While the reality based community is concerned about young black men who are victims of shooting by either police or police wannabees like George Zimmerman, in the bizarro world of Fox News, those who inflict fatal damage on young black men are the real victims. Thus, we saw Zimmerman attain almost heroic status on Fox News which, at the same time, suggested that Trayvon Martin was a street thug. After Michael Brown, another young African-American man, was fatally shot by a cop, he was also demonized on Fox News which just might be starting some sweet Fox rehab for Brown's killer, officer Darren Wilson. On this morning's Fox & Friends, Elisabeth Hasselbeck was able to juxtapose imagery of uncontrollable black people with a very sympathetic approach to poor officer Wilson who is very scared of those uncontrollable blacks.
As the split screen shot showed video of protest marches, in several cities, held in reaction to the Michael Brown grand jury decision, Elisabeth Hasselbeck began the Fox News Alert segment: "People across the country who have nothing to do who have NOTHING to do with the case in Ferguson are reacting to the grand jury's decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson with violence and looting." (Does Hasselbeck know that folks from all over the country, who had nothing to do with the brutality of segregation, marched in support of Civil Rights?) After reporting that Michael Brown's mother collapsed as his family "pleaded for peace," she presented a statement from Darren Wilson, the cop who killed Michael Brown.
Audio was played of Wilson thanking his supporters. A photo of Wilson's minimally damaged face was given a full screen shot. Hasselbeck then introduced her guest, Wilson's friend Jeff Roorda. Rather than providing condolences for the family of the man who was shot by Wilson, Roorda indirectly smeared Ferguson residents with the comment that it's been difficult for Wilson to stand by while his co-workers were "put in harm's way." Hasselbeck, in playing the Fox fear of the angry black man card, asked if Wilson is fearful for his family's safety and his own. Roorda responded that "safety is a great concern."
In asking Roorda what he expects will happen tonight, Hasselbeck cited the "unrest and violence" in Ferguson. Before Roorda answered, she asked him to explain "who" Darren Wilson really is. Roorda responded "he's just a cop" who was "serving his community" by helping out a sick African-American baby when he "observed a crime in progress, a crime that had just occured...and the rest is history." (Uh, Brown's only "crime" was walking in the street. Wilson did not observe the convenience story robbery which, according to the police chief," had nothing to do" with Brown being stopped by Wilson) Roorda said that "this is a trying time for him and our community"
Hasselbeck said that "our hearts break for both families as you see this unrest" and asked "what would his family want to say, in your opinion, to the family of Michael Brown..." Roorda gave credit to the prosecutor who "introduced every piece of physical evidence..." He noted how McCulloch "is being criticized harshly for introducing all that evidence, imagine a tsunami of criticism if he had withheld one piece of evidence." (Roorda is misrepresenting the criticism which is that Robert McCulloch, who has a long history of siding with the police, had minimal direct involvement with the grand jury which is very atypical for a prosecutor.) Hasselbeck thanked Roorda for "standing with us" and "sharing" information about his pal, Darren Wilson.
Given that racist ex-cop Mark Fuhrman has a job at Fox News, one wonders if Darren Wilson might also have a future career at America's "fair & balanced" "news" network?
