Even Fox Debunks Sarah Palin’s Imaginary War on Coins

A couple of days ago I noted a couple of the areas where Sarah Palin had her facts wrong in a recent speech. This included both her continued mischaracterization of the health care reform legislation and her claims about changes in coins. She was talking about a “disturbing trend” seen with the movement of “In God We Trust” to the edge of coins. She saw this as a new move by secular liberals in the Obama administration, but this change was actually commissioned in 2005 under a Republican Congress and approved by George Bush.

As with so much of what Sarah Palin says, there’s no basis in reality. Even Fox, which generally repeats Republican talking points as fact, wouldn’t go along with a comment as off the wall as her statement on the coins (video above). If only Fox would fact check the conservative statements they repeat more often.

8 Comments

  1. 1
    Steve M. says:

    I have a theory that, while Murdoch has a financial and ideological interest in tapping into tea-party-style anger — it’s good for ratings, and turning out the angry base might be enough to score big GOP victories in low-turnout midterms —  he’ll want to steer his viewers away from Electoral Suicide by Palin in 2012 (because that won’t be a low-turnout election, and he knows she can’t win swing voters).  So, even though his book division is publishing her memoir, watch for him to be a little bit tough on her between now and 2012; also, watch for him to promote Pawlenty and Romney and anyone else who might stoke some teabag anger while not being anathema to the rest of the electorate.

  2. 2
    Eclectic Radical says:

    ‘So, even though his book division is publishing her memoir, watch for him to be a little bit tough on her between now and 2012; also, watch for him to promote Pawlenty and Romney and anyone else who might stoke some teabag anger while not being anathema to the rest of the electorate.’
     
    Steve, there is allegedly pressure in some quarters (among Republican Party insiders and establishment neoconservatives of the kind Fox News prefers over all else) on Roger Ailes to run for president. It may be that Murdoch already knows who the Fox candidate is.
     
    That said, I think it is risky to consider Rupert Murdoch too personally involved in what goes on at Fox News. Murdoch wants to make money and knows there is money to be made in right wing tv. I’m sure he likes neoconservative government because it tends to be strongly pro-corporation and he is, after all, a corporate exec… but I doubt he decides basic propaganda moves on Fox’s programming. That is Ailes’ job.
     

  3. 3
    Ron Chusid says:

    I wouldn’t read too much into an isolated comment or story. I doubt this is due to any network wide decision to be harder on Palin. From what I’ve read about day to day operations at Fox, people are given a general direction as to their editorial line but the big wigs aren’t approving every single story. I get the impression that reporters would frequently tilt their news coverage not because they were given specific instructions for any story but because they thought that doing so in general would please their bosses.

    Besides, it helps them pretend to be a news channel if they occasionally break from the party line. It doesn’t shatter the conservative movement to admit that Sarah Palin is wrong on her facts with this specific issue.

  4. 4
    Jake Winston says:

    » Even Fox Debunks Sarah Palin's Imaginary War on Coins Liberal Values http://bit.ly/2EkaPL

  5. 5
    K says:

    RT @RepublicanBS Even Fox Debunks Sarah Palin's Imaginary War on Coins Lib Values http://bit.ly/2EkaPL >& ppl think SHE'S a viable candidate

  6. 6
    Jake Winston says:

    » Even Fox Debunks Sarah Palin's Imaginary War on Coins Liberal Values http://bit.ly/2EkaPL

  7. 7
    Eclectic Radical says:

    ‘Besides, it helps them pretend to be a news channel if they occasionally break from the party line. It doesn’t shatter the conservative movement to admit that Sarah Palin is wrong on her facts with this specific issue.’
     
    I am sure many, especially on the right, find it surprising because of Fox’s embrace of Sarah Palin as the real reason to vote for John McCain during the election and their championing of her as a future presidential candidate since. Fox has been very active in defending her and so some are bound to find a story breaking ranks and saying she is wrong about something jarring.
     
    This is going to lead to speculation about the ‘party line’ at Fox that may or may not be justified because of Fox’s seeming endorsement of Palin 2012 for much of early 2009. 😉
     

  8. 8
    Don Emmerich says:

    Good find.  Thanks.

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