Apparently, Fox News Radio’s Kevin Battle ripped his “news” about a proposed South Carolina monument honoring black Confederate soldiers straight from the press release of the Republicans promoting the scheme. Because had Battle done the teensiest bit of research or fact checking, he probably would have discovered that South Carolina prohibited blacks from serving.
Media Matters explains:
The State, a South Carolina newspaper, reported that according to historians and other experts, there are no documented accounts of black soldiers fighting for the Confederacy in South Carolina. There are, however, records of the state refusing to accept black soldiers. Additionally, South Carolina enforced laws “which prohibited African-Americans from carrying guns in the state’s service throughout the war.”
The identity of the proposals’ authors, state representatives Bill Chumley and Mike Burns, should have raised red flags. As The Root reported, one is “a representative who has long been a vocal defender of the Confederate flag” and the other has “said that the victims of the Charleston, S.C., church massacre ‘waited to be shot.’” But hey, they’re both Republicans so what’s not to love if you’re Fox News?
Even so, Battle managed to work in some props for Confederate monuments, which he described as “recognizing the history of the Civil War” as well as some digs at those with a different view:
BATTLE: Many Confederate monuments were torn down across the United States in 2017. Some were ordered removed by mayors or voted out by city councils. Others were torn down by protesters before any conversation could even begin! Well, the new year brings a new wrinkle in recognizing the history of the Civil War. Lawmakers in South Carolina want to erect a new monument at the State House to honor some state residents who were never recognized for their service to the Confederacy, but this monument is unlike the others and would honor African-American Confederate soldiers. One supporter says any black person who served in the Confederacy should be recognized. One opponent says the monument would only work if it also honors blacks who served in the Union as well. Let the discussion and the history lessons begin.
Battle should have begun with his own history lesson!
Maybe in his next assignment, Battle can help Kellyanne Conway commemorate the Bowling Green Massacre.
Meanwhile, listen to Battle hype a monument to non-existent soldiers below, from the January 2, 2018 Fox News Headlines 24/7, via Media Matters.
Crossposted at News Hounds.
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