Politics

Fox calls wrong number, guest gives Trump a lecture

Bob CollinsBob Collins Jul 23, 2018
31

We know a little something about the process of finding and booking guests for shows on TV and radio but we still can’t figure out how, assuming a minimal level of competence, Fox News ended up booking a Massachusetts opponent of separating immigrant children from their parents when it thought it was lining up an Arizona supporter of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement policies.

It happened this morning when congressional candidate Barbara L’Italien, a Massachusetts state senator, had to introduce herself after the Fox hosts introduced her as Ann Kirkpatrick, a former Arizona congresswoman who wants her old job back.

Not surprisingly, the Fox hosts couldn’t end the interview fast enough after L’Italien said, “I keep thinking about what we’re putting parents through, imagining how terrifying that must be for those families, imagining how it would feel not knowing if I’d ever see my kids again. We have to stop abducting children and ripping them from their parents arms…”

The Boston Globe says a producer apparently called the wrong aide to set up the interview and Italien’s aide never corrected Fox News representatives to let them know they had called the wrong person.

Meanwhile, the candidate who was supposed to uphold the message Fox wanted to send to its viewers put out a statement saying she’s opposed to President Trump’s policy too.