Fox apologizes for showing wrong congressman on indictment story

NEW YORK -- Fox News Channel issued a second on-air apology Wednesday for mistakenly running tape of a different congressman while reporting on the indictment of Rep. William J. Jefferson on bribery charges.

House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers of Michigan, whose picture aired while Fox anchors talked Monday about Jefferson's indictment, had been unhappy with Fox's apology Tuesday. Both congressmen are black.

Conyers was reportedly upset that Fox's first apology was nonspecific and didn't mention he was the victim.

On Wednesday, Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum explained to viewers that a production assistant picked up a tape that had been identified as a meeting about Jefferson. The picture showed Conyers.

"We regret this mistake," MacCallum said. "We in no way meant to suggest that there was any connection between the Jefferson indictment and Congressman Conyers. We have extended our apology privately to the congressman and we do so here as well."

A Conyers spokeswoman had no comment about the second apology.