https://youtu.be/s4MQ5BJ763o

Fox News hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino blamed everyone else for believing a lie the network repeatedly broadcast that the US Women’s National Soccer Team insulted a 98-year-old World War II who played the National Anthem on a harmonica before their Monday game against Mexico.

While some members of the team faced the performer, other members turned to face the flag that was flying above the end of the stadium.

They turned to Clay Travis of Outkick.com, one of two people chosen to fill the radio slot of the dead Rush Limbaugh, to explain how the conservative media lies and false narratives aren’t really to blame for people believing the ginned-up story.

“There’s this ah, ah, ah, dust-up over the US Women’s Soccer Team,” Perino said.  “Um…. There are some people that think that they, there were some members of the team that were turning away from the flag and the anthem that was being played there.  Um, but then, the US Soccer Team said no, that’s not true, um, some people were just looking at a different flag that was there.  Care, Carli Lloyd, she’s a midfielder, she said, ‘We turned because we faced the flag’ and she gave a little flag emoji.  Ah, I know, I watched the video.  I feel that, ah, maybe that makes sense to me, but what did you see?”

“I think this is, Dana, that this emblematic at where we are with sports now, where a huge percentage of American sports fans totally think it’s believable the the US Women’s Soccer Team would turn their back [sic] on a 98-year-old World War II veteran as he plays the National Anthem and not think twice about it,” Travis said.

Calling the situation “a little bit confusing” (perhaps because the truth hurts), Travis continued to dig the hole:  “I think it’s a sign of where we are as a country that so many of us just presume that that level of disrespect is occuring by our national teams during the Anthem.”

In short, Fox News and Travis are saying it’s the fault of their audiences for believing what they broadcast, particularly when it’s inflammatory propaganda that the broadcaster failed to research.

We turned because we faced the flag 🇺🇸 https://t.co/1JJHUWGCLv

— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) July 6, 2021