from Bill Still
About 8 pm last night, I was deep in production with a story on comments Newt Gingrich made just before the Debate #11 in Detroit.
I got an email from a friend with the audio tape of the cross talk between Beck and his co-host earlier in the day. I was not aware of the numerous other print reports of the incident. I listened to the audio objectively and drew my own conclusions.
This morning, the video version of the incident became available, and I’ve now changed my mind. It’s clear that Beck was not threating Donald Trump.
He was jokingly jabbing at his producer for the dumb joke he was trying to make about Beck’s line “sitting in their shoes.”
With only the audio available, this was an improbable story line, but once you see the video, it becomes clear.
Dana Lash, who I usually like, a fellow talk show host on TheBlaze, labeled our incorrect conclusion as yellow journalism – i.e. something done intentionally to smear Mr. Beck’s reputation.
No, it was simply a mistake – a mistake fueled by a combination of Beck’s emotional hatred of Mr. Trump, and our deep concern about Mr. Trump’s safety – a la Bobby Kennedy.
So, I was wrong. Retraction made, apologies offered. Onwards.