Rachel Maddow's Brilliant Report on Sherrod Smear Job: 'Who's Next?'

Run time: 10:40 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8SPPl-N39E   Posted on YouTube: July 21, 2010 By YouTube Member: FixedNewsChannel Views on YouTube: 61   Posted on DU: July 21, 2010 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 3996

 
MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show - 20 July 2010: Brilliant coverage and analysis of the Shirley Sherrod 'smear job' by Breitbart and Fox News Channel. "This is what Fox does... Fox News knows it has a role in this dance."

"If you keep falling for this sort of stunt, you are encouraging them."

After starting the show with video of Rachel predicting rhetorically in a report a while back on the ACORN smear scam that someone would be next, she fills in the events of the last two days...

MADDOW: "Within hours of that clip being posted online and billed as evidence of a racist within the Obama administation, Fox News, understanding their role in this delicate, well-practiced dance, jumped all over it..."

FOX NEWS' DANA PERINO (VIDEO): "Breaking news tonight, about an Agriculture Department official caught on tape making racially charged comments to an NAACP audience..."

BILL O'REILLY (VIDEO): "Well, that is simply unacceptable, and Ms. Sherrod should resign immediately. The federal government cannot have skin color deciding any assistance."

SEAN HANNITY (VIDEO): "And this is a Fox News Alert! An Obama administration official resigned just a short time ago after she was caught on tape appearing to tell an audience that she had used her position to racially discriminate against white farmers."

MADDOW: "How's that for efficient? How's that for action?! Fox News and a conservative website uncover what they say is an admitted racist in the Obama administration and she is forced to resign immediately.

The problem? There are a few ginormous asterisks that were left out of the initial breathless Fox News coverage. The conservative website that posted the video, presented it as if it were a real-time admission of racism, an admission of racism happening now, actively, within the U.S. Agriculture Department. And that's how it was covered, initially, by Fox News. Here's how the video was set up. See this quote?: 'Ms. Sherrod admits that in her federally appointed position, overseeing a billion dollars, she discriminates against people due to their race.''

Damning, if that were actually true. Shirley Sherrod joined the USDA in 2009. Now, it is clear even from these edited tapes was that what she was talking about here was a situation that took place a long time before that.

- snip -

... more than 20 years before she took this job with the federal government. That reality, that never made it into screaming Fox News headlines, though, like: 'Video Shows USDA Official Saying She Didn't Give "Full Force" Of Help To White Farmer' and 'Government Discrimination Caught On Tape,' that's not actually at all what the tapes reveal...

So that's the first thing...

But even more importantly, and you would never know this if you got all your information from Fox News, Shirley Sherrod never actually followed through on this idea of withholding help to the white farmer. The whole point of her telling the story was that, in the end, she decided that her initial reaction was wrong. Having never been confronted with the opportunity or the possibility of helping a white farmer before, having always worked with black farmers, her initial reaction to the first opportunity to help a white farmer was wrong. This is the point of the story. The point of the story was that she should actually help the white farmers, and that's exactly what she did, as the couple in question explained on CNN earlier today..."

- snip -

RICK SANCHEZ (VIDEO): "In all your time knowing Shirley Sherrod, has there ever been anything about her, either through her attitude, her word, her opinions, or her behaviors, that would leave you to believe that she is, in any way, a racist?"

COUPLE (VIDEO): "No way in the world. No way. I don't even want to talk about it. It don't make sense."

- snip -

MADDOW: "...she did the right thing. She helped those farmers. That's what happened. Unless, of course, you watch Fox News."

FOX & FRIENDS (VIDEO): "Because a farmer was white, she doesn't extend the full helping hand to him. And she's touting this in this anecdote, as though this is somehow a feather in her cap..."

- snip -

MADDOW: "What is not really that interesting about this whole situation is the fact that Fox News is doing this. This is what Fox News does. This is how they are different from other news organizations. This is why the White House argued months ago that Fox should be treated as a media organization, but not as a normal news organization, because they don't treat news the way a normal news organization treats news. Just like the fake ACORN controversy, Fox News knows that it has a role in this dance. That's not new. That's not actually even interesting about this scandal. Fox does what Fox does. That is 'Dog Bites Man.' That is not interesting.

What is interesting about this story is that the Obama administration inexplicably keeps falling for it. Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack acknowledged that he asked for and accepted Shirley Sherrod's resignation after this supposed controversy came to light on Fox News, but apparently before anyone BUT Fox News and a conservative website got their say about what actually happened here.

Dear White House, Dear Administration: Believing conservative spin about what is so wrong with you, and then giving in to that spin, is not an effective defense against that spin. Just buying and apologizing for it and doing whatever they want you to do, doesn't make the problem of them lying about you go away. In fact, it makes it worse.

After Fox News set its sights on Obama administration official Van Jones, Van Jones was very quickly booted out of his job. After Fox News went on this fake crusade against ACORN, the Obama administration CUT ALL TIES with the group, didn't even bother to mount a defense, or wait until they had been investigated properly, just let Fox News do it - they pushed an effort to defund ACORN.

And now, after Fox News totally misrepresented USDA employee Shirley Sherrod, she's cut loose, as well, before the story can even make it into the mainstream media. If you keep falling for this sort of stunt, you are encouraging them. You are feeding a dog from the table, and thereby encouraging that dog to beg at the table.

After all the damage was already done today, after Fox News managed to force out Shirley Sherrod with a totally out-of-context smear job that made white people feel agrieved about racism in a way that helps Fox News' politics, here's how Fox News decided to cover the end of this story:"

FOX NEWS READER (VIDEO): "Did the White House essentially railroad an innocent woman in this because they are on edge about the Van Jones controversy, the Black Panthers Party case, and other controversies..."

MADDOW: "She was railroaded!

Given how the Obama administration has reacted to previous cooked-up campaigns by Fox News and conservative activists, it was not impossible to see this coming. So I say again tonight, as I said back in April, the huge tide of negative publicity that followed these videotapes and the coverage they got on Fox wall-to-wall was a dishonest political stunt that bears no resemblance to journalism and no resemblance to the actual facts of what happened. But it worked. Means be damned, in the end, it worked.

I asked it months ago, and I'm asking it again now. Who's next?"

She did such an incredible job!

Fox News want this story to go away......when they fabricated this lie and believed a racist jerk and Hannity for pushing this lie. It just Fox being a Fox.

the enemy, Fox. I want a leader that will fight back not cower and run away.

:applause:

she's a good woman

Watching AC360 interview with Shirley Sherrod.

This Lady is for real, she is much like my grandmother the kind of woman who taught me how to be a gentleman and to act civilized with honor.
I grew up with Ladies like this, honourable, honest and will tell you when you are wrong and will admit when she is. She will praise when it is deserved, she will chide when needed, and if you are really out of line she will Hurt Your Feelings!

She will be real nice and always civil, but never mistake her for a mush.
She is always right not by force of will, but because she has thought it out, and done the research.

In my humble opinion, this is an honourable lady.

PS Oh I hope she got a mean streak for Rs..

FIRE BACK

I wasn't able to catch RMS tonight but I knew she'd have something brilliant to say about this whole manufactured controversy and of course, she did.

But this was especially amazing. I was getting pissed watching this.

get its employee's explanation for the employee's conduct before asking for the employee's resignation. Another anti-labor, anti-employee policy. Unbelievable.

As soon as I heard the video I knew what happened. Seems like people don't know how to listen and understand what people are saying. Good heavens!

apparently, "CONTEXT" is alien to them which is strange, considering they've been taken out of context by repuke whores since day one

...is scared shitless of rethuglicans. This is a war on democrats and the best we can expect is that democrats come to a gun fight with hope and change.

However, your average Fox News viewer never hears the truth, this is propaganda at it's finest. As long as we have low-information citizens living in US, there will always be a place for Fox's untruthful rhetoric. Weird isn't it . . .

video is a powerful medium for propaganda. Only a small percentage of the population is good at dissecting videos. There was a thread on DU where dozens responded before someone finally pointed out that the video in question (nothing to do with Sherrod) was shot from 2 cameras and that fact changed everything. It is amazing that we are 70 years into television and the audience still doesn't get it. It is like someone watching a magic show every day for 70 years and never figuring out how the trick is done. Maybe they aren't even trying.

Churchill said "A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can get its pants on."

Conservatives are convinced that liberals are cowards and weaklings who will surrender and beg for mercy whenever they're picked on. The behavior of many Democrats and liberals only confirms right-wingers in this belief.

they will lose what little respect I have left for them. Fox will do anything to try and embarrass/discredit them and they're dumb enough to fall for it every damn time. Fox should be openly censured and even their license suspended for such blatant lies and setups they continue to pass off as news. Racists bastards.

Shirley's complete video of her story and address is here: http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/video_sherrod/

however... it is quite apparent that your own network, along with the others, sided up next to fux noose 18 months ago when Obama said that fux wasn't a legitimate news organization and would be treated as such. All main stream media took that clear sighted call as an affront to all legitimate news organizations and they stood with fux noose.

MSNBC jumped right on the bandwagon to oust Van Jones; they jumped on the bandwagon to smear ACORN. No, the opinion shows in the evening didn't do this, but their news division, which cablecasts all day long, did. And it's because MSNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS kept their mouths shut and sided with fux that fux grew even more emboldened in their audacity and affinity for lying and spreading lies.

It's no wonder now that fux noose believes it sets political policy in this country what with the other media outlets piling on their little bandwagon when fux noose should have been forced to stand alone and embrace the fact that they aren't a legitimate news organization, but an opinion network, mostly funded by a Saudi Prince, fronting as a policy maker for this country.

I wonder who Sherrod can sue?

as they did is beyond disgusting. It shows an administration whose ONLY CONCERN is politics.

Played by Fox news in an obvious attempt to whip up racial tensions. What a bunch of losers. I mean seriously this administration is pathetic.

that it's pathetic.

Don't shoot the messenger, but...I keep thinking about an interview with Chris Hedges where he was asked why Obama does thus and so (can't remember referring to what). Hedges replied, "He's weak".

I can't say I disagree with that assessment.

would reach that conclusion for sure. That man could have changed the world.

Someone should drop a dump truck full of bull shit at Fox headquarters.
There's no nice way to say Nazi propagandist.

Who's next? Seems obvious. Ask Bill Clinton who's next.

what do you suggest we "do about Sherrod"?


(why do I get the feeling I am going to regret asking this...)

gets the message.

In order to extract his narrative of racism from the tape, Mr. Breitbart had to view the whole thing.

This certainly is not a little mistake on Mr. Breitbart's part. It isn't slander, because he had to know there was more to the story than what he presented. It is an open and shut case of libel.

It is not only libel against Ms. Sherrod but also against the NAACP.

I call on the government to reinstate Ms. Sherrod, for Ms. Sherrod and the NAACP to initiate legal procedings against Mr. Breitbart and FoxNews and for the Washington Times, which often publishes Breitbart's commentary, to sever its ties to Mr. Breitbart. I also call on the main stream media to hold reports originating with FoxNews or Mr. Breitbart's websites until the story is independently researched and verified. There should be no more victims of the libelous right wing media like Shirley Sherrod.

The Faux Snooze dog eating from the table:

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

"as Ms Sherrod recounts her admission of acting as a racist". It was when she said that it wasn't about race, it was about poverty.

Goodbye.

I was just about to reply and poof post deleted.

on edit K&R

The way the troll stated that Rachel needed to "settle down." Rachel was on topic, professional, and laid it all out. A Faux News fan telling someone in the media to "settle down" is really rich.

After posting my reply, the title of their post was still there in the thread tree but it said post deleted when I scrolled down.

Mad props to the mods' lightening fast fingers. :fistbump:

And Thanks to Hissyspit for the thread.

Because they all show up on the front page.

sometimes, but I believe she is the best political journalist out there. Thanks Rachel.

...to keep us from going mad.

intentionally playing into the hands of Fox propaganda.

I want a leader that will fight and not cower to the assholes at Fox. I am so disappointed.

Fool the Obama administration once and shame on you, fool the Obama administration three times and WTF.

They respect them as having the interests of the country in mind when they act. That is not who they have been. They have proven over and over that they are selfish people who only want what benefits them.

Seems every single Fox clip she used as evidence that Fox forced Sherrod out was aired AFTER her resignation was forced from her. Yeah, THAT'S "brilliant". THAT'S dishonest. THAT'S the type of dishonest reporting she rails about. I guess it's okay when she does it.