Hemmer on Fox News' treatment of Obama's faith: "No one here is promulgating untrue rumors about anyone's faith"
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SUMMARY: On America's Newsroom, in response to Sen. Barack Obama's statement that false rumors are "being promulgated on Fox News" about his purported "Muslim connections," Bill Hemmer asserted that "[n]o one here is promulgating untrue rumors about anyone's faith." In fact, Fox News hosts have repeatedly promoted false reports about Obama's religion, including the false report that Obama was educated in a madrassa.
On the September 10 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, after airing a video clip from Sen. Barack Obama's September 7 interview on ABC's This Week in which Obama referred to false rumors "being promulgated on Fox News" about his purported "Muslim connections," host Bill Hemmer asserted: "No one here is promulgating untrue rumors about anyone's faith." However, as Media Matters for America has documented, Fox News hosts -- one of whom asked if an affectionate gesture by the Obamas was "a terrorist fist jab" -- have repeatedly promoted false reports about Obama's religion, including the false report that Obama was educated in a madrassa.
From the September 10 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom:
HEMMER: All right, in the meantime, three days ago on Sunday, in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC, Senator Obama got our attention here, when he pointed a finger at Fox News about religion. Listen here.
[begin video clip]
STEPHANOPOULOS: The McCain campaign has never suggested you have Muslim connections.
OBAMA: No. No, no, no, but the -- I don't think that when you look at what is being promulgated on Fox News, let's say, and Republican commentators, who are closely allied to these folks --
STEPHANOPOULOS: But John McCain said that's wrong.
OBAMA: -- well -- that I'm a Muslim. And I think that his campaign, upper echelons, have not either. What I think is fair to say is that coming out of the Republican camp, there have been efforts to suggest that perhaps I'm not who I say I am when it comes to my faith -- something which I find deeply offensive, and that has been going on for a pretty long time.
[end video clip]
HEMMER: So, dealing with Fox News got our attention. For the record, we produced a documentary on Senator Obama's life. We were very sensitive to all the rumors about Obama's religion and sought to set the record straight with this:
NARRATOR [video clip]: To end any confusion about Obama's religious upbringing as a child, one of his campaign websites posts this official comment: "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian."
HEMMER: Now, to date, that special has aired at least seven times. It may air again before the election in November. No one here is promulgating untrue rumors about anyone's faith. In our view, that was more than fair and balanced. Twenty-four minutes past the hour now. Patti Ann [Browne], what's coming up?
Do they really think they're fooling anyone?
I was listening to a local radio talk show host today, a guy who's pretty libertarian if he's anything, and he was saying that most people do vote for style over substance, and will vote for someone who's like them. That's why they've been trying so desperately to paint a guy who is a millionaire many times over (yeah, all the money's in Cindy's name, but don't even go there, righties - McCain's a millionaire) who's out of touch with most of America as a guy who's like you and me. They've been trying to paint a guy who's like you and me, raised as a child of divorce, fought to get where he is today, only has a million dollars because he's a great speaker and a good writer, paint him as an elitist who's not like you and me!
Hypocrites! And liars!
Fox News:
"We've never claimed Obama was a Muslim. Except for all those times that we clearly did."
FoxNews, more than other other cable network, has furthered smears against John Kerry last election and Barack Obama this election! Only a hypocritical cable news network could say that they haven't spread and allowed the spread of those false memes.
And it's an example of how "they both do it" arguments don't hold water.
FOX News has been leading in the "Muslim" Smear against Obama
Look at how Hannity has been making snide remarks for months now, and then they give that slime ball Ann Coulter a forum to spout out her hate , using "Hussein" along with other right wing GOP talking points. Dick Morris and Karl Rove. You can just tell FOX is in propaganda mode now.
No one here is promulgating untrue rumors about anyone's faith.
FOX considers to be true all the rumors they report. ;>)
BilldO Reilly gave a shout out to MMFA tonight, calling this site a "smear factory".He was talking to a columnist for Townhall.com, who assured him there was nothing bad at right wing sites.
BilldO agreed, claiming that Townhall does "straight reporting". Funny stuff.
The righties like getting MMfA attention ... because they believe that their loyal audiences don't ever check the site. (That would require the willingness to read, and to ability to focus on one topic for 20 minutes or so).
I suspect there are some loyal kool-aid drinkers who do check the MMfA articles and databases about their favorite pundints, but sadly, not enough.
Idiots. Idiots with votes. AAAAAAAK!