In a July 22 article, The Daily Beast reported that Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron used the case of Shirley Sherrod to condemn “some at Fox News” for “trying to have more influence than it probably should.” Cameron also reportedly agreed that the tea party movement “was largely organized by Fox News hosts like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity.” Cameron later claimed that his words were taken out of context, although Cameron's interviewer, Daily Kos contributor Dante Atkins, stands by the quotes, as does The Daily Beast reporter, who was present. From the article:

Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron, chatting with a Daily Kos contributor in the media room Thursday at the liberal blogger convention Netroots Nation, mocked his Fox colleagues' behavior on the Shirley Sherrod scandal and tacitly agreed that the cable network had fueled the rise of the Tea Party movement.

Cameron, speaking to blogger Dante Atkins shortly after Atkins had been interviewed for a Fox segment about the Netroots event, nodded as Atkins repeated comments he made on camera that the Tea Party movement was largely organized by Fox News hosts like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity.

“Tell me about it,” Cameron smirked.

As the conversation continued, Atkins, a Daily Kos front-pager, cited examples of Fox's undue sway over events. Cameron then offered one of his own.

“The Sherrod case is an example of some at Fox News trying to have more influence than it probably should,” Cameron said.

Cameron was referring to this week's controversy in which Georgia-based USDA inspector Shirley Sherrod, who is black, was fired by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack after Internet provocateur Andrew Breitbart posted a heavily edited video that seemed to indicate she was bragging about not giving help to a farmer 24 years ago because he was white.

[...]

Cameron told The Daily Beast Thursday night that this report takes his remarks out of context and that he was actually defending the integrity of Fox's news division. He insisted this reporter did not hear the entire discussion, even though it began immediately after this reporter's interview with Daily Kos blogger Atkins had concluded.

Cameron also claimed the conversation only lasted 40 seconds because he was in a hurry to get across town.

When asked later, Atkins estimated the conversation witnessed by this reporter was about four minutes long and confirmed the accuracy and context of the quotations in this report, but declined to comment further to The Daily Beast.