Conyers blasts Fox News for ‘apology.’
Fox News “apologized” today after airing images of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) during a discussion of indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) (both happen to be African African).
“Yesterday at this time, news of the indictment of Congressman William Jefferson came down. We mistakenly ran the wrong video to accompany this story and we apologize for that error,” a Fox anchor, Martha MacCallum, told viewers at about 1:20 p.m. today. The 10-second apology made no reference to Mr. Conyers and did not explain why or how the erroneous video made it to air.
Conyers responded today in a statement:
Fox News has a history of inappropriate on-air mistakes that are neither fair, nor balanced. This type of disrespect for people of color should no longer be tolerated. I am personally offended by the network’s complete disregard for accuracy in reporting and lackluster on-air apology.
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“I am personally offended by the network’s complete disregard for accuracy in reporting and lackluster on-air apology.”
As well you should be Congressman.
June 5th, 2007 at 4:54 pmWhat do you expect from “the Right”?
June 5th, 2007 at 4:57 pmGood! So Dems can now stop going on FOX! lol
Screw Dems who guest on FOX.
June 5th, 2007 at 4:57 pmWell said, Rep Conyers.
That was a totally lame “apology.”
June 5th, 2007 at 4:58 pm“An aide to Mr. Conyers said the network had called to express its regret over the incident. “They indicated that they had a staffer in New York who just … hit a button and ran the wrong B-roll. They were very contrite about it and we take them at their word,” the aide, who asked not to be named, said.”
Sounds like they did call and apologize personally.
June 5th, 2007 at 4:59 pmAnd yet, Fox “News” actually expects Democrats to legitimize that cesspool by appearing on a debate that it sponsors.
I wonder if this incident gives the Congressional Black Caucus any pause about getting into bed with those vipers. It certainly should. If it doesn’t, they’re not paying attention.
June 5th, 2007 at 4:59 pmThis smearing of Congressman Conyers is further evidence of why the Democrats should boycott the Fox-sponsored debate.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:01 pmI completely agree with Rep Conyers, and while FNC’s actions were unconscionable, it could have been worse. They could have been running footage of OJ.
(I know, I shouldn’t have said that. I’m a bad boy.)
June 5th, 2007 at 5:03 pmI don’t understand why Mr. Conyers or any other person of color should be offended. I’m sure Fox just pulled out a picture labeled “generic black” with the understanding that nobody who watches Fox can tell them apart anyway. Frankly, we’re lucky they didn’t find a pic of Willie Horton.
Jim
June 5th, 2007 at 5:04 pmThey all look alike to me. For example:
June 5th, 2007 at 5:04 pmhttp://www.gwu.edu/ ~action/ 2004/ sharpton/ sharp012103h.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/ 1420/ 530073716_5f999069ae_m.jpg
How can anyone berate FOX “News”
FachTung Nuze!
June 5th, 2007 at 5:04 pmWayne,
Or shown Conyers trying on gloves!
Bullsh!t. There’s no way a “news” organization, even one as hapless as FOX, could have possibly mistaken Conyers for Jefferson.
An apology is not enough. Not even close to enough.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:05 pm#8
Well, well, well….If it isn’t Wayne A. Schneider….Haven’t seen you ’round these parts for quite a while Wayne….How have you been?
June 5th, 2007 at 5:05 pmExley, let me say to the world patrick1 had sex with a chimp but show a video clip of you at the zoo with the headline of patrick1 having sex with a chimp. I’ll call you to appologize so we’re all good right?
June 5th, 2007 at 5:07 pm(both happen to be African African)
Uh, wouldn’t that be African-American?
June 5th, 2007 at 5:07 pmAnd to think, The Republicans let this racist, dumb *ss, network moderate their debate.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:10 pmMaybe Conyers should get on the phone to his buddies in the CBC and discuss their decision to co-sponsor a primary debate on Fox News.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:10 pmboo hoo listen to the liberals whine. opps i forgot the cheese
June 5th, 2007 at 5:10 pmWhy apologize, hell? It could also be true in regards to Ex! LOL
June 5th, 2007 at 5:15 pmHiB,
The point is that Fox called Conyers’ office, apologized, the staffer says they were contrite and that they accepted Fox’s apology and THEN Conyers acts all indignant….Seems like Conyers saw that this slip-up was getting some play among the left bloggers and decided to change his tune about accepting the apology and grandstand a little.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:16 pm“African-american”?
June 5th, 2007 at 5:17 pmHas faux placed a (D) next to Libby’s jail-bound arse yet?
June 5th, 2007 at 5:18 pmHI, Exley. I was hurtin’ without my ThinkProgress friends to talk to, but it’s all good now. I’ve got at least one computer hooked up to the internets and soon Jane, my mom, and me will all have our own to use.
And Luis M, good catch! You’re absolutely right although I guess it would no less inaccurate to say they were “American American”. And besides, what if one of them is of Caribbean descent? That’s why I never cared for the term “African American”. I understand why the term gets used, but it can so easily be wrong. I mean, I work with a black man who is not an African American because he was born in Jamaica.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:18 pm#23
Well, it’s good to have you back, Wayne. Is your blog back up and running?
June 5th, 2007 at 5:20 pmThis type of blatant racism - See that nutcase Gibson’s latest ‘oooga booga’ rant as another example - is prevalent on Fox. Makes one wonder why an so-called black caucus would want to host a debate on that fascist network…
June 5th, 2007 at 5:21 pmThey indicated that they had a staffer in New York who just … hit a button and ran the wrong B-roll.
That’s not the way it works. They don’t have this footage loaded, ready to be called up with the push of a button. They have to seek out the tape and load it into the deck and capture it into the server.
They fucked up. It could have been some low-level intern or something, it could have been just an innocent mistake, but how often do these “innocent mistakes” that Faux commits turn out to cast Democrats in an unflattering light? I’m beginning that it’s not always purely accidental…
June 5th, 2007 at 5:23 pmSeems like Conyers saw that this slip-up was getting some play among the left bloggers and decided to change his tune about accepting the apology and grandstand a little.
Comment by Exley
Maybe the aide was out of line for accepting the apology. Rep Conyers certainly has a right to speak for himself.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:24 pmExley, yeah, kind of, sort of. I did post a couple of things once I was able to get back in it, but not much, and I changed the template so it should be immediately obvious to anyone who’s seen it that it’s different. I have to figure out how and when I’ll have the time to post stuff. Right now it’s looking like weekends might be the only time. (I came home early today to take my mom to the doctor’s, that’s the only reason I’m home this early.)
In the meantime I’ll enjoy jumping into some TP threads and spreading my insanity around.
Go Mets! The only NYC MLB team with a winning record!
June 5th, 2007 at 5:25 pmUm, Chris? Go away, you are contributing nothing but a bad vibe.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:25 pmThe point is that Fox called Conyers’ office, apologized, the staffer says they were contrite and that they accepted Fox’s apology and THEN Conyers acts all indignant….Seems like Conyers saw that this slip-up was getting some play among the left bloggers and decided to change his tune about accepting the apology and grandstand a little.
Comment by Exley — June 5, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
You might be right about Conyers playing it up, but you have to acknowledge that the Faux News on-air apology fell a little short of the mark. Seems like if they were really contrite, they would have acknowledged on air that the gentleman they displayed as having been indicted on 16 counts of corruption was actually NOT indicted, and is in fact the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:28 pm“Maybe the aide was out of line for accepting the apology. Rep Conyers certainly has a right to speak for himself.”
That’s a fair point. Or maybe the on-air apology fell short of what they expected given the phone call….Okay. That’s a possibility. Fair enough…
June 5th, 2007 at 5:28 pmI’m gonna call my buddy Brit Hume to call out that Conyers for being an uppity you know what.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:29 pm#27
“Go Mets! The only NYC MLB team with a winning record!”
AND the team with the best record in the NL!
June 5th, 2007 at 5:29 pmDon’t play this liberal game, FOX. Stand up for yourselves.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:32 pmone word fox…
BULLSHIT!
June 5th, 2007 at 5:33 pmDon’t play this liberal game, FOX. Stand up for yourselves.
Comment by Mr. President — June 5, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
Exactly right, Mr. P! Faux doesn’t want to go down that liberal road of acknowledging its mistakes and correcting the public record. Along that road lies ruin for the Republican Party.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:35 pmIt’s a probability Exley, not a possibility. “Fair and balanced” Neither apply do this fubar.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:36 pm““They indicated that they had a staffer in New York who just … hit a button and ran the wrong B-roll. ”
Just hit a button? Labelled “some black guy in a suit?” What chaos there must be there, without labeling tapes. Are all the black guy tapes in one bin?
My point is that’s a pretty lame excuse.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:37 pm“African-american�
Comment by Anonymous — June 5, 2007
Everyone in this country has roots in Africa - even Native Americans. The only difference is the path that each of our forebearers took in getting here and how prior settlers were treated. Thor Heyerdahl theorized that Polynesia was populated from South America (read Kon Tiki). New revalations seem to indicate the opposite.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:37 pmThat’s a fair point. Or maybe the on-air apology fell short of what they expected given the phone call….Okay. That’s a possibility. Fair enough…
Comment by Exley
Thanks, Exley.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:37 pm#29
KRank,
I agree. The more I think about it, the Fox correction/apology is a liitle lame. Would it have killed them to say, “We apologize to Rep. Conyers?”
June 5th, 2007 at 5:38 pmWhat the hell is wrong with the Congressional Black Caucus?
Why are they having these racists televise a debate?
I would expect that kind of crap from Ken Blackwell, but not these guys.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:44 pmOh please, all networks make mistakes. Just because Foxnews reports what the other networks won’t report about us Liberals and Democratic politicians, we hate it.
c’mon let us be honest for once, we hate Foxnews becuase they report the truth, the whole truth about liberal ideology, and Democratic politicians.
regardless, this is the same apology that CNN gave to President Bush when he was live giving a speech and someone decided to put a big flashing X over him.
Oh wait, CNN never apologized.
and my buddy Coyners, always race baiting. Ahhh, a man after my own heart.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:45 pmDon’t play this liberal game, FOX. Stand up for yourselves.
Comment by Mr. President — June 5, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
Exactly right, Mr. P! Faux doesn’t want to go down that liberal road of acknowledging its mistakes and correcting the public record. Along that road lies ruin for the Republican Party.
Comment by KRank — June 5, 2007 @ 5:35 pm
HAHAHAHAHA!!! we Liberals acknowledging our mistakes?! hahahaha!!
oh this is a good one from one of my favorite sycophant followers. We can’t even acknowledge that we were wrong about the Cold War and the USSR.
We can’t even come to apologize for the disaster that I was during the 1990s.
We Liberals apologize for our mistakes? that will be the day, when Hell freezes over.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:49 pmWay to go Conyers. The words Fair and Balanced are more than slogans or marketing buzz words.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:57 pmKRank,
I agree. The more I think about it, the Fox correction/apology is a liitle lame. Would it have killed them to say, “We apologize to Rep. Conyers?â€
Comment by Exley — June 5, 2007 @ 5:38 pm
Thanks. I knew that we could reach an accord of some sort one of these days.
June 5th, 2007 at 6:01 pmClinton wannabee=(un)valiantthehater=howsad
June 5th, 2007 at 6:06 pmYou can change your moniker over and over, boy, but your vile blather and bad spelling will always give you away.
I wonder who the smear guy is at Fox Noise? You know, the guy that looks at the bad news and deliberately puts up a false graphic, chyron or video that ties the bad news with a liberal. Foley-Democrat, Jefferson-Conyers. I bet the guy shits himself laughing when they come up on the screen.
June 5th, 2007 at 6:15 pmI’m offended Conyers is pulling the race card. How does he know it had anything to do with “color”? The staffer could be Black for all he knows. Maybe the staffer thought they were both idiots and got them mixed up that way?
June 5th, 2007 at 6:21 pmOMG, Fox News APOLOGIZED for something?
June 5th, 2007 at 6:21 pmblah, blah,blah, nonsense by Fake President Clinton Troll piece of Crap.
An Idiot hiding behind a name is still an Idiot.
June 5th, 2007 at 6:32 pmTake a couple of deep breaths and let them out slowly and after that, lets see……… ahh, you are still an idiot.
You just can’t fix stupid.
Mistake, I don’t think so! There have been far too many “Mistakes†from the Faux Noise Channel.
June 5th, 2007 at 6:33 pmMaybe the staffer thought they were both idiots and got them mixed up that way?
Comment by Eric
To Patrick1
June 5th, 2007 at 6:37 pmPeople used to get flunked in journalism schools if they got the names of someone being covered in an article wrong. Shouldn’t similarly high standards be expected of paid professionals in the business? Oh, yes, and I realize you posted under the name “Eric,” but maybe I think you and Patsy are both idiots and got you guys mixed up.
You’d think they’d be able to recognize the guy who’s been on their tails on CSPAN since January…
June 5th, 2007 at 6:42 pmHEY ERIC!
Are you here to apologize for your mis-statement about TP and Cindy Sheehan. I know you must have acknowledged your error and apologized, but I keep missing it.
Can we see it again, please?
ERIC!!
June 5th, 2007 at 6:59 pmFox just ran the video loop labeled “Some old black guy in a suit.”
June 5th, 2007 at 7:01 pmThis is the belligerent Right. In effect, they’re saying, “We can put whatever shite we want on our own private network and there isn’t anything anybody can do about it. We don’t even pretend we’re not functioning as the propaganda wing for the Ministry of Truth. What’s reason got to do with anything? Stop us if you can.”
They’ve been dreaming of what De Lay called a “permanent Republican majority” for some time now. They’re not going to let a little public sentiment for that quaint notion of democracy we had last century stop them from any number of otherwise outlandish “gaffes”.
I canna imagine anyone anymore not realizing they’re doing this shite on purpose.
June 5th, 2007 at 7:13 pmGaymitch……I know you have a hard on for me since you’re trailing me all over….your panties are in a big wad…..I don’t know who you are or what your rant is about but I must have really torn you a new one somewhere…………get over it. Take your loss like a man. I haven’t responded to you because it will give you’ll get a larger woody for me than you’ve already demonstrated. There was never an article on Sheehan and if you can find it you’re welcome to link it. That was my beef. A small blurb buried in Think Fast hardly merits the status of an article. That’s why your little tantrum has been ignored since it’s so obvious and not worthy of comment. So once again, Scoreboard. Now go away and continue to be insignificant.
June 5th, 2007 at 7:22 pmPlease please please someone wealthy buy futurama, family guy, simpsons and amrican dad from FOX so I can totally boycott it.
June 5th, 2007 at 7:25 pmAs you should be, but take it a step further and sue them for everything you can, it was on purpose, they did it as a right wing (HA HA we are soooo funny) joke.
Heck we know what these scum are all about just look at the posts from Jake(ass) Patti1″, Valiant Douche Bag, PresC(idiot) and the rest, they are all losers, and scummy loser to boot.
Hating the Faux NonNews daily
June 5th, 2007 at 7:28 pmGaymitch……I know you have a hard on for me since you’re trailing me all over….your panties are in a big wad…..I don’t know who you are or what your rant is about but I must have really torn you a new one somewhere…………get over it. Comment by Eric — June 5, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
Poor Eric, while your *homosexuality* can’t be cured - your *homophobia* can. While the first one is *not* a disease, the second one *is*… We suggest you seek treatment with a *qualified* APA certified therapist - and avoid those Exodus Ex-Gay wacos. Ok, child?
June 5th, 2007 at 7:35 pmGaymitch……I know you have a hard on for me since you’re trailing me all over….your panties are in a big wad…..I don’t know who you are or what your rant is about but I must have really torn you a new one somewhere…………get over it. Comment by Eric — June 5, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
Poor Eric, while your *homosexuality* can’t be cured - your *homophobia* can. While the first one is *not* a disease, the second one *is*… We suggest you seek treatment with a *qualified* APA certified therapist - and avoid those Exodus Ex-Gay wacos. Ok, child?
Comment by ValiantVenusGrewFromUranus
I guess Eric isn’t going to apologize. But that’s a classic troll response: ignore, ignore, ignore and then post some whiney homophobic psycho rant.
June 5th, 2007 at 8:25 pmAnd Luis M, good catch! You’re absolutely right although I guess it would no less inaccurate to say they were “American Americanâ€. And besides, what if one of them is of Caribbean descent? That’s why I never cared for the term “African Americanâ€. I understand why the term gets used, but it can so easily be wrong. I mean, I work with a black man who is not an African American because he was born in Jamaica.
Comment by Wayne A. Schneider — June 5, 2007 @ 5:18 pm
Actually, Wayne, a Black man who was born in Jamaica would STILL be an “African-American”. Jamaica is considered by geographers to be part of the North AMERICAN continent.
June 5th, 2007 at 8:37 pmUltimately, it’s really *his* decision; if he wants to refer to himself as a “Jamaican-American”, that’s his choice (the Census Bureau will still most likely label him as “African-American”). It’s a bit like “Hispanic”. Most “Hispanics” tend to use their nationality of origin (Salvadoran, Cuban, Mexican, Dominican) among themselves; of course, most Hispanic neighborhoods have distinct cultural differences that aren’t easily distinguished by “anglos”. It’s not like they don’t accept “Hispanic” (or “Latino”) as a general term, but the usage is more common in the company of non-Hispanics.
Theresa Heinz Kerry was born in Africa, and is a naturalized citizen. That makes her an African-American.
June 5th, 2007 at 8:41 pmExactly right, Zooey! If Kerry had emerged victorious, we would have had our first African-American First Lady. (Or our First African-American LAAAAAD-Y! if you’re a Jerry Lewis fan.)
With all due respect, JosephW, I can be a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but exactly how does Jamaica being considered part of the North American continent justify using the term “African”? My point was that my co-worker considers himself a Caribbean-American, not an African-American.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:33 pmthere is no mistake to apologize for.
FOX NEWS did not make a “mistake”; they engaged in republican propaganda.
this is a republican party tactic using FOX NEWS as the delivery boy.
the whole point is to discredit conyers re: his investigation of the doj scandal:
“I remember that face: he’s the one that’s been indicted.”
p.s.
didn’t a fox “news” person make another similar mistake recently?
June 5th, 2007 at 9:34 pmFaux don’t care, since they are not a “news” organization, but a propaganda tool of the right wing.
Got Pravda?
June 5th, 2007 at 9:56 pmI wonder who the smear guy is at Fox Noise? You know, the guy that looks at the bad news and deliberately puts up a false graphic […]
Comment by hit_escape — June 5, 2007 @ 6:15 pm
This is the belligerent Right. In effect, they’re saying, “We can put whatever shite we want on our own private network and there isn’t anything anybody can do about it. We don’t even pretend […]
They’re not going to let a little public sentiment for that quaint notion of democracy we had last century stop them […]
I canna imagine anyone anymore not realizing they’re doing this shite on purpose.
Comment by Snarky McAngus — June 5, 2007 @ 7:13 pm
deserves repeating… spot on…
June 5th, 2007 at 9:57 pmfirst rate snark also…
Comment by orionATL — June 5, 2007 @ 9:34 pm
Excellent point!
June 5th, 2007 at 10:35 pmNobody seemed to care when Olbermann made the same stupid mistake back on April 13th!
http://186kpersecond.com/ 2007/ 04/ 13/ olbermann-puts-wrong-african-american-in-screenshot-geeeeezz/
Hypocritical Buffoons!
June 5th, 2007 at 10:38 pmGaymitch…….show me the link……your trying to change the subject. Tables have been turned and you’re feeling the head because you can’t produce a link…….scoreboard. Public humiliation once again.
June 5th, 2007 at 11:46 pmleave it to a liberal to play the race card whenever they can
June 6th, 2007 at 9:08 amleave it to a liberal to play the race card whenever they can
Comment by Chris
ROFLMAO!
June 6th, 2007 at 9:43 amleave it to a liberal to play the race card whenever they can
Comment by Chris
Is Ann-thrax Coulter liberal? I seldom read her screeds, but I’ve seen a few where she blames liberal opposition to Bush appointments of very conservative blacks and even the unfavorable press about shoplifting WH aide Claude Allen as “racism.”
June 6th, 2007 at 6:03 pmFox News made a mistake and apologized for it. I’ve seen Conyers say many things he knew to be false when he said them. He is, after all, one of the morons who has stated that our government was behind the 9/11 attacks. The only tool he has in his box is race baiting - pathetic
June 7th, 2007 at 1:28 pmI think we should fire Don Imus again. Apparently, once wans’t enough!
June 8th, 2007 at 10:20 am