Los Angeles Times' James Rainey reports:

Too bad that message didn't reach the operators of Fox's websites and commentator Bill O'Reilly. FoxNews.com posted the story on Monday, and the FoxNation.com website followed with the video and the accusatory headline: "Caught on Tape: Obama Official Discriminates Against White Farmer." That night, O'Reilly called on Sherrod to resign. (She had already agreed to leave her post before the O'Reilly segment aired.)

O'Reilly at least apologized for proceeding without all the facts. (Though he then proceeded to backhand Sherrod for two days running, suggesting she might be too dangerously left wing for government service.)

The Fox corporate rep who took my phone call this week wouldn't explain why Fox's Web newsers made the same mistake — failing to recognize that the Breitbart video was a clip job or that Sherrod's story dated to a quarter-century ago, long before she worked for the feds.

"Fox News was not blameless during this," countered Dean. "I don't know if ever there was a clip of the white farmer saying 'Wait a minute, this woman helped us save the farm.' Did that ever appear on Fox News?"

"I don't know because I wasn't covering that part of the story but we certainly reported that part of the story," Wallace replied.

"Did Fox News play the clip that turned out to be inaccurate?" asked Dean.

"After she was fired," answered Wallace.

"Right. I don't think it matters whether it was before or after. The fact is you played it. You didn't do your job, said Dean. "There's been this ongoing theme [at Fox News] about black racism in America."