The Bizarre Story Of A USDA Worker

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Ah, Chandos, that's July 20th. That's the day after this all happened.

 

If it's the day after, why did he annouce:

Besides, your comment was that "he didn't touch the topic."

If I posted something that false (especially in the face of contrary evidence) "that he didn't touch the topic," I would be accused of "spreading bad information."

 

In the context of the discussion, I think (at least I hope) it's clear that I was talking about the evening that it happened (which was the 19th, not the 20th, there's no disagreement on this), especially considereing that I'm the one that pointed out that he touched on it the next night (the 20th).

 

Ok. That wasn't clear to me from the post. One of the problems in this context and is that many of the pundits keep lumping conservative bloggers and FOX together. I think even Sherrod has done that in her comments, but she is justified in commenting on them both, only that lumping them together causes confusion over exactly who said what and when -- the bloggers, or FOX? Also, FOX has been foolishly taking down their post on the 19th, which makes look even more guilty:

http://mediamatters.org/research/201007220004

 

Rags, I thought your crush on Frum was greater than my own? Why didn't you post this? Getting careless in your old age or something?

 

So, Chandos, you're saying two news articles were the sum total of FOX's 'driving the story'? If that's the case, where's the condemnation of CBS? They had a story, too.

My point, all in all, is that FOX is not to blame for what happened to Sharrod. At the worst, they ran with a story based on the facts at hand (and they're hardly the only news service to do that). The NAACP and the Administration are to blame. Not because they were the only ones attacking her, but because they were the only ones who should have had any say. The NAACP is not a news organization. It doesn't 'run with stories'. It is a political organization, and it threw it's political weight against her without even investigating their own files. The Administration, of course, is to blame because they actually made the decision, again without any investigation. The current attempt to put this on FOX is, at best, a reach.

 

Where did I say that?

Where's the condemnation of Breitbart? I can play this game all day long.

I know your point. FOX is not to "blame" - Breitbart is. But Sherrod was fired because of the adminstration's fear of the coverage that FOX was giving it. Do I have to keep posting it over and over again, (go back and look at the earlier posts for the link), while you continue to chase your conservative, FOX-loving, tail? If the USDA had ignored FOX, they would have been better off. But that was their concern, for some strange reason.

Really? Did they post the deceptive clip about Sherrod? You must be high. Brietbart posted the clip and your failure to blame him proves your own conservative-blogging bias. Before you do any more of your "liberal baiting," I suggest you step back and take look at the larger picture.

 

No. Actually the man who doctored her speech and released it is mostly to blame. Breitbart is followed by the news media for failing in its duty to check the footage in context prior to echoing it, and the Obama administration and NAACP follow the press for failing to independently fact-check the news media. Thing is, it isn't the executive branch's job to fact-check the news media, and quite frankly the executive branch shouldn't have to. The news media should be fact-checking them.

The Obama administration was snookered just like the news media and the NAACP. The difference, however, is that the entire point of having an independent news media is to ensure that **** like this never happens. Fact checking is in their job description, and they failed. Big time. Rather than blaming the Obama administration for acting on their own (mis)information, the conservative media should be looking in a mirror.

 

Chandos, you're confusing the days. Beck mentioned here the morning of the 20th. The call in question, and her resignation, came on the evening of the 19th.

 

And was Beck aware of that, before he went off on his tirade on the 20th?

 

I have no idea. I haven't probed his mind recently. The point, however, is that FOX didn't 'drive the story', nor did it seriously pressure anyone to ask for her resignation. You may be able to say that about the blogosphere (which jumped on the story immediately), but not FOX.

 

The Administration's fears of what FOX may say is BS. They can fear anything they like, but that fear shouldn't dictate their decision-making on important issues (like someone's career) unless it's a legitimate fear of a relevant object.

My failure to blame him is purely based on the fact that everyone already is. I figured it wasn't necessary. Guess what, whoever edited the tape is to blame, too, but I don't see you harping on that.

Although apparently Drew is. I suppose I should commend you for your detail work. Yes, whoever did this is primarily to blame.

Assuming that Breitbart knew no more about the original tape than the rest of the news media that ran with the story did, I'd put them about equal. Whether you're originating the story or just repeating it, you're spreading the edited tape and it's interpretation of events.

The executive branch should fact check anything that they're making decisions on as much as possible, no matter where it's coming from. I don't care of Biden himself swears he saw it clear as day, you fact check it before you fire anyone.

I just want to point out, it wasn't just the conservative media. MSNBC ran stories, CNN ran stories, ABC ran stories, by the 20th, everyone ran stories. By the evening of the 19th, many of them had run stories.

More to the point, though, I think it's clear in the modern day that we can't rely on the news to fact-check anything. They're constantly issuing retractions and corrections for errors big and small. In fact, it's become so common that it goes under the radar. It's a sad state of affairs, but it's the world we live in today.

 

Well, Sherlock, only everyone this side of Mars has been wondering why IT SHOULD matter to them. But nevertheless, it was the reason given to Sherrod by the under-secertary of the USDA when she was fired, as she has commented.

I don't know who he was. Do you?

Yes, they should have and the USDA has admitted fault to this (if you bothered to listen to them), so you are not adding anything new. But you would think that fact-checking would certainly be a function of the Press, including your beloved FOX. It's really funny how you jump all over the administration for not fact checking but you are willing to give your favorite NEWS organization a pass on this. Is there bias ?

 

Really?

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201007250010

 

Surprise!

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...---co-starring-andrew-breitbart.php?ref=fpblg

 

To be clear, I'm not giving FOX a pass for not fact-checking this, I just don't feel the need to re-iterate what everyone else is saying. It's sad that fact-checking is apparently no longer taught in journalism schools, but that's a criticism the entire modern American media culture can share in.

On what many others are saying, though, I have noticed a disturbing trend. One might call it a 'double standard', but I think that thread title is already taken. The perennial critics of FOX are calling them 'racist' for this story, and saying the Administration and the NAACP and Sherrod were 'snookered' by them. Because FOX failed to fact-check a story. CBS also failed to fact-check a story. And so did CNN. And MSNBC. And ABC. And the NAACP. And the Obama Administration. Everyone failed to fact-check this story, even Andrew Breitbart, yet it's FOX (and sometimes Breitbart) that are given the blame, even escalating their role in the affair to blatant racism and snookery (I honestly had to look that one up), suggesting an intentional act of deception. For doing what everyone else also did. So, a liberal organization like MSNBC copies a conservative organization and get's a pass, but a conservative organization like FOX copies the exact same behavior from someone else, and they're not only in on the deception, but racist? Ok, I guess those two would go hand-in-hand, if you were in on the deception, the only reason to do so would be racism, but that's still a load of .

I originally said that I didn't see anything from FOX on it until later. I've since been corrected, and further research showed that CBS ran one story on it and FOX ran one story and had an opinion piece on it before she resigned. Apparently, this was enough political pressure to force the Administration's hand in some eyes. Meanwhile, the blogosphere ran crazy with the story, but of course we know no one really pays attention to them.

And for the record, the Administration takes full responsability for their actions in this. Not for the whole thing, of course, but for their actions. They can't blame it on FOX News. I don't care what their rationalization. If they try, they're admitting to being scared fools who are not fit to be making these decisions (or, at least, whoever made the decision is). Of course, they haven't, others have.

 

NOG - I don't believe for a minute that FOX is a racist network, nor that it is trying to promote racism. They are just playing the card the way in which everyone else does these days, because the racist card is a "conversation stopper" - a major trump card. I believe that Beck is a racist, and he goes beyond just playing the card. But I'm not about to condemn an entire news organization because of one racist jerk.

Note - Beck playing the race card obviously got the attention of the Obama people, as this case might indicate.



Edit: Here is another good example of how to play the card (but on Muslims this time):

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-july-7-2010/wish-you-weren-t-here

 

It's very encouraging to hear you say this (or read as the case may be). I wish more people saw this (the current use of the racism accusation). I'm not sure I agree with you're position on Beck, but I think that's just because I have a feeling he's playing up his position for sensationalism. I'm not 100% sure.

Unfortunately, there is a rather distinct 'black culture' (with does not by any means represent all blacks, nor really is it entirely black itself these days) in the US which has chosen to distinguish itself. Many attacks on that culture (which are entirely warranted in many cases) have strong appearances of racism when they really aren't. Others may well be true racism trying to legitimize itself.

 

Maybe you can explain to me what Beck means when he comments that, "Obama hates white culture."

I mean it's stupid that Beck comments that Obama "hates white people" because Obama is half-white and obviously his mother was white as well. But I don't get this white culture business. Maybe you can also explain what exactly is "white culture" in the first place.

 

Sherry and smoking jackets.

Seriously, there are tons of 'white cultures' (cultures historically descended from Caucasians) in the US. I guess he may be talking about all of them collectively, but I'm not sure.