Appearing on Friday's CBS Early Show to discuss the Shirley Sherrod controversy, Ann Coulter pointed out the network's own faulty reporting on tea partiers protesting the passage of ObamaCare: "CBS News itself has reported that John Lewis was called the 'N' word 15 times. That is a lie, that is a despicable lie, that never happened. Why doesn't CBS News apologize for that?" [Audio available here]
Earlier in the discussion, fill-in co-host Erica Hill described how "things happen on both sides," like the inaccurate claims made against Sherrod. Coulter agreed and cited some examples:
How about the photo, as MSNBC is describing white men bringing guns to Obama rallies, where they only show the gun, you don't see it's a black man with a gun. Center for American Progress this week, run by John Podesta, on Obama's transition team, shows an alleged Nazi at a tea party announcing 'I'm a racist, I'm a proud racist'
Hill reiterated her initial point: "But Ann, Ann, things like this happen on both sides." She then went after Fox: "On Fox News we saw footage that was ran months ago, purportedly showing certain crowds at rallies, and they were from a different event. This happens across the board." At that point, Coulter noted the poor reporting done by CBS News.
Also involved in the discussion was Democratic strategist Tanya Acker, who, like Hill, took a jab at Fox: "I expect doctored journalism. I expect selective editing from the Breitbarts and the Hannitys. What I think was – is really problematic here is that what you're seeing is that the mainstream press is sort of being cowed by this right-wing journalism." She concluded: "So you've folks on the Right making these things up, taking things out of context...And the people jump on that and this poor woman was crucified for two days until we found out what really happened." Acker echoed the sentiments of left-wing Georgetown University professor Michael Eric Dyson, who appeared on Thursday's Early Show.
At the top of the segment, Hill wondered: "There was so much talk after President Obama was elected that we were now in this post-racial America, which clearly this past week shows that's not the case. Ann, why does this keep happening?" In response, Coulter argued: "I don't think it has been post-racial for a second with this administration." She cited several examples, including two controversies that CBS never reported on:
...them [the Obama Justice Department] not prosecuting the New Black Panthers on the grounds that they won't prosecute a voting rights case against blacks....from the JournoList this week, in large part, and that is liberal journalists, a hundred – hundreds of them, chitchatting about how to protect Obama. And, you know, they're openly saying, 'we're in trouble, we need to distract from what's going on. Let's just randomly call a conservative racist.'
Here is a full transcript of the July 23 segment:
7:08AM ET
ERICA HILL: Whether or not the firestorm has been doused is, of course, open for interpretation. Joining us now, conservative author and commentator Ann Coulter and Democratic analyst Tanya Acker. Good to have you both with us this morning.
ACKER: Thanks for having us.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Race and Politics; What Sherrod Incident Says About U.S. Society]
HILL: Whether or not it has been doused really is open for interpretation. There was so much talk after President Obama was elected that we were now in this post-racial America, which clearly this past week shows that's not the case. Ann, why does this keep happening?
ANN COULTER: I don't think it has been post-racial for a second with this administration. I mean, as your package just showed, you had the President calling Sergeant Crowley, saying he was acting 'stupidly.' You just, up till now, you had this – you know, them not prosecuting the New Black Panthers on the grounds that they won't prosecute a voting rights case against blacks. You had Sonia Sotomayor calling – saying she was a white Latina and ruling against white firemen who didn't get promotions because of their race. I mean, it's been nonstop, nonstop, nonstop.
HILL: But why?
COULTER: I think we found out from the JournoList this week, in large part, and that is liberal journalists, a hundred – hundreds of them, chitchatting about how to protect Obama. And, you know, they're openly saying, 'we're in trouble, we need to distract from what's going on. Let's just randomly call a conservative racist.' So liberals use this all the time to distract from what's going on.
HILL: Tanya, I'm guessing you don't agree with that assessment at all.
TANYA ACKER: Speaking of distractions, I find it very ironic, I mean, with all due respect to Ann, to get a lecture on race relations from someone who said that Jews need to be perfected. But moving past that, I think when you look at this incident, let's not get distracted from what happened. The woman, whose father was murdered by a white farmer, for which there was never any indictment any prosecution, was telling a story about racial redemption. And what we saw happen on the Right, Andrew Breitbart and others really ran with this story. And look, I expect doctored journalism. I expect selective editing from the Breitbarts and the Hannitys. What I think was – is really problematic here is that what you're seeing is that the mainstream press is sort of being cowed by this right-wing journalism. So you've folks on the Right making these things up, taking things out of context, and then saying, 'gosh darn it, why isn't the rest of media reporting on this?' And the people jump on that and this poor woman was crucified for two days until we found out what really happened.
HILL: How much of that, though, is either side? Because these things happen on both sides, it's not just one side or the other kowtowing to another side. How much of it the fact that we live in this society where everything is so immediate, Ann, that people don't take the time they need to, to check the facts?
COULTER: Yeah, I would contest that it happens on both sides. Things taken out of context. I never said Jews need to be perfected. I accurately described the New Testament. How about the photo, as MSNBC is describing white men bringing guns to Obama rallies, where they only show the gun, you don't see it's a black man with a gun. Center for American Progress this week, run by John Podesta, on Obama's transition team, shows an alleged Nazi at a tea party announcing 'I'm a racist, I'm a proud racist'-
HILL: But Ann, Ann, things like this happen on both sides-
COULTER: You pull back-
HILL: On Fox News we saw footage that was ran months ago, purportedly showing certain crowds at rallies, and they were from a different event. This happens across the board.
COULTER: And you pull back from the Center for American Progress and it's all – it's all tea partiers saying, 'go home, you're not one of us.' You have CBS News itself has reported that John Lewis was called the 'N' word 15 times. That is a lie, that is a despicable lie, that never happened. Why doesn't CBS News apologize for that?
HILL: So when there's – when there's this constant back and forth on both sides, is there any way to resolve it and to get a conversation going?
ACKER: Certainly. I mean, I think that we have to depend on – it really depends on who's trying to have the conversation. I think that there are plenty of well-meaning Americans who do want to try to deal with the issue of race in a responsible way without the name calling, without trying to defend racism on either side. And I think that it's really – it's a matter of having that conversation in a respectful and productive way, and in a productive forum.
HILL: Well, I appreciate you both coming to have the conversation this morning.
ACKER: Thank you.
COULTER: Thank you.
HILL: Ann Coulter, Tanya Acker, thank you both for your time.
