Brad Friedman Byon 7/19/2010, 12:23pm PT

If you didn't already know that the latest Fox "News" fake "outrage" about the jackass from the New Black Panther Party who was caught on video standing outside a Philadelphia polling place with a nightstick in 2008 was another predictably trumped-up Rightwing scam story, Jamison Foser will help you understand why that is.

But as with the phony ACORN "Pimp" Hoax, the most unsettling part of this latest scam is not just that Fox is promoting a phony story, round-the-clock, to rile up and scare their gullible viewers. That's what they do. We all know that by now. Or should. What's disturbing is that so-called Ombudsmen at major, theoretically non-wingnut "liberal media" outlets have yet to figure any of that out.

This time around, it's Washington Post's Ombudsman Andrew Alexander who takes the bait --- hook, line, nightstick, and phony whistleblower --- in support of his paper's coverage of what they shamefully headlined as a "political bombshell." Hoax Accomplished. Again.

Media Matters' Simon Maloy predicted this story would play out in exactly this way back on July 2nd [emphasis ours]:

1. Right-wingers shout loudly about bogus story.

2. Fox News picks up bogus story, reports on it incessantly.

3. Right-wingers and Fox News start complaining that "liberal media" are ignoring bogus story.

4. Other outlets are shamed into covering bogus story, mini-frenzy ensues.

5. Pundits credit Fox News for "being ahead of the curve."

6. Responsible media outlets determine bogus story is bogus long after damage is done.

7. Repeat.

See Foser for details, so we can go back to (hopefully) ignoring this ridiculous non-story.



