Anyone think this guy should be fired? I can only imagine the uproar if CNN had posted something equaly malicious about Bush.
Fox News Channel admits reporter posted fake story about Kerry
WASHINGTON (AFP) - An official at Fox News Channel said that one of its political reporters has been disciplined for posting a fake news item on its website about Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites).
Paul Schur, a spokesman for the network, said Fox's chief political correspondent Carl Cameron had been disciplined for posting an item on FoxNews.com that included several made-up quotes attributed to Kerry.
"Carl has been reprimanded," Schur said Sunday, defining further comment.
The article alleged to cover a post-debate rally by Kerry at which the Massachusetts senator was purported to gush over his "metrosexual" appearance.
"Didn't my nails and cuticles look great? What a good debate!" the article by the Cameron read, purportedly quoting Kerry after the event.
"Women should like me! I do manicures," the story also quotes Kerry as telling the crowd.
The article also has the Democratic candidate contrasting himself to US President George W. Bush (news - web sites)
"I'm metrosexual -- he's a cowboy," Cameron quoted Kerry as saying.
Officials for Fox, which has been criticized for being biased towards Bush's Republican party, decline to explain how the spoof article ended up on the network's website.
A statement by Fox on the website Sunday apologized for the article, saying it was a joke.
"Foxnews.com erred … on Friday, posting an item purporting to contain quotes attributable to Kerry," the statement read.
"The item was based on a reporters partial script that had been written in jest and should not have been posted or broadcast. Foxnews.com also regrets that error, which occurred because of fatigue and bad judgment, not malice."
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Aaron Sarver is an independent audio producer and writer based in Chicago. His work has appeared in In These Times, The Chicago Reader, Alternet.org, and on Free Speech Radio News. For nearly three years he produced and co-hosted the radio program, Fire on the Prairie, which featured interviews with progressive writers and activists, and is archived at fireontheprairie.com.
