Gabriel Sherman’s short New York magazine piece about Fox News’ weekend coverage of the gun-control issue is a study in conjecture and poor sourcing. According to Sherman, the executive producer of Fox’s weekend coverage, David Clark, prohibited on-air discussion of gun control. Though he cites “sources,” Sherman quotes one source to the effect that the network, through an e-mail from Clark, put the kibosh on any debate over gun control. Following Sherman’s lead, Politico, the Huffington Post, and the Daily Beast produced similar stories.

As it turns out, Clark’s e-mail instructions appear to have applied to one particular panel on one particular show. And, if you tuned into Fox over the weekend, or reviewed its coverage — as Sherman apparently did not — that probably makes sense, given that gun-control policy was a frequent topic of discussion.

Sherman then extrapolates that Fox’s non-existent ban on gun-control talk “highlights the growing chasm between Rupert Murdoch and Ailes.” As evidence, Sherman cites Rupert Murdoch’s anti-gun Twitter feed and the fact that Roger Ailes and Sean Hannity are reportedly licensed to carry concealed handguns. I’m not quite sure what this has to do with Fox’s editorial decisions in the wake of the Newtown massacre, but so be it.

Sherman’s piece is headlined “Murdoch Wants Stricter Gun Laws After Newtown, but Fox News Doesn’t Get the Memo.” If only Fox News were Rupert Murdoch’s mouthpiece, right?