Sean Hannity's Act of Neo-Contrition

So last night, Fox News host Sean Hannity did something many will call shocking, some will call phony and insincere, and I'll call, at the very least, uncharacteristic of his network and those it speaks for: he apologized.

At the end of his show, which as usual featured an hour of unrestrained Obama-bashing and GOP cheerleading, Hannity copped to something he in many ways had no choice but to cop to -- at least if he wanted FNC to be able to maintain the illusion that it's a legitimate news network. He admitted that Jon Stewart was right when, two nights ago, the host of The Daily Show pointed out that Hannity and Company had run video of a September Tea Bagger rally on Capitol Hill during a story about last week's Tea Bagger rally. The difference? Maybe 40 or 50 thousand people. Stewart's point was that it looked as if Hannity had used the old footage of the much bigger crowd to try to hype the numbers at the more recent protest; what made The Daily Show staff apparently think that Hannity's deception was deliberate -- aside from the fact that it would take a 6-year-old with Down Syndrome to mix up file footage with brand new video -- were the startlingly obvious differences in the images themselves: leaves still on the trees in the September clip, people in late-summer short sleeves versus mid-fall coats and scarves, etc.

Regardless, Hannity now says he's sorry:

"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 inccorect 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. But by the way, we wanna thank you and all your writers for watching."

You've almost gotta admire Hannity for managing to come off as both contrite and a smarmy little prick to the end. More on that in a minute, though.

If you're asking yourself right now whether Sean Hannity really is sorry that his show ran a bad piece of video -- one that regardless of intent would've mislead the viewer into thinking that last week's Frootloopalooza was on the scale of September's -- you're obviously not familiar with the Fox News Channel or right-wing punditry in general these days. True, Hannity made the somewhat surprising and magnanimous gesture of admitting to an error and crediting the right's mortal enemies at The Daily Show for busting him on it. Contrast that with Rush Limbaugh's response a few weeks ago when confronted with the news that he'd just spent an entire radio show angrily railing against Barack Obama for writing a college thesis decrying the Constitution, when in reality the paper in question had never even existed -- the article he got the story from was nothing more than satire. Limbaugh didn't give a crap that he'd just made what any well-adjusted person would consider a monumental ass out of himself; "I don't care if these quotes are made up, I know Obama thinks it," was his jaw-droppingly defiant response. So yeah, the fact that simply admitting you fucked up is such a big deal isn't so much a nod to, say, Fox News's reputation for honesty and respectability as it is proof of how far we've lowered the bar when it comes to what we expect from the right's obstinate mouthpieces.

Once again, Hannity pretty much had to man up because he may not have a responsibility to the truth but, unlike Limbaugh, he has a responsibility to the illusion. He couldn't not concede that the video his show aired was essentially a lie because no matter how much we all know that it's bullshit, Fox still goes to great lengths to bill itself as an unbiased news network. There are some things that are beyond the pale, even for a nominal news outlet that slants drastically in one direction: You can't run one piece of video and say it's something else.

Did Sean Hannity's show really make an "inadvertent mistake?" Probably not. Like I said, something like that is a very hard mistake to make. Is Hannity really sorry for the screw-up? No, of course not; he's sorry he got caught, and his less-than-humble admission that he'd been busted -- right down to getting in that last little barb in his retraction, the one that's the trademark faux-genteel "fuck you" of all official Fox responses to critics -- is the tip of the cards that lets Fox acolytes know that while he's conceding this battle to the enemy, it's being done with a wink and crossed-fingers.

Because in the end, Fox News still wins the war.

 

Follow Chez Pazienza on Twitter: www.twitter.com/chezpazienza

Comments

[swift goat pet for truth]

You missed the best part.
The part where Jon ends with

"Fox News: We alter reality. You are fed a preconceived notion."

[Tulka2]

What Hannity didn't demonstrate was any kind of shame.

Shame is a good, wholesome quality. It's the thing that makes a modest person blush when they have overstepped. Is it the "i'm okay; you're okay syndrome" at work? Is Hannity just part of the mediocre, "I'm good enough and gosh, darn it people like me" that Al Franken parodied so well on SNL?

Did any heads roll at Pox News over this flagrant misdirection and manipulation? Or... maybe it's more pertinent to ask, does this give anyone in the Pox audience pause about where they are getting their information?

[tinman123]

All this said ; Spin is what the Republicans do . It has been this way for 50 years . They have absolutely no scruples and about lying . They view most Americans as stupid ,which they are .

[NajkaLion]

Why must we depend on Jon Stewart, and a supposed comedy show, to do the work that real news programs should do? With all the researchers available for the MSNBC talk shows and CNN programs, why didn't someone there notice the obvious discrepancy? Rachel Maddow is another person who does research and presents actual data and facts to viewers. I'm so grateful that Jon Stewart and Rachel Maddow are there to speak truth to deception.

[radiclib]

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Next, perhaps Hannity will apologize for drum-beating the bloody war in Iraq and for urging the torture of prisoners.
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[GrainneKathleen]

that will never happen, unfortunately.

[GrainneKathleen]

i would add stephen colbert to that list, though he is another comedian who digs for both hilarity and truth, cloaked in a satire of neo-conservatism. the funny thing about his show is, although people know that TDS is liberal, many conservatives believe colbert is one of their own. and he loves it.

[guilatty]

You who live in metropolitan areas or progressive states can afford to chuckle at Fox and its propaganda. I live in an area where a majority of voters watch this drivel all day, where Limbaugh is playing in the background at all times. It is frightening to live in a place where people who are being lied to for profit and who are incited for more profit, whose political opinions are formed by propagandists and liars can impose their "views" on me in the voting booth. I sat in a barber shop just yesterday and listened to customers spout Fox talking points one after another, word for word. And they are angry, armed, and confused. There is a whiff of insanity in the air. These are moving past opinions and into creeds. This war on progressive thinking is dangerous. Heck, liberals these days maintain concentration camps, foreign occupations, tax cuts, oppose government spending, incarcerate for profit and forever...What will a conservative majority do? What more do conservatives want?

[Katie101622]

I hear you! My father is a rabid Fox viewer and listener, and it just gets more and more insane. I had the misfortune of visiting my dad when Rush was on the other day (he can't turn it off even when people come to see him) and I can't remember what was said, but Rush said one sentence and contradicted himself with the next. I looked at my dad, who seemed confused for a second, then remembered I was there and full-throatedly repeated exactly what Rush said for my benefit.

It defies logic. I find comfort though in knowing that their "huge" audience of 3 million is only 1% of the American population. Stay strong, truth has a way of overcoming.

[FilthyHarry]

But that he characterizes it as an inadvertent mistake invalidates the whole correction. No one needed Hannity to admit what Stewart pointed out, it was self-evident. There was no question what was done.

Unless Hannity admits it was done on purpose in order to distort and misinform in order to drive his agenda, his 'confession' is merely another lie, covering the first.

[SmartladyDem]

Fox news is so far right, there is no other way to go but left.

[lastpost]

“Regardless, Hannity now says he's sorry:”

that not one of his audience noticed anything untoward, or thought to mentioned it if they did? Because if any had, it would have lent credibility to a claim that someone was paying attention. To avoid accusations of this in future, Fox now want viewers to make public any such discrepancies, before John can. As inducement, a first caller prize of one weeks holiday with Rupert is offered. Second caller prize, two weeks holiday with Rupert. Third caller prize, ect.ect.

[radiclib]

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Fox lies.
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[DRaymond]

What I found irritating about Hannity's apology was that it was a distraction move. By essentially apologizing to Stewart Hannity was sidestepping the fact that the people he really needed to be apopogizing to were the viewers. Hannity hadn't wronged Stewart, he game him good material. Hannity did not have an implied responsibility for truthfullness to Stewart. He does have one to his viewers.

[rsaillant1]

Hannity wears custom made pants.

They're asbestos, so don't expect flames any time soon.

Sad, I've been hording marshmallows, awaiting the conflagration.

[mancoff]

At the begining of the interview with Bachmann who was sitting next to Hannity, Hannity made a point to mention to Bachmann that around 20, 000 people attended the rally. Bachmann agreed although both of them knew that it was only around 600,000 attendees. Bachmann was there, leading it, she knew and agreed with Hannity that it was around 20,000. The other news media and washinton post has already stated it was around 6,000 people. Hannity knew exactly what was going on as did Bachmann and they both sat there and tried to pass it off. If msnbc or cnn had done this, Hannity would play the story up for months to come and run the phony clip every day. He simply gives a smarmy answer, says it was an inadvertant mistake and everyone let's it pass. No wonder Fox laughs at the rest of the media who follows the rule of ethics and standards while they simply continue to lie and promote their agenda. No rules for Fox except one, what ever it takes to fill the coffers and advance their agenda. Let the fools go by the rules, that suits Fox just fine. They have no shame, no morals, no ethics, no standards and it's the people of this country who tolerate it, the rest of the media who refuses to take them on, hold their feet to the fire and the FCC who looks the other way while people are being "gamed" by Fox and Friends.

[mancoff]

correction to the above...it should have read "both of them knew it was only around 6,000 attendees. I hate when that happens.......

[kdlaiusa]

It's the producer(s) who put up the wrong video, you think Hannity knew beforehand?
Fox News does that all the time, if noone calls them out, they say and do nothing.

[Andman0121]

Hannity...pwned

[rob112552]

In the end Fox loses. Either the 'inadvertant mistake' is a lie or Fox is incompetent. When Fox posts a D for Democrat after a Republican politician has been accused of some wrongdoing, it is either intentional or a mark of incompetence. You can't have it both ways. And besides, Jon Stewart can return Hannity's remark by saying 'and thank you and your staff for watching my show'!

[Jesster]

Perfect rejoinder - if he wants to grace Hannity's cheap shot with a response - or in this case:
the last word (and laugh.)

[GatorGrrrl]

They thing that's telling is that every "mistake" that Fox makes manages to make Republicans look good or Democrats look bad.

[elkabong]

Hannity knows he's lying and the gulibility of his fans. That's what makes him so despicable.

Jon Stewart makes Howard Kurtz look like Howard Kurtz.

[Jesster]

Good one, Elka.

[radiclib]

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Stewart is a discerning critic with a sensibility for Fox b.s.
But why is he the only person to call them out on it?
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[JudgeMoonbox]

I was expecting that Hannity would have accused the green leaves of Liberal bias, for not pretending to have their autumn colors out when they wanted to show the latsest protest as being bigger than it actually was. That's Standard Operating Procedure.