"Before I say anything else, I just want to say that I was running from Georgian troops bombing our city. Not Russian troops. I want to say thank you to the Russian troops that were helping us out." - Amanda Kokoeva

This is certainly not what a Fox News anchor expected to hear from his guests, Amanda Kokoeva and her aunt Laura Tedeeva-Korewiski, SF Bay residents who have been visiting family in South Ossetia when the war broke out.

The background footage for this short live interview has obviously been prearranged for a different message.

As Amanda openly blames the Georgian troops for the conflict, the anchor can be heard caughing and mumbling repeatedly.

The program is interrupted for an unscheduled commercial break. Then, the anchor, with a markedly changed demeanor (gone is the fake compassion to a child caught in a war zone), brings the guests back for 30 seconds and practically orders them "to complete their thought".

After a long pause, Ms. Tedeeva-Korewiski resumes her speech and states that she doesn't blame the Georgian people for the invasion, that it's the fault of the Georgian government and that the president Saakashvili should resign.

At this point, the guests are cut off, and the anchor attempts to control damage with a "No, this is certainly what the Russians would want [..] The young girl is a hero in San Fransisco, and understandably. There are gray areas in war."

The footage can be viewed here:



Intimidation of guests, selection and substitution of data is standard practice for the Fox News, as has been detailed in the Outfoxed documentary.

This incident also illustrates the methods used by Western media in the coverage of the conflict between Georgia and Russia.