DNC Flags Thrown in Trash? No, But FOX Said So.

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I caught a bit of what sounded like a scandal brewing when checking in on arch-right-wing site Free Republic the other day. They were having a field day, claiming that the Democratic National Convention threw tens of thousands of American flags in the garbage, and the Republicans had "rescued them."

Now, forget the reality that miniature party flags are hardly the same thing as official flying flags. They are akin to noisemakers, pom-poms, streamers, bunting. . .they're symbolic of course, but exactly what are you supposed to do with them after the party is over? I'd bet a weeks' pay that most of those little flags--wherever they are, and whatever they're used for--someday end up in the trash. Even RNC ones.

FOX "News" apparently reported endlessly on this "story" though, and got their base--Republicans--all pissy about those awful Democrats. Then, the story turned out to be false. The flags weren't in the trash, and they weren't rescued, they were stolen. How nice. Is stealing a flag better than throwing it away? And how likely is it that Freepers will repeat the original version of this story until 2050?

[Excerpt]

For hours, Fox News reported GOP claims about American flags -- which Cameron called "the Stars and Bars" -- before providing Dem response

On September 6, Fox News' America's Election HQ aired numerous reports documenting claims by Republicans and the McCain campaign that they "rescued" American flags that were going to be "disposed of" by the Democrats after their convention at Invesco Field. But during the reports, Fox News gave no indication that it had sought to contact a Democratic Party official or Obama campaign spokesperson for comment, and only reported a Democratic response hours after it began reporting the Republican claims. . .

Read more at: Media Matters for America