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Fox edited Lowery's remarks at King
funeral, Kondracke surprises at audience's muted reaction
Media Matters
February 9, 2006
Summary: Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume showed an edited video clip
of Rev. Joseph Lowery's remarks at Coretta Scott King's funeral, during which
he mentioned the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Lowery's
remarks were greeted with 23 seconds of applause and a standing ovation, but
the clip Fox News aired presented nine seconds of applause and little hint of
the standing ovation without noting that the clip had been doctored. After
seeing the clip, Roll Call's Morton Kondracke concluded that the audience
"wasn't exactly uproarious in its response" to Lowery.
The February 8 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume featured
an edited video clip of civil rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery's address at the
February 7 funeral of civil rights activist Coretta Scott King, during which
Lowery mentioned the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. While
Lowery's remarks were greeted with 23 seconds of applause and a standing
ovation, the clip Fox News aired presented nine seconds of applause and little
hint of the standing ovation -- and no indication that the clip had been
doctored. The clip was aired during a segment in which guest host Chris Wallace
asked his "Fox All-Star" panel to comment on Lowery's remarks. Fox's editing of
the clip apparently had some effect on Wallace's own guest, Roll Call executive
editor Morton M. Kondracke, who while apparently having formed one impression
based on what he had heard about the crowd's response to the remarks, concluded
from the curtailed video that "it wasn't exactly uproarious in its
response."
After the clip aired, Kondracke stated:
KONDRACKE: What was interesting to me was, when I saw it -- and on this
tape, the crowd did not go as wild as you -- as it sounded as though it did at
the time and as various people have represented. I mean, I thought that the
crowd basically treated President Bush very respectfully, and it wasn't exactly
uproarious in its response to either Lowery or to President Carter. So I
thought it -- on the whole -- it was a -- it was quite a dramatic and sensitive
tribute to Mrs. King.
Media Matters for America previously noted that CNN similarly spliced out
the majority of the applause following Lowery's "weapons of mass destruction"
comment, also with no indication that it had done so.
Lowery's unedited comments, as broadcast live by Fox News on February 7:
LOWERY: We know, now, there were no weapons of mass destruction over there
--
[23-second standing ovation]
LOWERY: -- but Coretta knew, and we know that there are weapons of
misdirection right down here.
From the February 8 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume:
[begin video clip]
PRESIDENT BUSH: Coretta Scott King showed that a person of conviction and
strength could also be a beautiful soul.
JIMMY CARTER (former president): It was difficult for them, personally, with
the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated as they became the
targets of secret government wiretapping.
LOWERY: We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there
--
[applause]
LOWERY: -- but Coretta knew, and we know that there are weapons of
misdirection right down here.
[end video clip]
WALLACE: Those were some of the comments at yesterday's six-hour long
funeral for Coretta Scott King, and people are still talking about it today,
including our panel.
[...]
KONDRACKE: What was interesting to me was, when I saw it -- and on this
tape, the crowd did not go as wild as you -- as it sounded as though it did at
the time and as various people have represented. I mean, I thought that the
crowd basically treated President Bush very respectfully, and it wasn't exactly
uproarious in its response to either Lowery or to President Carter. So, I
thought it -- on the whole -- it was a -- it was quite a dramatic and sensitive
tribute to Mrs. King.
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