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Published January 13, 2015
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What do you think about Iran bragging that it is nearly a nuclear power? What do you think President Bush should do? And what do you think he will do? And how serious is this?
Since I promised behind the scenes — this is what happens at cable news organizations:
Last night during Shep's "FOX Report" at 7 p.m. ET, I heard him reporting about Yolanda Haynes. She is the former manager of the strip club where the accuser in the Duke Lacrosse rape case worked and was working two nights before she claimed she was raped. I "top lined" Shep — while he was on air — that we had Yolanda booked at 10 p.m. as a guest. So what did Shep do? He immediately promoted this guest for us ("…and she will be on "On the Record," etc., at 10 p.m….") I was grateful to Shep for doing it — Shep is a very good friend of mine and of our show.
Then, as luck would have it, at 8:10 p.m. we got a call from Yolanda and she said she no longer wanted to do our interview. Why? Because apparently the local media had shown up at her house and she was, of course, rattled. I agree — it is not fun to have the media show up at your house, whether it be local or national.
She called my producer, whose office is next to mine, and I was then summoned to come to her office and talk to Yolanda. I talked to Yolanda and I essentially apologized for the media, but did ask her to change her mind again and do the interview. I was not heavy handed (although I certainly wanted her to do our interview), because I know how we in the media can be. Yes, we are an aggressive lot — even when we, in our zeal to get the story out, don't even realize how aggressive we are. We can forget that the media, while so routine to us, is foreign to others. It is bizarre to suddenly find a microwave truck parked outside your house.
Yolanda changed her mind — luckily — and agreed to do the show, but by the time 10 p.m. rolled around, things changed again. She said she would do the show, but only by phone. So she became a "phoner." But then, with a minute before our show — and I do not exaggerate the time, it was one minute — I was told "there seems to be a problem getting Yolanda on the phone. I will let you know as the show starts..."
The show began — first with a quick report on Iran and then? Well… no Yolanda. Fortunately, the legal panel was seated and ready to go and I was able to start the show, report the facts that I expected Yolanda to tell (remember, I had spoken to her earlier and so had my producer) and turn to Bernie Grimm who also helped me out by providing some facts. We did the segment without our main guest and of course had Pam Bondi, Geoffrey Fieger and Ted (no last name needed — we all know Ted!)
I just read — in viewer e-mail — that O.J. Simpson has a new book coming out. I have gotten tons of e-mails from viewers mad that FOX "paid" for an interview with him. (How come everyone is mad at me and I haven't even done anything... yet? All I did was get up, get coffee... and start working on the blog and reading viewer e-mail.) First, FOX Broadcast is different from FOX News Channel. Second, I don't know if anyone did or did not pay for this interview (at FOX News Channel we do not pay). And third, I have interviewed Simpson so many times and even been inside his house for work, that I am not anxious to do another segment on this. I don't know if we will or will not... but I also recognize that despite my feeling of having done it so many times and thus not wild to do it again, I am probably the one who has the most experience with the topic going back to 1994. I am not completely opposed to doing it, but it will take some convincing.
Now for some e-mails:
E-mail No. 1
Greta,
This Nifong prosecutor seems to be a rogue and I am glad you are keeping his feet to the fire. What an awful thing to do if he is going ahead with this sex case and possibly ruin the lives of three young men that may be innocent and I feel there is no case, based on what has transpired since her accusations.
Frances Brame
Cola, SC
E-mail No. 2
I would love to know if the 2-year-old child was in a crib or a regular bed — most children this age are still sleeping in a crib. If so, how did she get out of it and in her mother's room when she was found? If she does sleep in a crib, could this not narrow down time of death? If she was not in her crib it would most likely have happened prior to her bedtime, or in the morning after she awoke.
Also, I have a two year old... if my Daughter was left alone in my house for more than five minutes something would likely be broken or she would have hurt herself, does anyone know what condition she was in when found? It seems unlikely, although not impossible I guess, that something would be amiss if she had been awake and free to roam about the house for any extended period of time.
Thanks
Terri Hill
Falls Church, VA
E-mail No. 3
I have written the president and Congress, but they don't seem to be listening. The solution for Iran is to build several thousand megatons of Neutron bombs. These would destroy Iranian nuclear sites without the dirty fallout that would poison our Earth. If Iran knew we had them targeted from carriers and close land bases, they would back off or be destroyed without threats to other Nations.
James E Simmons
Hixson, TN
E-mail No. 4
I can't believe you had a brawl at a soccer game as something worthy of national news when there are so many more important things going on... or picking out one murder or rape case as though it were some how SO MUCH MORE significant than all the others that happen every days... What about real national and international news.... you know what's going on in the Middle East, laws being proposed and passed in this country, who's voting for and against them? Fact stuff not just opinion stuff.
Very said (sic) for a news service of your size,
Andrew Kostelak
ANSWER: Frankly, I thought the video of some significance. Obviously we adults seem to respond to negative political ads and don't see anything wrong with responding to them by our votes. So perhaps if we see adults REALLY acting stupid and violent in front of kids that we might decide to think about our behavior and the examples we set... maybe not. One other thing, we did not spend any time on the tape… we just showed it. I thought the tape spoke for itself.
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https://www.foxnews.com/story/duke-rape-case-saga