Yesterday, the internet was buzzing over the revelation that a Breitbart.com allegation –- that Obama SecDef nominee Chuck Hagel had received money from a group called “Friends of Hamas” -- was bogus. It was an accusation echoed on Fox’s Lou Dobbs Tonight as well as by Mike Huckabee and elsewhere in the right wing. Yet, I watched three hours of Fox News prime time last night (The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity and On The Record) and didn’t hear a peep about it. Since then, I’ve watched most of Fox & Friends this morning (a three-hour show) and searched FoxNews.com. And nada.
In case you missed it, The Daily News’ Dan Friedman wrote that he thought he had made an obvious and hyperbolic quip about Hagel getting money from “Friends of Hamas” to a Republican aide that was, apparently, taken seriously - then relayed to and trumpeted by Breitbart’s Ben Shapiro without any fact checking.
As Karoli at Crooks and Liars explained:
What Shapiro did is simple. He played an extended game of telephone and then did what gossips do: repeated the rumor with very careful language so it appeared to be fact. And then, because Breitbart's target is always the White House or damned libruls who support the guy in the White House, they called the White House with a stupid question which received the response it deserved. Whoever took the call hung up on Shapiro (according to Shapiro, of course), and so he ran with the whole White House doesn't deny Friends of Hamas thing.
And yet “fair and balanced” Fox – always so concerned about media bias, deception and omissions – couldn’t seem to care less.
It’s gotten to the point where it’s not even worth trying, unless they really need to hear it.
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