In a statement, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous said:

With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA Official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias.

Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans.

The fact is Ms. Sherrod did help the white farmers mentioned in her speech. They personally credit her with helping to save their family farm.

As we have noted, Breitbart posted heavily edited clips of Sherrod's speech which he claimed indicated she is a racist. Breitbart also falsely suggested that the events Sherrod described in her speech took place while she was working in the Obama administration; in fact, they occurred more than two decades ago.

In their initial reports, Fox News ignored the possibility that the Breitbart clips had taken Sherrod out of context. The network's hosts demanded her resignation and claimed that her comments were “Exhibit A” of “what racism looks like.”