Paul Begala: How Fox News Knowingly Reported A False Story About Me

[CatWoman]

Fox News: We Report -- Even if We Know It's False

I've been dealing with the media and politics for 25 years, but I've never had a more surrealistic day than January 8. Several times that day Fox News reported that I was joining Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign. It was a big story - at least until the stunning election returns.

The only problem was, it wasn't true.

Fox News never even tried to contact me to verify their story, and when I contacted Fox, I felt like a character in a Kafka novel -- or at least Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Fox's Major Garrett -- a good guy whom I've known for years -- broke the story. My phone started ringing off the hook, and my email box bulged. There are still, thank goodness, a lot of real journalists out there. Tim Russert was first. I assured him it wasn't true, he thanked me for waving him off a false story, and that was that. Then my own network, CNN, called. I told them if I were quitting CNN that CNN would know before Fox News. Soon after, others called or emailed: Jonathan Alter of Newsweek, George Stephanopoulos and Teddy Davis of ABC, Beth Fouhy of AP, Mark Halperin of Time, John Harris of the Politico, Jill Lawrence of USA Today, Peter Baker of the Washington Post, Patrick Healy of the New York Times, David Gregory of NBC and Bill Sammon of the Examiner. There were probably more. I list the names only to give credit to journalists who behaved like reporters, not repeaters.

After I told Fox it wasn't true -- and this is the surreal part -- they kept reporting it anyway. In fact, Fox's Garrett told me he'd "take it under advisement." Take it under advisement? I realize I'm generally seen as just another liberal with an opinion, but this was not a matter of opinion, it was a matter of fact. Fox now knew their story was flatly, factually wrong, and they took it "under advisement."

Apparently that meant repeating the falsehood with added detail: the "fact" that I had been on a conference call the previous day with the Hillary high command. Again, false. My worry is that if this is what one of Fox's best and most respected reporters is doing, what are the hacks up to?

I exchanged several civil emails with Garrett -- and append them to this post. They are not nuanced. Read them for yourself. I report, you decide.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-begala/fox-news-we-report-e_b_80698.html

[Maccagirl]

1. Begala is wrong about one thing

Major Garrett is not a "good guy".

[timber84]

2. Major Garrett

is a Major Asshole.

[Clintonista2]

3. I love the email exchange

"If my wife hears one more report that I'm joining Hillary's campaign I'm going to have to go in the Pundit Protection Program."


LOL

[MidwestTransplant]

4. This is too funny. My sourcing is strong that you are joining the campaign even if you don't know

you are.

What tools.

[truebrit71]

5. Read the e-mails between Begala and Major Asshole....they are hysterical...

Begala is telling Major Asshole, flat out "I am NOT joining the campaign", but Major Asshole tells Beagala he has a very stong source. This proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt that Fox employees fucking idiots....

Oh, and another thing...what kind of over-compensating name is "Major"....bet he had the living shit kicked out of him at school...

[timber84]

7. Classic:

From: Garrett, Major
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 3:32 PM
To: Begala, Paul
Subject: Re: N.H.D.

Paul:
You know me well enough to know I am not trying to screw you.
You also know, or should know, that I'm careful and don't have a reputation for pulling stories out of my ass.
I'm not now. The sourcing is strong, very strong, or I wouldn't go with it.
I appreciate your e-mails and I redouble my efforts with each one I receive.
Please feel free to call me at any hour of any day.

Best,
Major

Major Garrett, Congressional Correspondent, Fox News

[malaise]

21. Hysterically funny

Major's source is better than Begala. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Fox News my ass.

[robbedvoter]

18. What? You didn't hear about Major Bedhead? He used to be Minor Bedhead as a kid

Delivers mail in Clowntown - Big Comfy Couch



The guy on the right

[rocktivity]

19. Fox News: Where The Truth Is Taken Under Advisement

:eyes:
rocknation

[rocktivity]

6. The person I feel sorriest for is Keith Olbermann.

He's got to figure out whether to make Garrett his "WORST--PERSON--IN THE WORLD!" or the subject of an episode of Countown Puppet Theater!

From: Garrett, Major
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 3:32 PM
To: Begala, Paul
Subject: Re: N.H.D.

Paul:
You know me well enough to know I am not trying to screw you.
You also know, or should know, that I'm careful and don't have a reputation for pulling stories out of my ass.
I'm not now. The sourcing is strong, very strong, or I wouldn't go with it.
I appreciate your e-mails and I redouble my efforts with each one I receive.
Please feel free to call me at any hour of any day.

Best,
Major

From: Begala, Paul
To: Garrett, Major
Sent: Tue Jan 08 15:41 2008
Subject: RE: N.H.D.

Major,
Thanks so much for getting back to me. I do know you, and I like and respect you. You know me as well, and I would not lie to you, would not mislead you. And I am telling you that whoever told you I was on a conference call with Hillary's campaign was wrong. I'm quite sure that you're not making this up, so please don't misunderstand me. No doubt someone is telling you this stuff about me. It's just not true.

Thanks,
Paul

Garrett bristles at Begala's possible implication that he pulled the story out of his ass, but he thinks nothing of implying that Begala's a liar? Unbelieveable. Perhaps Paul should have called him, though.

:rofl:
rocknation

[Fierce]

8. Amazing.

Funny, but not ha-ha funny.

[maddezmom]

9. Pundit Protection Program

:rofl:

[supernova]

10. Q: When is your truth not your truth?

A: When we live in the media age.


:wow:

Just goes to show how much FOX tries to get out its own version of the "truth."

[H2O Man]

11. I think that this

is the most important thing that I have read on DU today. Think about the implications.

Nominated.

[walldude]

14. Agreed... this isn't just screwing up a story and having to

retract. This is knowingly misinforming the public. Too bad Fox viewers are too stupid to think this is a problem.

[KoKo]

17. well...implications..

Good point. When I saw it on DU...my first thought was that reports of Hillary's fundraising and polling desperation must be true...if she would have her staff announce Carville and Begala were going to push out Mark Penn. It seemed logical since Josh Marshall had been mentioning for days (on his blog) about how bad Mark Penn was doing for Hillary. So...I wasn't surprised at first. More I thought about it though, I wondered WHY would the Clinton's announce something like that right before NH vote. It's not like them to ever admit they are in trouble. But, I thought maybe it would bring in some big bucks into her campaign to have the "War Room" that served Bill so well back in place and would shore up her lagging support in NH if the polls were true. I didn't hear that the story wasn't true until yesterday morning and now I don't know what to think. :shrug:

Who would it help to have this false report except Hillary? Was someone thinking this would hurt her in the NH Primary by making it look like she was desperate and lose her votes? If so it seems to have backfired.

I have no idea what to think, now because it's bizarre that Begala would get into a public fight with Fox news and even allow Begalla post his e-mails back and forth with Garrett. I wonder if Carville has made any comment...I haven't been on DU this a.m. so this is the first I've seen about the Begala/Garrett thing. Who could the Fox News "source" be that they would engage in an e-mail battle? They could easily have said that they thought their source was solid but were mistaken and dropped it. After all most folks know they don't tell the truth at Fox...except their loyal viewers, of course.

I'd be curious to know what you think.

[fed-up]

12. remove the not-Paul: You know me well enough to know I am (not) trying to screw you. Major nt

[in_cog_ni_to]

13. There ya go! FACTS mean NOTHING to Faux news. Just one more example of why no Dem should

ever appear on that network.

[Joey Liberal]

15. The e-mails are amusing! Faux News is pathetic! n/t

[Renew Deal]

16. That's too funny. It's a must read.

This is partly McAwful's fault. He was non-denying everything yesterday.

[rocktivity]

20. Shut up, Loofahlafel! It's not a smear if it's TRUE!!!

No doubt Bill O'Reilly will be bellowing about how "far-left-secular-progressive-elements-at-CNN" (avoiding mentioning Begala by name) are attempting to "smear" Fox News, so I thought I'd save myself some time.

:headbang:
rocknation