Less than 24 hours after a Fox News anchor declared Donald Trump the President of the United States and Joe Biden a “wannabe dictator,” Fox News once again is under fire, this time for an article and corresponding social media post that claimed “critics” say the LGBTQ pride flag “promotes grooming and pedophilia.”
The White House in a rare move slammed the far-right wing propaganda network, which focused its article on an LGBTQ Pride flag hanging from the White House portico during President Biden’s LGBTQ Pride event this past weekend.
According to multiple reports, the initial headline on the Fox News article written by Kerry J. Byrne read: “White House flew controversial new transgender flag that promotes grooming and pedophilia, say critics.”
Here’s what that looked like to some social media users:
The updated headline reads: “White House flew controversial new transgender flag that troubles some critics in the gay community.”
Mediate reports “Fox News altered the framing” of the article after “strong pushback from a White House spokesperson.”
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates tweeted that Fox News “is characteristically lying through their teeth. Please see Dominion Voting Systems v. Fox News Network. Fox never even communicated the malicious and discredited foundation of this article to the White House. Then they lie about whether we responded at all.”
Bates also included a copy of Fox News’ Kerry J. Byrne’s original request for comment, which was far different from the article Fox News published.
Meanwhile, who are the “critics” the Fox News article quotes? Gays Against Groomers, which has been called an “anti-trans hate group.”
The article itself has numerous factual flaws. Among them, claiming the Progress Pride Flag – an updated version of the iconic LGBTQ Pride Flag created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker – is “new.” It was created at least five years ago by Daniel Quasar.
“A mysterious and divisive new symbol of pride had a coming-out party at the White House on Saturday,” the Fox News article begins. “The Biden administration’s Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn this past weekend included a new pastel tribute to transgender, non-binary and intersex Americans that was hung from the portico of the people’s house.”
“However, some critics have taken issue with the new ‘Progress Pride Flag’ — with some even saying that in their opinion, it appears to reference a cult of pedophilia infecting many institutions and represents an unwanted takeover of traditional gay symbolism.”
In addition to the Biden White House, many critics online are furious.
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Journalist David Mack responded to the Fox News article on Twitter, writing, “this is unhinged even for fox. If you’re wondering what they’re saying ‘promotes grooming and pedophilia’ is the trans colors. that’s it. this flag has been flying for years now. fuck this trash.”
Media Matters for America’s Matthew Gertz pointed out Fox News’ hypocrisy.
Semafor’s Washington Bureau Chief Benjy Sarlin observed, “this is what a straight news article looks like on Fox right now. This conversation has moved several thousand ticks to the right since Glenn Youngkin 2021.”
Sarlin says the article “has been changed substantially,” and was initially “even more inflammatory.”
Actor and activist George Takei did not hold back his anger: “Fox spreads hate-mongering, violence-inducing propaganda and has the blood of trans kids on its hands, says critic,” he tweeted.
Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic Instructor and activist Alejandra Caraballoalso slammed Fox News.
“They are just saying it with their whole chest now. Fox News is straight up saying the pride flag promotes ‘grooming and pedophilia.’ The ‘say critics’ part is bullshit and they know it.”
Assistant Professor of Media Communications Dorian Hunter Davis, PhD, writes:
“1) That’s not a ‘transgender flag’; it’s an updated Pride flag. 2) The “critics” who think it promotes ‘grooming and pedophilia’ are bigots and morons. 3) The purpose of news is to educate people, not to promote ignorance.”
Actor and writer Benjamin Siemon says, “With @FoxNews outright falsely tweeting that the Pride flag promotes grooming and pedophilia, they’re truly taking things to a new low I didn’t think was possible. A cable news channel wants me and my friends dead and it’s terrifying.”