Air America host Randi Rhodes wasn't mugged (oops)

NY Daily News ^

[mnehring]

Air America radio host Randi Rhodes is temporarily off the air, but claims she was brutally attacked near her Manhattan apartment are bogus, her lawyer and a police source said today.

Fellow host Jon Elliott claimed on the liberal radio network that Rhodes had been mugged while walking her dog, Simon, on Sunday night. Elliot, who said Rhodes lost several teeth in the attack, waxed about a possible conspiracy.

"Is this an attempt by the right-wing, hate machine to silence one of our own?" he asked on the air, according to Talking Radio, a blog. "Are we threatening them? Are they afraid that we’re winning? Are they trying to silence intimidate us?"

A police source said Rhodes never filed a report and never claimed to be the victim of a mugging. Cops from Manhattan's 17th Precinct called her attorney, who told them Rhodes was not a victim of a crime, the source said.

Rhodes' lawyer told the Daily News she was injured in a fall while walking her dog. He said she's not sure what happened, and only knows that she fell down and is in a lot of pain. The lawyer said Rhodes expects to be back on the air Thursday. He stressed there is no indication she was targeted or that she was the victim of a "hate crime."

Rhodes started with the Air America when it launched in 2004. Her show airs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

The network released a statement that said Rhodes "experienced an unfortunate incident."

"The reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded," the statement read by a receptionist at the network's New York offices said. "Ms. Rhodes is looking forward to being back on the air on Thursday."

Still, the tale lived on in the blogosphere.

"What the %$#$ is WRONG with you people?? Are you that SICK in the head that just because you don’t agree with someone’s political views you believe that they deserve to be mugged? Are you on the right that DEMENTED??," a blogger called neddlenosehanty posted on watchingthewatchers.org.

Another blogger shot back, "I very seriously doubt if this unfortunate woman was mugged by a conservative. To jump to the conclusion that she was mugged by someone on the right is bigotry of another kind. Think not?"

[mnehring]

...oops, I guess wasn't a 'Right Wing' attack as claimed here: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/10/16/2007-10-16_air_america_host_randi_rhodes_wasnt_mugg.html

[mnehring]

Ping

[FormerACLUmember]

Why should believe anything these evil vermin say?

[cartan]

Perhaps a right winger dropped a banana peel…

[darkwing104]

I wonder if the rats are going to back pedal on this...You can bet Media Matters won’t say squat.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

Gee libs lying...

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise....(/s)

[FormerACLUmember]

Marxists lie with every breath, with every word, with every thought.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

ROFLMAO

[juliej]

Was this just a play for sympathy from somebody who has an audience of three people?

[juliej]

Was this just a play for sympathy from somebody who has an audience of three people?

[Shryke]

Don't you fools realize that this poor defenseless woman was mugged by her Republican DOG???

[roses of sharon]

A smear a day.........

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

"Was this just a play for sympathy from somebody who has an audience of three people?"

That, or a plot to get out more bad press against Republicans. They tried to put the liberal spin on it to infuriate the masses.

[ThreeYearLurker]

Typical

[Holicheese]

That is what I was thinking. Hoping to up their pitiful ratings with a fake mugging.
maybe she can claim to have cancer and then have a fund raiser.
Maybe she can claim to have traumatic brain injuries....she is a liberal, so I guess that goes with the territory.

[jdm]

Wikipedia still shows the story as being true (as of 1:33PM ET today).

First they had it up (yesterday).

Then someone took it down this morning.

Now it's back up again.

The person who wrote it used a computer at Boeing.

This person had been asked to stop vandalizing Wikipedia pages in the past, according to the history of their IP.

Pretty soon they'll have to take the false story down yet again.

Look at the edit history on her page:

(cur) (last) 14:17, 16 October 2007 71.103.13.137 (Talk) (13,068 bytes) (→Press) (undo)

• (cur) (last) 14:17, 16 October 2007 71.103.13.137 (Talk) (13,057 bytes) (→Press) (undo)
• (cur) (last) 13:33, 16 October 2007 Radiofan14 (Talk | contribs) (12,926 bytes) (undo)
• (cur) (last) 08:21, 16 October 2007 Ricky81682 (Talk | contribs) (12,266 bytes) (rm attacked information; not notable) (undo)
• (cur) (last) 06:29, 16 October 2007 130.76.64.14 (Talk) (12,762 bytes) (→Randi Attacked on the Street) (undo)
• (cur) (last) 06:28, 16 October 2007 130.76.64.14 (Talk) (12,756 bytes) (→Randi Attacked on the Street) (undo)
• (cur) (last) 06:26, 16 October 2007 130.76.64.14 (Talk) (12,641 bytes) (→Randi Attacked on the Street) (undo)
• (cur) (last) 06:26, 16 October 2007 130.76.64.14 (Talk) (12,631 bytes) (→Family) (undo)
• (cur) (last) 06:21, 16 October 2007 130.76.64.14 (Talk) (12,626 bytes) (Reverting: Jon Elliott announced it on his AAR Show and cited AAR Management) (undo)
• (cur) (last) 02:23, 16 October 2007 Bobo192 (Talk | contribs) (12,266 bytes) (Removed uncited news item) (undo)
• (cur) (last) 02:22, 16 October 2007 24.21.130.153 (Talk) (12,626 bytes) (undo)

[50sDad]

Significant-Other beating gone wrong? Shades of Tanya Brawley!

[AppyPappy]

It now sounds like a case of the Irish Flu

[Red Badger]

Even this doesn’t sound just right, for some reason. It still smells funny..............

[SittinYonder]

Rhodes' lawyer told the Daily News she was injured in a fall while walking her dog. He said she's not sure what happened, and only knows that she fell down and is in a lot of pain.

Drunk?