UPDATE: Fox 'News' host forced to 'apologize' for 'some incorrect video' played as 'inadvertent mistake'
UPDATED AGAIN: Stewart responds to Hannity 'apology'...
By Brad Friedman on 11/11/2009, 2:15pm PT  

[Updated twice below. Once with Hannity's "apology" and then with Stewart's response to it.]

The Daily Show still offers just about the best news coverage on cable...

UPDATE: Media Matters documents how Hannity's phony video is only "the tip of Fox News' video-doctoring iceberg"...

UPDATE, 7:48pm PT: Having no choice but to cop to it, Hannity admits getting busted, though claims it was "an inadvertent mistake". How one can inadvertently go fetch footage from two months ago, and "inadvertently" edit it into a report on an event that took place earlier on the same day is not entirely clear.

He failed to explain to his viewers the context in which the "incorrect video" actually was shown. Neither did he run Stewart's report from last night explaining clearly how Hannity had attempted to fool them. So, as usual, Hannity's viewers remain largely both in the dark and misinformed.

Here's the transcript and the video of Hannity's statement, which came at the very end of his show tonight, about an hour ago...


HANNITY: Finally tonight...Although it pains me to say this, Jon Stewart, Comedy Central - he was right.

Now, on his program last night he mentioned that we had played some incorrect video on this program last week while talking about the Republican Health Care rally on Capitol Hill.

He was correct, we screwed up - we aired some video of a rally in September, along with a video from the actual event. It was an inadvertent mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. So Mr. Stewart, you were right… we apologize… and by the way, I want to thank you, and all your writers, for watching.

Can you imagine what the wingnuts would have done, the boycotts of GE and MSNBC, and the size of the DRUDGE REPORT's screaming headlines had Keith Olbermann falsified footage in a report as Hannity did? Such as it is, however, the wingnuts won't raise a peep about any of this. Unlike with Dan Rather, who didn't intentionally deceive anybody, there will be no cries for investigations, nobody will be held accountable for anything, Hannity will get to keep his job, and the entire matter will be forgotten by the weekend.

UPDATE 11/13/09: On Thursday night's show, Stewart responded to Hannity's "apology", here's that response...

All amusing enough. Though I remain dumbfounded as I ponder, still, the outrage --- not titters and jokes --- that we'd be hearing from the wingnuts had Olbermann knowingly falsified video during a news report!.

Apparently there will be no investigation, nobody will be held accountable, Sean Hannity takes personal responsible for nothing on his shameful, manipulative, dishonest program. His face should be put on the Fox "News" logo.

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