Fair & Balanced

It's OK, Carl. I laughed.

Off the AP Wire:
Fox News apologized Friday for posting phony quotes from Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on its Web site. Carl Cameron, a Fox reporter who covers the Kerry campaign, wrote an item that looked like a news story with made-up Kerry quotes, said Paul Schur, a Fox spokesman. The item was not intended to be posted on the site. "Carl made a stupid mistake which he regrets," Schur said Friday night. "And he has been reprimanded for his lapse in judgment. It was a poor attempt at humor."

The phony item posted early Friday read in part:

'"Didn't my nails and cuticles look great? What a good debate!' Kerry said Friday.

'"It's about the Supreme Court. Women should like me! I do manicures,' Kerry said."

The item also quoted Kerry as saying of himself and President Bush: "I'm metrosexual — he's a cowboy."

After withdrawing the item, Fox posted a statement on its Web site apologizing for the error. It said: "The item was based on a reporter's partial script that had been written in jest and should not have been posted or broadcast. We regret the error, which occurred because of fatigue and bad judgment, not malice."

Next time you want to paint Fox News as an organ of the Republican Party, remember: Fox News almost immediately apologized for posting comments made in jest. For over a week, Dan Rather aired and attempted to defend, a story that could have influenced the election. And he still has a job.