theblogprof: CNN's Anderson Cooper: On second thought, I shouldn't have let Shirley Sherrod racist smear of Andrew Breitbart go unchallenged

Saturday, July 31, 2010

That whole 'Sirley Sherrod' is an innocent victim of the right wing smear machine' meme is falling like a house of cards, which it in fact was in the first place. It was a media creation by Journolistas, almost in unison pivoting the story away from racist sentiments of the NAACP at Sherrod's speech, to Breitbart. But the truth of the matter - that Sherrod did give a racist talk with enthusiastic approval of the NAACP crowd - has begun to set in. Sherrod didn't help herself any either by saying that Andrew Breitbart would “like to get us stuck in the time of slavery:”

After that, all of the sudden Sherrod disappeared from the airwaves. Almost as if her usefulness to the MSM narrative expired. Suddenly. That racist rant on Anderson Coopers show is no something that even Anderson Copper, the same one that popularized the dismissive slur 'teabagger,' is lamenting. From NewsBusters vai memeorandum: Mea Culpa 360: CNN Anchor Says He Was Wrong to Let Shirley Sherrod Smear of Andrew Breitbart Go Unchallenged

On Thursday’s Anderson Cooper 360, anchor Anderson Cooper faulted himself for not pressing Shirley Sherrod when she appeared on the show back on July 22 and claimed that conservative Andrew Breitbart was a “vicious” racist who “would like to get us stuck back in the times of slavery.”

Cooper now says he should have challenged Sherrod to support such an inflammatory charge with facts: “I believe in admitting my mistakes....I didn't challenge her that night and I should have.”

Here's the transcript of what Cooper said:

COOPER: I interviewed Shirley Sherrod last Thursday. And in the course of that interview, I failed to do something that I should have. I believe in admitting my mistakes. I looked at the interview again today, and Ms. Sherrod said during that interview that she thought Mr. Breitbart was a racist. She said, quote, "I think he would like to get us stuck back in the times of slavery." She went on to say she believed his opposition to President Obama was based on racism. Now, she, of course, is free to believe whatever she wants, but I didn't challenge her that night and I should have.

I don't want anyone on my show to get away with saying things which cannot be supported by facts. I should have challenged her on what facts she believes supports that accusation. That's my job, and I didn't do it very well in that interview, and I'm sorry about it. If I get a chance to talk to her again, I will.

No apology yet for calling protesters 'teabaggers.'

Previously:

Howard Dean, MSM caught (again) in repeated lie that FoxNews caused Sherrod to be fired