The controversy surrounding the news station continues. Fox News is a favorite of President Donald Trump as he often quotes the network and uses their information and statistics in his speeches and tweets. While Fox News continues to be the station where conservatives tune in for their political take on current events, they're also apologizing for a recent graphic they shared during a segment.
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It was on Friday (June 5) when Fox Business correspondent Susan Li was featured, speaking about the economy. Then, the graphic popped up and she stated, “Stock markets hitting new highs despite the nationwide protests this week, historically there has been a disconnect between what investors focus on and what happens across the rest of the country. For instance, in 1968, the week after the tragedy of Martin Luther King, the S&P 500 rose over 2 percent, also up the week after the Rodney King ruling, and Wall Street trading on the reopening instead, this year in 2020.”
While Fox News hasn't been the only outlet to make such comparison to civil unrest and the stock market as it pertains to instances of cruelty, assault, murder, or injustice against black people, the backlash was swift. Former chairman of the Republican National Convention, Michael Steele, said, “This is how they mourn the loss of black men at #FoxNews – by how much the stock market goes up. What. The. Hell!”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s son, Martin Luther King III, tweeted, "I am appalled by Fox News’ insensitive decision to compare the death of black men to gains in the stock market. This only reinforces the greed and inhumanity that exists in America as it relates to black people. A human life DOES NOT compare to a percentage jump in the S&P 500."
Fox News issued the following apology: "The infographic used on Fox News Channel’s Special Report to illustrate market reactions to historic periods of civil unrest should have never aired on television without full context. We apologize for the insensitivity of the image and take this issue seriously."
