Fox News Pundit Fesses Up

Jeanine Pirro is a former prosecutor and judge from New York state. She has previously run unsuccessfully for elective office. Now she fronts a cable news show called Justice with Judge Jeanine. As Ms Pirro identifies as a Republican, it will not come as a surprise to know that the cable news network hosting that show is none other than the Zelo Street favourite, Fox News Channel (fair and balanced my arse).

As readers of this blog will be aware, FNC’s ultimate boss Rupert Murdoch has already made clear his stance on those whose chosen religion is Islam, so it should surprise no-one that FNC is where you will encounter pundits and hosts who depict followers of The Prophet in an often creative, and persistently negative, manner. This reached its nadir when Ms Pirro interviewed one Steve Emerson at the weekend.

Ms Pirro started the ball rolling, telling “we're learning new details about hundreds of no-go zones across France and other countries that are off limits to non-Muslims”. Emerson concurred: “these no-go zones exist not only in France, but they exist throughout Europe. They're sort of amorphous, they're not contiguous necessarily, but they're sort of safe havens and they're places where the governments like France, Britain, Sweden, Germany don't exercise any sovereignty”. In Britain? Er, hello?

He meant it: “in Britain, it's not just no-go zones, there are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslim where non-Muslims just simply don't go in. And parts of London, there are actually Muslim religious police that actually beat and actually wound seriously anyone who doesn't dress according to Muslim, religious Muslim attire”.

The bit about “Muslim religious Police” is mere exaggeration: some self-appointed thugs were taken off the streets of the East End two years ago by the Metropolitan Police, precisely because no-go areas are something that will not be tolerated. But what of Birmingham, 22% Muslim at the last census, but 46% Christian? Yes, Emerson was peddling a pack of lies. A pack of lies that was too much even to pass off on Fox News.

So today has come the grovelling apology: “I have clearly made a terrible error for which I am deeply sorry. My comments about Birmingham were totally in error. And I am issuing this apology and correction for having made this comment about the beautiful city of Birmingham. I do not intend to justify or mitigate my mistake by stating that I had relied on other sources because I should have been much more careful”.

Dead right he should. Do go on: “There was no excuse for making this mistake and I owe an apology to every resident of Birmingham.  I am not going to make any excuses. I made an inexcusable error. And I am obligated to openly acknowledge that mistake.  I wish to apologize for all residents of that great city of Birmingham … PS. I am making [a] donation to Birmingham Children's Hospital”.

Doesn’t say much for Jeanine Pirro or Fox News though, letting him get away with it.