The most infuriating thing about Fox News is that it claims to be fair and balanced. The most maddening thing about those who watch Fox News is that they believe it. They refuse to see what is obvious to everyone else: that Fox News shapes its reporting to fit a right wing agenda.
Every now and then, I pop on over to Fox News or their website to see how they are misreporting the news. They rarely disappoint me. Take Christine O’Donnell’s debate gaffe. Here is how it was reported on CNN:
Headline on CNN.com: Big oops moment for O’Donnell
Article Headline: O’Donnell gets Coons for Constitutional Law 101
Text: Christine O’Donnell received a lesson on the Constitution at Delaware’s Widener Law School Tuesday, but unfortunately for the Republican Senate candidate it came during a debate with Democrat Chris Coons.
On the issue of whether creationism should be taught in public schools, a highly skeptical O’Donnell questioned Coon’s assertion that the First Amendment calls for the separation of church and state.
“The First Amendment does?” O’Donnell asked during the Tuesday morning debate. “Let me just clarify: You’re telling me that the separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?”
The CNN article headline was a bit sassy, but it clearly communicated the big take away from this event: a candidate who was a Constitutional Government fellow, a candidate who speaks frequently and reverently about the Constitution, messed up her basic Constitutional facts in a very public, cringe-inducing way. (Full article here)
Now let’s see how Fox News website reported it.
Headline on Fox News: O’Donnell Takes on Coons, Constitution
Article headline: O’Donnell Takes on Coons, Constitution in Courtroom Debate
If all you saw on the Fox website was “O’Donnell Takes on Coons, Constitution,” you wouldn’t know O’Donnell had made a major gaffe. It sounds like she was, in fact, the aggressor in this story, a gutsy heroine who attacked (“took on”) her opponent and even, when it was necessary, the Constitution. You probably wouldn’t have thought this was a very newsworthy story. But what if you clicked over to the article? Let’s start reading:
Text: Trying to demonstrate her grasp of constitutional law after recently blanking on examples of Supreme Court rulings she opposes, Delaware Republican U.S. Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell on Tuesday found herself chided by a debate panelist – in front of a roomful of legal scholars – for not memorizing the U.S. Constitution.
In this first sentence, notice that the verb ascribed to O’Donnell is “trying,” a positive action, whereas the main verb of the sentence, attributed to a “debate panelist,” is “chided,” a negative action. A simpler version of the sentence is this: While O’Donnell was trying, a panelist chided her. Chided her for what? For not memorizing the Constitution. Well certainly it would be unfair to chide someone for not MEMORIZING the entire constitution. And to chide her in a room full of legal scholars … well, that makes it sound like the panelist was just out to embarrass her.
Except, of course, that’s not what actually happened. This panelist told her she “should know”–not the entire Constitution verbatim–but simply what the 16th amendment is. She should know that the 16th amendment authorizes Congress to collect income taxes. Why? Because many of the crazies in her party are now talking about repealing it. It is a campaign issue. But to read the first sentence of the Fox article, one would think that O’Donnell–who was simply trying her best–got scolded unreasonably after a gotcha question. Poor Christine!
Let’s read on to find out how she was wronged:
O’Donnell and her Democratic opponent Chris Coons were facing off in their third debate in six days when panelist Chad Livengood of The Wilmington News Journal asked whether she would repeal the 14th, 16th, or 17th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Those amendments call for enumerating citizenship rights, authorizing Congress to collect income taxes and direct election of U.S. senators, respectively.
O’Donnell expressed her support for the 17th Amendment, but she tripped on the 14th and 16th Amendments.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t bring my Constitution with me,” O’Donnell chuckled. “Fortunately, senators don’t have to memorize the Constitution. Can you remind me of what the other ones are?”
“The 14th Amendment defines citizenship, and the 16th Amendment, I think you should know,” Livengood responded in front of the audience of students, faculty, and staff at Widener University Law School’s moot courtroom.
While it is impossible to read O’Donnell’s words and not get some inkling of the ignorance she is exuding, the Fox article is still pretty sympathetic. The story is essentially being told from O’Donnell’s perspective. She is the protagonist who is being attacked for not knowing facts many of us probably would have gotten wrong also. (Full article here)
Now you might be wondering where the bit about “separation of church and state” is, particularly as this is the real “wow” moment of this story, the HEADLINE, in fact. Well, keep reading. It can be found in paragraph 9 of 16. Buried.
Fox News, folks. Fairly unbalanced.
