Baltimore Reporter Out of a Job After Posting Doctored Video Clip

[Dos Equis]

Baltimore Reporter Out of a Job After Posting Doctored Video Clip
Tuesday, February 24, 2009 
By Joshua Rhett Miller

A reporter for an NBC affiliate in Baltimore who inserted a racist remark into a video clip of FOX News' John Gibson and posted it on YouTube is no longer employed by the station, FOXNews.com has learned.

The offensive video clip was doctored so that the viewer heard Gibson using the words "bright blue scrotum" in reference to Attorney General Eric Holder, rather than to a defining characteristic of a monkey on the loose in Seattle.

The video circulated rapidly on blogs and news Web sites Thursday and was not corrected for hours.

John Sanders, the technology reporter for WBAL-TV, admitted in a Breitbart.tv report that he was the person responsible for the clip. The station confirmed Sanders' actions on Tuesday and, in a statement, referred to him as a "former" employee.

"WBAL-TV management has learned that a former WBAL-TV employee posted a video regarding Fox News' John Gibson and Attorney General Eric Holder on his personal YouTube page without the prior knowledge or consent of anyone at WBAL-TV or Hearst-Argyle Television," the station said in its statement.

"This video was not approved by, used, or sanctioned in any way by WBAL-TV or Hearst-Argyle Television and we do not condone such behavior."

The station refused to say in the statement if Sanders was fired or had resigned. Sanders' profile was removed from WBAL's Web site.

Gibson, who is considering legal action, said he was "outraged" by the clip.

"I've had to endure people misinterpreting things I have actually said and mischaracterizing things I've actually said," Gibson told FOXNews.com. "But this was going the extra step ..."

"I feel like I've been harmed, but I don't know if it meets the legal standard. But we'll see."

The fake video produced hundreds of angry comments directed at Gibson, many demanding disciplinary action. Gibson said he is also concerned that some blogs and other news aggregating sites may not have posted corrections or his actual video.

"I worry about these things because they go viral, and all of a sudden, you're getting buried in e-mails and there's no way of backing out of it," Gibson said. "The volume gets to be so incredible and it's hard to scrub this out of people's memories."

Media critic Howard Kurtz, a columnist for the Washington Post and host of CNN's "Reliable Sources," likened the clip's doctoring to a "journalistic felony" and said it wasn't funny under any circumstances.

"Well, I'm outraged," Kurtz said in an e-mail to FOXNews.com. "I think the reaction has been muted because most people don't know about it. If someone doctored a video and put it on the air or online, that's a journalistic felony. If it was a private joke picked up by others — well, it's still a pretty bad and hurtful joke."

Attempts to reach Sanders were unsuccessful Tuesday. During an interview with Breitbart.tv's Scott Baker last week, Sanders said: "I heard the very end of it and thought, 'Wow, that little bit could go there and it would sound funny as long I disclosed that he had not actually said it that way.'"

Baker told FOXNews.com on Tuesday he thought the video clip wasn't maliciously trying to harm Gibson's reputation.

"I think he was just trying to do something funny and wasn't thinking through the consequences of it," Baker said. "It's a great question of ethics in the new digital age."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,499525,00.html

[24KT]

This isn't a question of ethics, ...it's clearcut fraud and defamation of character! Fry his tuckus! 

[Soul Crusher]

This isn't a question of ethics, ...it's clearcut fraud and defamation of character! Fry his tuckus! 

They better have good lawyers.

[24KT]

This isn't a question of ethics, ...it's clearcut fraud and defamation of character! Fry his tuckus! 

I take it back. Gibson is a tool and should end up with his scrotum bright blue in frustration over the lawsuit. 

[tonymctones]

dont know much about this guy but hugo those 2 vids dont mean shit really...

The first vid is in no way racist and if it is then every anthropology department at every university in the US is spreading racism. He simply stated facts and didnt make any racist comments or anything remotely close.

The second vid he did jump to a conclusion but he owned up to it and also the host is could be called racist FF to 1:10 or so where he says "turns out it was a white kid...who did all the killing AS ALWAYS THE WHITE KID"  this dude is a jack ass

[Dos Equis]

dont know much about this guy but hugo those 2 vids dont mean shit really...

The first vid is in no way racist and if it is then every anthropology department at every university in the US is spreading racism. He simply stated facts and didnt make any racist comments or anything remotely close.

The second vid he did jump to a conclusion but he owned up to it and also the host is could be called racist FF to 1:10 or so where he says "turns out it was a white kid...who did all the killing AS ALWAYS THE WHITE KID"  this dude is a jack ass

I agree about the first clip.  Not racist at all.  Didn't watch the second.   

[tonymctones]

Sorry, with your long history of just making shit up as you go along, I don't put much credibility in anything you say.  You understand, or probably not

hahah again it seems as you are the only one who feels that way, perhaps we could start a poll to prove my point 

[tonymctones]

and yea Beach Moron, it's racist what he said in that first clip.  The only place you find those factual tidbits are in Aryan Nations and KKK propaganda pamphlets, oh and John Gibson's broadcast

Actually brain child if you go into any demographic anthropology class you will hear the same thing...explain how that first clip is racist?

[tonymctones]

perhaps you should just stop making shit up and work on your comprehension skills.

perhaps you should drop your man crush on me and not be biased in your moderating.

[Dos Equis]

Can't defend someone who says shit like this:

It's bad enough what he said about John, but listen to the end of this clip.  Listen to how he says need.  "We NEEEED another 9/11"

and yea Beach Moron, it's racist what he said in that first clip.  The only place you find those factual tidbits are in Aryan Nations and KKK propaganda pamphlets, oh and John Gibson's broadcast

I would listen to this one, but since you wasted my time with the first "racist" clip I won't bother.  If you think that first clip is racist you are hypersensitive.  

[tonymctones]

I've taken several anthropology courses and never heard the professor say to whites they have to have more babies and tell them to do their duty   See, that's you, always you, just pull shit out of your ass and completely miss the point.

HE NEVER SAID TO WHITE PPL TO HAVE BABIES HE SAID TO EVERYBODY HAVE MORE BABIES, quote me where he says white ppl have more babies...DID YOU ACTUALLY LISTEN TO THE CLIP OR JUST KNEE JERK? your a fuking idiot.


What anthropology classes have you taken?

[headhuntersix]

While tony is fighting the good fight...I think the point is being missed...and that is once again, the liberal media is lying again to distort a Conservative viewpoint.

[tonymctones]

  more bullshit from you.  He said minorities are having more babies and yes, his last comment is a directive for whites to have more babies.  again, you need to work on your comprehension skills.  The whole story is silly.  There isn't a human population problem.  His concern is clearly racially motivated.  You can dance around it all you want but you're fooling yourself if you think it's not.

His words exactly "we need more babies...Civilzations need populations to survive, so far we are doing our part here in america but hispanics cant carry the whole load the rest of you get busy make babies" yea that was directed straight to whites  

You can spin it all you wont it too

[Dos Equis]

While tommy is fighting the good fight...I think the point is being missed...and that is once again, the liberal media is lying again to distort a Conservative viewpoint.

True.

[Dos Equis]

well then there are about a half a million pages on the net created by hypersensitive people.  If I'm being hypersensitive, what is John Gibson, the KKK, and Aryan Nations along with other hate groups being when they're concerned about the color of babies being born?  That's hypersensitive and over race   When you're hypersensitive over a baby's skin color, you're probably a racist.

He wasn't telling white people to have more babies.  Total distortion.  I agree with tony's comments:

His words exactly "we need more babies...Civilzations need populations to survive, so far we are doing our part here in america but hispanics cant carry the whole load the rest of you get busy make babies" yea that was directed straight to whites 

You can spin it all you wont it too

[tonymctones]

yea, the theme was set in the first part talking about the growth of minorities, specifically hispanics.  Seriously, Gibson's whole spot there sounded like it was lifted from Stormfront.

again bro go into any demographic anthropology class and you will here the same thing...explain how its racists, what classes did you take again?

[tonymctones]

yes he was.  He was saying minorities are having most of the babies and at the end asked for the rest of us to get busy... Who did you think he was talking about?  Space aliens living among us?

LOL  goodness fuking gracious and the part where he says civilizations need populations to survive that was what just grand standing? you really are fuking delusional

[tonymctones]

You show me a class where they ask whites to get busy making babies after noting the reproduction rates of minorities and I'll show you a professor that loses his job.   I never heard anything remotely suggesting that in class, as the Gibson clip does.

show me where he asked whites to get busy fuking brain child 

again what classes did you take? im guessing cultural and perhaps physical which dont deal with this issue at all. In a Demographic class you go indepth into things such as this does that mean they are pushing racism.

[Dos Equis]

yes he was.  He was saying minorities are having most of the babies and at the end asked for the rest of us to get busy... Who did you think he was talking about?  Space aliens living among us?

He was talking about everyone, just like the quote tony posted:  "we need more babies...Civilzations need populations to survive, so far we are doing our part here in america but hispanics cant carry the whole load the rest of you get busy make babies."

[grab an umbrella]

I already covered that, don't start playing that stupid game you do of asking me the same question over and over and pretending I didn't answer

Hugo, seriously man, stop.  You're making yourself look worse.  You were proved incorrect, man up.  Nothing he said in that first video was racist.  He was making an observation of the future population of the United States.

[grab an umbrella]

are you going to cry now?  Oh, and I'm not wrong.

As moderator of one of the more serious boards, don't you think it would be prudent to act like an adult?

[Colossus_500]

I've taken several anthropology courses and never heard the professor say to whites they have to have more babies and tell them to do their duty   See, that's you, always you, just pull shit out of your ass and completely miss the point.

Ding Diing Ding......Beach, now we know the source of the brilliance.   

[tonymctones]

you must be one of those ppl who has alot of "im not wrong, everybody else is wrong" moments

bro sooner or later the reproduction rate of the hispanic population here in the US will drop to or below replacement and its like that for immigrants going to any civilized country.