There was a war at Fox News after the election
Fox News: The latest example of the defamation of opinion formers on the right caused by their hostage to lies incitement
CNN’s Stephen Collinson puts it perfectly: “Fox News is the latest example of opinion formers on the right exposed for being held hostage to the fury they helped to incite. … The new details underscored how key players on the right feel they have no choice but to appease, satisfy and further inflame the voters and viewers on whom their profits or hopes of political power depend.”
While I have never met Haley, I could see that she had a good story to tell, since she was the first UN ambassador and the daughter of Indian immigrants. Her mother, Raj, studied law at the University of New Delhi, and after immigrating to South Carolina, earned a master’s degree in education and became a local public-school teacher. Her father, Ajit, earned a doctorate from the University of British Columbia and then taught as a biology professor at Voorhees College for 29 years. On the side, they even opened a clothing boutique.
When asked about whether Fox executives had an obligation to stop hosts of shows from broadcasting lies, Mr. Dinh said “Yes” to that.
Lawyers for Fox, which filed its response to Dominion in court on Monday, have argued that its broadcasts after the election did not amount to defamation because they were protected under the First Amendment. In court filings, Fox said that its commentary and reporting is the kind of work that any journalistic outfit would do if they were covering newsmakers that were not very important.
The Sausage That is Made (And It Is Oasis): How the Right-Wing Channel Defeats TV News With Public Messages
Every TV anchor and media executive needs to know that email and text messages never know which ones will be public when their company is sued.
It is particularly painful if the messages show that you know what is being said on the air.
In legal filings made public Tuesday as part of Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against the right-wing channel, a trove of private text messages, emails, and deposition transcripts offered a new look at how the sausage is made behind the scenes at the channel — and it is ugly.
Carlson “passionately” hates Trump: A response to the Fox News News Critics’ questioning of the 2016 midterm election loss
► Carlson “passionately” hates Trump: In a number of private text messages, Carlson was harshly critical of Trump. In November of 2020 Carlson said Trump’s decision to skip Biden’s inauguration was destructive. Carlson added that Trump’s post-election behavior was “disgusting” and that he was “trying to look away.” Two days before the attack, Carlson said in a text message that we were very close to being able to ignore Trump. I can’t wait. Carlson added of Trump, “I hate him passionately.” The Fox host said of the Trump presidency, “That’s the last four years. It is too difficult to admit what a disaster it has been, so we are pretending we have a lot to show for it. But come on. The upside to Trump isn’t really a big deal.
Note that he said company. The Fox leaders and top talent were focused on the company, not the country. The larger concern at Fox News is that Newsmax was gaining traction, after Trump lashed out at Fox News for his 2020 election loss.
In a deposition, Murdoch said that he didn’t mind the politics of putting the conspiracy theorist on Fox News.
Ryan said in the interview that he was worried that Fox News wouldn’t be part of the solution if they were trying to solve the problem of conservatives.
Ryan was questioned by a conservative commentator last week about his decision to stay on the board of directors of Fox News.
Ryan said that there wasn’t a bigger platform in America. “So I think the conservative movement is going through a lot of churn and a lot of turmoil and I don’t like where it is right now.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/01/politics/fox-news-republicans-what-matters/index.html
CNN Comes to the Crimes against Russia: The Case against Russia from a Left-Right Scenario in the Anti-tax Club for Growth
If Russia invaded Ukraine as it did a year ago, Fox would have been a major backer of military aid. The network shows that view, where many guests talk about the importance of Ukraine aid.
Carlson, like Trump, is questioning whether the US should be opposed to Russia on the basis of their invasions of Ukraine.
CNN notes that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is an evolution in his policy positions and he wanted to send weaponry to Ukraine as a congressman.
Trump will appear this weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference, long a major stop for potential Republican presidential candidates. The other major announced candidate, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, will also attend.
But he will skip the event to promote his new book. The anti-tax Club for Growth is based in Palm Beach, Florida, where he can meet with donors.
Some of the lawmakers that CNN interviewed were mainstays in the Freedom Caucus as well as hardcore Trump supporters, who were his most loyal defenders in four years in office.
“The overriding concern among Republicans: They are concerned about Trump’s viability as a candidate,” Raju said. After he failed to win the election in the last few cycles, they’re worried he’ll give Biden another four years in the White House
Multiple members of the Freedom Caucus actually traveled to Florida not to meet with Trump, but instead to talk to DeSantis, according to Raju. They were impressed.
Fox News News: Mitch McConnell apologizes for the Jan. 6 Capitol Security-tapes-Tucker-Carlson-McConnell-Manger Attack
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell joined a chorus of widespread attacks on Fox News host Tucker Carlson for his portrayal of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol since he accessed more than 40,000 hours of security footage.
The security tape surrounding the attack had exclusive access to the host’s team, so there were concerns that the tapes would be used to spread misinformation.
McConnell thinks that Manger’s comments are correct. The Senate Republican leader didn’t criticize the House speaker when asked if he made a mistake by giving Carlson access to the security footage. McConnell responded by saying, “My concern is how it was depicted, which is a different issue.”
“It was a mistake, in my view, for Fox News to depict this in a way that’s completely at variance with what our chief law enforcement official here at the Capitol thinks,” McConnell told reporters.
“TV commentary won’t record the truth for our history books, it will be reported in commentary,” Manger said. “The justice system will. There is truth and justice on our side.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/07/1161686255/fox-tucker-carlson-jan-6-security-tapes-mcconnell-manger
The Senator of Capitol Police Killed during a Supermajority Election: “I hate our Decision Desk people!” — Chuck Schumer in the Fox News Media Landscape
The chief of the Capitol Police clearly describes what most of us witnessed on January 6. He said that he had a reaction to it.
Already, Democrats had warned it was a dangerous move. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer doubled down on those concerns speaking to reporters after McConnell’s remarks.
“Last night, Fox News, with Speaker McCarthy as a willing, capable and powerful accomplice, aired one of the most shameful hours we have ever seen in the history — in the entire history of cable television,” Schumer said. Tucker Carlson is pretending to be a newsman.
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The legal filings total hundreds and hundreds of pages. Journalists will unquestionably be sifting through them for days and weeks to come. But here are some immediate takeaways:
The fury from the top was palpable. “I hate our Decision Desk people!” On Nov. 7, the networks projected Biden would prevail in the election. He confided to Col Allan, the editor of his tabloid paper, The New York Post: “Just for the hell of it still praying for Az to prove them wrong!”
► Murdoch wanted to “help” his friend Jared Kushner: In his deposition, Murdoch was asked why he divulged confidential campaign ad information to Kushner. Murdoch was trying to help Mr. Kushner. He is a friend of mine.
Did the Fox News Editor-in-Chiral Get What They Want? Defending Giuliani’s Charges in a Political Debate
Bartiromo said in text messages that she had instructed her staff not to refer to the Democrat as the President-elect. “I want to see massive fraud exposed … I told my team we are not allowed to say pres elect at [all]. Not in scripts or in banners on air. Until this moves through the courts,” Bartiromo wrote, saying she is “scared & sad.” Bannon said she is a “fighter” and that the movement needed her. “Ok,” Bartiromo replied.
Reporters said they were being punished simply for doing their jobs. One producer told colleagues he was quitting because he could not justify working for Fox anymore.
Scott couldn’t keep defending reporters who didn’t know how to handle the stories. “The audience feels like we crapped on [it] and we have damaged their trust and belief in us.”
The level of discovery in this case — an avalanche of evidence — would trigger disclosures that would make any news organization quail. But legal observers say Dominion has put together a powerhouse case.
Carlson wrote he didn’t trust attorney Sidney Powell, who appeared on Fox repeatedly to allege Dominion committed fraud against Trump. Ingraham called her “a bit nuts.” (Separately, Carlson wrote to an associate, “I hate [Trump] passionately.”)
Yet they reserved their anger for their reporting colleagues, mocking, for example, Arnon Mishkin, the director of the Fox News Decision Desk. “Mishkin always made me shake,” she told the other two prime time hosts.
Carlson said that it should be. “We devote our lives to building an audience and they let [Fox News Sunday host] Chris Wallace and [correspondent and anchor] Leland f—— Vittert wreck it.”
Fox founder Rupert Murdoch was scathing about Giuliani in his own private remarks. So were other executives. But that night, Scott shot off an email to Jay Wallace calling Fisher’s segment “editorializing.”
Fisher appeared on Dana Perino’s afternoon program to knock down claims made by Rudy Giuliani. “That was certainly a colorful news conference from Rudy Giuliani but it was light on facts,” Fisher told viewers that night. “So much of what he said was simply not true or has already been thrown out in court.” And she unraveled many of Giuliani’s false claims.
A Fox employee warned that a backlash from the pro-Trump camp would result from posts on social media by right-wing commentators.
Fisher vented to a colleague over the pressure she felt. The two women said they each had lost assignments to serve as guest anchor on news shows and their appearances on other programs had dried up. “I have had zero live shots from the [White House] except for [Special Report],” Fisher texted to reporter Gillian Turner. The network’s prime political newscast is Special Report, anchored by Fox’s Bret Baier.
In late November, he chatted with SteveDoocy by text. The picture of his turkey was sent to him by Hannity. “This year is gonna suck my friend,” Hannity texted Doocy. “‘News destroyed us'”
A producer on Special Report later wrote to Fisher of his decision to leave the network, saying Fox “removed every panelist on SR who spoke out against Trump[‘]s false election sh–.”
Phil Vogel wrote he was taking a pay cut and forgoing six weeks paid leave to get out. “The post election coverage of ‘voter fraud’ was the complete end,” Vogel wrote, citing the birth of his daughter. “I realized I couldn’t defend my employer to my daughter while trying to teach her to do what is right.”
The network took two hours of political news and gave them to opinion hosts; laid off a lot of writers and reporters; and forced the managing editor and the political director to leave.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/08/1161694400/fox-news-lawsuit-civil-war-ingraham-hannity
The Siege of the US Capitol Was a Protest of the Forbidden Birth of Biden’s Victory, Reply to Carlson
Carlson moved on to new theories that the siege of the US Capitol was an attempt to block the congressional certification of Biden’s victory. Carlson has made claims that the event was organized by the FBI. The clips of official video released to him this week by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy were used to contend that the insurrection represented the harmless ambling of peaceful protesters.
