MotherJones Blog: Fox News Admits Obama/Muslim Story Was Toxic

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Fox News Admits Obama/Muslim Story Was Toxic

The New York Times has a story that gets a comment from all the major players in the "Is Obama Secretly a Muslim??" semi-scandal that we wrote about as long as ten days ago.

The story -- that Obama was educated at a madrassa for a few years as a child, and has hidden the fact that he was raised Muslim -- was originally published by Insight, a website run by the Moonies that is closely associated with the conservative Washington Times. It carried no byline and used anonymous sources. Not surprisingly, the whole thing was thoroughly debunked by CNN only days after it hit the web. The Times reports that even the Wash Times wouldn't touch the story with a ten-foot pole.

Its national editor sent an e-mail message to staff members under the heading "Insight Strikes Again" telling them to "make sure that no mention of any Insight story" appeared in the paper, and another e-mail message to its Congressional correspondent instructing him to clarify to Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama that the Washington Times had nothing to do with the article on the Web site.

That's funny, because you know who didn't have the journalistic chops to identify a real stinker of a story? Fox News, that's who. They ran with the story big time, with multiple members of their talking head stable hashing it out over and over. Now, they're sorry.

...in an interview, John Moody, a senior vice president at Fox News, said its commentators had erred by citing the Clinton-Obama report. "The hosts violated one of our general rules, which is know what you are talking about," Mr. Moody said.

I suppose there is a joke to be made about how if the standard at Fox actually was "know what you are talking about," they'd put nothing on the air at all, but that'd be.... well, I guess I've already gone and said it, haven't I?

Anyway, Insight's editor, Jeffrey Kuhner, won't back down. "Our report on this opposition research activity is completely accurate," he told the Times. In fact, he thinks CNN got duped when it sent a reporter to Indonesia to talk with officials at the school Obama attended. Fighting words: "To simply take the word of a deputy headmaster about what was the religious curriculum of a school 35 years ago does not satisfy our standards for aggressive investigative reporting."

Hmmm. I guess that makes this little gem even funnier.

Mr. Kuhner, in an editor’s note on Insight, said the Web site could not afford to "send correspondents to places like Jakarta to check out every fact in a story."

Comments

Umm... we all know that Fox is useless... but the other question is... who the heck cares if he was rasied a muslim or not anyway?! What would that even matter? True or not? Unless of course you're a bigot... then it might matter.

Posted by: Guy on 01/30/07 at 9:42 AM Respond

It matters because a lot of people still believe Fox and they still have the biggest cable news audience, even if "news" isn't the right word. They have been caught dead to rights, which has happened before I realize, but this time the story has become how wrong they were. The rest of the time the real liberal media debunks them but few Fox viewers hear that, while the "liberal" media ignores the mistakes in Fox's coverage. They'll report the core story, but not the misleading reporting by Fox. This time they're doing just that, so I say keep the story going.

Posted by: Eric Ferguson on 01/30/07 at 12:54 PM Respond

MUSLIMS BELIEVE THE KORAN IS THE PERFECT WORD OF GOD as dictated to Mohammed.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. 80- 90 percent of the Koran is composed of this kind advocacy for murder, conquering , looting and rape:

THE KORAN TEACHES MUSLIMS THEY MUST FIGHT AND KILL UNBELIEVERS

WARFARE IS ORDAINED FOR YOU, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. (2.216)

THE KORAN PROMISES MUSLIMS COUNTRIES TO CONQUER AND THE SPOILS
Sura 33 "And he bequeathed to you their lands, their homes and their possessions, together with land you have never trodden" (33.27) .

THE KORAN TELLS MUSLIMS TO BE QUIET UNTIL THEY HAVE THE NUMBERS TO START DEMANDING THEIR WAY IN THE COUNTRIES THEY HAVE INVADED
"Be patient with unbelievers until you have strength" (86.17).

THE KORAN TELL MUSLIMS TO FIGHT- AND ALL INFIDELS MUST PAY TAXES TO THEM
Fight those among the People of the Book [i.e. Jews and Christians] ... who do not profess the true religion, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued. (9.29)

THE KORAN TEACHES DECEIPT
Quran 3:28 Don't have unbelieving friends unless it is to deceive them. Remember the final goal is to Allah.

"AND FIGHT THEM UNTIL THERE IS NO PERSECUTION , AND RELIGION SHALL BE ONLY FOR ALLAH 2:193

Quran 9:33 ISLAM WILL PREVAIL OVER ALL RELIGIONS

THE HEAD OF CAIR BLATANTLY STATES THE AIM OF ISLAM IS TO DOMINATE THE U.S.!!

"ISLAM ISN'T IN AMERICA TO BE EQUAL TO ANY OTHER FAITH, BUT TO BECOME DOMINANT. The Koran ... should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth. Everthing we need to know is in the Koran. We don't need to look somewhere else." OMAR M. AHMAD, CHAIRMAN OF CAIR,the mainsteam Muslim advocacy group.

Am I Islamophobic? A phobia is a baseless irrational fear. Detestation of Islamism is based on irrefutable facts (as presented above) and it is not only rational, it is ethically imperative.
It is a virtue to hate tyranny, misogyny, discriminations of all sorts, oppression, and all manners of violations of the legitimate rights of the individual and citizens in general. It morally RIGHT to take action to oppose the evil cancer that is Islam that is spreading in the U.S.

Western Civilization, whether Libs like it or not, is based upon the morality outlined in the Bible, and it has been our adherence to this morality that has determined the strength of our civilization. Christianity has gone through a reformation, to the point where it does not inspire hatred of anyone nor violence. Contrast that with the fact the ISLAM CANNOT BE CHANGED OR REFORMED.
Today's Christians have evolved into a civilized society but Islamics still reside in the 7th century.
Violent acts by today's Christians are condemned by the rest of society. Whereas the incidents of Islamic terrorist attacks are defended by the by Islam. They are just carrying out what the Koran tells them to do.
Neville Chaimberlin insisted on ignoring Hitler's plain statements, and the whole world paid the price. Now Libs are insisting that we ignore the plain statements contained in the Koran, and the stated intentions of Ahmanejadh.

The demonic Koran plainly lays down a plan of action for true Muslim- murder and violence to place Islam in control of the globe. Barack HUSSEIN Obama PLAINLY is pro-Islamic:

Obama stated he will stand with Muslim and protect them.
"I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/2007/01/liberal_juan_wi.html

>Obama is prominantly displayed as banner boy for Project Islamic H.O.P.E.
http://islamichope.org/

Obama attending Muslim schools where he studied Islam and the Koran.
His teachers and friends testify that he was Muslim.
http://laotze.blogspot.com/2007/01/tracking-down-obama-in-indonesia-part-3.html

'NOBODY IS SUFFERING MORE THAN THE PALENTINIAN PEOPLE,' OBAMA SAID, while on the final leg of his weekend trip to eastern Iowa.
The Palestinian Authority is controlled by Hamas, a political party that does not recognize Israel's sovereignty and is listed by several countries - including the United States - as a terrorist organization. The United States and other nations imposed restrictions on aid when Hamas gained power last year.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/015619.php

http://www.examiner.com/a-536474~_Trapped_between_two_worlds_.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/25/wobama25.xml

Obama's association with radical Muslim supporters

http://www.amconmag.com/2007/2007_03_12/feature.html

http://www.logoonline.com/news/story.jhtml?id=1555149&disableFeatureRedirect=true&contentTypeID=1299

Obama states his brother, Roy, made him the most proud when he converted to Islam
http://www.examiner.com/a-534540~Can_a_past_of_Islam_change_the_path_to_president_for_Obama_.html

If just ONE of the accusations against Barack Hussein Obama were true, it should be enough to prevent voting for this man. To turn a blind eye to ALL of the proven facts is sheer insanity.

Posted by: Darrel Washington on 11/21/07 at 9:26 PM Respond

I agree with Darrel Washington. I've heard "once a Muslim/Islam always a Muslim/Islam". You are not allowed to leave this religion/group, once you join. Obama is a liar when he says he is no longer a Muslim. America, you had better be careful when voting
this next Presidential election. The Islamist would
love to sneak one of them in
as our leader.

Posted by: smartgirl on 11/23/07 at 11:33 PM Respond

Obama is still a Muslim, Muslims can't convert to another religion such as Christianity without being under a death sentence by the Islamic religion. Obama is not under a death sentence.

Posted by: Ashley on 12/27/07 at 8:08 AM Respond

I think FOX News has been "Islamophobic" since September 11, 2001. Just because a large majority of African-Americans has accepted the Islamic faith doesn't make it any more right than the growing popularity of "Aspirational Pedophelia" promoted by Barely Legal. I often wonder if this growing trend of anti-Muslim sentiment in America is / was really aimed at the African-American / Black community.

Posted by: Kaitlyn Chen on 06/09/08 at 3:54 AM Respond