Fox News host Megyn Kelly took on her competitors last night on “The Kelly File” during a segment about the “hands up, don’t shoot” protests that occurred following Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, MO.
When Brown’s friend Dorian Johnson spoke to the press last August, he was the first to mention the “hands up, don’t shoot” mantra that became a focal point of the story. Kelly wasn’t so sure.
“The mainstream media, and some very public personalities, helped push a lie about racially-charged events in Ferguson,” Kelly said. “Now, some in the media, after being publicly shamed, are starting to come around.”
Joining Kelly was Trace Gallagher who pointed out CNN hosts who put their hands up in solidarity with the Brown family. Gallagher quoted CNN’s top legal analyst of calling the shooting “a cold blooded murder” and MSNBC calling it “an execution.”
Gallagher goes on to discuss that neither MSNBC nor CNN mentioned Johnson’s criminal record during the reporting, which includes a conviction for lying to police.
Meanwhile, Kelly has been saying the witness testimony might not be accurate since at least last October. Gallagher said that the Washington Post has now admitted Johnson’s version of the events was a lie and that “CNN is also re-evaluating.”
Kelly goes on to remind viewers that FNC urged caution on the reporting from Ferguson, with “initial warnings coming in within days of the original shooting.”
“MediaBuzz” host Howard Kurtz then joined the show, offering insight on the way the story was covered.
“It is hard to do what you did, Megyn, early on. And to say ‘wait for the facts and don’t rush to judgement,’” Kurtz said. “You have a media mob stampeding in one direction and because you get accused of being an apologist to the police, or flat-out racially insensitive.”
Kelly and Kurtz go on to play the clip of CNN hosts with their hands up, again, while asking “where is their apology?”
Check out the segment below: