Keep in mind, Jennifer Rubin is a Conservative.
Questions Fox and the right need to answer
By Jennifer Rubin May 24 at 9:00 AM
On Wednesday, Fox News finally took down from its website a ludicrous conspiracy theory relating to the tragic murder of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich (which may very well have been part of a botched robbery). The story remained up and was an ongoing obsession for host Sean Hannity long after it was debunked by a range of sources and despite pleas from family members to stop besmirching Rich’s memory. Not until Tuesday did Hannity announce he was dropping the issue “out of respect for the family’s wishes.” That’s a crock, as anyone who is following Hannity’s gambit knows, because he has previously ignored countless pleas to stop.
Fox’s jaw-dropping unprofessionalism and dishonesty were matched only by its cruelty in subjecting Rich’s loved ones to a grotesque political plot. Fox put up the following bland statement:
On May 16, a story was posted on the Fox News website on the investigation into the 2016 murder of DNC Staffer Seth Rich. The article was not initially subjected to the high degree of editorial scrutiny we require for all our reporting. Upon appropriate review, the article was found not to meet those standards and has since been removed.
There was no apology, no reference to Hannity. The statement raises more questions than it answers:
. What is this “high degree of editorial scrutiny we require for all our reporting”? Who is responsible for maintaining such high standards?
. Does the alleged high scrutiny apply to Fox’s nighttime shows?
. How did the story manage to slip by this exacting scrutiny?
. How did it remain on the website and on Hannity’s show despite widespread calls to cease airing a debunked story?
. Who, if anyone, is going to be held accountable for this?
. Will Fox real-news cover the incident?
. How did widespread coverage of birtherism slip by Fox’s “high degree of editorial scrutiny”?
. Are evening shows’ coverage of the Russia scandal subjected to a “high degree of editorial scrutiny”?
more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2017/05/24/questions-fox-and-the-right-need-to-answer/?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-d%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.07e98b31ebd1
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