Sinking Even Lower
Just when you thought cable news couldn’t sink any lower, cable news sinks lower. Two weeks ago, Fox News wrongly identified the house of Randy and Ronnell Vorick as a terrorist lair:
In what Fox News officials concede was a mistake, John Loftus, a former U.S. prosecutor, gave out the address Aug. 7, saying it was the home of a Middle Eastern man, Iyad K. Hilal, who was the leader of a terrorist group with ties to those responsible for the July 7 bombings in London.
Hilal, whom Loftus identified by name during the broadcast, moved out of the house about three years ago. But the consequences were immediate for the Voricks.
He gave out the address! On national TV! That’s practically an invitation for local thugs to firebomb the house.
But now for the worst part. Not only has Fox not retracted this report, but here is Loftus’ brain dead pseudo-excuse for broadcasting the Voricks’ address to 20 million viewers in the first place:
“I thought it might help police in that area now that we have positively identified a terrorist living in [Orange County],” he said.
Source: The Washington Monthly
He’s a prime target for being sued (and should be).
It’s bad enough that this family is being harassed, but imagine what would have happened if this man lived there? Without having any degree in journalism, I know that rule #1 is to verify your facts. Clearly, the media does not follow the rule. Oxymoron that it is. And judging by the slur on the poor family’s walls (read “terrist”), the level of intelligence that the media appeals to these days is very clear.