GOP Rep. Zach Wamp Talks Secession

But this is not the only issue regarding FOX's racist coverage of the story. Even after it was proven that Sherrod had not made racist remarks, FOX continued to attack Sherrod and Obama in an effort to sustain the momentum of the racially charged atmosphere;

"Ingraham: "My mistake was believing" the White House "had read the entire transcript." After previously appearing on Fox News' Fox & Friends, where she stated that Sherrod was evidence that people with "radical outlooks, a radical agenda and in this case a racist sentiment" had "burrowed their way into the Obama administration..."

http://mediamatters.org/research/201007250022

Walsh: "How Fox News or anybody else could run a story and not seek comment from a person that they were calling a racist -- it's quite extraordinary." During her July 25 appearance on CNN's Reliable Sources, Salon's Joan Walsh dismantled the media's attempt to deflect responsibility for their false accusations of racism onto the White House. Affirming that "Fox played a much bigger role than people want to admit," she stated that "[i]t doesn't matter that merely the Obama administration overreacted" -- "pouncing on Shirley Sherrod without getting her reaction or her response" is still "unconscionable." From Walsh's appearance on CNN:

WALSH: "I think they [the TV networks] bear a lot of responsibility. You know, I want to give CNN credit, because I believe CNN was among the first to search out Shirley Sherrod and find out that there was a very different story than the one that was being told. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I believe, was also very quick to go to Sherrod. How Fox News or anybody else could run a story and not seek comment from a person that they were calling a racist -- it's quite extraordinary. And you know, a lot has been made about "Fox didn't do -- Fox isn't the cause of her firing." I'm going to stipulate that. Let's say that that's true. But Fox played a much bigger role than people want to admit. It -- that story -- the Breitbart version of the story ran on FoxNews.com all day Monday. O'Reilly mentioned it, Sean Hannity went on to mention it, Sean Hannity and Newt Gingrich had a lovely conversation about what a racist this woman was after she had resigned. Fox & Friends went crazy the next morning. It doesn't matter that merely the Obama administration overreacted. It matters -- that's terrible that they did that -- but there was this pouncing on Shirley Sherrod without getting her reaction or her response that I think is unconscionable. She was easy to find."

http://mediamatters.org/research/201007250022

Whether or not FOX's coverage resulted in Sherrod's firing is less relevant than the fact that they rushed to judgement without investigating the authenticity of the video or getting Sherrod's side of the story. Other networks like CNN didn't do this. The Obama administration had respond to the charges of racism immediately for political reasons. This does absolve FOX's actions.

steve of IL 4:54PM July 27, 2010