(Image via Fox Nation)Fox News’s opinion-aggregation Web site, Fox Nation, made an odd and many say “race-baiting” editorial decision Friday when it splashed a story about Obama’s birthday over its homepage with the headline “Obama’s Hip-Hop BBQ Didn’t Create Jobs” and a photo of Obama next to three black celebrities who attended.
UPDATE: Fox News responds in this posting.
The report, which aggregated a Politico story, goes on to detail the menu, guests and R&B, jazz, hip-hop and Motown performances at the event. The report does not mention the performance by white rock band OK Go.
Fox Nation’s headline was taken from a quote by press secretary Jay Carney, who once admitted that “the White House doesn’t create jobs.”
No sooner was the story posted than liberal bloggers pointed out the racism of the headline and accompanying photograph.
Media Matters made its point by simply posting the photo and headlineand then linking back to an earlier story it had done on Fox Nation’s “race-baiting” headlines and content.
“Fox’s choice of headlines and the stories that they emphasize seem designed to attract and encourage racist commenters,” Media Matters wrote, citing such recent Fox Nation headlines as “White kid beaten up because of slavery” and a headline similar to Friday’s that read, “Obama bringing Motown to White House ... boogey down!”
Slate blogger Dave Weigel pointed out that while a DJ spun some hip-hop at the event, none of the musicians who performed were actually hip-hop artists.
“Fox Nation could have gone with the ‘Jazz BBQ Doesn’t Create Jobs’ hed, I guess, but why not cut to the chase with something like: ‘Uppity Blacks Eat Soul Food and Laugh While You Hunt for A Job You Can't Get Because of Welfare Queens, Affirmative Action, and Carjackers,’ ” Weigel wrote.
Blogger Oliver Willis contributed some of his own headlines that he guessed could appear on future Fox Nation stories, including “Obama, While Black, Remarks On Unemployment” and “Obama Blackly Delivers The State Of The Union.”
ThinkProgress wrote with a large dose of snark: “Of course, nothing says hip hop like Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.”
On Twitter, a hashtag #HipHopBBQActs was started by Talking Points Memo reporter Benjy Sarlin to ridicule the headline.
Soon, hundreds joined in on using #HipHopBBQActs, many of them tweeting ridiculous BBQ foods combined with hip-hop artist names to make their point:
Nicki Minarinated Tilapia #hiphopbbqactsless than a minute ago via Mobile Web 
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Jesse Taylor
pandagon
Favorite Retweet ReplyJesse Taylorpandagon
Wocka Flocka Flame-Broiled #HipHopBBQActsless than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet Reply
daveweigel
daveweigel
Favorite Retweet Replydaveweigeldaveweigel
As many made increasingly ludicrous suggestions for hip hop BBQ acts, a member of the Media Matters online team, Seth Michaels, implored people to also keep the bigger picture in mind:
Hope everyone hitting this #hiphopbbqactsunderstands the bigger point: @FoxNation goes out of its way to encourage and promote racism.less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet Reply
sethdmichaels
sethdmichaels
Favorite Retweet Replysethdmichaelssethdmichaels
“Obama’s Hip-Hop BBQ Didn't Create Jobs” did indeed attract commenters, some 1,560 of them at the time of publishing, and many made comments that could be considered racist.
“Nice collection of the FBI's ‘Most Wanted’ mug shots,” one man wrote.
Other commenters, however, did not find the headline so surprising. One commenter wrote, garnering 17 responses:
You know, if President Obama walked on water, the Fox News headline would read, “Obama can't swim.”
By | 01:28 PM ET, 08/05/2011
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