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Fox's Mike Tobin Talks To Media Matters:
For the last two weeks, Fox News reporter Mike Tobin has been at the center of his network's coverage of the Wisconsin union demonstrations.
He is also at the center of a controversy over claims -- called into question yesterday after the release of new video -- that he was "assaulted" by protesters.
Tobin spoke with Media Matters at length on Monday about the experience, which has included demonstrators repeatedly chanting "Fox News Lies" and waving signs referencing the network's inaccurate reporting.
On Sunday, Tobin claimed during a live report that he had just been "hit" by one of the protesters.
Tobin wasn't onscreen at the time, and a Fox anchor later said that the network's cameras had been blocked by protesters during the alleged incident.
Nonetheless, the Fox Nation website immediately claimed that Tobin had been "assaulted by demonstrator during live shot."
Tobin disagreed.
"I was just hit in the arm a couple of times," he said on Fox Sunday night. "To call it assault or anything like that is a bit of an exaggeration."
On Twitter, Tobin said that he "declined to press charges over a couple little punches in the arm" because doing so would create a "distraction."
That didn't stop Fox. On Monday, Fox anchor Megyn Kelly asked Tobin about the "assault."
When Tobin disputed Kelly's characterization, she rephrased: "It is an unwanted touching. Actually, it's a battery, technically, under the law."
"Yeah, technically, but I got punched in the arm," Tobin responded. "It didn't even leave a bruise. So, I don't want to make too big a deal about it."
In an interview with Media Matters later Monday, Tobin sought to downplay the incident, which he continued to describe as a "punch."
"It was a punch. A punch is a punch, but it was just a punch in my arm. I grew up with three older brothers, it's not my first time being punched. I don't want to overdramatize it for the sake of TV or anything like that."
Then came the video.
On Tuesday morning, what appears to be footage of the alleged incident recorded by someone in the crowd was posted at LiveLeak.com.
Mediaite, which had trumpeted Tobin's initial allegations, reported that the new video "certainly seems to counter the initial claim that Tobin had been hit."
And Raw Story reported that "someone merely touched [Tobin's] shoulder, as evidenced in the video. ... The incident he claimed was a 'punch' could instead be described as a pat, at most."
After the video emerged, Media Matters once again contacted Tobin for comment. This time, he didn't respond.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201103020015
For the last two weeks, Fox News reporter Mike Tobin has been at the center of his network's coverage of the Wisconsin union demonstrations.
He is also at the center of a controversy over claims -- called into question yesterday after the release of new video -- that he was "assaulted" by protesters.
Tobin spoke with Media Matters at length on Monday about the experience, which has included demonstrators repeatedly chanting "Fox News Lies" and waving signs referencing the network's inaccurate reporting.
On Sunday, Tobin claimed during a live report that he had just been "hit" by one of the protesters.
Tobin wasn't onscreen at the time, and a Fox anchor later said that the network's cameras had been blocked by protesters during the alleged incident.
Nonetheless, the Fox Nation website immediately claimed that Tobin had been "assaulted by demonstrator during live shot."
Tobin disagreed.
"I was just hit in the arm a couple of times," he said on Fox Sunday night. "To call it assault or anything like that is a bit of an exaggeration."
On Twitter, Tobin said that he "declined to press charges over a couple little punches in the arm" because doing so would create a "distraction."
That didn't stop Fox. On Monday, Fox anchor Megyn Kelly asked Tobin about the "assault."
When Tobin disputed Kelly's characterization, she rephrased: "It is an unwanted touching. Actually, it's a battery, technically, under the law."
"Yeah, technically, but I got punched in the arm," Tobin responded. "It didn't even leave a bruise. So, I don't want to make too big a deal about it."
In an interview with Media Matters later Monday, Tobin sought to downplay the incident, which he continued to describe as a "punch."
"It was a punch. A punch is a punch, but it was just a punch in my arm. I grew up with three older brothers, it's not my first time being punched. I don't want to overdramatize it for the sake of TV or anything like that."
Then came the video.
On Tuesday morning, what appears to be footage of the alleged incident recorded by someone in the crowd was posted at LiveLeak.com.
Mediaite, which had trumpeted Tobin's initial allegations, reported that the new video "certainly seems to counter the initial claim that Tobin had been hit."
And Raw Story reported that "someone merely touched [Tobin's] shoulder, as evidenced in the video. ... The incident he claimed was a 'punch' could instead be described as a pat, at most."
After the video emerged, Media Matters once again contacted Tobin for comment. This time, he didn't respond.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201103020015
