NAACP: Fox 'Snookered' Us on Video

It retracts criticism of USDA worker, calls for her to be rehired
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 20, 2010 5:40 PM CDT

Now that the NAACP has reviewed the full video of Shirley Sherrod's speech, it has retracted its criticism of the former USDA employee and called on the government to restore her job, reports AP. The group, which initially professed to be "appalled," says it was "snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias," notes Politico. (Read the full statement here.)

After a shortened video of the speech set off a firestorm, Sherrod defended her actions on CNN (it's one of the videos in the gallery) and explained that the speech in entirety was against racism. In fact, the wife of the farmer she allegedly discriminated against called Sherrod a "friend for life" who saved the family from bankruptcy. Adds the NAACP statement: “The tape of Ms. Sherrod’s speech at an NAACP banquet was deliberately edited to create a false impression of racial bias, and to create a controversy where none existed."
(More Shirley Sherrod stories.)

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