Memo: In Case You Missed It: Fox News' E.D. Hill Asked if the Obamas' Celebratory Fist Bump Could Be a "Terrorist Fist Jab"

M E M O R A N D U M

To: Interested Parties

From: Karl Frisch, Media Matters for America

Re: In Case You Missed It: Fox News' E.D. Hill Asked if the Obamas' Celebratory Fist Bump Could Be a "Terrorist Fist Jab"

Date: Thursday, June 12, 2008

The media have been buzzing since Fox News' E.D. Hill teased a segment about the celebratory fist bump of Sen. Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, by saying: "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently. We'll show you some interesting body communication and find out what it really says." In light of the controversy sparked by Hill's remarks, we thought it might be helpful for you to have some background information on the story, including:

• A post from The New York Times Editorial Board's Blog, "The Board"
• A story from The New York Times
• Media Matters' items on Hill's remarks and the Fox/Hill controversy
• Additional media coverage of the Fox/Hill controversy

The New York Times' Editorial Board: "Fox News Regrets...Again"

June 11, 2008 Wednesday
By The Editorial Board

Is Fox News going soft? The network known for the slash-and-burn stylings of Bill O'Reilly has been full of apologies lately.

A couple of weeks ago, Fox contributor Liz Trotta apologized for her mirthful reference to how unfortunate it was that Osama Bin Laden and Barack Obama couldn't both be assassinated.

Now Fox broadcaster E.D. Hill has apologized for her bizarre-and over-the-top offensive-suggestion that the "fist bump" Mr. Obama and his wife Michelle did recently could be a "terrorist fist jab."

Here's the apology (with a hat tip to Media Matters):

[embedded video: http://mediamatters.org/items/200806100009]

It is, of course, one of those non-apology apologies. Ms. Hill says she was simply reporting how the gesture was "characterized in the media" - without any reference to where she had seen it reported that way. It's a shameless dodging of personal responsibility for an ugly act.

Media Matters, the liberal media watchdog, is calling for a real apology. They're right to do so. It's interesting, though, that Fox has felt the need, twice in the last few weeks, to make even half-hearted apologies to Mr. Obama.

Could it have occurred to them that advocating assassination and sliming a very popular politician as a terrorist do not play well in the sizable non-hate-filled right-winger demographic?

Are they afraid Mr. Obama will become President, and remember some of the more egregious statements about him made on the network?

Or could it just be that Ms. Trotta and Ms. Hill - or their bosses - realized that their comments were morally indefensible?

The New York Times: "Deconstructing the Bump"

June 11, 2008 Wednesday
By Jim Rutenberg

The affectionate fist bump between Senator Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, before his victory speech last week in St. Paul became an instant source of fascination among commentators in the news media, who for days have tried to decipher the meaning behind this supposedly odd gesture.

But perhaps none went as far afield as E. D. Hill of the Fox News Channel, who, teasing to a segment last Friday on the Obamas' moment, said: ''A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently.'' Media Matters, a liberal group, called attention to her comments that day and demanded an apology on Monday.

Also facing anger from the Fox News executive suite, Ms. Hill offered up an apology on Tuesday, saying: ''I mentioned various ways the Obamas' fist-bump in St. Paul had been characterized in the media. I apologize because unfortunately some thought I, personally, had characterized it inappropriately. I regret that. It was not my intention. I certainly didn't mean to associate the word 'terrorist' in any way with Senator Obama and his wife.'' That came two weeks after a Fox News Channel analyst, Liz Trotta, apologized for joking about assassinating Mr. Obama.

Ms. Hill did not say where she saw the ''terrorist fist jab'' reference, but a comment on an article on HumanEvents.com used similar language. (On Tuesday, Fox News executives announced the cancellation of Ms. Hill's program, ''America's Pulse,'' but they said that the move had been planned weeks ago and that Ms. Hill would stay with the network.)

The Fox News segment was part of a fist-bump-related media dorkathon that continues, even a full week after the Obamas' onstage moment.

Um, people: This is a common gesture, and its use is not limited to Democrats with unusual names. In 2001 it was used by Carleton S. Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive -- now advising Senator John McCain -- and Michael D. Capellas, then the Compaq chief executive, to salute the completion of their merger. And in 2006, former President George Bush shared a fist bump with Anna Kournikova at a celebrity tennis event -- and he was 82 at the time.

Media Matters Items on Hill's Remarks and the Ensuing Controversy

Fox News' E.D. Hill teased discussion of Obama dap: "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab?"
Teasing a segment on the "gesture everyone seems to interpret differently," Fox News' E.D. Hill said: "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? ... We'll show you some interesting body communication and find out what it really says." In the ensuing discussion with a "body language expert," Hill referred to the "Michelle and Barack Obama fist bump or fist pound," but at no point did she explain her earlier reference to "a terrorist fist jab."

Question for Fox News: Do you think any of these people might be terrorists?
An Internet search for terms "fist bump," "pound," "dap," and "bumping fists" has revealed images of numerous athletes, celebrities, and politicians performing the same social gesticulation. Does Fox think any of the following might be terrorists?

Morning Joe hosts ridiculed E.D. Hill's "terrorist fist jab" comment: "Talk about self-parody"
Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist criticized Fox News' E.D. Hill for teasing a segment on Barack and Michelle Obama's "fist bump" by saying, "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently." Brzezinski called Hill's comment "idiotic," and Geist said, "Talk about self-parody."

MSNBC's Olbermann, Abrams take on E.D. Hill's fist bump comments
MSNBC's Dan Abrams and Keith Olbermann took issue with Fox News host E.D. Hill's suggestion that a fist bump by Sen. Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, might be "interpret[ed]" as a "terrorist first jab," with Abrams saying, "[O]ver at Fox News, if it's Obama, it must be something far more sinister."

Fox News' E.D. Hill addresses her "terrorist fist jab" comment
On the June 10 edition of Fox News' America's Pulse, host E.D. Hill addressed her June 6 comments in which she teased an upcoming segment about Sen. Barack and Michelle Obama's on-stage "fist bump" by saying, "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently."

Fox's E.D. Hill Plays Blame Game
At the opening of her June 10 show, Hill gave a weak apology, claiming that while people thought she was suggesting the Obamas were doing a "terrorist fist jab," she was really just reporting how it "had been characterized in the media." By blaming unnamed people in the media, Hill has ducked responsibility for the smear. For its part, by not responding more forcefully, Fox News is again condoning its hosts' and guests' smearing of progressives and Democrats and trivializing the issue of terrorism.

Colbert mocked E.D. Hill for "terrorist fist jab" comment, NY Times' Brooks for referring to nonexistent Applebee's salad bars
On June 10, Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert mocked Fox News anchor E.D. Hill for her June 6 comment about Sen. Barack Obama and wife Michelle's on-stage "fist bump" on the final day of the Democratic presidential primaries, saying: "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently."

Media Coverage of the Controversy

The Politico: "And speaking of those inappropriate shots at Obama ..."

Chicago Tribune's The Swamp: "Fox anchor: 'Terrorist fist jab?'"

The Colbert Report: "Tickling the Rocks"

KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City: "Is Obama's 'fist bump' handshake a terrorist greeting?"

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