Fox News Aired Only Two Minutes of Democratic Keynote Address, Discussed Ayers Instead

Posted by Jamison Foser and Eric Boehlert, Media Matters for America at 4:04 PM on August 27, 2008.

In its August 26 coverage of the second night of the Democratic National Convention, Fox News aired just over two minutes of former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner's nearly 20-minute keynoteaddress to the convention.

Rather than air Warner's entire speech, Fox News cut to commercial, then Fox News host Alan Colmes stated, "In other election news, an independent group supporting John McCain released an ad last week attacking [Sen.] Barack Obama's ties to former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers," and aired an ad from the Obama campaign responding to the independent ad.

Colmes and co-host Sean Hannity then interviewed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is supporting Sen. John McCain.



In contrast, both MSNBC and CNN aired the entirety of Warner's address.


(Watch it after the flip)

COLMES: Mayor, good to have you with us. Are they treating you OK here?

WARNER: Now, I have a unique perspective on this race for the future. Like many of you, I'm the first in my family to graduate from college. It was made possible by supportive parents, great public schools, and since my folks didn't have the resources, thank goodness for the student loan program.

COLMES: That is Governor Mark
Warner, former governor of Virginia,
giving the keynote address tonight. You can hear the crowd react. In just a moment, we come back.

Coming up next, Barack Obama strikes
back after an ad tries to link him to the former Weather Underground leader William Ayers. Former presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani joins us, coming up in just a moment.

[...]

COLMES: In other election news, an
independent group supporting John McCain released an ad last week attacking Barack Obama's ties to former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers. The Obama campaign responded,
releasing this brand-new
ad in Ohio,
let's take a look.

NARRATOR [video clip]: With all our
problems, why is John McCain talking about the '60s, trying to link Barack Obama to radical Bill Ayers? McCain knows Obama denounced Ayers' crimes, committed when Obama was just 8 years old. Let's talk about standing up for America
today.

COLMES: With us now is former
presidential candidate, John McCain supporter Rudy Giuliani.

GIULIANI: Alan, how are you?

Tagged as: warner, fox news, dnc