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Fox News Claims 'Magic Negro' Text Was 'Inadvertently Cleared for Air'

Posted by Matt Corley, Think Progress at 10:51 AM on January 3, 2009.


Fox New has a history of allowing racially-charged language aimed at Obama and his family to make it on air and then claiming it was simply a mistake
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As ThinkProgress recently noted, Fox News allowed at least one racist message directed toward President-elect Obama to make it on the air during its New Years broadcast. In a statement to TVNewser yesterday, Fox News VP of programming Suzanne Scott defended the incident, claiming that the text message referring to Rush Limbaugh's "Barack the Magic Negro" song was "inadvertently cleared for air." Instead of offering an apology, Scott took the opportunity to attack Fox's rivals:

Fox News VP of programming Suzanne Scott explains, "We received tens of thousands of text message submissions during our New Years Eve special, and this particular viewer submission was inadvertently cleared for air. At FOX we recognize our error as opposed to networks who allow their hosts to utter crude vulgarities to the public."

Fox New has a history of allowing racially-charged language aimed at Obama and his family to make it on air and then claiming it was simply a mistake. In June, after a Fox chyron referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's Baby Mama," Fox's Senior Vice President of Programming Bill Shine explained it by saying that "A producer on the program exercised poor judgment in using this chyron during the segment."

Digg!

Matt Corley is a Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.


Return to Matt Corley  » Post Tools: email EMAIL print PRINT 12 COMMENTS PERMALINK
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No Complaining
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Posted by: Friend Of Jonathan on Jan 3, 2009 11:40 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Since Barack embraced homophobia by inviting Rick Warren, racism must be embraced as well. It is hypocritical to endorse Warren's homophobic hate speech by putting him on the national stage, and then complain about racist remarks. Nor should anyone else defend Barrack, since he has repeatedly failed to defend others.

Barrack got off easy; his marriage was not equated with pedophilia and incest.

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Sorry, this comment has been removed from the system.
» Very dishonest, Lauren Posted by: Friend Of Jonathan
At least one??
[Report this comment]
Posted by: CJJ on Jan 3, 2009 5:44 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Fox News allowed at least one racist message directed toward President-elect Obama to make it on the air during its New Years broadcast.

"At least one"?? Out of tens of thousands of entries?

Sic the Secret Service on it.

Oh. They already did.

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It was "inadvertently cleared for air?"
[Report this comment]
Posted by: pelican beak on Jan 3, 2009 9:51 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Fox News is nothing but one long stream of inadvertency.

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FOX offending their Own Viewers
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Purple Girl on Jan 4, 2009 5:18 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Who is th egroup which loved FOX becuase they were the "Patriotic" cable network..Supporting the Pres & his Admin every step of the way, never questioning Their authority or motives?
The older Generation, which still holds regardless of who holds the office, The OFFICE always deserves Respect.
So by using these disparaging terms and rhetoric, they may find their Viewership dwindles because their Viewers Have more Pride than Prejudice. By Beliitleing or Degrading the person holding the Office, You degrade the Office, By degrading the Office, You Degrade America.
FOX has failed to realize that their viewers are NOT the typical disgruntled Liberals who LOVE to talk shit about the Pres, they are the ones who defend the Pres because they hold the Office in Reverence.
The Neo Cons have been playing with fire, stoking the fires of What constitutes a "patriot" and what does not...Supporting the Pres has been their Chorus Line.They have misjudged the Older generations, they were not supporting W, they were supporting the Office.
My mother is a 75 yrs old 'fearful white Woman', loyal Republican and she says to me "Of Course I will support Obama, he's Our president".Such a Racist Remark against him, will piss her off. Not because He is a Black man, but because He will Hold the Office of the Presidency and thus be our Nations Leader and global Representative. To Talk shit about the Pres is to talk shit about America.something the Older Generations find distasteful and disrespectful about the Younger generations.
Of course they aided in firing up this national Pride across demographics, It may be something they regret as they attempt to justify their UnPatriotic attitude towards Our new Commander in Chief.

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what's good about FOX
[Report this comment]
Posted by: BobbieP on Jan 5, 2009 7:57 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Well we all know who they are, so it's clear what they are doing.
And the "I'm not the only one" kind of argument we learned in the second grade. Not exactly sophisticated. So maybe we should just allow them to blow off steam, the more obvious, the tackier the better. Sneaky is worse.

And we have lots of that going on, in the best of papers. We have since the first bombs dropped.
Just a thought.

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Fox never stops lying
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Posted by: john2007 on Jan 5, 2009 9:53 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Who gives a shit what the Fox whores say now? They have become so discredited that their very existence is irrelevant. I have stopped reading or worrying about Fox, Rush, Coulter, etc.; the vermin have scattered and our mental health is being restored.

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Come On People
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Posted by: hemingway00 on Jan 6, 2009 11:49 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I am so confused ... why in the HELL do we let idiots and bigots like Limbaugh get away with this kind of crap? Why do the people who listen to him (and others) believe this stuff is funny?
And, if they don't, why do they listen? And free speech ... give me a break! Freedom of expression is only a valid argument when, metaphorically speaking, your fist touches my nose. They've gone WAY past that point!

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