Edwards pulls out of Fox debate

CARSON CITY, Nev., March 8 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards announced he will not participate in the Nevada Democratic Party's August debate sponsored by Fox News.

Edwards' announcement followed an outcry from liberal groups over the choice of Fox to host the event, The Washington Post reported Thursday. The groups claim Fox is biased towards conservatives and is a poor choice to sponsor a Democratic event.

One such group, MoveOn.org, collected 250,000 signatures on a petition urging the Nevada Democratic Party to reconsider Fox's sponsorship of the debate. The group created www.foxattacks.com to showcase the issue. The Web site includes a short film by Robert Greenwald that highlights what the group sees as biased coverage.

"We're definitely going to debate in Nevada, but we don't see why this needs to be one of them," the Edwards campaign said in an e-mail to liberal blog DailyKos.

Greenwald, director of the anti-Fox film, applauded Edwards' decision.

"This shows he is not only smart but he is willing to be the first to do the right thing," he said.