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Fox, MSNBC air NY Times' cropped video of Sotomayor's affirmative action comments

June 12, 2009 7:33 pm ET

SUMMARY: MSNBC and Fox News aired portions of a New York Times video package that cropped remarks Sonia Sotomayor made regarding affirmative action. The editing omitted her statement that she is "from what is traditionally described as a socio-economically poor background."

8 Comments

On June 11, MSNBC and Fox News aired portions of a New York Times video package that cropped remarks Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor made regarding affirmative action during a panel discussion with female judges in the early 1990s. The cropped video featured the following remarks by Sotomayor, but omitted the portion in italics: "I am a product of affirmative action. I am the perfect affirmative action baby. I am a Puerto Rican, born and raised in the South Bronx, and from what is traditionally described as a socio-economically poor background. My test scores were not comparable to that of my colleagues at Princeton or Yale -- not so far off the mark that I wasn't able to succeed at those institutions" (42:00). The cropping of Sotomayor's comments in this way allows conservatives, such as Sean Hannity, to distort Sotomayor's remarks by suggesting that Sotomayor said her ethnicity was the only reason she was admitted to Princeton and Yale.

The Times video package that aired on Fox News and MSNBC included the following comments, with no indication that they had been cropped:

SOTOMAYOR: I am a product of affirmative action. I am the perfect affirmative action baby. I am a Puerto Rican, born and raised in the South Bronx. My test scores were not comparable to that of my colleagues at Princeton or Yale -- not so far off the mark that I wasn't able to succeed at those institutions.

SHIRA SCHEINDLIN (moderator): Didn't it say editor of The Yale Law Journal?

While the Times did post a video of the entire 55-minute panel discussion in which Sotomayor made her comments, the shorter video package the Times produced, called "The Sotomayor Tapes," omitted her statement that she was "from what is traditionally described as a socio-economically poor background.

On the June 11 edition of his show, Hannity aired the Times' cropped video and said: "Well, so much for Dr. King's aspiration that future generations would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Judge Sotomayor -- she seems to disagree." Contrary to Hannity's lament, Sotomayor did not say that she was "judged" solely "by the color of [her] skin," as her omitted comment makes clear. In addition to Hannity's program, the Times' cropped video also aired on MSNBC Live.

The June 11 Times article on the video footage of Sotomayor did note that Sotomayor referenced her "poor circumstances" when describing herself as a beneficiary of affirmative action. The article reported: "The clips include lengthy remarks about her experiences as an 'affirmative action baby' whose lower test scores were overlooked by admissions committees at Princeton University and Yale Law School because, she said, she is Hispanic and had grown up in poor circumstances."

— S.P.
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    • Author by bilbo_dies (June 12, 2009 8:13 pm ET)
      3  
      I think the problem here is not so much that they cropped the comments as much as they seem to be making an issue of her being
      'affirmative action baby'. As if to say: "she only got into college because of affirmative action, and did not rightfully earn anything because of that."

      Of course that does ignore the fact that she graduated summa cum laude, from Princeton University. Also, she was editor of the Yale Law Journal. I am pretty sure that affirmative action does not play a factor in any of that. Affirmative action did for Sotomayor exactly what it is supposed to do for minorities. It gives them a chance to succeed that they might not have had without it. What the individual does with that chance is up them them. Sotomayor appears to have made the most of that chance, kudos to her.
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      • Author by whattodo (June 13, 2009 10:57 am ET)
           
        affirmative action did for Sotomayor exactly what it is supposed to do for minorities. It gives them a chance to succeed that they might not have had without it.

        Decisions based on race. Nice. What about the poor white kid in Alabama who should have gotten into Princeton and is now working at the Piggly Wiggly? Do you think he or she cares that there are many whites already attending Princeton?
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      • Author by snoopy (June 15, 2009 10:23 am ET)
           
        AA baby has been buchannon's entire claim. The thought that a wise latina woman made better grades than he did all by herself is reprehensible when you're a racist white man of priveledge.
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    • Author by whattodo (June 13, 2009 10:55 am ET)
         
      See this is a perfect example of revisionist history. Are you trying to claim that institutions did not take into consideration the race of the individual? See this is what is so frustrating. You are implying that race had nothing to do with affirmative action. LIAR!!!!! Everyone knows that certain requirements or expectations were diluted on behalf of race for many years (and still to this day). This was an openly discussed condideration. Look, I do not know if she got into Princeton because of her race, but, it wouldn't surprise me, because it was and continues to be a practice of all colleges. And now you are trying to deny that? She flat out states that her grades weren't where they shoud have been. She continues by specifically identifying her race, I assume to explain how she got in. And to Bilbo, her success or failure while metriculating IS NOT AN ISSUE. Typical dem response. . . BUT SHE DID GOOD. The issue is, was there a more qualified POOR white person that did not get in because that person was white? And most importantly, does she believe that such criteria should be taken into consideration FOR ANY REASON OR DECISION? It seems she does. We cannot just poo poo all of this away. Nothing should be determined by race. I completely agree with decisions based on economic condition. But that means poor whites should be given similar advantages. And the truth is, that has not been happening. And to deny previous racially based practices is hogwash.
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    • Author by caveman (June 13, 2009 12:35 pm ET)
         
      The problem is that it was cropped in the middle. Had it been cropped at the beginning or end, this could have been just to save time. As it is, it is clearly an attempt to portray the comment as other than it is.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by caveman (June 14, 2009 6:02 pm ET)
         
      Why does it say 4 Comments and then there's only comment displayed? One of the missing comments is mine, assuming it was approved.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by enoughisenough (June 14, 2009 8:07 pm ET)
         
      The problem with affirmative action is that it demonstrates or suggests that the intelligence of minorities is inferior to
      non minorities. Therefore "a poor puerto rican" needs to
      meet lower scores due to lower intellect. What a sad
      state of affairs. It is my conviction that affirmative action is
      in itself demeaning to our minority population.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by insaneloki20024664 (June 14, 2009 8:10 pm ET)
         
      While they should not have cropped out that sentence, it does not change the spirit of what she said. Affirmative Action is about race no socio-economic background. So therefore the crop means nothing. She is talking about her race being the main reason for her being able to get into those institutions.

      She also has said that those test were culturally biased. The suggestion being she would have done better if it wasn't for the racist test makers. either you know the material or you don't know the material, you only have yourself to blame.
      Report Abuse

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