of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. Its minister and Obama's spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., in 1982 they launched Trumpet Newsmagazine. Wright's daughters serve as publisher and executive editor."
Anyway, "every year, they make awards in various categories. Last year, it gave the Dr. Jeremiah Wright Trumpeter Award to a man, quote, he said, 'truly epitomizes greatness.' The man is Louis Farrakhan."
Steve McMahon, so that's Barack Obama's pastor praising the anti-Semite and the racist Louis Farrakhan. Is that an issue that we should care about in this campaign?
Only if you can make it swim Sean. Don't be tentative here. Let your inner idiots out and let them bellow. I want to see windows shake on camera. If you don't your not really trying and will probably be replaced by someone who can. Do it for your severance pay! Prime motivation, or what?
ok <sarcasm off>
Hey Sean. You're a Catholic right? Plenty of Catholic priests abused little boys. That must mean that you're a child abuser too right?
See the logic you schmuck? It doesn't hold up.
Russert erred.
But I have an important question: Did Jeremiah Wright do something about his managing editor's outrageous statement about Farrakhan? Did Wright agree?
You can answer that question yourself by looking at the quotes MMFA provided: "Minister Farrakhan will be remembered as one of the 20th and 21st century giants of the African American religious experience," continues Wright. "His integrity and honesty have secured him a place in history as one of the nation's most powerful critics."
I think that is on par with "epitomiz[ing] greatness," don't you?
This whole article misses the point, even if they are narrowly accurate about Russert, Hannity and others misattributing the "epitomized greatness" quote: The award was given to Farrakhan in Jeremiah Wright's name!! If Wright didn't think Farrakhan was so great, he would NEVER have approved of an award being given to him in his own name, nor would he have written the high praise of Farrakhan that you see in this item (and re-pasted in my first paragraph).
So what does this all mean? Russert and co. weren't really out of line in misquoting Jeremiah Wright. Technically yes, but theoretically not at all
And you wonder why right-wing critics call MMFA a spin machine.
Good point Chucko,
Correcting substantive conservative misinformation that purposefully distorts and misrepresents facts is commendable and necessary; however splitting hairs and nitpicking apart quotes to suggest some false manipulative meaning, when they are essentially the same thing, is hardly commendable, and in and of itself misleading misinformation.
So what does this all mean? Russert and co. weren't really out of line in misquoting Jeremiah Wright. Technically yes, but theoretically not at all
I can't believe you folks think this is acceptable for a news person. Misquoting is NOT really misquoting if by indirect reference you can arrive at a related conclusion by deduction?
What planet are you from? Accuracy in news not required if you agree with the conclusion? Technical but "non-theoretical" mis-quoting is NOT out of line? Can't you see the lunacy of that argument? Unbelievable.
HANNITY: Let's look at the church of Barack Obama.
Hey, Sean - until YOUR church fully addresses the issue of its priests molesting young boys, shut your pie hole about anyone else's church.
As an Obama supporter I have say that chucko makes a valid point. The fact is that MMFA looks terribly dishonest in trying to spin what the "Rev." Wright said. I'm going to be honest here: It looks like Wright loves Farrakhan. We simply cannot deny this fact without looking stupid.
Now, is it fair to criticize Obama for what Farrakhan-loving "Rev" Wright thinks? Again, I'm going to just have to be honest and state that since the media went after Mitt Romney with regard to his Mormon faith, then the questions about Obama's church are fair.
With all this said, however, the best course of action is to leave the issue alone. I don't think that the public really cares. But when MMFA lies and spins they make the issue worse.
So please, MMFA, stop lying about the issue and leave it alone. In the long run it simply will not matter.
(A more important issue to deal with will be the AP story on NAFTA, but we can deal with that later.)
"...since the media went after Mitt Romney with regard to his Mormon faith..."
Notanothercon, what, in your opinion, was the most unfair media attack on Romney related to his religion?
I know I'm notanothercon, but I just wanted to say that if you scrutinize anyone's religious beliefs, they come out looking silly. Some sillier than others, but all of them are beyond rational belief. I mean, Mormons have their magic underwear and that Jesus came to America, Christianity states that the sun froze in the sky as Joshua took siege of Jericho, and a world-wide flood wiped out everything except what was in the ark, Islam has its strict Sharia law that rejects the rights of women, and that Mohammad descended to heaven on the dome of the rock, and Judaism holds that pigs are unclean animals and animals have to be ritualistically sacrificed (I know there are many other examples in each religion, I'm just giving one.)
So basically, yeah, once the media gets the ball rolling, where does it end? And if you'll notice, no one really questions Christian beliefs in the media, but if someone's a Muslim or Mormon, every little aspect of that religion is held up to the public square.
I say screw religion, I don't need someone else thinking for me.
KFC:
I don't think that the issue is one of "fairness" - because in politics everything is "fair". So if Mitt takes some questions about his faith, then Obama should expect to be asked.
In most cases a person's religious faith is irrelevant. And most people don't care as long as the religious views are not too extreme or weird. For example, if Tom Cruise were to run for office I would really expect him to answer some questions about scientology.
However, Obama and Romney are in the mainstream of religious faith so I don't believe people are going to worry about their beliefs.
Perhaps you should beg Hannity and others to stop lying and leave it and every other faux controversy alone. MMFA is not lying here.
Every spin of the chancres like Hannity makes them look more and more desperate.
There should be more talk about the "Christian Value System".
Can't wait for Sean's sermon about turning the other cheek, judge not..., his brothers keeper, blessed are the poor in spirit, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, those who hunger and thirst for justice, the persecuted, the mourners, and let's not forget the meek either.
Worrier,
I think it would be great to have a more detailed discussion of Christianity. You make some wonderful points!
I've read where 78% of the population in the United States considers itself Christian. All of us, Christians and non-Christians alike could benefit from the discussion.
My perception of Christianity is that it is not intolerant as many here have opined, but instead is a guide for us to lead to a life filled with hope when one is confronted with tragedy. Christianity looks out for others, and can provide a level of happiness that is not based on whether one is rich or poor.
I am not trying to convert anyone. I have a long way to go, but belief in Jesus has helped me through some very dark times.
And Hannity defended McCain about Rev. Hagee. After all the crap Hagee has said about the Catholic Church, there's that integrity old Seano prides himself in.