Fox Nation, Drudge Report, CNS distortion: White House requested "Jesus" be hidden during speech
SUMMARY: The Fox Nation and the Drudge Report advanced a CNSNews.com article claiming the White House requested that Georgetown University "hide[] 'Jesus' " during a speech there by President Obama. However, as the CNS article noted, the White House requested "all signs and symbols" on the stage -- not solely the name of Jesus -- be covered.
Linking to an April 15 CNSNews.com article, The Fox Nation and the Drudge Report claimed that the White House requested that Georgetown University "hide[] 'Jesus' " during President Obama's April 14 speech at Georgetown's Gaston Hall. The headline of the CNSNews.com article similarly alleged: "Georgetown Says it Covered Over Name of Jesus to Comply With White House Request." However, as the CNSNews.com article made clear in the lead paragraph, the White House requested that Georgetown "cover up all signs and symbols" on the stage -- not solely the name of Jesus, as The Fox Nation, Drudge Report, and the CNSNews.com headline suggested. Indeed, CNSNews.com quoted a Georgetown spokeswoman saying that the university "honored the White House staff's request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind Gaston Hall stage," and that this request was "consistent with what they've [the White House] done for other policy speeches."
While the Drudge Report at 10:35 am ET on April 16 featured the same headline as The Fox Nation, as of 11:17 am ET, the headline had changed to: "Jesus Missing from Obama's Georgetown Speech ...," linking to an April 16 NBC Washington story with the same headline, and below that, the headline "White House asked university to cover symbol ...," linking to the CNSNews.com story.
Later, The Fox Nation added a link to a report by the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody that said, "In a statement ... The White House says any suggestion that the administration purposely covered a cross and a Catholic religious monogram during President Obama's speech this week at Georgetown are 'simply false.' " The Fox Nation link stated, "White House Denies Jesus Report. Believable?"
Notably, several commenters on The Fox Nation -- as of this posting - have used this opportunity to question Obama's faith, calling the president "ANTI-CHRIST" and a "Muslim."
CNSNews.com, also known as the Cybercast News Service (CNS), is a division of the conservative Media Research Center, an organization that purports to have been founded to "prove -- through sound scientific research -- that liberal bias in the media does exist," and to "neutralize its impact on the American political scene." CNS describes itself as "an alternative news source that would cover stories that are subject to the bias of omission and report on other news subject to bias by commission" and that it "endeavors to fairly present all legitimate sides of a story and debunk popular, albeit incorrect, myths about cultural and policy issues."
From The Fox Nation:
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From the Drudge Report, as captured by the Drudge Report Archives site at 10:35 a.m. ET on April 16:
From the Drudge Report, as captured by the Drudge Report Archives at 11:17 a.m. ET on April 16:
From CNSNews.com's April 15 article:
Georgetown University says it covered over the monogram "IHS" -- symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ -- because it was inscribed on a pediment on the stage where President Obama spoke at the university on Tuesday and the White House had asked Georgetown to cover up all signs and symbols there.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the "IHS" monogram that had previously adorned the stage at Georgetown's Gaston Hall was still covered up -- when the pediment where it had appeared was photographed by CNSNews.com.
"In coordinating the logistical arrangements for yesterday's event, Georgetown honored the White House staff's request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind Gaston Hall stage," Julie Green Bataille, associate vice president for communications at Georgetown, told CNSNews.com.
"The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they've done for other policy speeches," she added. "Frankly, the pipe and drape wasn't high enough by itself to fully cover the IHS and cross above the GU seal and it seemed most respectful to have them covered so as not to be seen out of context."
Does the press actually care about content or intellect any more?
ABCNEWS & Politico picked this up, too. They ALL have Drudge envy.
I mean, when all media outlets become TMZ, who do we have left that actually reports the NEWS??
MM and the Obama administration don't want to answer, "WHY do you want these symbols covered up?"
"What is so offensive about Jesus and the Georgetown signage and symbols?"
Does it really matter?
Of course it matters. First he denies we are a Christan nation, which we are. Then he demands the images be covered. IT MATTERS.
We are not a Christian nation. We may be a nation comprised mostly of Christians, but there is nothing in our Constitution which makes this a Christian Nation.
THAT is what matters.
No, we're a predominantly Christian nation. If we had some comparable version of Sharia law, we would be a "Christian nation".
I'm still waiting for someone to explain exactly how our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values. And by founded, I don't mean that fact that most of the founders believed in some type of higher power or that their speeches referred to God or a creator. I'm specifically talking about how our Consititution and Bill of Rights were influenced by religion.
Oh, and if anyone cares to read, here's an article by PoliticoFact correcting Rush on the meme that "You can't read a speech by George Washington . . . without hearing him reference God, the Almighty."
Our laws are based on Judeo-Christian values because we have laws against theft and murder. Now, where else have you seen that? The ten commandments, of course.
I wish I was making it up, but I really have seen that argument made. As far as the Constitution goes, I'd like to see someone tackle that one.
How about the Code of Hammurab
Apparently, some of the more wackadoodle Christian apologists think that there were no laws against theft and murder before the Ten Commandments... that if God hadn't told us to outlaw those things, we would have never thought of it on our own.
Of course, these same people believe the literal story of Noah's Ark, and that Dinosaurs walked with humans. History and critical thinking are not their strong suits.
Neither is science - but that's for the global warming/creationism threads.
If we are a Christian nation based on majority, I guess we are also a Democratic Party nation as well, correct? After all, majority rules, right?
Doh!
We are NOT a Christian nation unless by that you mean we are a nation a majority of citizens of which are Christian. To say we are a Christian nation is saying to Jews, Muslims, Agnostics, Hindus et al are second class citizens. We are a Democratic Republic which means we are a nation of its CITIZENS many of whom are NOT Christians.
We're not a Christian nation. You're lying again. Read the Constitution.
Earth to shoes, your oder eaters need changing. Obama wasn't the first to do this.
Snoopy was that fourth post shown really you ? lol.
Didn't Ashcroft cover the breasts of that statue in his press room? Breast lovers across the country should have been up in arms!!
As the person with the (likely) greatest amount of experience with staging here, I can say it's perfectly normal to cover up any displays or permanent fixtures that are irrelevant to and/or distracting from the presentation. From all that I've seen, anyway.
"What is so offensive about Jesus and the Georgetown signage and symbols?"
Nothing is 'offensive' about Jesus. The signage and symbols are distracting and irrelevant and not related to Obama, and so he asked that they be covered.
And this is about the distortion by Fox, Drudge and CNS.
You people are so ridiculous. Um... maybe becasue unlike him simian predecessor, President Obama does not want to give the impression that he thinks he's speaking for God Almighty? That he doesn't WANT to make a shameless dispaly of his religion for political gain? That he doesn't WANT to take the Lord's name in vein? You people are so brainwashed by religion and Bush & Co., that you don't even realize how despicable it is to USE these symbols to score political points. You people treat the IMAGE of Jesus, the same way you treat the U.S. Flag: You love the symbols, but haven't the slightest idea what they stand for!
SO KUDOS TO OBAMA FOR COVERING UP JESUS, AND WHATEVER ELSE WAS THERE!
Well played. The worst symbol of all (lately) was the aircraft carrier and the flight suit. That really disgusted me.
No wonder Jesus wept in the Bible: he knew Obama was going to uninvite him from a speech at Georgetown University 2000+ years later...
Yeah, that or because some otherwise corrupt and incompetant political party would use him name, and pervert his teachings, in order to achieve political power.
It is the news, to cover up anything related to jesus is awful. What is wrong with him, if it was not for the mainstream media lying to everyone he would have never been elected. So I hope they are getting voters remorse as a lot of democrats are right now. He will be the worst president ever in our history, removing Jimmy Carter from the top spot of the one and done category. Go ahead and cry liberals, you all need to get the shame out now instead of later.
anebriated - I think you either really are inebriated or you are a fake poster made up by a bored fan of this site to exemplify the idiocy on the trucknutz rightwng fringe. Dial back teh crazee just two notches and you will be believable.
Actually, a President who honored the secular nature of our Constitution would be a welcome relief.
Is this any worse than John Ashcroft covering up the boobies on the Justice Statue? Not really.
It actually rather preferable, and a show of humilty as opposed to arrogance. But these con's no longer have any idea what these words mean.
Oh sure. They may have asked for all signs and symbols to be covered up but we know what they really wanted. (this is a joke btw)
What's up with these Jesus freaks? Eighty percent of the country is Christian and with one exception all members of Congress are Christian and they still feel like they’re being persecuted.
I forgot about the Jewish and Mormon members of Congress.
Just like Limbaugh and Hannity want you to.
You also forgot about the Catholic members since Pope John Paul II said Cathalisim is not Christian.
Thomas Frank in "What's the Matter with Kansas" called it the plent-e-plaint.
Conservatives must continually fan the flames of culture outrages. Continually shifting attention from one manufactured outrage to the next.
They know they have nothing else to offer.
What's with Anonymous (big surprise) talking about reading the words of Christ rather than listening to blank-blank Obama.
How about following the words of Christ?
Seeing stuff like that that bothers me.
I bet that guy was at a teabagging party yesterday.
If Jesus doesn't like it, let him speak up.
Oh, I'm sure there will be plenty of volunteers to channel Jesus for our amusement.
We've become a nation of morons...
Our media insists.
I wonder... where did we go wrong? Did the slow death of our News Media begin with the White Bronco low-speed chase... or was it when we allowed them to trash Anita Hill and saddle us with a truly horrible Supreme Court justice?
I think it was somewhere about that time.
24 hour cable news, on three+ channels. Let's face it, 90% of the time, not nearly enough happens in the world to justify that level of coverage. Especially when each has a sister channel dedicated to just covering the economy. One hour, at 6PM, with "special reports" when they're JUSTIFIED, was probably enough.
I've been watching more of CNN International lately. They seem to have plenty of news - it's just more of that foreign stuff that nobody here gives a hoot about - but should.
I believe the exact moment came when Roy Innis walked over to a neo-nazi idiot on the Geraldo Rivera show, the nazi scumbag rose up out of his seat and all hell broke loose. Instead of burying the tape, Geraldo became famous and Jerry Springer was born. America cheered the format and the rest is history. Disgusting history.
Secularism does not mean anit-reglion. How hard is it for some people to understand that?
Exactly! It means keeping religion out of politics.
These people are brainwashed. They lack all reason. It has to be all-jesus all-the-time or else were all a bunch of satan-worshippers. They. Are. Insane.
(Note: I'm not talking about all believers, just the fairly large sub-group that can't recognize the inherent HUMILTY in covering the repigious symbols, rather than making a political speech in front of them; those that think "under God" was in the pledge of allegiance originally, and that it belogs there at all; and that think that putting the name of GOD on our MONEY is somehow a Christian thing to do.)
Some of these rubes even think that the Founding Fathers wrote the Pledge of Allegiance and put "Under God" in it. Didn't Sarah Palin make a comment to that effect? I may be mixing her up with another Republican nitwit...
You are correct.
So let me get this straight: so-called Christians are up in arms over symbols being covered? SYMBOLS? Didn't God forbid the worship of images and symbols? Why do these fake Christians get riled up over symbols so much?
And wouldn't making a political speech in front of the image of Jesus constitute taking the Lord's name in vain, by implying that He somehow endorese your policies? (Oh wait... they've had eight years to get used to that...)
Of course, if Obama had gone ahead and made the speech with the symbol in the background, the same Troglodytes would be blasting him for "exploiting religious symbols".
You know they would.
YOU GOT IT!!!
I remember during the campaign, either Mike Huckabee or Mitt Romney had a campaign ad where there was a subliminal crucifix in the background and the media was all over that.
As they shoudl have been. No politician has teh right to claim that his words or policies come from, or are somehow endoresed by, God.
The same Mike Huckabee who was joking about torture this morning?
Yup. He called Gitmo a hotel.