Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Obama and the ‘Pigford’ Cases

Q: Did then-Sen. Barack Obama get a law "passed in dead silence" that allowed black farmers to file "unlawful" discrimination claims against the USDA totaling $1.25 billion?
A: No. Obama supported the 2008 bill, but did not sponsor it or vote on it. It was not "passed in dead silence"; there were six floor votes. All claims are pending judicial review and approval.

Sunday Replay

This week’s Replay starts off with a dust-up about Fox News’ handling of – what else? – the Shirley Sherrod story. We also found misleading statements about unemployment and New Jersey’s budget.
 Dean: Fox ‘Absolutely Racist’
On "Fox News Sunday," former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean accused Fox News Channel of an "absolutely racist" action by playing the now-famous edited clip of Shirley Sherrod’s remarks. Host Chris Wallace indignantly countered by saying Fox News didn’t play the clip until after officials in the Obama administration forced Sherrod to quit her job.

Context Matters and Mailers Mislead

In episode 21 of FactCheck Radio, we look at the well-known case of USDA employee Shirley Sherrod — an incident that shows, once again, context matters. Plus, we highlight false and misleading claims by President Obama, Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold and his GOP opponent Ron Johnson, and New York Democratic congressional candidate Reshma Saujani.

 
For more on the stories discussed in this episode, see:
Shirley Sherrod’s Contextual Nightmare   July 21
Obama Wrong on GOP, Small Business Criticism  

Shirley Sherrod’s Contextual Nightmare

We’ve posted no shortage of pieces on political attacks that leave context on the cutting room floor to give the public a misleading impression. An opponent’s statements, cherry-picked and shorn of any language that could provide the intended meaning, can be shaped into a slashing ad.
Or they can lose a woman her job. The latest victim of the missing context trick is U.S. Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod. Her story shows the harm that can result from taking something out of context —