Oh Look, It’s Everything That’s Wrong With Fox News Summed up in One Tweet

After Tuesday’s horrific attack in New York, in which a man claiming to be inspired by Isis drove a truck through a Manhattan bicycle path and killed eight people, CNN’s Jake Tapper addressed the Islamophobia that often comes out in times like these. Tapper commented that “The Arabic chant ‘Allahu Akbar’ [which the attacker yelled], God is great, sometimes is said under the most beautiful of circumstances. And too often, we hear it being said in moments like this.”

The message that Islam is not synonymous with terrorism is, unfortunately, one that far too many Americans need to hear. Fear can easily lead to hateful, dangerous ignorance. Which, wouldn’t you know it, is exactly how Fox News responded to Tapper’s words. After some heavy editing, here’s how they presented his statement:

Yeah, that’s not what he said. They know it, Jake Tapper knows it, we all know it.

Fox News has removed the tweet and Jason Chaffetz has sort of apologized, but the article still remains up on Fox’s website, and Sean Hannity decided to double down on the misleading wording. With no trace of irony or self-awareness, Hannity suggested Tapper “tell your audience the truth.”

This manipulative framing epitomizes the level of propaganda Fox News churns out.

https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/925873705653297152

They knew they were twisting his words in an effort to fan viewers’ fear-rage, both against Muslims and the “liberal media.” They are counting on their audience’s fear and ignorance and political divisiveness for ratings, and fueling both to maintain that line into future rating.

It pains me to say it, but I actually agree with Mike Cernovich about something.

https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/925924797581639681

Not the “insulting to Fox news viewers” thing, but the “taking a liberal’s words out of context and applying them to a larger group of people originally indicated and using that to misrepresent said liberal’s views on an entire unmentioned demographic” thing. In that way, sure, what Hillary Clinton said about some Trump voters is very similar to what Tapper said about Muslims. Thanks for the perspective, Mike.

(image: screencap, Fox)

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Vivian Kane

Vivian Kane (she/her) is the Senior News Editor at The Mary Sue, where she's been writing about politics and entertainment (and all the ways in which the two overlap) since the dark days of late 2016. Born in San Francisco and radicalized in Los Angeles, she now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she gets to put her MFA to use covering the local theatre scene. She is the co-owner of The Pitch, Kansas City’s alt news and culture magazine, alongside her husband, Brock Wilbur, with whom she also shares many cats.

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