School kids "SHOCK VIDEO" quickly jumps from conservative blogs to Fox News
Taking cues from conservative blogs and the Drudge Report, Fox News and its online properties flogged a YouTube video that purports to show "[s]chool kids taught to praise Obama." Indeed, in discussing the significance of the story, Fox News host Megyn Kelly said that the video, which the school's superintendent has said was unauthorized, "is getting attention on the Drudge Report website this morning."
"SHOCK VIDEO" timeline: From YouTube, to conservative blogs and Drudge, to Fox News
June: Video reportedly "originally posted." In a September 24 post on her blog, Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin wrote that the "Dear Leader ... video was originally posted in June 2009 here by YouTube user 'brandnuwords.' Update: She has now removed the video sometime this morning." Malkin added:
"Brandnuwords" is the YouTube account of Charisse Carney-Nunes. More on her in a moment.
YouTube user "alteredbeat" re-posted the video on September 6 here.
Alteredbeat e-mailed Carney-Nunes to inquire about the location of the school. She told him it was a school in South Jersey.
[...]
Back to Charisse Carney-Nunes. Via ModernConservative, Carney-Nunes is senior vice president of The Jamestown Project, "the award-winning author of the children's books, I Am Barack Obama (2009)," and according to her biography, "a graduate of Harvard Law School, where she was a schoolmate of President Obama." I have e-mailed Carney-Nunes for comment as well.
August 24. User "deathtodiversity4" posts a 3-minute-and-1-second video of the schoolchildren -- headlined, "More Obama Indoctrination going on in schools" -- which includes background music and graphics of President Obama in Muslim garb and a nuclear explosion. The video is cited in a September 1 discussion on FreeRepublic.com.
September 6. User "alteredbeat" posts a 2-minute-and-24-second YouTube video -- an edited version of the longer deathtodiversity4 video -- with the title, "School kids taught to praise Obama." On September 24, alteredbeat posts an edited "School kids" video that has "[n]o background music." FoxNews.com, Drudge, and Malkin, among others, have linked to alteredbeat's videos. Both deathtodiversity4 and alteredbeat's September 6 videos have the same background music.
September 23, 2:11 p.m.: Malkin. Malkin posts the video and writes that "[s]everal readers have sent a link to this YouTube video of a group of schoolkids who memorized...an Obama rap."
September 23, 4:42 p.m.: NRO. National Review Online's Guy Benson posts the video under the headline, "Kidz4Change: Singing to Dear Leader."
September 23, 5:57 p.m.: HotAir.com. On the conservative blog HotAir.com, which was founded by Malkin, Allahpundit posts the YouTube video in a post headlined, "Video: Children sing songs of Obama's glory." HotAir.com links back to Malkin's and NRO's posts.
September 23, 6:50 p.m.: Drudge. The Drudge Report posts a link to the YouTube video under the headline, "SHOCK VIDEO: School kids taught to praise Obama..."
September 23, 9:21 p.m.: Gateway Pundit. The conservative blog Gateway Pundit posts the video under the headline, "Sick. School Children Taught to Sing Praises to Obama." Gateway Pundit adds, "Of course, we've seen this sort of thing before," and posts a picture of Chairman Mao. Fox News' Kelly has stated that the show she co-hosts, America's Newsroom, uses the blog, among other "conservative blogs," as a resource.
September 24, morning: Fox Nation. During the morning of September 24, FoxNation.com posts the video with the headline, "School Children Sing Songs of Obama's Glory." Fox Nation links back to HotAir.com's September 23 post.
September 24, morning: FoxNews.com. FoxNews.com posts an article with the headline, "Elementary School Students Reportedly Taught Songs Praising President Obama." While the FoxNews.com article does not include a timestamp, the first comment on the article -- "who are these children's parents?!!! brain washing CHILDREN!! this is satanic!!" -- was posted at 9:55 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., FoxNews.com made the video its top story:
At 12:25 p.m., FoxNews.com was updated with the large headline, "Indoctrination?"
September 24, 9:11 a.m.: Fox News. At approximately 9:11 a.m., America's Newsroom begins to air portions of the YouTube video and covers it as a "developing" story. Later during the program, Kelly said that the video "is getting attention on the Drudge Report website this morning."
September 24, 11 a.m. hour: Fox News' Glenn Beck claims on his radio show that the video shows "indoctrination," adding that "this should horrify the American people." Beck promises that he would also play the tape "tonight" on his Fox News show; FoxNews.com states of Beck's upcoming September 24 show: "Worried about indoctrination in our nation's schools? You should be!"
From America's Newsroom, which teased an upcoming segment on the video at 9:11 a.m.:
From America's Newsroom, which briefly teased an upcoming segment on the video at 9:27 a.m.:
From America's Newsroom at 9:36 a.m.:
School says "recording and distribution" of Black History Month activity "were unauthorized"
From Burlington Township School District superintendent Dr. Christopher M. Manno's September 24 letter to parents:
Dear Burlington Township Families:
Today we became aware of a video that was placed on the internet which has been reported in the media. The video is of a class of students singing a song about President Obama. The activity took place during Black History Month in 2009, which is recognized each February to honor the contributions of African Americans to our country. Our curriculum studies, honors and recognizes those who serve our country. The recording and distribution of the class activity were unauthorized.
If you have any further questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me or Dr. King, Principal of B. Bernice Young School, directly.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher M. Manno,
Superintendent of Schools
Transcript
From the September 24 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom:
BILL HEMMER (co-host): Also, some schoolchildren singing a song about the president. And the verses are raising some questions for, well, the teachers and for that school. You'll hear the words and the song a bit later this hour.
[shows video]
KELLY: In the meantime, we are trying to get some answers about a video that is getting attention on the Drudge Report website this morning. It shows young children singing the praises, quite literally, of the president. Watch some of it:
[shows video]
KELLY: Well, information posted with the clip says that it is from the Bernice Young school in Burlington Township, New Jersey. But the school won't exactly confirm that for us. In fact, they won't confirm anything for us. We have made multiple attempts to ask them about these students, about this tape, and how this came about. We are hoping that they will get back to us shortly so that we can clear this up. Already we're getting a lot of emails from our viewers. It went on from there -- you saw a clip of the children singing. Then came a bit of a chant by the children where they praised President Obama for all his great accomplishments, saying, quote, "You're number one. Hooray, Mr. President, we're really proud of you." And on and on it goes.
You know, many parents would have no problem with this. Many parents would, and just don't want this sort of political cheerleading, if you will, in the classroom. We just don't know the details behind the tape, but it certainly caught our attention, and we're trying to find out from, again, from this school, which we have multiple calls into. The B. Bernice Young Elementary School -- Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, New Jersey. And as soon as we have it, you'll have it.
This was an event at a school celebrating Black History Month. Singing a song talking about some of the highlights of Obama is not outrageous in the least. He is the first black President, after all.
When I was a kid, February was President's month, and we would praise all the good things about Lincoln and Washington in our school revues.
go ahead a teach your children your hate..i'll teach mine to fight that hatred all their lives..
I can hardly wait to see the sleeve badges with the Obama logo.
Seig Heil
Just kidding sorta. But after eight years of living under an administration that operated under the notion that science is just another belief system, I am exhausted with taking ignorant people's opinions.
If someone can tell me something political about the song I'd love to hear it. The right just wants the country/world is to fear and hate the President as much as they do.
And how like you to make an allegation but not provide a single piece of evidence to back you up.
Your opinion is not evidence of anything besides your disgusting partisanship that colors everything you type.
Stop digging.
This assembly was in February, during Black History Month, and Obama had just been inaugurated a couple of weeks earlier. It would be weird if they didn't do a song about Obama considering the circumstances!
The previous poster had asked that anyone show him something political in the song, and you didn't provide a single example.
And yeah, I would have no problem, if there was a reason to have a song about another President, for the teacher to create one that talked about some of his accomplishments. I have said that on almost every link from MMFA on this subject! Get a clue. In this assembly, they had songs about Lincoln and Washington!
Singing about Lincoln and Washington in February makes sense because their birthdays are in that month, and we have a Federal Holiday celebrating Washington's Birthday, and they were great Presidents.
Singing during Black History Month about Obama a couple of weeks after he was inaugurated as the first Black President makes sense too.
If they were having an assembly about the creation of our National Parks, for example, I would expect them to sing a song that mentioned U.S. Grant and Teddy Roosevelt. An assembly about the importance of the 60's, they'd likely sing songs about JFK and MLK Jr.
"Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US" ignored. Maybe you'd like to write a song about that?
I remember singing songs about Presidents when I was in school but I didn't think I was being brainwashed or indoctrinated into anything. This is all coming from the same people who had a problem with him speaking to kids. They said the exact same crap then and they were proven wrong then as well.
What would we have thought if Bush had a praise song about bombing Iraq?
And fire the teachers? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
"Bush, Bush, the great pres-i-dent.!
He bombed Iraq and Afghanistan..without relent!
He kept us safe on 9-11, built guantanamo bay
to lock up all the terrorists to keep their violence at bay!"
Nothing wrong with the above, right????
You don't have a leg to stand on.
And if Bush had stood for racial and gender equality and strengthening our nation by standing together I wouldn't have had any issue with a song being created in his honor had there been a reason to do so, like he was visiting the school. The good reason to sing about Obama is that he's the first Black President. The good reason to sing about Lincoln and Washington is because they were great Presidents. Give me a good reason to sing about Bush or any other president, and I have no problems with it.
He bombed Iraq and Afghanistan..without relent!
He kept us safe on 9-11, built guantanamo bay
to lock up all the terrorists to keep their violence at bay!"
Nothing wrong with the above, right????"
Well the bit about keeping us safe on 9-11 is not historically accurate and you rhymed bay with bay.
Isn't there something in the Ten Commandments (any variation) about respecting authority - specifically parents?
they are also using an unauthorized video to gin up their minions..enough of this irresponsible..disrespectful..disgusting vitriol..