Fox News Crowd Footage Goes Rogue…Again (Update)
Remember what happened when Fox News aired footage of a previous tea party while describing a Michele Bachmann event, making it look like there were more people there than there actually were? The Daily Show called them out, and Sean Hannity apologized.
Guess what – it happened again. And Fox News is ready to lay down the law.
Think Progress caught another instance of Fox News using incorrect b-roll, again leading to the effect of making a crowd look larger than it actually was.
As anchor Gregg Jarrett introduced a news segment about Sarah Palin’s book tour, video rolled of Palin on the 2008 campaign trail. But Jarrett said: “Sarah Palin continuing to draw huge crowds while she’s promoting her brand new book, Take a look – these are some of the pictures just coming into us. You can see the lines earlier had formed this morning. There’s a crowd of folks.”
It’s not like Fox News needed to falsely make it look like there were big crowds – many came out for the book tour yesterday in Indiana. But another mistake like this just looks bad.
Chicago Tribune’s Mark Silva talked to FNC SVP Michael Clemente:
This was a production error in which the copy editor changed a script and didn’t alert the control room to update the video. There will be an on-air explanation during Happening Now on Thursday
That will come sometime between 11am and 1pmET today. Also, Silva writes, “serious disciplinary action will be taken for those responsible behind the scenes in the control room.”
> Update: Here’s the apology video from this morning (via J$):
Here’s the clip:
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15 comments
So F’ing what….who cares and why should it matter. Palin will always draw large crowds and whomever is responsible for putting the footage up in the control room should be immediately fired or demoted to sweeping floors.
felixw says: I am glad to see a team of investigators fact-checking anything and everything having to do with Sarah Palin. This is the only growth business in the mainstream media. Associated Press assigned 11 reporters to fact-checking Palin’s book. That’s right, eleven reporters.
Why don’t they put 11 reporters on checking the claims for the stimulus bill? Or on Acorn’s egregious violation of the law? (By the way, no mainstream media outlet is investigating Acorn, but five networks are investigating the whistleblowers who brought the Acorn scandal to light.)
Let’s face it, when the media starts giving you “the Palin treatment,” it’s a sign that you must be doing something right. It’s like the old days in the USSR. You could tell who the heroes were just be seeing who was attacked in Pravda.
It does matter. This is the problem with all of the media. They make “mistakes,” and then run a brief apology. Nothing else ever happens. This is twice that the same basic “mistake” has been made. And twice that they have blamed some nameless functionary.
Examples:
MSNBC uses doctored Palin photos last week. That moron Radigan tells viewers the following Monday, “We took the weekend and Friday to go over this….” As if they didn’t know what they aired. And they also blamed nameless functionaries. Plus, it took them 3 days to figure it out?!?
Fox: The “mistake” on Hannity. Now a similar “mistake.”
CNBC: “Buy Lehman stock!” Cramer eventually admits he was wrong and cheerleading, but only after a week of denials on EVERY NBC network.
NY Times: Heavily misquotes and in some cases totally fabricates Kissinger comments at start of Iraq war and blames “editorial errors.”
This does matter. When presenting news as facts, it is important to stay with facts. A simple chyron, “Earlier footage” would have resolved this, and since all video footage has a time/date stamp right on the tape, it is inexcusable to call this a mistake. Same with MSNBC and the fake Palin pix. They knew. Everybody knew. And Radigan was looking right at a monitor when they aired.
@Chuck Varrick: Yes, she does draw huge crowds everywhere she goes, which only makes this “mistake” more mystifying. It hurts her more than helps her. I am not a fan, but I resent that someone at Fox feels the need to be dishonest here at Palin’s expense. She has always said what she thinks and regardless of whether or not I agree with her, I do respect her for that. Fox undermined that with the bogus footage.
rmbltmbl says: Gee.. must have been the campaign signs and teleprompters that gave it away. Thank goodness we have people around to make sure we understand mistakes since we’re all idiots.
black leclere says: Palin is, and always has been, an utter fraud. As are the tools at Fox who enable her to cash in on the gullibility of the republican base and sell her “book”. If you’d really like to read it, do yourself a favor: wait 6 months and get it for $1.99 out of the remainder bin at your local bookstore. There’ll be no shortage of copies.
ImNotBlue says: I think the immediate response from FNC management, and the fact that the video didn’t really change the situation all that much (if there were a lot of people at both events, what did showing this video do to help?), does a pretty good job of showing that this was, in fact, another accident.
That said, it is completely unacceptable… and I’m glad to see they’re taking strong action to prevent this from happening in the future.
Duc du Berry says: Fox is a sloppy, malicious organization that is trying to take over the world!
This occurred during one of Fox’s self-described “news” hours and though the pictures are somewhat misleading, it was Gregg Jarrett’s script that threw it over the top. They were right to apologize because it bolsters their credibility and in my opinion, it’s good the blogosphere is keeping everyone honest and repeating the corrections from every network.
I do hope that you people are not blaming the announcer. The announcer is given the Incorrect Information, not knowing it so it is someone behind the scenes. They should be taught to check and recheck before putting it on the screen. Also, IF you watch other TV stations, you can almost always see OR hear a mistake, but it takes a few days or more, IF THEY EVER admit it. Never an error on any news about the president is admitted. Also, he never apologizes for all the dumb things he has done, just ignores them.
Jim R says: I’m inclined to give Fox the benefit of the doubt, this time, primarily because I give them more credit for cleverness and even they aren’t this ham-handed.
Despite repeatedly slipping a (D) behind disgraced Republican’s names on-screen and what I believe WAS a surreptitious effort to bolster the pathetic turnout for the latest tea party angry at the wrong folks people march, this instance was most likely innocent.
When the “war between the WH and Fox” is long forgotten the increased scrutiny they’ll receive from now on will be a plus to the public. I’ve disagreed with the conventional wisdom from the beginning that it was a mistake for the WH to take on Fox.
An electorate more skeptical and aware of Fox’s agenda in their opinion and news shows is great for our democracy, and the media’s role in “keeping them honest” will include both our government and each other.
TinaFromTampa says: ImNotBlue says:
November 19, 2009 at 2:16 pm
….I’m glad to see they’re taking strong action to prevent this from happening in the future.
FALSE!
Exactly what “strong action” is Fox News taking “to prevent this from happening in the future?”
-TinaFromTampa
“Saying dumb things first, so you don’t have to.”
ImNotBlue says: TinaFromTampa says:
November 19, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Now, I know as an internet stalker, you don’t really have time to read… because you’re busy following someone from site to site… which continues to be pathetic.
However, if you actually read the story… you’d have seen this:
So, as you might suspect, the No. 1-rated cable news network is taking today’s mixing of videos quite seriously;
How seriously?
The Swamp hears tonight that it’s highly like that serious disciplinary action will be taken for those responsible behind the scenes in the control room. News executives there consider this to have been a sloppy and unnecessary error.
Stalking takes a lot of your time, apparently. You could either (a) grow up, or (b) work on your comprehension. Personally, I think you should try to do both… if you can find the time.
TinaFromTampa says: I’mNotBlue….
FALSE!
Firing someone for an action they’ve already taken… how does that prevent a “mistake” from happening in the future?
If they put different systems in place, that might help.
Or if they turned down their zeal to hype “The One”, that could help too.
black leclere says: “I’ve disagreed with the conventional wisdom from the beginning that it was a mistake for the WH to take on Fox.” – JimR
Agreed. About time someone did.
ImNotBlue says: TinaFromTampa says:
November 20, 2009 at 6:30 am
What exactly would you like to happen? Build a time machine to fix it? Your criticism is unrealistic.
Oh, and before you suggest that FNC is hyping, “the One,” let me ask you how your reconcile comments by MSNBC-ers that their JOB is to HELP President Obama? They’ve actually said they’re trying to help this administration… where was your complaint? Hmmm?
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