Lisa O`Brien Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Don`t know if people have seen the comments by US Terrorism "Expert" on Fox News today,telling the host of the programme that Birmingham in the UK is overwhelmingly Muslim and that parts of it are no-go areas for non Muslims. Also that in parts of London there are Muslim police officers who beat up anyone who isn`t a Muslim. He has since been contacted by one or two people who have put him right, and he has apologised for "getting it so wrong about the beautiful[??] city of Birmingham" [wrong again]and has made a donation to a Birmingham-based charity. What is really scary though is that there must be millions of people who watch Fox News everyday and believe every word they hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I didn't know what set it off but "UK city facts" tweeted by various people on Twitter last night was hysterical. The guy is a massive plonker, Lisa. I hope he is forced to deny it on air so everyone sees it. ???? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Unfortunately though he is only issuing an apology on his own website. So Fox News viewers will be none the wiser,sadly. There is a change.org petition asking for Fox News to issue an apology on air to let all their viewers know how completely false his message was. Incredibly,one American Tweeted that he didn`t care if Fox News told the truth or not,as he would much rather watch it than any other news channel,as all other news channels are "boring". Unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Oh, America! That is such a shame. Truth doesn't count but sensationalism does? ???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 The problem,as far as i can see it,is that millions of Americans get their news source from Fox. If the channel is allowed to get away with reporting such blatant lies,this to me,is very,very dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Fox News, from what I gather, *is* very dangerous. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 It is, but I hope to hear you all complaining about other countries whose news is completely and utterly biased with no other options. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 True,Sim. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 The problem,as far as i can see it,is that millions of Americans get their news source from Fox. If the channel is allowed to get away with reporting such blatant lies,this to me,is very,very dangerous. Millions of Americans are so insular they will probably think he was talking about Birmingham Alabama! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 A LOT of them on Twitter at first DID think he was talking about Birmingham,Alabama. There were dozens of Americans on You Tube who had watched the broadcast,listened to it and still thought he was talking about the US. [currently over half a million views and rising].The guy clearly can be heard saying at the very start,"In the UK"... yet these Americans STILL were convinced he was talking about the US. Words fail me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Well off topic I know, but if we're going to slate the American public for this sort of thing, let us not forget the British parents who targeted a paediatrician because they didn't know the difference between paediatrics and paedophilia. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 More than one paediatrician, unfortunately.  Sim's right, of course: Albania, North Korea - all sorts of places if I put my mind to it. I think my concern's more that with Fox they have other options, just choose not to use them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Fox News is pretty well known over here for being factually inaccurate. I think Politifact has a list somewhere of the accuracy of the major news channels, and suffice to say that Fox doesn't show up well compared with the others. It's basically a TV version of a Rupert Murdoch tabloid (he owns the channel), so the idea is mostly to play to the preconceived notions of the viewership.  Now, if he'd said that there are neighbourhoods in some of the big cities that are effectively basically Muslim, that would have been a lot more accurate, but then it wouldn't have been particularly sensational because big cities do tend to have neighbourhoods that are basically one ethnic or national group and always have.  I wasn't surprised to hear that nonsense about Birmingham coming out of that channel - it was just a bowl-of-petunias moment (apologies to Douglas Adams): "oh no, not again..." Edited January 12, 2015 by Melody 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Here where I am in Gran Canaria where we get various news channels this man was making a pretty abject apology on one of them tonight!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Millions of Americans are so insular they will probably think he was talking about Birmingham Alabama!And there are millions of Brits so insular that in a recent poll 48% of them couldn't identify many European capitals on a map. Nor could they name more than one European leader, nor could they name any of their own politicians with the exception of Cameron, and then there were quite a few who couldn't even name him. And don't forget, The Sun has been the UK's highest circulation newspaper for many a year...hardly a beacon of intellect and open-mindedness. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 More than one paediatrician, unfortunately.  Sim's right, of course: Albania, North Korea - all sorts of places if I put my mind to it. I think my concern's more that with Fox they have other options, just choose not to use them. But at least they have that choice. That is what people have been marching for in their millions around the world these past few days. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I'm just hoping Birmingham does not end up making the news for real for trouble brewing over. There are a lot of uniformed and non uniformed officers around the city centre squares and open spaces I'm told and school kids are being told to go straight home after class as the authorities have alerted all the schools that there has been trouble already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 And there are millions of Brits so insular that in a recent poll 48% of them couldn't identify many European capitals on a map. Nor could they name more than one European leader, nor could they name any of their own politicians with the exception of Cameron, and then there were quite a few who couldn't even name him. And don't forget, The Sun has been the UK's highest circulation newspaper for many a year...hardly a beacon of intellect and open-mindedness. And The Sun actually *pays* Katie Hopkins to spout her Narcissistic bile in a column. Ugh. I'd say we have our fair share of idiotic, insular ignorami in the UK. I read a post on Twitter this week which was a screenshot of someone's Facebook status. In it, the person stated that because "were (sic) too lazy to cook", we as a nation are finding "I Slam" by buying "Pizza and kebabs".  If there was one upside to Steve Emmerson's idiocy, it was the spate of brilliant #FoxNewsFacts which emerged on Twitter. Every cloud, and all that!  Apparently he made a half-hearted apology to the folk of Birmingham, but not (as far as I know) to Londoners or the Metropolitan Police, for having claimed that there are "Religious Police" on the streets of London, who savagely beat anyone not wearing Muslim attire. His sources for this claim were stories in The Guardian and the Daily Mail, which referred to two or three would-be vigilantes, trying to enforce Sharia Law. Hardly "Religious Police" on our streets. That should, IMO, definitely be retracted with an apology.  Still, let's not blame America as a nation for the abject stupidity and gobsmacking inaccuracy of one "news" channel and its fans. Ignorance knows no geographic bounds and we have enough of it among Brits, unfortunately. :-( 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 And there are millions of Brits so insular that in a recent poll 48% of them couldn't identify many European capitals on a map. Nor could they name more than one European leader, nor could they name any of their own politicians with the exception of Cameron, and then there were quite a few who couldn't even name him. Â And don't forget, The Sun has been the UK's highest circulation newspaper for many a year...hardly a beacon of intellect and open-mindedness. That may well be the case for individuals. But for a news channel,full of trained journalists to get their facts so wrong,is something else entirely. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 My eldest daughter was so angry that in the middle of various incoherent splutterings, I head her say "Do your research, you lazy so and so! It is what journalism is about!" 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 And The Sun actually *pays* Katie Hopkins to spout her Narcissistic bile in a column. Ugh. Â I'd say we have our fair share of idiotic, insular ignorami in the UK. I read a post on Twitter this week which was a screenshot of someone's Facebook status. In it, the person stated that because "were (sic) too lazy to cook", we as a nation are finding "I Slam" by buying "Pizza and kebabs". Â If there was one upside to Steve Emmerson's idiocy, it was the spate of brilliant #FoxNewsFacts which emerged on Twitter. Every cloud, and all that! Â Apparently he made a half-hearted apology to the folk of Birmingham, but not (as far as I know) to Londoners or the Metropolitan Police, for having claimed that there are "Religious Police" on the streets of London, who savagely beat anyone not wearing Muslim attire. His sources for this claim were stories in The Guardian and the Daily Mail, which referred to two or three would-be vigilantes, trying to enforce Sharia Law. Hardly "Religious Police" on our streets. That should, IMO, definitely be retracted with an apology. Â Still, let's not blame America as a nation for the abject stupidity and gobsmacking inaccuracy of one "news" channel and its fans. Ignorance knows no geographic bounds and we have enough of it among Brits, unfortunately. :-( God,I can`t stand Katie Hopkins. Just vile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 That may well be the case for individuals. But for a news channel,full of trained journalists to get their facts so wrong,is something else entirely. I couldn't agree more...but as someone who never watches Fox News, do they often do this and get their facts wrong? Or is it usually a case of putting their own strange spin on the facts? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I couldn't agree more...but as someone who never watches Fox News, do they often do this and get their facts wrong? Or is it usually a case of putting their own strange spin on the facts? Â Â Well if it's part of the Murdoch organisation ..... Â Â I'm afraid where ever you are these days you need to gather news from as many sources as possible as every source puts their own slant on it (although that has always been the case - what did the British public know about Wallis Simpson until is was all over bar the shouting but news of her romance with the then Prince of Wales was in the celebrity press in the USA and probably other countries long before)Â 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) I couldn't agree more...but as someone who never watches Fox News, do they often do this and get their facts wrong? Or is it usually a case of putting their own strange spin on the facts? It's SOP for Fox News. They manage to combine getting their facts wrong on a regular basis while also putting their own strange spin on them. It's basically a political advocacy channel, not a news channel, and its logo of "fair and balanced" is an absolute joke. Their coverage of global warming probably does more than any other single thing to keep my husband's blood pressure at dangerous levels.  The thing about Steve Emerson's little rant is that a lot of Fox News viewers already believe that most of Europe is either already Muslim or well on the way to being, so they won't be a bit surprised at the notion that Birmingham is totally Muslim and London is getting there. A retraction wouldn't make any difference. I was on an American political discussion forum yesterday when I noticed one of the right-wing members referring to France as part of "the Muslim world."  I was glad to see David Cameron calling Steve Emerson a complete idiot and not hiding behind a bunch of politically correct platitudes. Edited January 13, 2015 by Melody 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 We don't have satellite tv back at home so am enjoying lots of different news channels coverage of the news in the hotel we are staying in. Â It's really good to see different points of view and perspectives and some damn good reporting from some reporters including American ones!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 Since all of this,I have been watching other uploads on You Tube of various Fox News reports. One was a discussion on ethnic and cultural diversity [think it was that,it was some sort of diversity of people anyway]. Every member of the 6 or 7 panel members was white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Just been watching Sky News this morning,and people are queing up to buy this week`s edition of Charlie Hebdo. The reporter said only 3 million copies have been published for this edition. I then went on French Ebay,and there was a person who had 6 of these editions for sale,with each one having over 80 people "watching" it. He had 6 "Buy It Now" worldwide copies for 80 Euros each. I thought,should I ,shouldn`t I? It`s a lot of money for a magazine . But I thought,yes I will. So I have bought a copy for 80 Euros. On French Ebay,at the moment people[rightly or wrongly] Â are selling previous copies of the magazine which at the moment,with lots of bids ,are bidding as we speak for 500 Euros. It will be a little piece of history to have. Plus,if in future, I need a bit of money, I could always sell it for a lot more than I paid for it.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I'm sorry but I think that people who are auctioning the magazine at inflationary prices are nothing more than reprehensible racketeers who are making money out of a tragedy. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 I know what you`re saying,Janet. But people would sell their own mother on Ebay if there was suddenly overwhelming demand for her,and would put the price up sky high. I bought mine for the historical aspect of it,and I suppose a lot of people will. However,it IS also an investment purchase. I remember there was something similar being sold on Ebay about a year ago after some news incident ,that was selling for a small fortune. If i was living in France,I would definately have bought a copy this morning. Although my French is a bit patchy nowadays , I am genuinely interested to hear and see what it says or doesn`t say. But  this edition,when it arrives will be read several times,then put away safely and passed down to Sean for him to do whatever he wants with it in future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 ah Fox News - the the USA's TV version of the Daily Mail (read by so many Brits, we can't really start casting aspersions around at Fox News viewing Americans) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Yes, nasty little rag. I bought a Saturday one maybe a decade ago because a friend had raved about how good the TV guide was, and I don't know whether it was a particularly xenophobic/racist/anti-everything-else edition, but I felt soiled when I started reading it. Â Lisa, I'm not sure, but with 5 million copies of CH being printed I don't think it's going to have much rarity value - most people may well have forgotten about it by the middle of this year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) People are having fun with the #FoxNewsFacts hashtag at Twitter. I particularly like the one about armed Muslim women seizing control of Birmingham streets...and the radicalised jam jars...  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11339077/The-truth-about-Birmingham-foxnewsfacts.html Edited January 15, 2015 by Melody 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I'm sorry but I think that people who are auctioning the magazine at inflationary prices are nothing more than reprehensible racketeers who are making money out of a tragedy. Maybe they will give the proceeds to charity or the victims' families. Oh, and that was a pig that just flew past my window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now