As is expected, the first paragraph of the article completely debunks the rumor, saying, "It’s almost certainly just a case of the telephone game gone high-tech." Then the article goes on for 28 additional paragraphs to explore why the Obama campaign might have made this decision (but they didn't) and what would happen if they had made this decision (but they didn't). Essentially, a FOX News web editor used premium headline space, 29 paragraphs of copy, and hundreds of thousands of viewer impressions for a story that is entirely fictitious. Fortunately, the social web allows us to respond and comment on this kind of stuff so that the public isn't mislead. Oh wait, this is the socialist web we're talking about...
Okay this is where I get really angry. When I saw the article last night, I wrote a "comment" suggesting that the decision of Biden to drop out was clearly bogus and I asked FOX News to please vet their stories before printing rumors on top, front page headlines. This morning when I woke up, my comment did not appear, but several other pro-Republican comments did appear. I checked back in a few hours and there were a few moderate to left leaning comments, but most were still republican. My comment still did not appear. So I wrote another comment:
"This is a rumor. Rumor's are not true. If Biden were really going to be dropping out then McCain would be all over it. This is a bogus rumor from the far right, trying to stir up the Republican base because Obama's poll numbers are higher. Welcome to politics."
There is nothing "unlawful, threatening, libelous, or obscene" that would prevent my comment from being posted according to FOX News' editorial guidelines (unless you consider poor grammar libelous). In fact, I affirmed the article's headline. Yet, several hours later my comment is still not published. The site entreats, "FOX News encourages you to participate in this discussion" but clearly this is a lie. Thank you FOX for knowingly spreading a rumor, and crushing any effort to hold up the truth.
Dude, I saw too saw that last night. I then tried to find the rumor somewhere else besides Fox News. I could only find it on tabloid-type web sites. It certainly wasn't the talk of the town.
ReplyDeleteI venture on to Fox News every now and then to see what the neocon/evangelical base might be talking or thinking about (just as I go to Drudge, Huffington, and others for varying viewpoints). But usually its so biased to the point of parody that I don't stay long. Hannity and O'Reilly are little more than caricatures.
Anyway, props for going on there to get a different perspective.
Out-bleeping-rageous!
ReplyDeleteI do not approach my news with the kind of diligence that I admire among others who are careful to read perspectives that lean both right, center and left, but these kinds of things are part of the reason why. The work I do boils my blood enough, I don't need to add Fox's lies to it. Thank you NPR. I know you have your limitations, but thanks for not doing this.