Look at this madness: article after article after article hitting Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes for agreeing with President Obama on the issue of his work ethic, or lack thereof. Last night, though, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer took the attacks a step further by taking Ailes completely out of context. This allowed 9/11 Truther and cop killer-defender Van Jones to claim Ailes had made a “racial charge” against Obama:
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Van Jones being Van Jones is not news.
But for Wolf Blitzer to take Ailes completely out of context and stand idly by as Jones dishonestly smears Ailes for making a “racial charge” only serves to further explain why this network is swirling the drain. In the age of the Internet, the media can no longer get away with this kind of stuff. Once the truth gets out, the damage to your brand’s credibility is forever.
The background and the truth:
Yesterday, Vanity Fair published an exclusive excerpt from an upcoming Ailes biography. Here’s the full context of the quote Blitzer wasn’t interested in sharing with his audience. I’ve bolded the portion not shared with CNN viewers:
‘Obama’s the one who never worked a day in his life. He never earned a penny that wasn’t public money. How many fund-raisers does he attend every week? How often does he play basketball and golf? I wish I had that kind of time. He’s lazy, but the media won’t report that.’ He noticed my arched eyebrows and added, ‘I didn’t come up with that. Obama said that, to Barbara Walters.’
Here’s what Obama told Barbara Walters in December of 2011:
BARBARA WALTERS: Okay. What’s the trait you most deplore in yourself and the trait you most deplore in others?
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Laziness.
WALTERS: You’re lazy?
OBAMA: You know, it’s interesting. There is a deep down, underneath all the work I do, I think there’s a laziness in me. I mean, it’s, it’s probably from, you know, growing up in Hawaii, and it’s sunny outside and sitting on the beach.
This morning, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien got caught on-the-air by her own panel doing the same thing.
Anyone sensing a pattern here? Horrible journalism? Agenda? My vote goes to “both.”
It’s also worth mentioning that those who hear the word “lazy” and immediately think of black people are the ones who might want to do some soul-searching.
ADDED: CNN Chief, Jeff Zucker (pictured), needs to have a sitdown with Blitzer to ensure the record is corrected on-the-air today. He might also want to throw in an apology
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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