Fox News apologized for using footage showing Philadelphia Eagles players praying, not kneeling during the national anthem, as was suggested by the clip, during a report on Donald Trump’s cancellation of the team’s Super Bowl celebration at the White House. There was no apology for the blatant effort to propagandize Trump’s spiteful decision made after it became clear most players would not attend.
In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, Trump abruptly called off the Super Bowl celebration after nearly all the players and coaches decided to boycott the event. Trump's statement made it clear that his fee fees were hurting over the snub:
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow,” Mr. Trump said in a statement released Monday evening. “They disagree with their president because he insists that they proudly stand for the national anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.”
Those were almost marching orders for Fox News to help soothe Dear Leader’s wounded ego! Last night, Fox host Shannon Bream misleadingly reported that only “a handful did not plan to attend.” As she spoke, B-roll footage showed Eagles players kneeling on the field.
But as Media Matters noted, this was a gross misrepresentation of Eagles behavior:
NJ.com and other reporters have pointed out that “no player on the Eagles took a knee during the national anthem during the 2017 regular season, post season or Super Bowl last season” and that the images of players kneeling aired in the clip “are players kneeling to pray prior to the game and not during the national anthem.”
CNN reported that the anthem was “not one of the chief concerns” in decisions not to attend the White House celebration. Furthermore, an NFL source told CNN that the only player to take a knee did so during the preseason but was cut before the regular season began.
This morning, Eagles tight end Zach Ertz called out Fox on Twitter, saying, “Just sad, I feel like you guys should have to be better than this.”
This can’t be serious.... Praying before games with my teammates, well before the anthem, is being used for your propaganda?! Just sad, I feel like you guys should have to be better than this... https://t.co/kYeyH2zXdK
— Zach Ertz (@ZERTZ_86) June 5, 2018
Contemptor caught Eagles defensive end Chris Long also calling out Fox:
Imagine wanting to please the boss so very badly that you run stills of guys knelt down PRAYING during pregame. Not one Eagles player knelt for the anthem this yr. Keep carrying his water to sow division while misrepresenting Christian men. Aren’t many of your viewers.. nevermind https://t.co/QdlOvL0btq
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) June 5, 2018
As CNN’s Oliver Darcy noted, even the Fox-friendly Media Research Center blasted the network:
Oof. Even the Media Research Center -- a right-wing media watchdog that rarely, if ever, criticizes Fox News -- is also going after Fox News for this "deceptive photo montage" https://t.co/mI5ztxEj5i
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) June 5, 2018
This morning, Fox apologized for the footage:
“During our report about President Trump canceling the Philadelphia Eagles’ trip to the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl win, we showed unrelated footage of players kneeling in prayer,” Christopher Wallace, the program’s executive producer, said in a statement sent to The [Washington] Post. “To clarify, no members of the team knelt in protest during the national anthem through the regular or post-season last year. We apologize for the error.”
There was no apology for deliberately trying to smear the Eagles in service to Trump.
The network appears to have deleted its tweet with footage of Bream’s report, too. But Contemptor’s Justin Baragona captured it on YouTube. Watch the deceptive images below, from the June 4, 2018 Fox News @ Night.
“Shannon Bream is nothing more than teleprompter reader. She’s hired to look pretty and read to her audience. What a waste of payroll.”
Hmmmmmmmmmmm, with all due respect Antoinette, I believe you should always keep these fundamental media equations in mind — these are equations Fuehrer Twitler’s propaganda minister Rupert “Goebbels” Murdoch has known for decades:
BLONDES, CLEAVAGE AND SHORT SKIRTS ALWAYS = INCREASED RATINGS
INCREASED RATINGS ALWAYS = MORE BIG $$$$ FROM ADVERTISERS
’Nuff said.
The current batch of 20ish and 30ish producers and associate producers at this worthless network are incompetent. Some of them started out as interns for other hosts. Dumb as a box of rocks.
Shannon Bream is nothing more than teleprompter reader. She’s hired to look pretty and read to her audience. What a waste of payroll.
In fact, if you read the players’ statements this has nothing to do with the national anthem and everything to do with their disgust with Trump for failing to recognize social injustice.
As safety Malcolm Jenkins said:
“If you want to meet to talk about advancing our communities, changing our countries, I am all for that. This isn’t one of those meetings. So I’ll opt out of the photo opportunity.”
