Fox News erases 2006 Hawaii earthquake to attack Obama
Responding to President Obama's March 17 statement that Hawaii "went through an earthquake" and could benefit from a health care reform provision that would help Louisiana cope with Medicaid shortfalls resulting from Hurricane Katrina, Steve Doocy asked, "What Hawaiian earthquake?" In fact, as Fox News reported at the time, President Bush declared a "major disaster" after Hawaii was hit by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in October 2006.
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Fox & Friends' Doocy: "What Hawaiian earthquake?"
On March 18, Fox & Friends aired Obama's statement that the health care reform provision that benefits Louisiana "also helps Hawaii, which went through an earthquake." Co-host Steve Doocy responded:
DOOCY: Hold it. What Hawaiian earthquake? There was an earthquake in 1868 that killed 77. There was an earthquake in 1975 that killed two. ABC is reporting that apparently on page 432 of the Reid bill, there's a section describing exactly how a state would qualify. It would have to be within the last seven fiscal years. Essentially it boils down to just one state, and that is Louisiana.
Bush declared "major disaster" after 2006 earthquake hit Hawaii
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit Hawaii on October 15, 2006. As Media Matters' Adam Shah noted in response to right-wing bloggers who claimed Obama was "making up" an earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey states that Hawaii suffered a magnitude 6.7 earthquake on October 15, 2006.
Bush declared "major disaster" in "the State of Hawaii." On October 16, 2006, the White House stated:
The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Hawaii and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by an earthquake that occurred on October 15, 2006, and related aftershocks.
Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis in the counties of Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui and the City of Honolulu for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
R. David Paulison, Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Michael L. Karl as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
The Agency said that more areas and additional forms of assistance may be designated after damage assessments are fully completed in the affected areas.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-4600.
Fox & Friends reported on earthquake at the time
On the October 18, 2006, edition of Fox & Friends, correspondent Lauren Green reported:
GREEN: President Bush declares a federal disaster in Hawaii following a 6.7 magnitude earthquake, and this opens up the door to more federal recovery dollars and programs to fix damaged roadways and bridges and schools. Early damage estimates from the quake could be as high as $73 million.
Fox News' The Big Story also covered Hawaii earthquake. From the October 16, 2006, edition of Fox News' The Big Story with John Gibson: [transcript from Nexis]
GIBSON: Now for the big natural disaster story out there in paradise. The massive 6.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Hawaii. The strongest to hit the islands in over two decades. The quake sparked mudslides, blackouts, collapsed roads. Luckily no deaths have been reported. Inspectors are now out in the area checking for major structural damage. Fox's Anita Vogel live on the videophone now with an update from Honolulu.
Hi, Anita.
ANITA VOGEL, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John. I'm actually in Kona. We're on the Big Island now, not too far away from where the epicenter of this quake is. I can tell you one local woman we talked to probably put it the best when she said yesterday was a day that most Hawaiians will never forget. As you mentioned, this was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in so many years. And it caused as many as 40 aftershocks.
Now the initial quake was centered not too far from where we are right now, about 10 miles of off the coast of the Big Island, off the coast of Kona. It was a 6.6 or 6.7 magnitude temblor. It caused widespread power outages, landslides and rockslides and structural damage to many buildings, including homes. In one case it led to a house fire that caused major smoke damage. Even people who consider themselves veterans of earthquakes say this was indeed a very big one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I lived all my life on the San Andreas fault in California. I've never felt an earthquake like this before, ever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was it like? Describe it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It shook the house for so long, everything flew. Everything in the house fell, everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VOGEL: Sixty seconds a long time for appear earthquake to be shaking. Yesterday the governor declared a state of emergency. She said she was relieved that despite the force of the earthquake, there were no serious injuries or fatalities. But there were plenty of close calls. At one extended care facility here on the Big Island, nearly 50 people had to be evacuated after the ceiling tiles fell town and the floor was flooded from a water main break.
Now, John, the work is hardly over here. There are plenty of teams out assessing the damage and we're learning this afternoon that FEMA is even sending a team of 75 people to go out and make sure that no one is trapped out there and in need of help. Back to you.
GIBSON: Fox's Anita Vogel in Kona, Hawaii.
It's just another one of those places far, far away from real America where foreigners come from. ;>)
I am a Stater. I want proof that this group of islands is a state. And don't try to give me any official documents of the US Government. They have all be altered since the Obama Administration took over. This will also benefit my Birther cousins. Hence, Hawaii is not a state, Obama was born in Hawaii, Obama is not an American.
Do you think Drudge will pick this up. Or BrightBart?
It's the classic definition of propaganda. Fox News is the best current example.
<sarcasm>
And since Obama never said anything about people being killed in the 2006 quake (imagine how the right would suddenly discover the power of Google and jump all over the president if he had!), then MagCynic's repeated bringing the point up is not scoring him any points, anyway.
Problem is that FOX has a history of sloppy reporting devoid of fact checking. Some people say they're not even a legitimate news organization.
Somebody there did some kind of research, and yet they missed the most recent earthquake.
Lousy, lousy reporting. Who are they going to fire?
And your use our the 'great Hawaiian earthquake that killed zero people' is typical of someone who wishes to standup for this talking head.
By the way, maybe most people will now know the earthquake occurred...even Fox viewers learned something.
2. They call the Preisdent a liar. You seem to miss that point.
3. NO
There are my answers to you.
My question now...In attempting to call the President a liar, shouldn't a real News person check their facts?
Now, perhaps he honestly didn't remember. That's fine. Stories like that, however, do not pop up suddenly. Fox has their producers and researchers. It they had time to edit the clip, they had time to check the facts. It's that simple.
You know, Glenn Beck has been making a lot of noise lately about how Progressives should not be trusted because they've somehow rewritten history. How should we feel about a news network that creatively edits history?
If he doesn't retract or correct himself, will you call him out then? Put up or shut up, Mag.
President Obama said .... Hawaii "went through an earthquake" and could benefit from a health care reform provision that would help Louisiana cope with Medicaid shortfalls resulting from Hurricane Katrina.
Doofus said ... "What Hawaiian earthquake?"
Now, if you can't figure it out, Doofus was replying to this with a rhetorical question, the answer being that one didn't happen and that President Obama is a liar.
Doocy was suggesting that Barack Obama was lying about an earthquake having occurred in Hawaii...or at least that Obama was terribly mistaken. BTW, has FOX now issued a retraction of Doocy's dumb remarks?
Lastly, FOX has a history of not checking facts and of continuing to perpetuate false stories after they have been debunked.
It was ALWAYS an error of those who failed to vet the story before running with it! It was a non-scientific survey, totally biased with results from self-selected people who weren't a representative sampling of doctors. It wasn't a study, or even a poll.
This is what the media said about that that survey. And YOU "be fair"? Hah! Don't make us laugh. You lie like a rug. You're never honest and forthright. Never.
Bill O'Reilly: Survey was "published by The New England Journal of Medicine, a prestigious magazine."
Kilmeade: NEJM "published a report and did a survey" that found doctors "feel reform will force them out."
HotAir.com: NEJM "polled health-care providers."
Hannity guest attributes study to NEJM.
Marc Siegel: "A new study in The New England Journal of Medicine says that one-third of physicians would consider quitting or retiring early if this goes through."
Their culty viewers are even less likely to google things than they are. Fox can completely define reality for them. This is much the same as when they said that Clinton was lying about black churches in Arkansas being burned down.
2) Fox is notorious for these "gotcha drops." They drop un-sourced, factless nuggets of damaging information into their alleged "news" stories. They know that the majority of their viewers do not research these false stories. They rarely, if ever, come back and make a correction. It's called PROPAGANDA, Beck-clone. Your duplicate uses the device all the time.
3) Has nothing to do with memorizing anything. REAL journalists or even most PRETEND journalists, who are not interested in propaganda like the folks on Fox, would make sure that the information which they are using to call the President of the United States a liar is FACTUAL before it is uttered.
This is the gotcha drop of the day, Beck-clone.
Shameful and pathetic as usual!!
At least not to their viewers directly. On the rare occasion they do issue a retraction they trot out their VP in charge of programming (can't remember his name) who gives a statement to someone like the Washington Post. How many FOX viewers read the Washington Post?
Not many, surely. They believe, despite the mountains of evidence, that the Post is a liberal rag.
I have to wonder--how many Fox viewers read at all? Fox would rather they read nothing beyond their own deceptive chyrons.
Actually, for their fans that are actually literate, there's Fox Nation to do the dumbing down.
A Google search for "hawaii earthquake" took a grand total of .017 seconds to produce the relevant information.
But I suppose the Right Wing pundits aren't familiar with this thing we call "the Internet."
I think Doofie needs to be the spark that ignites a movement of Chart-ers - after all, it's 'way past time for Obama to produce the seismograph chart strips proving this quake really happened.
Now that I've thought about this, would it be more accurate to call them Strippers?
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It took me longer to write this post then it took for my wife to look it up and e-mail me the link.