Members of the leftist media have been gleefully distributing the fib that Fox News has banned all talk about gun control from its airwaves in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre. That falsehood is based on an email from executive producer for weekends David Clark, which stated, “It is too soon to talk the politics of gun control.” And as Paul Bond of The Hollywood Reporter has made clear, the leftist charge against Fox News is the worst sort of misreporting.
It began with Gabe Sherman of New York Magazine, who reported that Clark “gave producers instructions not to talk about gun-control policy on air.” Other outfits copycatted, and the meme was born. The worst report came from the Daily Beast, which whined, “the national conversation turned to gun control and producers begged for exemptions.”
But gun control wasn’t only discussed over the weekend, it was discussed regularly. Chris Wallace did two full segments on gun control. Three other segments on gun control also ran. And Clark’s email wasn’t a widely-distributed attempt to quash debate. It was directed to three panelists on one show. It read, “Gentlemen, it is too soon to talk the politics of gun control. The victims’ families still don’t even have the bodies of their loved ones. Let’s leave it for another time. Thanks.”
That was a widely-held conversation at newsrooms and stations around the country – when was it too soon to talk politics? President Obama clearly felt the same – he made no mention of specific gun control policies on his visit to Sandy Hook on Friday.
But the story was just too juicy for the left to dismiss. So they ran with it. Just another day in the leftist get-Fox News echo chamber.
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