Maddow Makes Mistake?
Outside the Beltway writes about something Rachel Maddow said on Monday…(via J$)
On Monday night, Rachel Maddow apparently made the following rather shocking claim:
MADDOW: Yes, this has happened to a smaller degree before. In 1994, in the first mid-term election after the last Democratic president was elected, we got a slate of candidates that included Helen Chenoweth of Idaho and Steve Stockman of Texas. These two were so close to the militia movement in this country that Mr. Stockman actually received advance notice that the Oklahoma City bombing was going to happen.
As Mr. Coleman amply demonstrates, this pabulum has debunked on the public record for 15 years:
Telephone toll records indicate that the fax was sent about 10:50 a.m. EDT, about 50 minutes after the bombing, a federal official said.
It’s pretty reckless to make such a claim on national television when a few minutes with Google would prove it false.
Inside Cable News 
October 20, 2010 at 9:55 am
Too good to check, as they say.
October 20, 2010 at 9:57 am
What is wrong with her? Any idiot knows such an incendiary claim needs to be severely fact-checked before running it. Her near-religious fervor for her causes is becoming increasing Glenn Beck-ian in nature. Her show is becoming a liberal version of the stern preach-athon his is. First she drained all the fun out of it. Facts are next..
October 20, 2010 at 9:59 am
If Maddow has lost Joe, she’s lost the country.
Based on her past mistakes, I expect Maddow will issue a major apology some time this week, but she will temper it with a “I may have been wrong on the facts, but the other guys are immoral, so I’m still glad I said it.”
October 20, 2010 at 10:04 am
If Maddow has lost Joe, she’s lost the country.
10 points for anybody who got that reference. Well played, sir. 😉
October 20, 2010 at 10:14 am
If you read further in the article, it is apparent that Maddow knew what she was saying was wrong, as she had spoken about the issue once before:
So in March, she knew it was “just after,” yet by October she forgot and thought there was “advance notice?”
BOOOOOO!
October 20, 2010 at 10:16 am
jwe2, Yes, Rachel does do corrections (unlike Glenn) and we can expect one tonight. I do really like the active thinking process that she displays nightly. Don’t always agree with her, but, I do like her efforts and I enjoy the subjects that she pushes.
If there is an issue on facts, her challange is in keeping her staff focused on the facts, nothing but the facts. This problem can be expanded to Ed and Keith as well. Love the effort but watch out for stretching the facts.
October 20, 2010 at 10:58 am
She didn’t stretch the facts..she flat out lied..and their should be a stronger response from MSNBC instead of just issuing an apology if they even do.
October 20, 2010 at 11:04 am
I’m going wait until tonight to see what happens.
She may have erred in using the word “advanced” ( the only thing in dispute) but the story originates from News Busters which is not as reputable as Drudge as a source of factual stories.
October 20, 2010 at 11:11 am
She said what she said, but Newsbusters reported it, so it must be in question.
And golly gee, she only added or changed one word WHICH CHANGES THE ENTIRE MEANING, so that’s not so bad, is it?
October 20, 2010 at 11:54 am
Your probably right laura but the whole incident is based on timing and there may be more to it than News Busters reports. I trust them about as much as you would trust a story coming out of Media Matters. If she erred I’m sure we’ll be hearing all about it on FNC & right winged blogs..
October 20, 2010 at 11:58 am
If anyone here is even mildly surprised that MSNBC commentary programming is filled with errors, smears, distortions, high-school grade editing to distort, etc……you haven’t been paying attention.
These are desperate days for the ultra-leftists and their signature cable news network. Their candidates are being wiped out, Fox News continues to kill them in the ratings, and Comcast management isn’t going to sit back and allow MSNBC to subject them to worthy legal suits due to careless, unprofessional reporting and libelous commentary…..
It is humorous to see – as so few do these days – K.O., R.M. and Fat Chris flailing about, trying to justify their pimping for Obama and smearing everyone else, now that the country has dismissed their pick as an almost Jimmy Carter-like failure…Hey, maybe Comedy Central will pick them up after Comcast tires of their act.
October 20, 2010 at 12:34 pm
^ You. Are an. Idiot.
October 20, 2010 at 1:19 pm
fritz3 Says:
October 20, 2010 at 11:54 am
In a previous report about the same story, her timeline was different. So apparently, Maddow doesn’t agree with Maddow… but I suppose, which Maddow is still in question.
joeremi Says:
October 20, 2010 at 12:34 pm
^ You. Are an. Idiot.
BOOOOOOOOOO.
October 20, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Any idiot still coming here to play the “pimping for Obama” card gets an idiot card.
October 20, 2010 at 1:59 pm
Facts are facts, Joe. I’ll take my card, now.
October 20, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I’ll take my card, now.
Nahh..you’re not an idiot. Just wrong. 😉
October 20, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Ok, LS, here’s what’s idiotic about it. The troll says KO, Matthews and Rachel are “pimping for Obama”, which A.) isn’t true, and B.) wouldn’t matter if it was. He announces that liberal commentators tend to support liberal politicians like it’s bad or news or something.
Hannity “pimps” for the Tea Party. Duh..it’s his thing. I can criticize a particular statement on his show I disagree with – letting Pamela Geller get away with calling Obama anti-Semitic is a good example – and I can disagree with the movement he supports..fine. But if I just come here and rail that “Hannity pimps for the Tea Party”…what’s the point of that?
October 20, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Hannity doesn’t pretend to be a “newsperson” like Olby, Giggles, LOD, etc. do. Hannity won’t be heading up the election coverage like the primetime folks at MSNBC will.
October 20, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Oh for God’s sake, I’m gonna strangle Phil Griffin. He’s wrong about letting his commentators anchor but, THEY’RE STILL COMMENTATORS.
October 20, 2010 at 3:50 pm
“THEY’RE STILL COMMENTATORS.”
That would be news to Olby & Giggles, but especially Olby. Doesn’t he routinely say that he has the #1 cable news show because Fox isn’t “news”.
October 20, 2010 at 4:06 pm
You’re making me crazy(er), man. Every commentator on a NEWS channel talks about the NEWS, ok?
Geez, I have got to get over this tendency to answer back every time someone answers me. Have the last word, last word haver.
October 20, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Fine…you get the last word. Love the Red Eye reference.
October 20, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Wow Maddow, must have been a WAY off night.
October 20, 2010 at 4:17 pm
And if you don’t agree with me..
October 20, 2010 at 5:42 pm
The funniest thing about this whole story is that both TVNewser and Mediaite REFUSE to post the whole Rachel got caught in a lie story.
It’s kind of humorous and kind of sad. BOth sites lean left, we all know that, but to SPIKE this story is absurd. They are only embarrassing themselves and showing all who view/post/visit that site that they are nothing but media “whores” (I quote Jerry mind you).
Hiding the story on media sites is STUPID. Chris and Colby have both shown they could care less about truth and facts; they only care about protecting other pretend journolists.
Fer shame.
October 20, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Just like that bigtimeswingsfan clown, you need to give it up, tina. Seriously, get a life. If you want to complain about one lie from one person at MSNBC, I want to see you have the same outrage over the constant lies Fox News has made about our President for the last 2 years. But, you don’t, because you have selective outrage. It’s in your DNA as a Fox News cheerleader.
And, Maddow should, unequivocally, apologize tonight, if not before the weekend, for her mistake. She is better than that, and checks her facts more than anybody at Fox News would wish to. NewsBusters is a joke, and so is anybody that believes the BS on far-right blogs. But she was at fault here.
Lawrence O’Donnell also made a mistake with his comments regarding Chairman Steele, and it wasn’t any of the “if I offended anybody” crap. He straight up apologized, and I expect the same from Maddow. I don’t expect that from Fox News, though. Just look at the Kilmeade “apology”… anybody who ends an apology with “and that’s it” is not being sincere in the very least.
October 20, 2010 at 6:45 pm
ProgLib Says:
October 20, 2010 at 6:17 pm
If you want to complain about one lie from one person at MSNBC, I want to see you have the same outrage over the constant lies Fox News has made about our President for the last 2 years.
Wow! Doesn’t this cut both ways, Prog? If YOU want to complain about “every lie” from FOX, then you should complain about this “one lie” from MSNBC… right?
Of course, since you’re the same person who routinely refuses to answer or backup your statements, we shouldn’t be surprised that you offer no proof to back up your “constant lies” nonsense. I guess like your previous claims, it’s just my fault (and everyone elses) for asking you to back up your claims. Pathetic.
I don’t expect that from Fox News, though
Mostly because you don’t watch, don’t know, and have already created the story before any event occurs. It’s not tough to not expect something, when you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Just look at the Kilmeade “apology”…
Why? Why should we? Does this matter? Maddow lied… who cares what Kilmeade, FNC, or anyone else does or says? She lied… the end. Stick to the story.
October 20, 2010 at 6:45 pm
UPDATE: Not only did Rachel apologize, but she thanked the far-right bloggers for their outrage. This was even better than O’Donnell’s apology. Any more complaints?
October 20, 2010 at 6:48 pm
tinafromtampa Says:
October 20, 2010 at 5:42 pm
The funniest thing about this whole story is that both TVNewser and Mediaite REFUSE to post the whole Rachel got caught in a lie story.
As I said over at J$… if Mediaite bothers to report it, they’ll only do so if Maddow apologizes, or bury it in the “Online” section hoping nobody notices.
It’s funny how they like to push stories about “what Maddow said last night,” even though there’s nothing particularly cable news relevant… just a “we like that she said this” story. But when it comes to a Maddow screw up, they tuck tail and run away.
But as you know, don’t bother telling them they’re biased, they don’t want to hear it, and won’t believe you. Spiking stories unfriendly to certain left-wing personalities isn’t bias… it’s just “news… MSM style.”
October 20, 2010 at 6:50 pm
ProgLib Says:
October 20, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Yeah… why’d it happen in the first place?
And where’s YOUR apology to those “far-right” bloggers?
October 20, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Wow, that was pretty good. She gave a straightforward, unqualified apology, and showed the original correct clip that explained her concern for anti-government violence again. What’s amazing is that she specifically used it to address potential new right-wing viewers that may have tuned in to see if she would apologize. Then she apologized again..and thanked them. Brilliant.
October 20, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Yeah… why’d it happen in the first place?
She said it was an editing error on the promptor. “Shortly after” became “shortly in advance”. I can accept that. I don’t like the direction her show has taken lately, but I don’t think she would intentionally shift a timeline, especially from one she had already reported. It was a mistake.
October 20, 2010 at 7:18 pm
How could it be a mistake if she reported it before with the correct information?
October 20, 2010 at 7:21 pm
^ I just. Explained. That. Something got reworded on the promptor in editing. It may have been a production assistant, and there’s no way Rachel is going to shift blame.
October 20, 2010 at 7:57 pm
I’m glad she apologized and corrected the record. Keith could learn from her.
But being the very, very biased cynic that I am, my eyebrow is ever so slightly raised over the ‘editing error’ on the teleprompter. She emphasized the point clearly in the original segment, even highlighting it with ‘actually’. Is getting a fax AFTER a bombing really such an emphasis-worthy point, especially since it was sent to multiple office-holders, not just Stockman?
But while I find the explanation a bit unconvincing, in other respects she handled it properly.
October 20, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Is getting a fax AFTER a bombing really such an emphasis-worthy point, especially since it was sent to multiple office-holders, not just Stockman?
I thought it was a weak argument, too, but she felt strongly enough about it to emphasize it the first time. I don’t see her deciding later it would be just a little better if she completely contradicted her own video evidence.
October 20, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Keith could learn from her.
No. He couldn’t.
October 20, 2010 at 8:04 pm
joeremi Says:
October 20, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Fair enough… although, as someone who has been positioned as “the brightest and bestest person ever of all ever” (read Mediaite, and you’ll understand), the “I just read the moving words out loud” perhaps isn’t the best defense.
But whatever… stuff happens. I’ll remain surprised that something so important she didn’t catch while reading it, but… whatever.
October 20, 2010 at 8:07 pm
It seem ed pretty good to me; no if you were offended; crap.
Thanking the right wing bloggers was a nice touch. She knows they will react like mlong above and just ignore the apology and continue ranting as it hadn’t happened. Thanking them for pointing out the error will make continued rants look silly; as they are.
October 20, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Mlong will just make up his own version of the apology. After creating his own version of the original faux pas.
October 20, 2010 at 8:24 pm
[…] Tonight on Rachel Maddow’s program, Maddow addressed the issue which ICN highlighted earlier today concerning Steve Stockman and the Oklahoma City bombing. Maddow explained that the […]
October 20, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Yes… I never denied that she lied or made a mistake. But, it’s important to emphasize that Fox News has gone on record doing so much more than MSNBC, and even lying deliberately. If MSNBC was lying so much, NewsBusters/MRC would be having a field day and complaining 24/7. The only thing they complain about is “bias”.
Oh, INB, whenever you get proof from me, you get slapped around. You’re the one who can’t back up anything you claim.
How about when Fox News claimed that Obama attended a Muslim madrassa… That there are really “death panels” where old people will be killed as some form of eugenics… that the stimulus bill “didn’t work”… that Obama is a socialist… that he is a Marxist revolutionary… and I digress. I could list about 100 more if I had the time.
Don’t act like you know me, INB. You don’t know what I watch, who I am, what my politics are. The only things you know are circumstantial, and anything that was written during our arguments over the years. As much as you hate to believe this, I used to watch Fox News for years, then I actually came to my senses and don’t as much anymore, because I don’t need to be fed GOP talking poits. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t watch at all. Shows how much you (don’t) know, INB.
I brought up the Kilmeade non-apology because it was terrible and very insincere. Maddow and O’Donnell’s apology were both legit and sincere. Try and keep up, INB. I don’t want you to look pathetic for not being able to follow along or comprehend simple dialogue.
Because she’s a human and makes mistakes like other humans will. Get over it, and show the same outrage for the Fox News lies I pointed out.
I don’t have to apologize to them for anything. What did I do?
October 21, 2010 at 3:12 am
^Man you are so hypocritical it’s sickening.
October 20, 2011 at 6:58 am
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October 21, 2011 at 5:19 am
toffee apple recipe…
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