Fox News Explains Supreme Court Reporting Mistake, Rips CNN

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Fox News is not taking lightly the judgments of media critics mocking its Supreme Court coverage.

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The cable news network, along with CNN, fumbled the story as it rushed to relay the court's decision on the landmark American Care Act case; while Chief Justice John Roberts ultimately read a ruling that upheld the entire health reform act, Fox's initial infographic and reporting said that the court had ruled the crucial individual insurance mandate unconstitutional. Now, Fox has released a defiant statement explaining and defending its coverage.

“We gave our viewers the news as it happened," Michael Clemente, Fox News' executive vice president of news, said in a statement. "When Justice Roberts said, and we read, that the mandate was not valid under the Commerce clause, we reported it. Bill Hemmer even added, be patient as we work through this.  Then when we heard and read, that the mandate could be upheld under the government’s power to tax, we reported that as well—all within two minutes."

The statement continued with a sharp poke at CNN, which quickly retracted its story and later issued a formal correction and apology.

"By contrast, one other cable network was unable to get their Supreme Court reporter to the camera, and said as much. Another said it was a big setback for the President.  Fox reported the facts, as they came in.”
 
The Associated Press, which got the initial story correct, had to tell its newsroom employees to stop taunting CNN for its blown coverage.

"Please, immediately, stop taunting on social networks about CNN and others’ SCOTUS ruling mistake and the AP getting it right"  AP Central U.S. Region Editor David Scott wrote in a memo to his staff. "That’s not the impression we want to reflect as an organization. Let our reporting take the lead."