There was such a backlash against Fox News’ false claim that Beverly Young Nelson, a woman who had accused Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual assault when she was 16, had “forged” his yearbook inscription that Fox was forced to walk back the claim. But only the bare minimum.
First the facts: In an interview that aired on ABC’s Good Morning America today, Nelson said about Moore, “It sickens me to wonder what may go on with him if he gets into office.” ABC News noted that she also talked about the frightening backlash against her that includes threats to her children: “’I’m scared to go anywhere. Shopping, I have to have someone with me,’ she said, adding that her father takes her to doctors’ appointments.”
During that interview (video below) Nelson held open her yearbook that contains an inscription signed by Moore, “To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say ‘Merry Christmas.’ Love, Roy Moore, D.A.” Moore has accused Nelson of forging the signature. Despite the fact that Nelson is only one of nine women who have accused Moore of sexual assault, harassment or unwanted advances, most when they were teenagers, Moore lapdog Sean Hannity seized on Moore's accusation as an excuse to renege on his ultimatum to Moore to either prove his innocence or drop out of the race. This despite the fact that Moore made several incriminating remarks during an interview with Hannity.
In other words, even if Nelson had forged the yearbook inscription, Moore was nowhere near off the hook.
But no honest person, much less a so-called news network, would claim that she had forged it. What she admitted was that she had added a date and place underneath the inscription.
Fox News, however, declared that Nelson had admitted to having “forged part of yearbook inscription attributed to Alabama senate candidate.” Fox tweeted the “BREAKING NEWS” twice, put it on Facebook and in the headline of a FoxNews.com article. There was also a push alert. In doing so, Fox seems to have followed Breitbart's lead.
.@FoxNews tweeted 2 times falsely claiming she "forged" the yearbook inscription. They deleted one of the tweets, the other is still up racking up retweets pic.twitter.com/in6rX3wyhF
— Leanne Naramore (@LeanneNaramore) December 8, 2017
They did it on Facebook too pic.twitter.com/jGNsluv6Kg
— Chad Zagunis (@chadzag) December 8, 2017
and while the original URL of the story still stands, using the word "forged" pic.twitter.com/GWiLHIsexg
— Alex Kotch (@alexkotch) December 8, 2017
After a swift Twitter backlash, Fox changed the headline to one that was slightly less incriminating: “Roy Moore accuser admits she wrote part of yearbook inscription attributed to Alabama Senate candidate.”
The article also calls Nelson’s added notes, “a new crack in her story that gives Moore an opening to attack her credibility.”
It’s not until 15 paragraphs later that Fox gets around to revealing that a handwriting expert had examined and validated the yearbook inscription. That news was left out of the video report (below) by Fox correspondent Jonathan Serrie. However, Serrie concluded his report by saying that Moore “points to this latest development in the news as further evidence that his accuser, quote, lied.”
Serrie made no mention of the other incriminating evidence against Moore. Nor did Serrie mention any of the threats Nelson has faced.
Watch Nelson on the December 8, 2017 Good Morning America below and Fox’s report, from the December 8, 2017 The Daily Briefing.
I suspect the most common reaction will be to slam the GOP and stick with Trump to the bitter end. The VERY bitter, never-been-seen-before, hysterical end.