The Laugh Factory Welcomes Andy Rooney

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: CBS News Issues

(CBS)

Big News from the Associated Press: Andy Rooney is not a bigot. As the AP notes, a commentary supposedly written by Rooney that includes "anti-minority statements" has been floating around the Internet. Rooney didn't write the commentary, and he doesn't like that it's been attributed to him. "I suppose it's not important, but I hate the fact that people think I've been writing these things," Rooney told the AP. "That's hurtful to me."

Fair enough. Here's the odd thing about the story, though: These fake Rooney commentaries have been around forever, and they've been known to be fake for almost as long. Witness this entry on Snopes, a site that debunks urban legends, which notes that the alleged Rooney commentary is false. Then there's this piece from April 10th in TV Week, in which Rooney complained about a false commentary on older women that has been emailed around. (He calls it "embarrassing" and "infuriating.") Most important, however, is this: A real Rooney commentary from the Oct. 23, 2005 edition of "60 Minutes." Here's Andy:

A lot of people have written to ask if I really wrote some things on the Internet that have my name on them. The answer, briefly, is no I didn't.

A saccharine collection of comments called 'ANDY ROONEY ON OLDER WOMEN' has had wide circulation. I was pleased by how many people wrote to say they didn't believe I wrote it.

There's a collection of racist and sexist remarks on the Internet under a picture of me with the caption 'ANDY ROONEY SAID ON 60 MINUTES.' If I could find the person who did write it using my name I would sue him.

Seeing as Rooney debunked these false commentaries over a year ago, in front of a nationally televised audience, it is curious that the AP felt that this was a worthwhile story today. Maybe what with Kramergate, as well as another race-related scandal, this one involving a different famous Andy, someone felt that the time was right to trot out this small piece of non-news. In any event: Andy Rooney, still not a bigot. Tell the kids.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by gramde December 6, 2006 8:47 PM EST: Most of my generation of "oldies but goodies" know Andy is almost as "old as dirt." Nasty name calling and political correctness are just new to the geeks who like to harass "people of a mature age." It's just too sad to know there are so many dim-wits who believe everything they read, whether in the newspapers or on line...to them we say "if you didn't see it happen, don't believe it"; Reply to this comment