Fox News is under fire for a Friday ad that inaccurately accused its competitors, including CNN, of failing to cover last weekend's Tea Party protests in Washington.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Fox News is under fire for a newspaper ad they purchased Friday that inaccurately accused its competitors, including CNN, of failing to cover last weekend's Tea Party protests in Washington.
"How did, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and CNN miss this story?" Fox's newspaper ad asks.
The answer: They didn't.
CNN provided live coverage of the rally in Washington on Saturday, dispatching more than a dozen personnel, including multiple camera crews and the CNN Express Bus, to cover the event. Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser was live at Freedom Plaza; Correspondent Kate Bolduan reported live from the Capitol and throughout the crowd; All Platform Journalist Jim Spellman provided live hits all day after traveling for weeks on the Tea Party Express Bus; and CNN Correspondent Lisa Desjardins was live for CNN and CNN Radio from the National Mall.
CNN's Rick Sanchez weighs in on Fox's ad
CNN's coverage also included numerous live reports and interviews with protesters and newsmakers, including rally day speaker Sen. Jim DeMint and activist Art Gerhart, who was on the set with anchor Don Lemon to discuss the event.
In addition, CNN.com provided a live stream of the rally throughout the day.
ABC referred Friday to a statement by Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks - the group that organized the event – characterizing the network's coverage that day as "fair and honest." The rally story was featured on the network's morning shows, nightly news broadcast, in extensive radio reporting and online.
MSNBC also pointed to its own reporting. "Just like every other network mentioned in the ad, MSNBC covered last Saturday's protest," the network said in a statement.
CBS detailed its coverage of the event in a statement issued Friday afternoon.
"CBS News had multiple crews on site with our Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes reporting," the network said in a statement. "It was the lead story on the CBS EVENING NEWS; CBS Radio News provided hourly reports during the day and CBSNews.com had the story in its rotating lead all day. They also processed the Nancy Cordes video and linked it throughout the site."
And CNN criticized Fox for its inaccurate statement. "Fox News' ad released today is blatantly false regarding CNN's coverage of the 9/12 rally," CNN said in a statement.
Watch some of CNN's Tea Party coverage here, and read some of our in-depth reporting.
The same people who watch fox news are the same people who listen to Rush Limbaugh nuff said
"Fair and accurate" reporting. NOT. It just proves a point that if you say something over and over again the uneducated and far right will believe it. Keep up the good work CNN.
Of course Fox News kept the Tea Party protests in their headlines for longer, they're a conservative-leaning news organization. Just like MSNBC is a liber-leaning news organization.
Just because Fox or MSNBC can't admit their political leaning for fear of losing viewers doesn't make it any more ovbious to me and to most of you: all the news organizations have *SOME* sort of lean towards one or another end of the political spectrum. Why do you think Fox covers anti-ACRON and the Tea Party while MSNBC has the most blatant gun-control articles?
There's no need to insult Fox News. If you don't like thier spin on things, come here to CNN for a slightly more balanced, if not more liberal opinion. If you need to go even more left, try MSNBC or even the Huffington press. These days, you might as well read "The Onion". There are lots of conservatives in America and they deserve their spin on the news just as liberals deserve theirs.
Proud member of the party of Yes We Can!
WELL SAID! LOL
Fox is NOT fair and balanced. You can't balance the loud, stupid angry voices of few thousant tea-partiers against the millions who voted for Obama. By the way, the original tea party was to GET representation for the population, not get RID of it. Did any of the these people go to school? even 8th grade?
You have to read and listen to all of it, both sides and at least try to think for yourselves !!!
If somebody says something that isn't true then swears to it is that still a lie ??
The problem is that none of the networks give the real "true" story, just their opinions.
Please stop parreting the news quotes in your comments here.
Well said Rick and all news channels that were falsely accused by FOX news, which should not come as a surprise to anyone. FOX news..................................YOU LIE!!!
Hmmm, especially when the truth comes from no other than the talking hot airhead himself Bill O'Reilly on tape no less, acknowledged that CNN covered the wingnuts koolaid march.......
OMG......................talk about doing your homework before you point fingers.....................Fox News......LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Fox News is 99% pure entertainment. That's it. If they perform any authentic journalism it's by sheer accident or the occasional sting.
Faux News is coiming out of the closet. They are and have always been the propoganda apparatus for the conservitive movement.
How did they miss it? Because CNN doesnt care about whats going on in the real world. CNN is nothing but opinion. I admit, Fox News is definatly biased, but atleast it has numbers, FACTS, and statistics (from unbiased and even liberal sources) to support the angle of the story they are routing for. CNN is just the same ole thing... round table after round table or people giving their opinion who are in no way related to the subject matter. Thats why both CNN and MSNBC's rating have totally DROPPED off the map. We are in a crisis mode as a country and they REFUSE to air the truth. Hope and a positive attitude is a good thing to have but we need to know what is REALLY going on in order to fix it!
Seems Fox has failed to understand Jefferson's #1 rule of politics: never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel.
All right Rick Sanchez!!! I watched it on CNN. I had repeatedly tried to find a comment section on Fox's article but they weren't offering it.
There would have been too many people telling the truth and that is not something Fox wants when they are spoon feeding their readers their very biased rhetoric...
I used to watch CNN all of the time. Since the election, their news has become left wing biased. Once and a while I like to hear both sides of the story. Thank goodness, I found FOX!!!
Fox News = Oxymoron.
'Nuff said.
Fox is a joke, representing the owner's bias. People supporting their viewpoint would do better to analyze and converse with the opposition to see how we might begin to agree on issues. They , on both sides, are manipulating all of us to maintain the status quo which is very profitable to them.
They (Fox) also said there were 1 – 1.7 million attending when everyone else including the police estimated 50-75,000...amazing. How could the LIE so about the attendance...to prop up their cause.
Awesome segment! Way to point out how UN-Fair and balanced those hippocrites on FOX news ARE!!!! Keep up the good work!
I think you should do more expose's on Joe Wilson and the fact that he actually voted to give healthcare to illegal immigrants and had the odacity to call our President a liar!!!!!!!!!!
Surpised ?? Not really. Kind of like that " No spin zone " guy they have on. NO SPIN. My A..iling backside. 😉
CNN covers the TEA PARTY for 5 minutes during a 24 hour news cycle and I guess technically you're right. Your reporters did cover it, but from CNN Radio, not CNN TV. I did not see it on CNN. On another issue, Rick, if you are worried about putting your lives in danger reporting in the war zones, then stop going and stop demanding that your ASSets be protected. The assets that our military is using to cover your ASSets while you are in the war zones are the same assets that would be used to protect our soldiers actually fighting the wars. Instead, they're diverted protecting your ASSets. We all know the only reason you reporters go over there is for ratings or so you can win some peabody or other media hyped award. I use to listen to CNN religiously and switched because I got tired of your organization "PROMOTING" the Obama administration instead of "REPORTING" on it. I get the feeling that CNN has it's head so far up the administration's butt, that you probably taste their food before they do.
Fox is usually under attack by the morons at MSNBC. It all has to do with ratings envy. Sanchez's ratings are not on the radar.
no bias – fox news supported it
"The Most Trust Name in News"--enough said.
How can they call themselves Fox "News"-it's more like Fox Garbage-They don't report news. They spin facts-spread lies-and have the most obnoxious; the most self-serving group of "commentators' on television. Why would anyone listen to them when you know ahead of time what they are spewing?
I have total disrespect for Fox news. Beginning with this presidential election coverage I watched less and less because of their bias, false and negative reporting....and today I don't even stop at Fox News because it makes me nautious. CNN seems to be more "fair and balanced". Sean Hannity – Glen Beck – Mike Huckabee .... all irresponsible talk show turkeys. Shame on Fox News ownership/management to allow this kind of chatter to continue.
There is a reason why we have elected Mr. Obama. Too many people are too tired of conservative talk and TV personalities foaming at the mouth. They have no real formative ideas, but instead "entertain" the many in our country by pandering to the lowest common denominator by telling them that nothing is your fault:: its the fault of illegal aliens, unpatriotic democrats, abortion doctors, etc etc. What has happened to listening to another viewpoint? Is there really anyone that still believes that one party has all the answers? I'm 52 years old and find myself getting most of my "connection" to world events from The Onion.