Fox News Channel admits reporter posted fake story about Kerry
Paul Schur, a spokesman for the network, said Fox's chief political correspondent Carl Cameron had been disciplined for posting an item on FoxNews.com that included several made-up quotes attributed to Kerry.
"Carl has been reprimanded," Schur said Sunday, defining further comment.
The article alleged to cover a post-debate rally by Kerry at which the Massachusetts senator was purported to gush over his "metrosexual" appearance.
"Didn't my nails and cuticles look great? What a good debate!" the article by the Cameron read, purportedly quoting Kerry after the event.
"Women should like me! I do manicures," the story also quotes Kerry as telling the crowd. The article also has the Democratic candidate contrasting himself to US President George W. Bush.
"I'm metrosexual -- he's a cowboy," Cameron quoted Kerry as saying.
Officials for Fox, which has been criticized for being biased towards Bush's Republican party, decline to explain how the spoof article ended up on the network's website. A statement by Fox on the website Sunday apologized for the article, saying it was a joke.
"Foxnews.com erred ... on Friday, posting an item purporting to contain quotes attributable to Kerry," the statement read.
"The item was based on a reporters partial script that had been written in jest and should not have been posted or broadcast. Foxnews.com also regrets that error, which occurred because of fatigue and bad judgment, not malice."
US media quoted a statement by the Kerry campaign's spokesman, Phil Singer, saying Fox was right to own up to the gaffe.
"Fox is doing the right thing by admitting its mistake and correcting the record," Singer told the New York Times in an article published Sunday.
"George Bush would be well-served to heed the lesson and admit to his own mistakes," Singer said.
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