Trib's Pearson: Sean Hannity "Hijacked" My Credibility
Earlier this week, we highlighted a segment from Sean Hannity's nightly Fox News program that spent over six minutes smearing State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. What we found perplexing about the piece wasn't that it included numerous distortions and omissions -- that's par ...
Earlier this week, we highlighted a segment from Sean Hannity's nightly Fox News program that spent over six minutes smearing State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. What we found perplexing about the piece wasn't that it included numerous distortions and omissions -- that's par for the course, after all -- but rather that Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson had submitted to such a lengthy interview with Hannity. How could he "possibly be confident the resulting report will be fair and accurate?" we asked.
Well, it turns out that Pearson didn't actually know his analysis was going to end up on Hannity's show. To the contrary, he taped the interview under the impression it would be used as part of a straight news report on the U.S. Senate race -- one that examined both Giannoulias and GOP candidate Mark Kirk. He only later found out that he would be appearing as part of a Hannity hit-job on Giannoulias and that his comments regarding Kirk would be left out entirely.
On Steve Cochran's WGN Radio show yesterday evening, Pearson shared his thoughts about the segment, saying that he felt "hijacked" by Hannity because his presence in the report had been used to "lend them credibility." "[I]t's almost like an identity theft kind of thing in a way," Pearson added, "because all I have is my credibility. And I know that show doesn't have any." Listen:
Pearson's experience is a good lesson for reporters as the campaign season ramps up: Before you submit to a national news interview, be sure you know who is ultimately going to be slicing and dicing your words.
An abridged transcript of the Pearson interview appears below:
PEARSON: I got hijacked the other night. Actually, my credibility got hijacked and I'm not happy about it. [...]
A week ago, I was contacted by a producer for Fox News and was asked if I would mind coming over to tape a segment for a newscast -- a news segment about the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Illinois, with Democratic Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Republican congressman Mark Kirk as the respective candidates of their parties.
Went over there, sat for an interview, talked about both Treasurer Giannoulias and also about Mark Kirk. And they said, "Thank you very much. We'll send you a note when your segment airs." Two nights ago, I get an email from a producer saying, "Your segment will air on Sean Hannity's show."
COCHRAN: And I would guess that it did not air in context.
PEARSON: It was a six-minute, twenty-second attack on Alexi Giannoulias. Now, I'm not going to defend the treasurer. And frankly, what I said in the interview is what I would say as far as any interview. But it was billed as a "special investigation" featuring grainy photos of Bill Ayers and various assorted misdeeds -- did not mention Mark Kirk at all, except of course that he was the leading Republican. [...]
I'm there to lend them credibility is what they did. And that's why I feel my credibility was hijacked by this. [...]
Frankly, Hannity has had people on before that were not qualified to really tell you what the price of a loaf of bread is in a grocery store. I'm not a politically ideological person. I don't pick sides to root for here -- any of that stuff. And for a legitimate news segment, I have no problem with that. But to really, kind of, have had this happen to me -- I mean, it's almost like an identity theft kind of thing in a way, because all I have is my credibility. And I know that show doesn't have any.
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Comments
Credibility hijacked, come on! Am I the only one who knows that Fox News' motto "Fair & Balanced" is not not worth the paper it is written on. Sounds like someone was eager to appear on TV and forgot to take a step back to assess what he was getting himself into. In addition, although I would not dare to put the Tribune in the same category as Fox, the Tribune is not entirely clean itsel in its eagerness to increase circulation
I couldn't agree more. I think he was flattered to be asked to be on television. Is he the only reporter who doesn't know what Fox News is like?
Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas. That's what you get from Fox News (not).
More like "lie down with Hannity, get up with herpes".
Any legitimate newspaper reporter who talks to Fox News expecting them to be a serious news organization is an idiot. Has Pearson not been paying attention for the past nine years? How could someone who works for one of the largest newspapers in the nation not understand what he was getting into?
It is FOX news, what do you expect. Anybody who goes on FOX is a fool and deserves to have their credibility slammed.
I really don't know what Mr Pearson expected from Hannity. Further, I wonder what credibilty he had in the first place once he went on hannity and spewed so much hate on another human being.
You didn't read the article, did you? He said he went to Fox for the interview. He did not know in advance that his comments were going to be on Hannity. He thought that his comments were going to be part of an investigative newscast, nothing more.
If you had read the article you would have read that he did NOT go on Hannity's show. Only his chopped up statement was used.
Apparently you didn't read the article above. Pearson didn't know it was going to end up on Hannity's program. He thought (and this was his folly) that it would end up on a news program (which supposedly still exist on FoxNews for about 5 minutes between the filth and fearmongering 23 hours and 45 minutes), not an opinion program. The producers (who probably have every right to use the content as they please) made the decision to air it on Hannity without informing Pearson until after.
This should be a lesson to all serious journalists out there (and their numbers dwindle), to not work with FoxNews, or even NewsCorp at all. It will be altered to their world-view.
He deserved every minute of it.
Abiodun:
I think Pearson made a mistake submitting to an interview with Fox News without knowing which show the footage would ultimately be used on. But I don't think you can say he "spewed so much hate" in the interview itself.
Really, if you're gullible enough to give a taped interview for Hannity, there's no one to blame but yourself.
Doesn't matter. The paper he works for has no credibility anyway.
Oh, come on Mr. Pearson. I do not support Fox's editorial policy but you are in the news business. And you know about slicing and dicing for a sound bite. Don't give a long interview when you could reasonably assume that the interviewer is looking for a sound bite. Journalists are appearing to be increasingly lazy and whiney and willing to let themselves be "the story" instead of reporting "the story". Reort on local news until you get the drift of national reporting.
Why would anybody contribute anything to Fox News? They are just one syllable (o-u) away from what they really do to the news. I guess that was a big lesson learned.
Always insist on going live on Fox News so you won’t be edited. Others have learned the hard way.
I have read Rick Pearson and seen him on tv for years. He has more credibility than the entire Fox organization. They should not be allowed to use the word news in their name. It is false advertising.
It's wonderful to see the Trib get it back, being treated just the way they treat others, with very selective editing, as they slowly fade away and disappear.
Say goodbye. Would the last man leaving the newsroom please turn out the lights? The
Trib turned out the lights on honest reporting ages ago.
--Neil Ellliott
If I was Pearson I would not worry about Hannity or FOX TV. This network is the biggest joke out there. Just look at their guess line up.
The thing I hate the most about these jokers is the fact that they abuse American patriotism for the sole purpose of selling books and getting high ratings. As an American citizen I find it offensive.
Poor Baby Pearson. If he reported the news insread of white washing it. He might have a case. He is getting his just deserts for the crummy way he reports the political news. Pearson is a Obama Puppet.
Any journalist expecting news out of Fox makes me question their cognitive ability. Or the dosage of their antipsych medication. What a Joke!
WHAT A JERK. EVERYBODYS WISE TO FAUX NEWS
This is funny. This guy is a "reporter" for a local rag called the Chicago Tribune. The Trib has as much credibility as Fox news -- none. I say, birds of a feather!
I suggest that Mr. Pearson bookmark "Media Matters" if he want to educate himself as to how Hannity et al and Fox operate. His judgement is also being questioned because he believed that Hannity would give him a fair deal. And if Lou Dobbs is his friend I suggest that he tell Dobbs to stop all that nonsense about Birthers.
Occasionally Sean will have someone on the "special" shows like Mr. Pearson, but Dick Morris is Sean Hannity's go to man for really nasty stuff.
How many kinds of dumb do you have to be to not know what scumbags FOX News Network is.?
This should be a GOOD LESSON for all legitimate reporters out there; Accept an invitation from FauxNews at your peril!!!
Anybody who doesn't know perfectly well the kinds of non-journalistic games (perhaps I should call them "ajournalistic") that FauxNews plays on a daily basis isn't worth his title of "reporter".
I mean, if Jeffrey Dahmer invited you over to his house for a dinner party, you would have NO BASIS to complain later that you didn't know you would be served Oven-Braised-Boy's-Penis as an entree. Likewise, if you agree to do a FauxNews interview, you are ON NOTICE that you are placing your integrity on the line.
Serious question - does anyone know whether it is feasible, or typical even, for someone interviewed on a major news channel to demand rights to final editing or include a clause stating that the entire interview will be used?
I could see for a journalist why the simplistic idea 'just stay away from Fox' is not a reasonable option given their dominating market share.
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