So now we know.
As has long been the assumption of conservatives about the
liberal media, a Washington Post “opinion blogger” —
Erick Wemple by name — has now illustrated the perils of writing
about television or radio shows one does not watch.
Friday afternoon, in this post —
which went up at “03:49 PM ET, 05/18/2012,” meaning Friday
afternoon at almost 4pm — Wemple took after Sean Hannity for
complaining that the media had not vetted President Obama and his
relationship with Jeremiah Wright. While the link above sends you
to the Wemple’s WaPo blog, in the way of current events the post
about Hannity will surely scroll off the screen at some point. So
we are re-publishing the text of Wemple’s post below, along with a
link to the video of Hannity he included as presented by
Mediaite.
Wemple’s demand? That Hannity and Fox investigate the
Obama-Wright connection instead of complaining that it wasn’t being
investigated by other media.
Uh-huh.
The problem?
By the time Wemple had posted his Hannity complaint, Fox had
already been advertising Hannity’s Friday night hour-long special
that did just that. Not to mention that Hannity himself had
discussed this upcoming TV special repeatedly on his radio
show.
As a matter of fact, along with a good-sized group of my
conservative commentating colleagues, I participated in the show in
question, links to segments found here and
here.
And since Wemple seems to have missed the last four years, he is
apparently completely unaware that it was Hannity who first interviewed
Jeremiah Wright back in 2007 after learning about Wright from
journalist Erik Rush. Mr. Rush was on the panel the other night,
and is seen here
discussing the very first investigative column he wrote about
Reverend Wright in February — of 2007.
To help Mr. Wemple along in his understanding, here’s a
link to Hannity’s book Conservative Victory published
2010 — that would be two years ago — in which Hannity details in
print what he had already looked into on television. Which is to
say the links between Obama and Jeremiah Wright. That would be,
Erik, pages 17-33.
So what to learn from Mr. Wemple?
Apparently Erik Wemple doesn’t watch or listen to Hannity — he
gets his Hannity info in clips from other media, Mediate
in this case. Then, blissfully unaware of what’s really going on in
the world of Fox News or Hannity’s TV show or radio show, Wemple
blogs a laughably wrong post based on bad information — and looks
like a dope. Except, of course, in the world of liberal journalists
who do exactly the same thing he looks like a wizard of smart.
Right.
So the apology from Wemple to Sean Hannity and Fox News will
appear when?
Right.
Here’s the text of Wemple’s Friday post below —
again, a post that appeared well after Fox was advertising
Hannity’s upcoming special and almost 24 hours after the show was
taped. An easy enough thing to ascertain by doing something
admittedly drastic — actually contacting Sean Hannity and asking
the man himself.
You can’t make it up.
Posted at 03:49 PM ET, 05/18/2012
Hannity crusades for Wright stuff
By Erik Wemple
Sean Hannity is disappointed with Mitt Romney’s repudiation of
attacks on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and his history with Barack
Obama. Focus on the economy, Romney said following a New York Times
story on a potential $10 million campaign against Wright funded by
Romney supporters. No — focus on the economy and Wright, Hannity
suggested on his show last night:
Now, Governor Romney, I have to respectfully disagree with you.
Now, I do believe the economy, jobs, national security are by far
the most pressing issue facing the country today. I also feel that
every candidate, though, needs to be fully vetted. Now, that’s
something the mainstream media failed to do back in 2008 with
Barack Obama. And I believe that the President’s relationship with
the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, a man that influenced him for over 20
years, inspired him is a very important campaign issue. [Bold text
added.]
A nod to Hannity here. Completely fair game and important stuff.
If Romney’s actvities in high school are a worthy path of inquiry,
then surely the Obama-Wright history is as well.
What confuses me is why Hannity cares what Romney condones or
condemns. Or why Hannity would even bother critiquing other media
outlets on this front. That confusion stems from a widely reported
number: Fox News is expected to rake in $1 billion in profits this
year.
With that kind of cash, Fox News should be barred by some
overreaching governmental entity from complaining about the
shortcomings of its competition in the national media. If it wants
something investigated, it can fund the investigation.
I hereby assign the Jeremiah Wright file to Fox News and Sean
Hannity. Deadline for blockbuster three-part series is July 15. Get
cracking!
