Since Monday's release of 149 jailhouse calls generated buzz that Fox News' Sean Hannity might have offered to pay for George Zimmerman's legal fees, network PR heads are scrambling to kill any connection between the two. In fact, the network is so worked up over this, that they have contacted Gather News to try to get the original story edited to include their statement of denial.
First of all, the original story about the possible Hannity/Zimmerman connection never said that Sean Hannity did offer Zimmerman money. The story simply repeated the possibility of it, reiterating that at this moment in time, it was not proven to be a fact.
The Global Grind originally broke the story yesterday, and their team read through the transcripts of all 149 phone calls. This is what led to the original speculation of a connection between the two men.
Carly Shanahan sent Gather News an email herself in an attempt to get their statement added to the original story. What is Shanahan, the Senior Media Relations Manager, doing contacting Reno Berkeley, a writer virtually unknown outside of Gather?
After the original story was written, Fox released a statement on Media Bistro stating the allegations were patently false. A few hours later the email from Shanahan arrived asking that the disclaimer be added to Berkeley's article.
Most networks would just let the story die after putting out a press release. After an initial flurry of stories about the denial, it would be forgotten in the ether. But the fact that a senior Fox official contacted an unknown writer brings up even more questions about why they're bothering.
Is Fox News really afraid that this story will take wings and fly out of control? Do their executives know that this kind of story, the kind that is little more than speculation and conspiracy theory, could actually be believable? Are they concerned that the same tactics they have used could be used against their own TV personalities? After all, their anchors like Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, et al. have made a living doing the exact same thing, and worse.
Some examples of Fox misrepresentations:
- Bill O'Reilly railed against murdered abortion provider George Tiller back in 2009, even after his death. O'Reilly made it his mission to verbally attack the doctor on multiple episodes, condemning his actions and implying that he must be stopped. When Tiller was murdered, O'Reilly never apologized. Instead, he acted like the victim in the whole thing because of the calls for accountability.
- In April 2012, Sean Hannity dug up the lie that President Obama met with the leaders of the New Black Panther party back in 2007, an event that has been proven to have never occurred.
- Around the same time, George Zimmerman's former attorneys quit, referencing a conversation Zimmerman had with Hannity as just one reason. It kind of makes one wonder why Zimmerman's attorneys would quit after the accused spoke with Hannity. What were the contents of the conversation? Well, no one will ever know unless Zimmerman, Hannity, or his former lawyers spill the beans.
It is ironic that a media corporation (News Corp.) - which is guilty via it's now-defunct UK tabloid News of the World of phone hacking in order to create news, and which is in the habit of completely fabricating lies to achieve its right wing agenda - is suddenly concerned with "accuracy" and speculative reporting.
Below is a screen capped copy of the initial communication between the writer and Shanahan for your enjoyment.
©2012 Reno Berkeley for Gather News.
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Comments: 73
http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981481134
How does it feel to be elevated from a virtual unknown GN author, to giant slayer of the conservative liars club. Quite good I would imagine.
In any event, best be careful, it would appear that you may be in line for the wrath of Rush Limbaugh. You know it want be long before he comes to the defense of Fox and Hannity. Such entertainment liars stick together and it's well documented that El Rushbo does not like the female genda to begin with. Just ask any of his four ex wives.
I have a lot of respect for O'Reilly - he's more libertarian than conservative, not a GOP member, not a party water-carrier. Yes, a bloviating over-the-top blowhard sometimes (often?) but there's a core of honesty and decency to him in my opinion. Just like the very progressive but intelligent, decent, open-minded partisans on MSNBC like my major crush Rachel Maddow, and other smart folks like Alex Wagner from "Now", the three liberal hosts of the four on the Cycle (Kornacki, Touré, Ball), and Melissa Harris-Perry.
While I lump Hannity with the disgusting, hateful, lying scum disrespectful to the opposition, disrespectful to the audience intelligence blowhards like MSNBC's Ed Schultz, Martin Bashir, and Lawrence O'Donnell. Though I really like Fox's "The Five", and obviously so does MSNBC because they ripped it off for their new "The Cycle" complete with one member of the "other side" (though S.E. Cupp is a lot more tolerable than Bob Beckel on The Five), I would lump "The Five" co-host Eric Bolling in with the bloviating asshole contingent. Whereas the rest of them are smart and reasonable though partisan.
Hannity is an embarrassment. I saw some of his show last night, even though I usually tune him out. He is definitely carrying water for Zimmerman. I have no idea why, but he is going way far in trying to present Zimmerman as somebody being framed, set up, attacked by racism. When the clear facts are Zimmerman is at least a nasty rent-a-cop mentality looking-for-trouble "Big Man" who violated what the Police/911 dispatch explicitly told him, and a kid ended up dead as a result.
It would not surprise me if Hannity is paying for or contributed something monetary to Zimmerman's indefensible defense. He certainly is contributing to his defense in other means, mainly in trying to poison the jury pool.
I used to be a fan & watched his show faithfully many moons ago, but the "bloviating" finally got to me!
We should all reserve judgement until the facts of the case are known. Since when did we become a nation that believes in guilt before the trial?
We??? You must be speaking of New Zealand then.
My concern is that he was painted as a racist by the mainstream media, with no facts to back it up.
Renee, you are such a hypocrite~you've published post after post defending GZ, not to mention, using the Daniel Adkins case to rile up the Gather masses. This is probably the 1st time you ever said, "I feel terrible" about Trayvon.
2. Find one comment that can support your claim.
The media embraced this story, but ignored the Daniel Adkins story that you claim I use to "stir people up". I bring it up because a man was killed and nobody talks about it. Why do you think nobody talks about it, August Lady?
"There is, moreover, another enemy at home. That enemy is the mean and petty spirit that mocks at ideals, sneers at sacrifice and pretends that the American people can live by bread alone. If the spirit of God is not in us, and if we will not prepare to give all that we have and all that we are to preserve Christian civilization in our land, we shall go to destruction."
By the Bye...isn't that a Portrait of FDR above the Shrivlings Desk??? ;)
Isn't it interesting, though, that his rhetoric, which was spot-on, never matched his actions...?
I've Studied that War extensively. All of them, actually. Good on your Dad. He's correct. Roosevelt did what had to be done, and yesterday. Not the girly-man way we've fought since then. We've not WON a War, since. You can thank a Leftist. He understood that World War ll was for keeps...believe me when I say, it was. This Planet would have been plunged into a Thousand Years of Darkness...and much of Humanity would have been slaughtered or enslaved by the Jap, and the Gerry. I'm thankful to him for that...the Camps and KKK notwithstanding.
Also; were you aware that he actually tried to stack the Supreme Court? He was a filthy Leftist, through-and-done. The reason I digressed, was to point out the irony...B.F. loves him because he was a bleeding-Heart Leftist; but fought the War like a Mad-Man...and, he was an enigma in Size 11 Polio Shoes...
Do you have any reading recommendations? I would like to learn more and maybe even do a project on this. I was watching a documentary with my dad on WWII and America's accomplishments were barely mentioned and my dad was so disgusted that he made me switch it off. He was on the verge of tears (believe me, that is RARE). I am afraid to even bring it up to him. And you know, the scrubbing of history for an agenda makes me fighting mad.
There would be no borders; none; PERIOD. Half the World would have been divided to the German; the other half, to the Jap. They'd planned to turn the Soviet into a massive Slave/Internment Camp, likewise the United States. The remainder of the European Peoples were slated for Mass-Slaughter. Genocide. Extermination. Ditto for THE REST OF THE WORLD. Entire Homogenous Races; Koreans; Chinese; Pacific Islanders; Indians; Middle Europeans; Jews; Arabs; Persians; Belgians; Dutch; Poles; Slavs; Czechs; Bulgarians; French; Indonesians; Canadiens; all slated for extinction. Gone. All of them.
Renee...were it not for America...all this would have come to pass. Europe had already been Annexed; all of France was a Prison. The Brit was getting his ASS KICKED, and thoroughly. They were to fall in a short matter of Months...and we did nothing, because of fools like Robert. Pacifism and Isolationism...and LEFTISM, was the Rule of the Day here in America. FDR. Handouts. "The New Deal."
By the Grace of God, one Sir Winston Churchill was able to convince FDR that She (Britain) was finished. And, when She was finished, the United States was next. Had we allowed England to fall, Renee...you and I would be either a lampshade, or a bar of soap. Or, we'd have never existed a'tall.
I understand your Papa's tears...I get them, occasionally, myself, when I think about the Horror....and the Horror we've barely escaped. People who haven't taken the time to Really learn how near we'd come (the entire World) to extinction...well...
I'll put together some reading for you. Study all you can about Malta. The Third Reich; Mein Kampf; Kristallnacht; the Gestapo; the Brown Shirts; the Pogroms; Heinrich Himmler; Albert Speer; Rudolph Hess; Martin Bormann; Ernst Rohm; Joachim von Ribbontropp; Wilhelm Keitel; the Sudetanland; Hermann Goehring; Joseph Goebbels; Klaus von Stauffenberg; Rommel. However, I'd strongly encourage you to to get the ENTIRE Video Series entitled "World at War." Narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier. But I warn...it will devastate you...
I'm not sure who the second is, but one has to be Hugo Black, who was a Klan member early in his political career like most politicians from his state. It's more interesting that Black became one of the most liberal members of the Court. He was one of the nine justices who voted together in Brown v Board of education. Black's record on the First Amendment is legendary.
How about the "Selective Editing" done by NBC to make him seem like a racist? This is how they edited the call from Zimmerman:
NBC's Version
"Zimmerman: This guy looks like he's up to no good. He looks black."
The Actual Conversation:
"Zimmerman: This guy looks like he's up to no good. Or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about.
Dispatcher: OK, and this guy – is he black, white or Hispanic?
Zimmerman: He looks black."
As far as I am concerned - after reading of the interview - the smoking gun is Trayvon's cell phone. Anyone remember he was having a conversation with his girlfriend when half of what GZ said allegedly went down?
Do you think that George Zimmerman was portrayed as a racist in the media?
Do you think I am lying about this? NBC was forced to apologize after this came out.
Lauren Kapp of NBC stated, "During our investigation it became evident that there was an error made in the production process that we deeply regret," she continued. "We will be taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening in the future and apologize to our viewers."
I don't lie. You may disagree with me, but I look for the truth and one thing that gets to me is the clear manipulation by the mainstream media to tell a story based on their agenda.
At this point in time, GZ will fare no better than Casey Anthony if he is acquitted.
The mainstream media portrayed him as a racist before they knew the facts. Would you please humor me, and just consider that statement, despite your opinion of his guilt (which I am happy to discuss, as well).
The points you are making are your perception of this man's guilt and you have a right to your opinion, but it has nothing to do with my point, he may be a racist renegade wanna-be cop who killed Trayvon because he was in the mood to kill a black kid, I have no idea. I cannot base my decision on what the media tells me, because they twist the facts to support their narrative.
I recently wrote about a similar case of Brad Pitt's mom, she was advocating for traditional marriage and pro-life, yet headline after headline called her "anti-gay" or "a homophobe", how could the people writing these stories be so irresponsible? They do know know her, or her heart and their relentless intolerance about her so-called intolerance led this woman to receive death threats. That is exactly what happened in Zimmerman's case, imo.
I was among the 1st to hear those 911 tapes here on Gather & posted about them~they were chilling~did you listen to the 20-minute tape of the woman freakin' out? Probably not, and if you didn't get some sense of the chills listening to those tapes, well...you already had your mind made up & you're lying about "feeling terrible" for Trayvon!
Don't bother responding because you've reached that point with me that a few other Gather members have~no respect, no response, DONE!
You said "Renee, you are such a hypocrite~you've published post after post defending GZ" - I would like for you to find an example of me saying anything along those lines. Of course I know you cannot, because I don't feel that way.
I have repeatedly said that Zimmerman was portrayed as a racist in the media, with no evidence to back it up.
I have also repeatedly said that I do not know whether he is innocent or guilty and we should leave that to the courts to decide.
August Lady, just because I am not going to judge a man's guilt or innocence based on what the MSM tells me I should believe does not make me a "hypocrite".