What Shirley Sherrod Was Really Saying

Reader Comments
Back to blog

Rebecca of MD
“Why were they so gullible and believed Fox News and fired her before watching the entire speech?”
Exactly what did Fox do wrong. Tape was shown on Fox. When found out doctored they corrected. What did Fox do wrong ?
Surely she told person firing her the whole story. You are barking up the wrong tree blaming Fox. Blame goes to her boss.

Bill Hedges of MO 8:33PM July 22, 2010

Breitbart invents false claim that NAACP audience was "applauding" while Sherrod described discrimination
Breitbart: "The point" of tape is NAACP audience offered cheers and applause for discrimination without knowing that it was a "story of redemption." In a July 20 interview on Fox News' Hannity, Breitbart claimed that the real story revealed by his Sherrod clip is how "the audience was laughing and applauding as she described how she maltreated the white farmer." Breitbart also asked, "Did the people in the audience know that there was going to be a point of redemption?" After Sean Hannity replied "no," Breitbart said, "The point is that the NAACP at a dinner honoring this person is cheering on a person describing -- describing a white person as the other." Similarly, in a July 21 interview on ABC's Good Morning America, Breitbart claimed that his video shows that "at an NAACP event, people are applauding racism."
Breitbart offered a very different take in his original post. In his initial post on the Sherrod video, Breitbart described the audience reaction as only "nodding approval and murmurs of recognition and agreement."
CNN's Cooper dismantles Breitbart's false claims
Cooper: "The fact is, there was no applause when Ms. Sherrod was talking about the white farmer. Breitbart's claim that the audience was applauding as she "described how she maltreated the white farmer" is demonstrably false. Contrary to Breitbart's claim, the audience does not applaud or cheer at any point during the story about her interaction with the farmer. On his July 21 show, CNN's Anderson Cooper aired comments about "applause" Breitbart made on John King, USA and noted, "The fact is, there was no applause when Ms. Sherrod was talking about the white farmer." He added: "You know, Breitbart also said today that there were cheers over racist comments. Again, the facts do not bear him out."
http://mediamatters.org/research/201007220053
None of the other mainstream media paid much attention to the story at all. In fact, Laura Ingraham, right winger hater extraordinaire, wondered aloud on FOX where the rest of the media is;
"On Fox & Friends, Laura Ingraham praised Breitbart's video and his coverage of the story, stating "Andrew Breitbart, by the way, did a great piece on this whole thing. Fantastic." Ingraham went on to ask "where was the media on this"
http://mediamatters.org/research/201007220004
My answer would unequivocally be, "being professional journalists and not running crazy with a smear story just to stir people up." Other networks waited before the facts came out. Many sensed this was a hoax from the start. This was a despicable act which could easily have led to violence. The NAACP received several death threats as a result of the phony story. One day FOX, the GOP, the tea parties and hate radio will all wake up with blood on their hands. FOX is inciting racial hate and should be taken off the air for what they are now doing to this country.

steve of IL 8:24PM July 22, 2010

The NAACP and USDA has had the tape the whole time. Why were they so gullible and believed Fox News and fired her before watching the entire speech?

Rebecca of MD 8:06PM July 22, 2010

“FOX ran the story as fact until they had to retract it. But here's a timeline if you want it“.
To the point:
“they had to retract it”
Story was fact as known at time. Why she was fired. Believed to be true. Words came from her mouth.
They retracted when known was doctored. Yes they “had to”, new facts came to light. They wanted to.
I watched it unfold.

Bill Hedges of MO 7:55PM July 22, 2010

Here is part of the time line as it pertains to FOX's role. I printed the link to the entire two day time line at the bottom of my post.
Tuesday July 20th.
6:08 a.m. Sherrod story hits Fox & Friends: "Exhibit A" in "what racism looks like." On Fox News' Fox & Friends, Steve Doocy said Sherrod had been caught "making a speech to the NAACP that sure sounded racist." Co-host Alisyn Camerota then accused Sherrod of "touting this in this anecdote as though this is, you know, a feather in her cap, somehow, for her to be congratulated." Then Camerota and Doocy agreed that the comments were "Exhibit A" as far as "what racism looks like." On-screen text during the segment read, "Racism caught on camera" and "USDA official admits racism on tape; Forced to resign after dicey video leaks."
8:05 a.m.: Ingraham: "Andrew Breitbart ... did a great piece on this whole thing." On Fox & Friends, Laura Ingraham praised Breitbart's video and his coverage of the story, stating "Andrew Breitbart, by the way, did a great piece on this whole thing. Fantastic." Ingraham went on to ask "where was the media on this" and claimed that it took "Breitbart to come forward with this story."
5 p.m.: Beck devotes first 20 minutes of show to Sherrod story. On his Fox News program, Beck aired a clip of Sherrod's CNN interview and asked if this "was a political assassination from the White House or from the NAACP." Beck then said: "Context matters, but we don't have the full video. Andrew Breitbart is trying to get the full video."
6:41 p.m.: Bret Baier falsely claims, "Fox News didn't even do the story" on Sherrod. On Fox News' Special Report, host Bret Baier absurdly claimed that Fox News "didn't even do" the Sherrod story.
http://mediamatters.org/research/201007220004

steve of IL 7:14PM July 22, 2010

"false claim that Shirley Sherrod made racist remarks at a NAACP meeting earlier this year."
Well she had to leave her job and Fox had nothing to do with that. Was said Beck was talking about that matter that night. He did not. Since her boss believed how hard is it to say Fox believed the words coming out of her mouth in doctored tape ? Which they aired. They knew not it was doctored.
Once matter was cleared up correction was made. As it unfolded on Bill O'Reilly and I watched.
Time line needs to be strictly adhered to. Before full knowledge and after.
Bait on Steve.

Bill Hedges of MO 6:48PM July 22, 2010

Fox ought to have their broadcasting license revoked for the hate they've been deliberately inciting. Now that the truth has finally come out and even right wing pundits like Jonah Goldberg and David Frum have called for apologies to be made to Sherrod, Fox has reinvented the pernicious history of its misleading and race baiting coverage.
Fox News spent much of July 19 and 20 ginning up controversy about the false claim that Shirley Sherrod made racist remarks at a NAACP meeting earlier this year. As the claim unraveled, Fox media personalities disappeared their role in the story, continued to smear her as "descriminat[ory]" in the face of contradictory evidence, and boldly suggested the network did not contribute to the controversy.
Beck plays "videotape of USDA administration official discriminating against white farmers." On the July 20 edition of his radio show, Beck says that they "have videotape of a USDA administration official discriminating against white farmers." He then asks, "Have we suddenly transported into 1956 except it's the other way around? ... Does anybody else have a sense that there are some that just want revenge? Doesn't it feel that way?" After playing the audio of the tape, Beck says, "You tell me what part of the gospel is teaching that."
The holdouts: Sherrod was still "discriminating" against the farmer
Hannity doubles down, says Sherrod "still admits discriminating," suggested he's unfairly "getting blamed." On the July 20 edition of his show Hannity asserted that "She still admits that she was discriminating against this white farmer." He added that "I'm getting blamed and Fox News is getting blamed, but it's the White House that made the decision before we ever aired the tape."
O'Reilly's ignores context, still claims "What [Sherrod] said is ridiculous." On the July 20 edition of his show, O'Reilly was still claiming that "What [Sherrod] said is ridiculous," and stated the real story is "the news blackout" on the Sherrod story, and how "the establishment press tilts left and is reluctant to do damage to a very liberal president."
http://mediamatters.org/research/201007210066
FOX News is not as responsible as racist Andy Breitbart but they ran the story until it became so utterly unviable that they had to not only drop it but backtrack saying they never ran Breitbart's propaganda.
The tea parties and the GOP aren't engaging in the usual partisan criticism of an incumbent president. Even Clinton and Nixon, two highly controversial presidents from each party, never endured taunts alleging they were alien, pro-terrorist, socialist, Marxist, not of the religion they claimed to be, anti-American and a virtual enemy of the people. The mainstream media criticized all sitting presidents but showed them respect, refrained from smears and were always concerned with truth. Mistakes were made but not with deliberate malice. The attacks on Obama are all based on lies and hate. Racial innuendo is also frequently deployed.

steve of IL 6:23PM July 22, 2010

After reading a fine article I must read your hate comment. A disservice to both Shirley Sherrod and Mary Kate Cary.
A further disservice by your characterization of treatment by right wing of obama's agenda. Is obama to be first President not to be criticized. Else it is racist.
You think Bush had smooth sailing ??? Shall we talk of Palin’s child not being hers, etc, etc, etc... Those were not right wingers.

Bill Hedges of MO 6:20PM July 22, 2010

Read the transcript of her speech. You're not telling the truth; the Tea Party is telling the truth.

fazsha of CA 6:16PM July 22, 2010

Ms. Carey, you hit the nail on the head when you stated, "We owe it to Ms. Sherrod to read her entire speech and to listen to what she had to say." By what I've observed in media circles over the past 48 hours, very few persons heeded your advice. And, to my dismay, I am of the opinion that most observers reveled in the "tabloid journalistic" elements which followed. Truth be damned, another "Jerry Springer" moment for our entertainment pleasure. So what if real lives are affected. A truly sad commentary about American culture today. I personally believe that this society will go the way of the Roman Empire unless we come to our senses and realize that truth and freedom go hand in hand. In other words, a free society will cease to exist if the element of truth is deemed unimportant. I can only hope that there are enough Americans left that understand this principle.

Gordon of IN 6:02PM July 22, 2010