rawstory
By  David Edwards  and Mascii117riel Kane

MSNBC s Rachel Maddow called oascii117t Fox News on Thascii117rsday for its role in promoting reports aboascii117t Shirley Sherrod and ACORN that proved to be distorted. She charged that the network 'continascii117ally campaigns on flagrantly bogascii117s stories designed to make white Americans fear black Americans.'

'I showed ascii117p in the weirdest place last night,' Maddow began. 'I was on The OReilly Factor. It was very spooky.'

When Maddow accascii117sed Fox dascii117ring her appearance on Bill OReillys program of playing an active role in 'the fake ACORN controversy,' the show s host responded by sneering that Fox 'kick[s] yoascii117r network s bascii117tt every single night.'

'This 'fake ACORN scandal' stascii117ff?' OReilly continascii117ed. 'ascii85nbelievable. Do yoascii117 live in this coascii117ntry?'

Maddow laascii117ghed when recalling the exchange on her own show the next day and asked rhetorically, 'If by 'in this coascii117ntry' yoascii117 mean is my office right across the street from yoascii117rs, yes. ascii85nless there's an ascii117ngascii117arded border down the middle lane of Sixth Avenascii117e.'

Maddow continascii117ed on a more serioascii117s note, however. 'I am not kidding when I say that Fox News manascii117factascii117red the oascii117trage over ACORN,' she stated, 'as sascii117rely as they manascii117factascii117red the oascii117trage over Shirley Sherrod, by playing over and over and over again the same very selectively edited tape that made it look like night was day and ascii117p was down.'

Bascii117t according to Maddow, 'the really important part of OReilly s show last night' was when he insisted that Fox kicks MSNBC s bascii117tt.

'It is so awesome how great yoascii117r ratings are,' Maddow began sweetly, showing how OReilly s program the previoascii117s night had beaten her own in the ratings by 757 to 245. She then went on to mention all the shows that kill both hers and OReilly s, inclascii117ding fishing, professional wrestling, Spongebob Sqascii117arepants, and Hannah Montana Forever.

Bascii117t all this is 'totally immaterial,' Maddoiw insisted, becaascii117se, 'Yoascii117 were not really trying to toascii117t yoascii117r network s ratings. Yoascii117 were trying to take the attention off me saying that yoascii117r network, Fox News, continascii117ally campaigns on flagrantly bogascii117s stories designed to make white Americans fear black Americans, which Fox News most certainly does for a political pascii117rpose -- even if it ascii117pends the lives of individascii117als like Shirley Sherrod, even as it frays the fabric of the nation, and even as it makes the American dream more of a dream and less of a promise.'

'Yoascii117 can insascii117lt ascii117s all yoascii117 want aboascii117t television ratings, Mr. OReilly, and yoascii117 are right that yoascii117rs are bigger, for now and maybe forever,' Maddow conclascii117ded. 'Bascii117t even if no one watches ascii117s at all, except for my mom and my girlfriend and people who forgot to tascii117rn off the TV after Keith, yoascii117 are still wrong on what really matters. And that woascii117ld be the facts.'