Hannity is a propagandist. Period.
6
I never watch his show but several years ago I happened to catch one of Hannity’s broadcasts at the gym around the time the bird flu was a potential health issue. Hannity deftly stated that there were issues in the production of the flu vaccine that season and attributing the issue to what happens when the government gets in the business of making vaccines.
I was appalled. First, the government doesn’t make vaccines, they license manufacturers to do that. Second, the flu vaccine production was being hampered by the inclusion of the bird flu—it was killing the eggs before enough antigen could be harvested.
He was using a scientific issue to make a case against the government. This goes beyond politics. His program was and still is propaganda.
7
why does this Trump brown-noser receive any attention at all? He's no journalist, he's too opinionated to take seriously, and his disdain is both opportunistic and cavalier. why continue trying to maked him appear newsworthy? Sean ain't nobody. Really, what is it with the Times and others who think any of these FOX chuckleheads are deserving of our precious attention? Someone tell me, please ...
2
Sorry, I just cannot understand what is conservative about such a person who does not sleep at night. He really does not make sense, or logical arguments when he speaks.
3
Interesting to learn that Mr. Hannity's folks were modest public employees, the type the he and his ilk now regularly demonize. Not surprising that he did poorly in school and lasted only 2 years on campus - his "education" appears to have been an indoctrination by far-right nativist radio host Bob Grant. In other words, Mr. Hannity did not come to his reactionary worldview through reading, study and analysis, but instead he learned to parrot the thoughtless conservative mantra of the Reagan & Gingrich era - tax cuts for millionaires, hate for government, and opposition to the other, and to his credit was wise enough to combine it with a fine speaking voice for radio and now is an exceptionally wealthy person.
Mr. Hannity is the favorite tool of the conservative billionaire class - an empty vessel who in exchange for wealth and/or political office will repeat the mantra until doomsday - tax cuts good, government bad, conservative good, liberal bad, guns good, immigrants bad, conservatives good, liberals bad, rich people good, poor people bad. So sad that so many would let him do their thinking.
8
The author says "Trump backers often style themselves" as "deplorables." I think it was Hillary Clinton who tagged them with that offensive label.
Several years ago, Hannity had John dean on his radio show. Hannity was asking dean leading questions. Dean, no slouch in understanding Hannity's tactics, would laugh every time Hannity tried to lead him on. It got to the point where it was making Hannity mad. Finally, Hannity in frustration blurted out, Dean you refuse to take the bait!
Enough said.
5
I see the unflattering photos of Mr. Hannity are captioned "... for the New York Times". Was Mr. Hannity given the impression that unflattering photos would be taken? Was he deceived?
Research how fox news was formed,how Murdoch was given citizenship just so he could purchase media properties.
1
I canceled my home delivery earlier this week (now I am digital only) because I could not bear the thought of this hideous huckster being tossed onto my lawn with the rest of the paper. I'll bet he loves your photos, NYTimes.
ANSWER - as far as Fox and Trump will let him! He's a hack shill for the alt-right, Trump and Bannon, Breitbart and their egregious lies, conspiracy theories. Hannity is Trump's biggest enabler. What other news organization would allow their paid anchors to be well known advisers to campaigns, the White House, and politicians? Either quit your job and join the cabal, or stay on air and be more even handed. FOX is quickly running out of right wing sycophants for this contemptible administration. Hope Hannity is the next to GO! He's as despicable as the whole bloody swamp Trump brought to Washington. Wouldn't be surprised if he's in Mueller's cross-hairs somewhere, too. Doesn't deserve cover and main article in Times Mag!
2
Elsewhere in the Times, Bret Stephens refers to "Administration fluffers like Sean Hannity". A better description of Hannity's servicing of Trump has never been written.
7
It's all about rage and aggression as entertainment. Like a punch-up at the end of a party, it gets people's adrenaline going and they love that.
For the rest of us, it's BORING. Truly, deeply, unbearably boring. No issues; just noise.
5
You do this great newspaper a disservice by wasting ink on this moron. He is the consummate partisan hack. However, one service he does perform is as a barometer of the ignorance of a (sadly) substantial number of American citizens. His audience is a clear example of how well the Republican grand plan is working, i.e. the dumbing down of America by starving the public education system, constantly challenging established facts, and repeating lies until they are no longer debated and then accepted as "truth".
12
He has gay friends. Uh huh.
1
A loudmouth professional liar who hides behind the label of being a journalist when it is convenient for him.
You just helped to legitimize him by giving him so much ink.
2
Hannity distorts and lies in all information he spews, to pander to disgusting hatred found in millions of basically ignorant viewers.
1
Why was Hannity invited to the White House party for journalists? That's the furthest thing from what he practices.
1
Ted Koeppel to Hannity during his interview:
You are dangerous to America because you do what you do so well.
3
Hannity makes $29 million a year. Most shills would say anything for far less.
Take one extreme example of a gay, minority’s, or liberal mistake or misstep and whitewash everyone on the in the group with a broad brush.
Repeat generalized catchphrases until even a baby can recite them.
Label anyone who doesn’t cow-tow to your principles “unpatriotic”
Sell all 3 ideas to a frustrated white audience, and you have Rush Limbaugh.
Steal those ideas and you have Sean Hannity aka “Limbaugh-Lite.”
3
NYT, you are too nice with this man, he is at war with you.
I would prefer a detailed analysis of one of his speeches, showing how he is shamelessly lying to his audience, and manipulating people.
6
From what I read, it seems that Hannity is simply a propaganda maker. He doesn't believe in truth or wisdom, he just churns the machine for his friends to become more and more popular.
1
We learn very little we didn't know about Hannity from this profile. A celebrity this rich has carefully (and expensively, no doubt) crafted a public persona that a writer tasked to produce a typical profile like this can't crack. People like Hannity use the media very skillfully. Notice how he got publicity for criticizing the "librul" New York Times about the photo they used for this story. He's loving the free PR, no doubt, but he has to keep his minions stirred up about the MSM.
Profiles like this don't help anyone but the guy being profiled. Will news organizations ever become canny enough to abandon them for a different way of reporting?
Hannity is the face of evil? satanic, even? oh my, how many over wrought liberals can dance on the head of a pin? Or are they pinheads?
Hannity is the right’s logical response to the many readers who commented on this feature in the most arrogant and insulated ways imaginable. Their contempt for their fellow citizens coats everything they say and their ignorance is mind numbing. They demonize him and his audience and seem to believe that compromise is a one way street. Can’t wait for Trump to get re-elected and watch these little minds go apoplectic all over again.
1
It just shows to what an extent many abused children from authoritarian families will go to justify that way of life, defend and shield their parents and continue the abusive tradition.
1
I applaud Sean Hannity. Far more often than not, he expresses my views, and I am far from alone in this. Of course, most NYT readers march to a different drummer.
2
Why give this awful man such publicity? Who cares about his childhood, etc. We should ignore him and not make the same mistake we made giving Trump all the attention!
3
It is somewhat archaic these days to call something "evil" - it almost feels medieval - but I have no qualms in labeling Fox News and Sean Hannity as the Face of Evil in modern society. They will take us back to medieval times with their lies and distortions if we do not recognize them for what they are, and treat them accordingly.
4
I don't watch or listen to Hannity, as I think he is very arrogant and unnecessarily bombastic...So, when I started reading the article I thought it would be an attack on him. But, to my surprise, I found it very well-balanced and a fair account of this "entertainer." It is interesting to learn that he truly believes the stuff he spouts out, not just doing all of it for his ratings. The
scariest thing about the article is how his ideas are shaping Trump's presidency. Not that Sean Hannity's ideas are all wrong, it's just that we, the American public, elected an empty-
vessel of a president who has to rely on a TV entertainer to give him ideas to conduct American policy with....Sad, isn't it....
1
It was a smart move for Fox News to move Hannity into the 9:00 PM time slot against MSNBC's Rachel Maddow's program. Mr. Hannity is beating Ms. Maddow in the ratings which must be disappointing for MSNBC. Fox News is the number one cable news network because the viewers feel it is the superior channel. Fox provides balanced programming and presents both sides of an issue. MSNBC looks at a news feature from basically a liberal point of view which distorts the issues. If they continue down this path, they will continue to lose viewers who may switch to Fox instead.
1
I lined my cat's litter box with this article. My cat looked at it and I swore I heard him say....."that's redundant."
9
Like Limbaugh he will go as far as he has to to amass money and power. He has no interest in the common good or the USA. Like his new idol, he cares not for the health or our country, our institutions or our Constituion. He is a con man.
3
"...he will go as far as he has to to amass money and power. He has no interest in the common good or the USA."
Sounds like most of the politicians in Washington, doesn't it?
1
I could not even read all of this. When ideology trumps critical thinking, good reasoning goes out the door.
2
13 million people need a hero and hannity and trump fill their requirements. That tells us what the root of the problem in America is.
1
Absolutely disgusted by you putting him on the cover. A total disgrace.
2
Many Americans watch Fox News because they think they have to in order to get all the news. The msm only report that half of the news that fits their narrative. If one could watch CBS or read the NYT and get all the news, Fox and Hannity would either go away completely or be relegated to low ratings like MSNBC.
2
So sad. NY Times doesn't get it as a media lead in taking out Trump. Was my home page for many years and while we still get the paper, I don't read it and rarely look at the online version. Do you get it? Lot's of people feel they have rational basis for their anger and are not mere pawns of Hannity. Just think about the lying that formed the basis for ObamaCare as a starter.
2
Hannity is an opinion maker. He is in a class with Rush Limbaugh, rarified political air.
1
Really, NYT? Did we really need to see Hannity's screaming face on the cover of the magazine? When I saw it, I flung the magazine across my dining room table and into the next room. Thus did I inadvertently answer the titular question: about 15 feet.
2
“I’m not thinking, Hey, will this make me popular in New York City or in the Hamptons,” Berry says. “Our audience is regular people.”
I don't know about the Hamptons, but I do know that NYC is full of "regular people" whom Hannity and his producers have written off, dismissing them in concert with the Republicans generally. The view from these elite so-called journlists seems to be that New Yorkers are vermin in contrast with the very fine people of OK.
1
"How Far Will Sean Hannity Go?"
How far has the New York Times and the bulk of the media gone to defend one of its own? Matt Shaer's problem is disbelief; how can there be so many people out there who listen to and believe what Sean Hannity says?
The Democratic arm of cable media, MSNBC, can't hold a candle to Fox in ratings. The left doesn't have anyone on the radio, either, who can compete with Limbaugh, Hannity, or Levin.
Granted, most of the pundit-driven shows get their audience through vitriol and confrontation. Sean Hannity is no different in that regard than Chris Matthews. Just like Trump, though, Hannity has a way with connecting to people that Matthews doesn't.
But Trump is no conservative, and Hannity is a conservative only when it's convenient. Sean used to rail incessantly about how much debt was increased under Obama, yet he never mentions the debt that piled up during the Regan years. He talks about how Reagan reduced "tax rates" down to 28%, but he conveniently forgets all the other taxes that were raised like the gas tax and the capital gains tax. Reagan campaigned on eliminating the Department of Education, but by the time he left, the department's budget had doubled. Sean talks about the rule of law except when it comes to Iran-Contra. Mr. Hannity talked about Bill Clinton's "cut-and-run" after Somalia, but forgets when Reagan did the same after the Beirut bombing.
How far will he go? Liberals should ask themselves that same question.
2
Thank you for publishing this piece on a fantastic radio & television personality!
2
Why are you censoring the expletives? Sometimes it's unclear what he said.
3
I couldn't care less where this disgusting person was born, lived or went to the bathroom. There is no room in my attention space for the master of the fake news.
Unfortunately we are living in a time when fair and balanced is not the priority.
15
In the beginning.....some of us conservatives were amused with the fight fire-with -fire antics of Rush and Sean. But it didn't take long to figure out that they were propagandists, not journalists, and that their egos were driving the agendas, not the good of the nation or Christian values. It was impossible for me to listen to them or any of the others of their ilk without feeling like I was being manipulated and encouraged to hate whoever the liberal enemy was that week. Their arrogance and shrillness destroyed what might have been an opportunity to hear multiple points of view that are respectable and learned. I have to admit, Trump's presidency is the product of cultural Christians listening to these partisan political preachers and becoming terrified that their way of life is under attack and believing only the Republicans can save them. Very sad on so many levels.
20
What grinds people is that Hannity is so successful at tapping into the mysterious angst that drives people to vote for guys like Trump. He appeals to "regular" people, meaning that people who don't watch his show are "irregular" people. When you're winning, you can laugh at such absurdities. When you've lost, it leads to teeth grinding. The only thing that will turn Hannity's smirk into a frown is the antagonized irregulars getting out to vote and to treat that vote as a culture war, and a fight for the soul of this country. Rather than hate the guy and the profile, I suggest following Sun Tzu's advice in The Art of War: "If you know the enemy and yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. Get to know Hannity and others like him.
8
My little act of patriotism I boycott all Rupert Murdoch interests, Movies , Fox advertisers, and sports broadcasts.
I feel better
13
Also, write to the sponsors of Fox 'news' that you are doing this.
4
Hannity might like to think he's outrageous but trust me up against the European political hosts he's a boy scout.
1
What's going on Sean Hannity? More and more people are experiencing the stress of economic failure, failing to connect to the community and inability to experience a sense of belonging or any kind of safety net. Some people just surrender and end up on the streets, being accused of being the problem simply because they remind others clinging to something of what is biting at their heals. Others go a different way. There is eustress and the there is distress, there are people who internalize their stress and others who externalize. There is a whole spectrum of affect out there...of how much people are biologically compelled to care or be callous, give or take, seek sensations or avoid them, be paranoid or be anxious - it's complex, people vary in degrees. And with the four decades of prosocial decline as our government is taken over by greed, which is only good for those lower affect types who live in their lower nature and embody all the qualities we attribute to Satan, people are feeling so betrayed, they are thrown. And Thrown-ness - well, a hurricane at high tide is going to do more damage. And you, sir, are the devil in blue dress. So get him out of here. He has not value other than to destroy humanity...just for the thrill of it. Sadistic, patsy or idiot I have no idea since I never ever watch you, but I am a child specialist. I also trin dogs, and I know the best cure for poor behavior is to ignore it. Never, ever reward the behavior. That's insane sensation seeking.
1
Why even give this hateful con man a platform?
8
Because there are people that believe in him enough to give him a microphone and a time slot. If he wasn't meeting or exceeding the expectations of those who hired him, he'd be out of a job.
1
$36M/year. Better lower the income tax rates.
3
I read this entire article hoping for some insight into what drives a person to be so ready to hate, so reluctant to compromise and critical analysis, and so willing to ignore inconvenient facts. I came away empty and annoyed that I had lost 20 minutes of my life to this man. Did the writer avoid the hard questions or is it just that with Hannity, there is nothing else there? Is the hollowness I feel after reading this article just a reflection of what is inside Hannity?
19
Read Jung on Evil, collected by Murray Stein; Mindset, by Dr. Carol Dweck and The Psychopath Inside by Dr. James Fallon. Small books, the kind you can read in small chunks. Another read, but whooah, it's a commitment, is Heidegger's On Being and Time. Of course you could also surf the net and find summaries and videos of their work. Oh, and TED Talks: Are you a Giver or a Taker (Adam Grant), and Ruth Chang's How to make a hard decision. Kurt Lewin's algorhithm B=f(P,E), Margaret Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science is helpful too. Oh, and by the way, if you were to ask the Dalai Lama what to do right now, he'd say teach values to children at a secular level - and observation is the way we really learn. So, research on parenting styles (Baumrind, Olsen) is worth a read. Your children have different temperaments. Redirect Feisty, Be the Safe Base for Fear, Attend to Friendly and flex your parenting style. Be outcome driven, not stress driven. You are the lab that is developing their personality.
3
"I read this entire article hoping for some insight into what drives a person to be so ready to hate, so reluctant to compromise and critical analysis, and so willing to ignore inconvenient facts."
Is the left is not guilty of the same thing? Do you actually believe that Schumer, Pelosi, and the liberal media have even the slightest intent to compromise with the right? Do you believe that liberals, allegedly the group that embodies tolerance, have nothing but contempt for those on the other side of the political spectrum?
1
Amusing. He has no use for the “mainstream media” but the prospect of being on the cover of the New York Times Magazine was irresistible. A hypocritical ideologue like all the other right wingers but he does tremendously more damage peddling obvious falsehoods to his credulous viewers. If only Americans were well educated critical thinkers but alas...
15
Besides scaring 75% of your readership to death with that cover, what was the purpose of this profile? If you had taken the time, and had the intestinal fortitude, a frank assessment of his role in the current media environment would have been helpful. Instead we have a whole lot of description and extremely little critical analysis. What has happened to the NYT?
Not really the lead Magazine article I wanted to see two days after receiving notice that the cost of my subscription was going up.
13
How far (i.e., stupid) will he go? A looooong way. His fans (i.e, the GOP base) will follow him all the way. And, tragically, drag the rest of us along with them.
4
Why are we hearing nothing about the sexual accusations against Hannity, such as described by Debbie Schlussel? Is #metoo just a weapon to be used against liberals?
6
Mr. Hannity will overstep his bounds one too many times and this will result in either some tragedy that he will help make happen or, the lesser of the 2 evils, his demise at Fox. I blame Murdoch for this. Fox is the movie Network come really and truly to life. And eventually something horrible will happen as a result. People that watch TV News (any of it) are fools. It’s mind-numbing which is why people like Hannity are so popular. People who follow him have no ability to think critically. It’s been sucked out of them.
8
I pay the NYT close to $900. a year to avoid having to see or hear bigots like this. Are there not enough newsworthy people n the planet to write about?
4
I NEVER watch Fox, but I do see clips now and then via some other report. And from what I read about Hannity it seems he has cast his star with Trump. I have the impression he is in for the ride.
3
I had saved this article to read when I have time but I got kind of bored with it and raced through it especially anything Geraldo had to add. One thing to enjoy, though, is the pic. of Sean as an adorable toddler fighting to be front and center of the picture. They grow up so quick.
2
Hey! Give Sean a break. Guy is clearly suffering from cerebral expansion secondary to 10 hr daily in a full body spanx. Man's head is about to explode.
Always a brainless wonder, he is now a giant gas filled expanding skull atop a compressed corpus. He's hair. Gas. Blather. Pay him no attention. Laugh at his antics. Send him balloons. X rated tapes. He's 12 yrs old, in a middle aged body, and his hero is a 72 yr old blowhard with dyed hair and a Yuge gut. Pity the fool who is Hannity.
21
State run television at is poorest. I have more respect for kim jong un than for any trump sycophants....
17
I would say they're doing a fine job. They have that 13 million either guzzling the Kool Aid of the tax scam or getting them to looking at the latest misdirection play. If this were 80 years ago in Germany, Fox would more or less be the Volkischer Beobachter's TV network with the unspeakable but brilliant Joey Goebbels as the CEO. .
8
If you want to see an example of state-run media, go back to election night 2016 and any other network BUT Fox. You saw a collective meltdown as "their" candidate didn't win.
How far with Hannity go? As far as FOX and his wallet let him. Hannity, like all those in Show Biz, do whatever it takes to keep themselves relevant and their ratings sky high. They are highly paid prostitutes, mercenaries whose opinions and souls can be bought for a price. I'll bet you if Hannity were threatened with losing his job versus towing the liberal line for twice the salary his loyal audience would be shell-shocked. They've been sold a bad bill of goods for so long they won't know what hit them.
All one has to look at the selling and re-branding of one Megyn Kelly. What a complete disaster that's turned into. FOX and NBC sit directly across from one another on Sixth Avenue. Kelly assumed she could crossover her personality as easy as walking from FOX to NBC. But what happened? Even those who get their "news" from the pablum put forth on Today are not that stupid. They saw the stilettos, leather skirted helmet haired dominatrix turned into a warm and fuzzy high neck sweater wearing gal next store for what it is: a charade, a fraud, a sleight of hand marketing hocus pocus.
What happened, Megyn? What audiences should have realized by now is that the people they see on camera bear no resemblance to the people they are in real life. The are products to be marketed, personas to be sold to the highest bidder. When people stop watching, their opinions become meaningless. That is what should occur now.
DD
Manhattan
23
Hannity and FOX News are a festering, running sore that is filling the brains of ignorant Americans with lies, and complete garbage. Why have we allowed Fox News to spew out this destructive garbage for more than 20 years? When good men do nothing, evil will continue.
29
Hannity is truly a failure at political analysis and critique. I will give him this much, he knows how to play those right wing folk... He knows all they really want to hear is trash talk, and that is one thing he is good at. He's wrong MOST of the time, but he has a very convincing "look" about him.
18
Host. Not a journalist. Not a reporter. Not even a journalism major. Just a host - a person who entertains other people as guests. Sorta like a clown at the circus.
36
Sean Hannity? You must be joking? This pot stirrer is a joke, or he should be. Anyone who takes a word of his seriously is a seriously damaged human being. Hannity rakes in millions doing what Goebbels did. When the real revolution against Right Wing White Supremacist Fascists finally occurs it will be people like Hannity who should face a tribunal for crimes against humanity. Free speech is not free, and Hannity should be made to pay for using the First Amendment as a cudgel to beat his minions into submission with horrific tales of lies deceit and hate. Hannity is a disgrace to this country.
DD
Manhattan
15
Maybe if I put a wig on my big toe I can get it a tv show too.
5
How apropos that Limbaugh's brother arranged for this sleezeball to get comparable career.
The world will be vastly better when Hannity and Limbaugh depart from careers.
13
It'll be even better when they depart this earth.
1
Another loser, ignore him and move on. Who watches Fox News anyway?
10
A guy who dropped out of two colleges causing this much indirection because he has a big mouth and happens to look good on television tells you all you need to know about the power of ignorance.
27
Sycophant, nothing more.
12
The #1 Reader Pick comment starts: "Mt. Shaer - a writer? a reporter? - is given access to Mr. Hannity, proceeds to ask no challenging questions, and then writes this piece." It's a scathing comment criticizing the author the NYT for 'be[ing] so easy on' on the subject.
Readers made the same type of criticisms about the 'Nazi Next Door' article of earlier this week.
But what happened to that sad Nazi, Mr. Hovater? News cycle today says the NYT article caused him to get fired from his job, and forced to move from his home.
So who is the fool now? The NYT for 'normalizing' people like this? Or these people for thinking that their views and human values are in any way acceptable to the vast majority of Americans?
This dynamic -- the NYT letting people like Hannity and the Nazi next door speak for themselves (and thus hang themselves) -- reminds me of the 1984 documentary 'Chickenhawk' on NAMBLA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygrd29-_O3I).
Just like here with the NYT, people were furious with the director of that documentary for "normalizing" these child abusers. But the upshot of that documentary was that it ended NAMBLA. These hideous people hung themselves with their own words.
So fellow readers, regarding the NYT, please give the Gray Old Lady a break. She knows what she is doing.
On that score, please NYT Mag, give us some soft-pedaled feature interviews of Messrs. Bannon, Milo, Spencer, et al. Let's hear what these "good people" have to say.
40
How Far Will Sean Hannity Go? Not far enough, I fear. I imagine he will still be able to be seen and heard.
3
Is Hannity next in continuing sex scandal? Will Fox Entertainment protect their key money maker? Tune in.
6
Fox already did the scandal thing. Where were you?
That's ridiculous. He's squeaky clean when it comes to his treatment of women.
1
That's just an act. That's all any of it is....just an ACT.
2
This one line says all you need to know about Hannity and right-wing media like his—Beck, Coulter, Jones, Levin, Lahren, Limbaugh, O’Reilly etc.—in general:
Hannity later told me he had, over time, developed separate approaches for his radio and television shows. “My thoughts are the same: I’m mad,” he said.
Anger—not all of it unwarranted, by the way—is partly why Trump won. However, when a host like Hannity admits that the very basis or foundation for his show is anger, the viewer has to ask him/herself if the show is really supplying the news “Fair and Balanced” like Fox News likes to say, or if it is just an outlet for one conservative Republican’s righteous anger. Anyone that watches an episode of Hannity can see that it’s mostly about Hannity feeding on that anger.
This speaks to a larger point that shows like Hannity’s don’t really care about the news—they care about their side of the news. What these shows need to stay alive is ratings, and, generally speaking, the more controversial and angry hosts can be, the more viewers they’ll get. Just look at Alex Jones.
7
As a former journalist, I'm appalled by the success of a "news" channel that isn't really a news channel. Fox News was a fraud from the very beginning, and it's still a fraud. I refuse to watch it. If I wanted to be lied to all the time, I'd still be married.
7
This is the lead "mouth" for FOX, which I have stopped watching. This network spreads nothing but hate and division. As someone said here, how I long for reasoned debates, dare I say conversation in a reasoned tone....
9
My husband and I watch 'Hannity' most evenings, due to his tell-it-like-it-is personality and his daily lineup of excellent guests, for example, Sarah Carter, John Solomon, Victoria Toensing, Jay Sekulow and Greg Jarrett. The news reporters on his show are superb investigators. Hannity doesn't call himself a journalist. He does news commentary, and he's very good at it. Other network anchors appear pretty lazy in comparison.
4
Yes, I agree. Sean is certainly not lazy in presenting half (or quarter) truths.
7
Mistaking noise for intelligence was something I though only happened here. Apparently it happens in Canada too.
12
Ever hear of the movie, Network?
The thing people should be wondering is what Hannity is consuming to remain so pumped on so little sleep.
Something's gotta give one of these days..........
7
my wise old Scottish grandmother used to say "You get the face you deserve when you're 50." I mean, just look at this guys face. You don't need a caption to know he is spewing hate.
6
Message to the 13 million: "The captain has turned off the 'no thinking' light. Feel free to move about your brains."
6
Media Matters has published a long critique about this article. Check it out and get filled in on all the things the Magazine missed.
New York Times Magazine profile of Sean Hannity missed a ton of his conspiracy theories
MATT GERTZ
5
Hannity plays to fear and anger - a tried and true but not very honest tactic commonly used throughout history by those seeking power who need a quick and effective way to unite followers. He never seems to call out the independents and centralists even though they certainly account for a good portion of those who have low opinions of Trump and Congress. Instead, he practically spits as he calls out "liberals" and "leftists" nightly as if they are three-headed monsters. Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump and too many others use the same hostile scare tactics to keep attracting their outraged and afraid audiences and voters. The problem with this is as a Republic, with laws and principles based on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, more is demanded of our fellow citizens than just fear and anger to survive as a nation; reasoned debate and an educated citizenry that acts like one, to start. This nation's citizens are not served by those who promote fear and anger to gain and retain power in the media or in government or anywhere else. It's easy for me to understand why so many are so easily manipulated when lack of education and widespread ignorance are the norm. It's much more difficult to understand why so many people in this country in this day and age, who should be able to see through this charade, are so easily fooled.
8
Hannity now sits on the throne (or water closet) vacated by the disgraced O'Reilly. Is this his reward for keeping his mouth shut about the sex harassment going on all around him at Fox News and did nothing about?
5
There's a big hole in this profile -- does he have a family? If so, who is his spouse? What does he/she do? Any children? How old? etc. etc. The profile is very good re his childhood, his career trajectory, interviews with colleagues and experts to give a sense of who he is, but a reader needs to know about his personal life to get a full picture. What about more details from the interview with his sister? Is he still close to his siblings? Or if she wouldn't give much info, tell us; that would say something too.
7
Somehow I doubt he is going to come back to give those answers to the NYT
He says he is an "opinion journalist?" That is not a thing. It's one or the other, or you're just a con man.
9
… “when I got in trouble, my father ripped the belt off and kicked the [expletive] out of me.” Still, he came to admire what he saw as Hugh’s sense of right and wrong. “In many ways,” he told me, “I’m not as good as him.”
I hope now we finally grasp how truly dangerous beating/scorning/neglecting children on a regular basis is. Our country is being run by adult victims of child abuse acting out their unconscious rage against defenseless scapegoats rather than against their idolized and much feared perpetrators.
12
Sean Hannity is court jester to the idiot right wingnut fringe. It's diametrically opposite to real news. It's the very definition of fake news. If you want to take the pulse of the people who buy his unbelievably biased coverage of real news events this is your go-to guy. One never knows how much instigators like Hannity and Limbaugh actually believe the nonsense they spew. They'll swear to high heaven it is truly their philosophy. I doubt anyone not living in a cave could really believe in the rubbish they throw across the fruited plain. But if they are true believers, then we should have more pity than anger toward such obvious nincompoops. I think these so-called entertainers may be conservatives but don't buy half of what they peddle. They're in show business, baby. Their job is to generate ratings, and they know what will do that. That's the problem when any of us make presenters/anchors and certain news people heroes. We run the risk of succumbing to their personalities over actual facts.
For news, I still go to the old reliable's, The Times, The Wash Post, and the Broadcast News outlets, in particular PBS/NPR. Just the facts, ma'am, as Joe Friday said. Most of cable news per hour is five minutes of news followed by fifty-five minutes of opinion. Way too much prognostication, but such is the plight of 24/7 media no matter their political bent. Slaves to ratings should always be suspect.
DD
Manhattan
7
I love how a man who uses a 20 year-old pic of himself on Twitter is whining that the Times used a photo that misrepresents how he really looks.
5
Also: why don’t we call those who deserve it liars? Hannity is a liar. Trump is a liar.
9
>
There are no limits
4
From a bell curve perspective, you are talking about the Fox 4%. That would be the lower end of the IQ spectrum.
1
IQ doesn't fit a Gaussian distribution.
Well...It's good to see that your getting out there Hannity, rattling cages.
Your waking up the sleeping Giant (Silent Majority, the Patriotic Americans).
Keep up our Constitutional awareness!
S.C.B.
1
Liberals and far-leftists hate Hannity almost or just as much as they hate Trump. Keep up the good work, Hannity.
1
Hannity is does not deliver news or even discuss it. He spews fascist, reactionary propaganda. A despicable human being - with his own mental illness problems, I suspect. One who destroys our democracy and this country he claims to love. A very ill-informed, irresponsbile, uneducated, cold, self-serving, ego-tripping lost soul, like most at Fox News. A tool of haters and narcissists of the so called 'Right wing.'
3
Hannity will go as far as trump tells him to go
2
Will we see stories for those dedicated to destroying this administration at CNN and MSNBC?
2
Hannity is going as far defending Trump as NYT went defending Obama. Deal with it!
2
Hannity is like all of us in that, as he ages, the number of people who are willing to listen to him will dwindle, leaving him alone with his regrets, which is sure to be many.
Sean Hannity is an entertainer. A very good entertainer. But he is not a journalist. He does not report the news. He does not deal in facts, lIke two plus two equals four. He deals in opinion, like, your favorite color.
We are a Democracy. We have different opinions. Different beliefs. Hannity expresses his opinions and beliefs. The only problem is, he expresses them in such an authoritative manner, they sound like truth. But they are not truth, they are opinion. He manipulates the news stories of the day to build his case. To argue for his beliefs.
The twenty-four hour news shows and the talking heads like Hannity have made governing America in the 21st Century very difficult. That's my opinion. But I think it's pretty close to the truth.
2
Back when ABC, NBC and CBS were the only networks delivering the nightly news to the American people, a kid named Sean Hannity was listening to talk radio. Back then (1970’s) conservative talk was underground, not allowed on the powerhouse three. I’m wondering if Hannity foresaw himself bringing it to tv when he listened to Grant and Farber? Did he ever imagine his own conservative nightly news show could trump (no pun intended) all other mainstream news outlets by double the viewers totaling 3.73 million? And, if Hannity had never pursued a career in conservative television news, would President Trump have become president? Referencing a resistance tweet pales in comparison to the daily dossier/ MLK bust/ anonymous sourced viciousness of the mainstream media. Would Trump have stood a chance minus Hannity? A day in the life of Sean Hannity and a trip down his memory lane encapsulates the typical Trump voter, one of humble beginnings raised by middle class working parents. After eight years ranting America was falling apart the emergence of Donald Trump promising to make America great again must have been a dream come true for Hannity. How far will he go? I think he’s already packed a powerful punch and solving a possible murder case could be the tipper. The love-fest interview at Trump’s Middletown, PA tax rally was warranted in my opinion, a happy American congratulating his president for a job well done.
2
Fox is the only station worth listening to with horrible commercials; (the other one is NPR which doesn't have commercials except when they beg for money for a week at a time). And this is because of Hannity especially (also Chris Wallace, Bret Baier) and also because of all of the 'chicks' who are very sharp and good-looking as well. Far better than CNN which is going nowhere fast.
1
I have continually been baffled by people like Hannity, Jones, and Trump. Where do they think these lies and conspiracy theories will get them? Ratings? What do they think will happen to them when our government is so hollowed out that all we have left are autocrats and oligarchs running our country? Yes, power is an addictive motivator, BUT America WILL no longer be great. All their money and power will turn to...nothing. If they can succeed in dividing our country, if they can promote a nuclear war with Korea or Iran, if the oligarchy survives, so what? The living will envy the dead. Where do they think these lies and conspiracy theories will get them?
2
Hannity tuns off a lot of people, mostly because of his presentation style.
The same very much applies to the crew on MSNBC, especially Matthews and O'Donnell. Eyelash-batting Rachel is fun to watch, for a few minutes . . .
CNN is, well, just a show, at times entertaining, but very thinn gruel.
So we watch them all, not hoping to get much real info from any of them.
Fortunately, there was Rose and the long interviews on PBS.
But Rose is gone. A "victory" for whom?
Only the WSJ is left as a source of useful journalism.
(And it is printed so even the old can read it.)
1
This piece makes Sean look very good and very real. I am surprised it was done by the Times. They must really be afraid of Sean. Good!
5
How can the New York Times journalists win the war of impeaching Trump if Hannity has 13 million people watching his show every day.
The New York Times had a circulation of 522,079* for quarter ending September 2017.
The Wall Street Journal had 1,099,545 for the same date—almost twice as much as the NY Times!
*NOTE: Circulation data from AAM Quarterly. Pew Research Center: Political Polarization & Media Habits.
How can you keep up with them?
4
Does this circulation data include online readers? Do 522,079 people read Sean Hannity's show?
TV is electronic media just like the internet is.
2
Hannity's recursive sycophantic loop is soporific, a better formula for the old 10 pm slot. For 9 pm, the "Hannity and Colmes" format makes more sense: Colmes counterpoint kept the audience awake.
As for Uranium One being a crazy conspiracy theory, I say,"follow the money." In 2009, Mueller, then FBI Director, had collected proof of money-laundering, blackmail and bribery by Russia to gain control of the US—and global—uranium market. His evidence included the flow of millions from Russia's nuke officials to cutouts & on to Clinton Inc. Yet Mueller co-conspired in the coverup of crimes that would have put the kibosh on Uranium One. (The Hill)
The Left may have its own conspiracy theory — Russia "collusion" — backwards. "Russia collusion" looks increasingly like a Russia-DeepState ruse with Mueller's prosecution of Trump a cynical deflection away from from the real crimes and criminals.
3
These are troubling accusations. Could you share with readers the sources for this FBI investigation and findings?
1
This is the exact sort of brainless nonsense that Fox News peddles. To watch Fox News is to deny reality.
1
Marian, I believe you are quoting from a Hill editorial, not a Hill news report. Even Fox News journalists have debunked the Clinton/Uranium conspiracy theory.
2
His show is and has been garbage for decades. But how can you argue with 13 million viewers for a show largely involving one guy talking to a camera? Its your own fault if you fall for his junk.
23
Sean Hannity....the new VOA?
"As democracy is perfected, the Presidency represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron"
As far as Hannity is concerned, he suffers from unconscious incompetence aided and abetted by our reigning incompetent, the Apprentice.
20
We'd be a LOT better off with this creature gone.
15
Public enemy number one, a true American traitor. An enemy to democracy. No patriotic high ground for this Judas.
17
"a true American traitor."
Thanks for all your informative examples supporting your comment Teddy .
Par for the lib course - vacuous and vicious attacks backed by thin air .
Geraldo should know...... Sean Hannity is nothing more than Al Capone's vault.
11
Hannity's show is basically the exact same show every single night... same topics, same panelists, same fake indignation....
23
"Hannity's show is basically the exact same show every single night."
He does repeat the same info often , but buttressed with new info as it occurs .
Hannity’s 13 million viewers might be the same 13 million Americans that will lose health coverage by 2027 under GOP tax bill...
34
I am so tired of the lies and half truths and fake news that emanates from the right wing media. They are a well oiled and finely tuned propaganda machine. They are not journalist and they do not disseminate news. They always have an agenda and cannot ever use any sort of truth to support it so they resort to made up stories. Unfortunately there is no cure for their horrible abuse of the truth....
25
He’s all that’s wrong with America. Ignorant , sanctimonious, self righteous and ill informed. American exceptionalism on full display indeed.
27
"Ignorant , sanctimonious, self righteous and ill informed. "
Tony , all I can say is that you should look in the mirror when speaking that way .
Even Hannity's worst enemies don't consider him ignorant , but you do .
Testimony to how many react when devoid of any real facts .
Funny (in a sick way) that the only way to get amoral, self-serving losers like Hannity off the air is a sexual harassment scandal. As millions were okay with the heinous Bill O'Reilly and Roy Moore before their sex-predator scandals, 13 million people are okay with the blatant liar and hate-monger for profit, Hannity (even more for Trump).
This is truly the saddest time in American History where so many people either cannot discern fact from fiction or, even worse, they can, but they just don't care.
28
"the only way to get amoral, self-serving losers like Hannity off the air is a sexual harassment scandal."
Brannon , are you suggesting a false scandal to attain your goals?
Who has been championing Juanita Broaddrick for years now ,the MSM or Hannity?
You speak about Hannity from ignorance .
This Trump voter can't stand Hannity/Fox news because of how news is presented in a sensational emotional way, loaded with artificial angst.Worse, this model has crept into msnbc,cnn and other main stream news. NYT isn't exempt from this.
It should not be necessary to read both NYT and wsj on the same topic in an attempt to conjure what is true from two divergent views/facts presented. Trying to find facts by watching either or both Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow type news is useless.
Thankfully Rush Limbaugh has dumped the emotional hook mostly, regardless ones views, his takes on the news withstand the test of time.
3
Will never, ever, under any circumstances, watch this poor excuse for a man. Am not interested in reading about him. Don't care what he thinks, does, or says. He is a pox on the country and the sooner he leaves the airwaves, the better off we will all be.
18
Allison
You don't watch "this poor excuse for a man." You must mean reporter or news anchor, not "man." Right?? I think that Hannity does a good job of combatting the left.
Hannity is as much a champion for the Right as Rachel Maddow is for the Left.
They are both just entertainers bending the truth to meet the needs of their audience.
6
Piffle. I cannot and will not let this false equivalency stand. Hannity is an I'll informed loudmouth. Maddow is a Rhodes scholar with meticulously researched and erudite broadcast every night. The fact that she is adored by liberals only indicates that liberals prioritize facts and accuracy while right-wingers value their own viewpoint ahead of the facts.
4
And yes, reflective of their followers. Check each of their educational levels. Which is why Trump loves the uneducated. We live in a stupid country, and Trump loves it.
3
I don’t watch either one but she is educated and rational- he is neither.
Mr H is a high school grad and not the sharpest knife in the box. He has luckily obtained a career in a time that rewards mediocrity and half truths in exchange for being a tool for the Murdochs and Ailes of this world.
2
Right wing extremists also feed off of tragic events, the most notable being September 11, 2001.
6
bnc
And just what are right wingers doing to "feed off" the tragedy of 9/11, when nearly 3,000 people were killed by terrorists who took control of three planes, and crashed into the world trade center buildings, the pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania? And "other tragic events?"
Sean Hannity is enabling a man who quite plainly has some kind of dangerous mental problem. Beyond Trump's "Pocahontas" comment being racist and insulting, it came out of an addled mind. All he had to do was concentrate on getting through the Code Talkers ceremony for a few minutes, and as I see it, the Native American connection (the casino dispute from long ago/Elizabeth Warren) triggered him and caused him to blurt out that stupid remark.
Donald Trump lives in his own world amidst a swirl of old resentments, Obama-envy, bigotry, and delusional beliefs, a primary one being that he has done more in 10 months than any other POTUS —any one of which was better suited for the job than he. I gave my evaluation of this latest embarrassment to a friend on the phone and he said, "My wife described it the same way. 'He cannot concentrate. Look at his body language.'" And look at his face.
Do you want to die in a nuclear blast, Sean Hannity? Because your guy has succeeded in making a terrifying situation with North Korea even worse. We need smart people at the helm right now, not a belligerent nitwit leaving countless key positions empty because he has a limited number of unqualified sycophants to fill them.. God, or Mueller, help us all.
18
For all of us who deplore FOX news, there are reasons. Its a bit like calling my sister and listening to her insistent loud know it all opinions that have no room for anything factual or academic. Thinking is elitist. To get a word in edgewise is highly unlikely as she has no sense of taking turns or listening to a different view. It is necessary for her to be right. I can't live in FOX news which strikes me like a brash sales pitch. I turn off the minute he opens his mouth. The smugness of this stupidity is offensive.
7
Barbara
Try Bret Baer on Fox.
Try "Outnumbered" at noon on Fox. It is an intelligent discussion.
Try Martha McCallum at 7:00 p.m. on Fox.
This article should have been two words: too far.
4
I try to read Fox news stories. They are so full of adjectives... the "liberal" Washington Post, the "liberal" media it is hard to find an objective article. These opinions should be in the editorial section not in the main articles unless all of Fox's articles are editorials.
6
Sean Hannity: the face of fake news.
21
Godfrey
Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell, the faces of left wing exaggeration.
1
In the lead up to the Iraq War, Hannity had Mike Farrell ( Mash TV Show ) on. He was a very articulate spokesman for the left and against the war. Within seconds he caught Hannity in a lie. Hannity said "well you got me" to which Farrell replied "it's not hard to get you my friend," very dryly. And it's not. John McCain called him a liar at one point on his show. I called McCain's Office to congratulate him for saying so. Anyone with half a brain on most subjects could easily shut him up in a debate. Totally full of it and a menace to the truth.
17
Just goes to show that if you scratch the surface of the republican "base" you will find bigots who will glom onto other bigots such as Hannity and Limbaugh. Sad to see the state of our country so low.
10
How about a follow up article on "How Far Will the NY Times Go?" The first part can be in defending President Obama and the second part in attacking President Trump.
4
he's nothing more than a well-paid blowhard who saber rattles with words the continuous drum beat of imminent attacks of some other side. There is a military industrial complex mindset posed as news even in its name itself. Your angry opinionated, entitled, racist, same 100 words or less uncle at the dinner table every night wedging the fabric of an otherwise stability striving family.
Ah, yes. The vacuous "Whataboutism Arguement". I knew it would be here and it didn't take me long to find it.
2
Hannity and Fox are selling the nostalgia of the white middle-class small town of the 50's and the favorite TV shows of that era, Father Knows Best and Daniel Boone which represent the "true" Americans. When will Fox viewers realize they cannot go back, but join us going forward?
8
As one of those people, I think you've got it right. As people live longer, and the world changes (faster?) we feel a bit unmoored, and perhaps irrelevant. We need to get a grip, and maybe get out of the way. This should apply to Congress members too! Why can they stay forever?! Time to make way for a new generation.
1
Sean Hannity’s influence over the Trump administration and its supporters is both staggering and astounding to watch. Watching a just few minutes of his show, especially as a liberal, makes this painfully clear. As stated in the article, his inflammatory rhetoric, covers not only the “mainstream media”, but things as insignificant as fake twitter accounts. He gives angry conservatives a target to aim their feelings at; he gives a face to the government, more specifically, the Democrats, that glance over middle America every day. He takes this uniting discontent and directs it towards disproven conspiracy theories, and then towards the sources that disprove them. As a result, Hannity spoon-feeds lies to his audience, including Trump, with ease. Journalism is one of the most valuable assets a democracy has, and we should not allow talk show hosts like Hannity to muddy its waters.
8
Ditto: CNN and MSNBC
I think Hannity is at his best when he debates liberals and progressives on his show. I miss Alan Colmes dearly. Just listening to a one way diatribe from anyone is disheartening since you don’t get both sides. But he does much much better than MSNBC and CBS etc who rarely have a conservative voice.
1
At the end of the day, “bearing false witness” is still lying, no matter who tries to dress it up as patriotism, religion, or an easy way to make 35 million.
10
Sorry, I'll pass on this one. Try as I might, I have profound difficulty connecting with people who would willingly have this guy and those of his ilk rant and rave in their ears for hour after hour each day.
10
Hear, hear!
Maybe rent that journalist over at the Washington Post who saw through the faker sent over by that Veritas outfit - the one who tried to float a bunch of hokum to aid Roy Moore- in about 2 seconds flat. She seemed to know how to cast a critical eye and “consider the source” rather than treat a liar like source of “entertainment”.
Minimizing the harm done by liars is the problem here.
12
Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin, O'Reilly, Beck, Savage. For 30 years, these loudmouths and their like have spun. lied about, and otherwise poisoned American politics, leading in the end to Trump, and the lasting damage he is doing to our nation. All the while, they've enriched themselves beyond imagination, scoring annual paychecks of up to $50 million, and lived like kings while their followers pinched every penny, blaming for their plight whoever the hate radio gods tell them to blame. I look forward to the day when the right wing echo chamber is finally seen for what it is, a cancer on the body politic.
21
Hannity viewers will vote Republican anyway. He is quite literally preaching to the choir.
3
I am amazed at the straight forward approach the Times took in presenting Sean Hannity - even the photo is not a distraction, really. Can it be that the Times has become fair and balanced? Probably not but Mr. Shaer gets my high-five for a nice article on a guy I would drink beers with any day. You call it straight Sean. Your a good man with a great message - "one of us" Americans.
1
I during my one long stay in US saw Hannity and O'Reilley for a few months and got disgusted at FOX for lies, foul mouth and arrogance of these two characters. I stopped watching FOX. Recently I have been reading that O'Reilley was disgraced and fired. I think my prayer to God was listened. This Square Jaw hypocrite Hannity on the payroll of infamous Trump will also fall even more disgraced-soon. I pray God.
6
When you build your career on ignoring reality it's hard to make a U turn, just ask Trump. I remind those out there with a functioning brain, Fox is not journalism with the exception of Chris Wallace.
7
Hannity is already so heady with power and bursting with self importance, he can barely breathe. He's going to love this lengthy NYT piece, especially his suggested influence over the POTUS. Not sure Trump will though.
5
How far will he go? John Stewart successfully called him on using fake video more than once. Facts don't really matter to Hannity. Like Limbaugh and O'reilly before him, total charlatan that people mindlessly believe. He's making a fortune being Trump's patsy.
6
So a liar has a huuuge audience for his lies. Great! It is so hard for me to feel compassion for people who have so much hate in their hearts and who add to the coffers of rich people who make up lies to make money. When they lose Medicare and Social Security and their children can’t get an education or a decent job or healthcare, I hope they remember who sold them a bill of goods.
8
LOL at all of this.
Let me be as clear as I possibly can...Hannity is an entertainer, pure and simple. His highest priority is to generate ratings however possible. I doubt seriously that he actually believes anything he says, but he's smart enough to know now to tap into his audiences hot buttons in order to drive viewers which drives ratings which fuels his income.
If Hannity thought he could make more money by prancing down 5th ave in fishnet stockings carrying an LGBT flag, he'd do it in a heartbeat.
Fox has tapped into the underbelly of America. The white population that feels passed over and who blames everyone else but themselves for their lot in life. Fox, Hannity and all the other conservative bomb throwers milk this anger for every penny it's worth, all while collecting millions and laughing at their audieance all the way to the bank.
9
if you think that Hannity does not believe half of the things he spews, because he's an entertainer more focused on ratings, then he is worst than a terrorist & a total disgrace - talk about selling your soul to the devil! As an American, I am disgusted by people like him and Alex Jones - not sure how they can sleep a night - oh wait, he hardly can - that's why!
Hannity would seem to be the master of the "Hey, what about ..." technique" and it evidently works with a significant slice of Americans. And I suppose it doesn't matter why it works, whether it is their poor cognitive skills or the thrill of entertainment.
10
Well, there we have it:
"It was a pivotal moment for Hannity and for Trump, and it sealed the bond between the two men. “If you look back at those traumas,” Rivera told me, “you’ll see that Hannity steadied the whole of conservative politics during those crucial times. "
In other words, Hannity is the chief enabler of Trump's groping and gas-lighting about it.
12
Fox News is a marketing machine and Hannity, it's "star salesmen". They've created an amazing echo chamber representing a side of American culture that is bigoted, misogynistic and exploitative. Large Advertisers know this too well. The Hannity team is a skilled, focus group driven group of marketeers, not journalists. It's not surprising that Donald Trump would ride that band wagon.
6
And, then there’s the irony of a network controlled by an Australian born media mogul and his sons telling Americans how to think about America.
This article makes it sound like Sean Hannity was always a demagogic ideologue. He was not. He is an opportunist with a keen understanding of a large segment of our population. Out of curiosity and often for just plain amusement, I used to listen to Hannity on the radio back in the 90's. He was right leaning, of course, but he was also more rational and reasonable than his most famous counterpart Rush Limbaugh, who I couldn't listen to for any reason because of his angry, twisted version of politics, specifically anti-liberalism and anti-feminism. Unless he has become radicalized, and maybe he has, early Hannity bears no resemblance to the monster he has become today. I don't mind a balanced article on a right wing hero, but it does bug me that this article portrays him as ideologically consistent. He has followed the money. And that is fine, but let's not pretend otherwise.
7
Wondering why the Times is giving this a platform. Adding a megaphone to their hateful and decisive message doesn’t make things better. If I was interested I would watch their network.
2
Sean is simply the counter balance to Rachel Maddow., neither is worth wasting any of my time. Would love to see either a debate or duel between the two
1
My dad recently showed me a story circulating on social media where a woman was sleeping in bed with her giant snake. The snake ended up eating her because she was too foolish to realize that the snake was cuddling up to her every night to measure her in preparation to devour her.
My dad asked me if I thought it was true.
Without hesitation I said, "absolutely not."
He asked how I could possibly know.
I stated that I know, without further investigation, because it's being shared on Facebook...But if he really wanted to spend the effort to "really" know (or to prove my skepticism wrong), why not google if snakes "cuddle their prey to size them up in preparation to devour them."
He googled this and within 30 seconds was laughing about how absurd the story was...
Mere minutes prior, he was troubled by the story, and I think he believed that it was 100% true.
The point of my ramble is that The Manatee's statement, "How are we, the American people, to ascertain what is true and not true?" is on it's face, ridiculous. But it's more than that. It's troubling. Sean knows the answer to this convenient/dubious rhetorical question, but he feels that his agenda is so pure and intentions are so righteous, that it justifies misleading his audience.
4
Tyranny depends on an ill-informed electorate.
9
Some people shouldn’t be in the high profile, public facing positions they hold. Especially those that do nothing but set negative tones for this country, spreading truly “fake news”, splitting the American public, justifying all the hate and violence going on in this country, all in the name of supporting our current “unstable leadership”. Does he truly believe what he says or are these just “kiss-up” opportunities, thinking he might get something out of this maniacal behavior in the future? Time will tell!
1
NYT on quite the roll these days attempting to normalize people that are harmful to are fundamentally harmful to our society. Sean Hannity hasn't cared for the truth in years.
6
Hannity will go as far as his defense of white privilege and rage will take him. With the election of Trump we have seen that there is a large appetite for his brand of demagoguery. He is just another in a long line of race baiting, white supremacists, going back the founding of this country and again there is a large audience who will ignore facts and history to have their appetite for supremacy satisfied.
5
The Hannity act lives because of Reagan's termination of the Freedom Doctrine. When equal time for rebuttal over public airways was dissolved, America was split wide open. Cracked like an egg.
NO REBUTTAL, NO FREEDOM.
3
Why are we still legitimizing these people.? Hannity, O'Reilly, FOX, Breitbart and all of Hate Radio are not journalism, they are WHITE NATIONALIST MEDIA, and we need to address them that way publicly. With Trump now using them to backpedal on the reality of his Access Hollywood tape we will end up like we did with the Iraq war. Although factually it was evident Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11 by the time W left office 80% of Fox viewers thought he was the cause. Through use of repetition and jingoism they are winning the battle. We allowed them to call themselves "Fair and Balanced" as they arose. Where were the AG's filing suit for false advertising from the get go. Thinking people need to unite before we are a 3rd world country- and yes he could get us there in 8 years. I will lay odds that the rivers will be flammable by 2024, as they were in the 70s
2
There is just no excuse for what this person does.
6
"Hannity rarely grants interviews to mainstream reporters, whom he calls “disgustingly biased, ideological and corrupt.”" Said when admiring himself in a mirror.
Trump will always need a source of near blind support and Hannity has provided it. Personally, I find the man appalling which fits right in to the Trump era.
6
Not sure that Hannity, despite his undoubted influence, warrants such a long profile. I had trouble getting to the end, and not because there was anything wrong with the writing. It's just that he's so one-dimensional. You can take the boy out of Franklin Square, but you can't take Franklin Square out of the boy.
Why are the most prominent figures on the American Right -- Trump, Gingrich, Hannity, Limbaugh -- so utterly gross? Hannity at least stays in shape, apparently. But his shameless one-sidedness and refusal to acknowledge inconvenient facts makes his show unwatchable (of course, millions feel otherwise). Something is very wrong with this country. I don't believe that the Democrats are the solution, but in any case I never expected the Right to become this squalid.
5
Hannity isn't a reporter. He isn't a journalist.
He isn't interested in pursuing the truth or holding the powerful to account.
At best, he's a court jester for the worst administration in American history.
If history remembers him, and I can't think why it should, it will be as one of those who lived in a country of unparalleled power and privilege who destroyed its promise with hate, ignorance, and divisiveness.
7
Sean Hannity has gone and will go no further than high school, in every sense of the word.
5
Perhaps if he weren't so sleep deprived, he'd recognize the social damage that he does daily?
4
I remember during the runup to the 2016 election when Glenn Beck decided he needed to stick to his conservative principles and could not back Trump. This spawned a media inventory of other popular right wing conservative talking heads, many of which also appeared to be soul searching along similar lines. I read a piece on Hannity during that period where he also described soul searching on Trump. It seemed professional suicide for Beck, which ended up playing out that way over time. Hannity, however, seemingly with a smile on his face, said he had corralled a significant viewer base, was raking in the money, and just could not bring himself to follow Beck into oblivion, although he agreed with Beck on many points related to Trump. It seems clear that Hannity decided to keep riding this train to wherever it leads him in spite of what he might personally believe. Truly a classic Faustian deal; fame, money, adoration of millions of adoring fans in exchange for one's soul. My respect for Beck at the time went from negative to positive, at least the guy needed to stick to his beliefs regardless of the fame and money.
3
I'm surprised that getting paid several ordinary lifetimes of income over just a few years doesn't encourage these guys to term-limit themselves.
On the rare occasions I've tuned in to Hannity on TV, I've found him quite reactive and not at all reflective. Doesn't work for me. Self-doubt and self-criticism are totally lacking and without these skills how does one ever refine an argument or a viewpoint? But that's not the point of his arguments.
7
One cannot even refine one's own personality without self doubt, self criticism, and a sense of guilt activated when one harms others through carelessness, and when one finds that deliberate harm one administered, or approved to be justice in the past, was inappropriate.
I don't see this process functioning in Trump or anyone in his entourage.
I can watch and listen to most everyone with a different view on politics. I can even listen to Rush for a laugh or two. This guy I can't stomach one bit.
6
I've watched Fox and was a Republican, but I've kicked the habit. Hannity does news as entertainment and propaganda. I've always preferred news that was fact and solid analysis. Appeal to my mind, not to my emotions, and I will listen.
7
Great piece on a very talented broadcaster.
Hannity understands exactly what his audience wants, knows how give it to them and has been doing that consistently for a long, long time.
But how is he using all that talent, money and influence?
When Roger Ailes, the Fox News founder died earlier this year, Peabody Awards chief Jeffery P. Jones put it this way:
"No single individual has done more harm to American democracy in the last generation. Roger Ailes ushered in the post-truth society, helping craft an enormous gulf of distrust between people and news.”
18
Great story. Hannity is perhaps the single largest "mainstream" (I realize it is a stretch to call him that) supporter of Trumps. Excusing the inexcusable (with the "plausible deniability" that the writer mentions in this story), he provides a cover and soundbites for anyone with conservative tendencies under the pretense of "news" He takes conspiracy theories and lets his guests run with them full speed, and when they are debunked there is no mention of them, no resignations, no shockwaves. It is the original "fake news". I urge anyone who shares my views to contact his sponsors and urge them to not advertise on his show. Hit him in the wallet where it hurts. I retweeted a list of his sponsors and was immediately blocked from his twitter feed. I do think that this is where he is vulnerable.
13
I do not get it. Republicans and Democrats have to give money to the donors that helped put Trump into office. I guess I will be moving to Canada.
Please stay in Wisconsin and fight.
With the exception of the fact of President Trump himself, nothing I can think of makes me seriously contemplate moving to another country more than the support Sean Hannity and Fox "News" receive from millions of Americans. Their commercial success demonstrates that a huge part of the U.S. population have no use for reality but crave narrow-minded dogma and vapid ideology.
12
Hannity isn't a journalist, he's an entertainer whose found an audience. He will get what's coming to him when Trump is revealed to have a disaster beyond measure and Hannity was one of his greatest enablers.
11
Great journalism at work. What a picture it presents! and i even got a good laught at the end when Don threw Kapernick in the bunch.
Too bad so few people take the time to read well researched and well written articles. Until then Hannity really has nothing to worry about
2
all of this is far too 'coherent'' and 'reasonable' -(like the good ole Times)
So when will you guys start writing like somebody who has to honor a Code Talker and the first thing which comes into his mind is... is.... is?
Do you know what I mean? - and I really would be willing to write some insane stuff about these great people of this nation we call the United States!
-(and I'm a real Pocahantas too!)
YOU REALLY NEED TO TALK CODE
10
I love Sean Hannity!!! Liberal New Yorkers need to get out of their bubble and venture out into working country! I love New York. but people are close minded and stuck in the "bubble"! Just because you don't agree with someone else's opinion, does not give you the right to call them names, criticize where people live, and judge someone that supports our President! If you really care about ALL of America, you would shut up and listen to people that don't live near you!
19
I at one time was an avid listener and follower of Hannity. As time wore on, I found his toxic brand of politics, along with other ultra-conservative persons on broadcast media to be more divisive than many of our politicians.
Hannity and his ilk do provide information, some true, some false, always pandering and groveling to the conservative movement and rarely presenting both sides without bias.
I would call what Hannity is, however, the kind moderators of this forum will not allow that.
5
I believe the probability of being ignorant to the plight of any who is not white male Christian is vastly increased if you are living in this other part of America. Some liberals can be cruel but so can some of those who live outside the cities and in "flyover country". I don't believe that their voices are any more important than the 94% of black women who were smart enough to vote against Trump or those who stayed home because they did not trust either candidate. Let's stop focusing on the liberals who say things you don't like because there are working class liberals in NYC, Chicago and San Francisco. Cities have Cops, truck drivers, construction workers, garbage collectors, etc. And cities have racists. Cities tend to be more segregated than towns.
I don't care about the hurt feelings of liberals or conservatives who I care about is how your opinions translate to policy.
2
While I'm not a New Yorker, as a liberal who has spent the last 45 years in 'working country', I do care about all of America. I will admit that at present, I'm more concerned for those among us who are more vulnerable and less able to fend for themselves than for our wealthier citizens.
I am in complete agreement with you that it's inappropriate to call people names just because they don't share your opinions; perhaps we should pass that along to ... ah, what's that guy's name? You know, the one who seems to be on Twitter almost every morning attacking people he doesn't like and calling them names...
7
Memo to John Stewart and Steven Colbert....you need to revive the "More Sanity less Hannity tour"
83
The article states he has an annual income of $36M a year which explains his extreme views designed to take market share from tv evangelist and the worldwide wrestling federation. The most effective way to stop this blowhard is to boycott his advertisers.
103
As far away from everywhere as possible, please.
25
Sean Hannity is a down to earth, great guy. He is a generous man. He deserves all the success he has earned. The people of LI should be proud of him. He has made it bigly and success hasn't changed him. He is a role model for all.
14
Well he is a propagandist who worked for Roger Ailes if that is what you call “great”.
2
Is it Hannitys' fault 13 million people listen to him? No way am I a fan of Hannity but in the real world if you had the president in your pocket would you do any different? Trump and Sean both are actors who know how to play to their audience. To have the audience that both of these thespians have should be of great concern to all Americans. Trump didn't elect himself and Hannity doesn't make up his own audience. The Russians could not have caused havoc with our election if there were not Americans willing to be duped. Did Goebbels really believe the propaganda he pushed for his leader? I doubt it.The new word being bantered around is Tribalism because it is more socially acceptable than Racist or Racism. The people who want to bring back the old days of White Supremacy in America have champions in Trump and Hannity. Are the actors the problem or are the people who pay to see them? The daily shock of the antics of Trump is only shocking to the folks not in his audience.
71
Well said. Scary times.
" . . .If you had the president in your pocket would you do any different?"
Yes, i would.
2
Since Trump has been elected my life has not changed in any way and some afternoons about ten years ago I would get a glimpse of Sean Hanitty's show. I think he is a great broadcaster. He lies a lot and makes stuff up but he is an actor that's what they do for a living. And if people are going to listen and you can make millions doing it then why not? I don't think I have the stomach for it but who knows what most of us would do if presented with the opportunity. #MAGA
The real concern is the fact so many relatively normal Americans consider Fox media to sensibly and honestly present a valid world picture for them. That is the problem. That's the 'cause'; Trump and his media pimps are merely the 'effects'.
The real problem (and I think there is one) lies with the shamelessness of the masses of people who buy into trumpism. You have to renounce incredible standards of morality, reason, integrity, and honesty to conclude that Trump is a valid leader of American interests. The barker Sean Hannity has a dog-like relationship in this, as he twirls 3 times looking for his spot.
100
You said it the best, "normal Americans". What are you?
As far as you want to carry him. He's an entertainer. Entertainers need an audience. You're just providing the venue.
9
It's Groundhog Day every day on Fox News.
Hannity is a smart man. I don't think he believes half of what he says. He knows what to say and when to say it. He sure knows how to make a lot of money. Problem is he's willing to compromise decency and common sense for the ratings that earn him the dough.
30
Smart? He’s paying a price. He may be ‘hot’ now, but his lies are amorality are catching up with him. He’s like O’Reilly. It’s all about the money. When you dance with the devil...who will pay attention once a Trump alienates most of his base? It keeps shrinking. Most voters held their nose to vote for him and like were fueled by the barrage of fake Russian news spewed all over.
1
I don't believe anything these blustering fools say, and avoid doing any business with them.
Sean makes $36 Million a year!
Wonder how the new tax bill will benefit him?
33
Tremendously of course. It is his listeners who will lose and blame it on the Democrats because of the lies he tells them.
2
Entertainers such as Hannity, Limbaugh, and Trump no more change people's minds than do Hollywood entertainers. Rather, they reflect the views of their listeners. People tune in to have their beliefs, hopes, and fears, their view of the world, reinforced. To mistake them as influential rather than as reflective in fact gives them authoritative power they do not otherwise merit, effectively making them influential. Listeners, viewers, and online clicks count just as much for them if they are by opponents or supporters. Limbaugh's base salary of around $50 million/year is because advertisers know he will have listeners. If you do not like what these people advocate, then organize boycotts of their sponsors. Money talks.
40
There's been a couple of references to Hannity being Catholic. What Hannity says and represents cannot be further from what the Catholic church stands for. In services just the other day I hear parishioners regularly praying "for those without health insurance" and I also hear prayers for "those in public office and government." Please don't use a broad paintbrush and paint the Catholic church in the same light as you feel about Hannity, because Hannity just uses the religion to further his agenda and normalize himself to viewers. The Pope's views are not in alignment with neither what Trump nor Hannity believe. The church doesn't mention Trump by name, but everything that I hear and see at the church points to them being very troubled by Trump at the very least. Yes, the Catholic church has had some major problems, but they are an organization run by people, and people are not perfect. They have to atone for these sins and are doing so and this is in no way an excuse for what they have done. One thing I have admired about the Catholic church is that they are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in. They reach out to people in need (for example illegal immigrants) when no one else wants anything to do with them or is afraid to stand up. They, like any other church, are a community, and it's sad to hear people attack religion or church because of the sins of some who hijack religion for their own selfish purposes.
29
Don’t forget Paul Ryan wears his Catholic faith on his sleeve whose views are the polar opposite of the Pope. He even referred to the Pope as ‘that guy from Argentina’. Wonder how Ryan can reconcile this new tax bill with his Catholic faith since it punishes the poor for being poor and rewards the rich for being rich.
4
Yes, I saw the CNN Town Hall meeting with him and the nun that asked her question about health insurance and the most vulnerable in our society and I seriously wonder how Paul Ryan sleeps at night. One can apparently justify anything if they just keep believing what they want to believe. At the workplace, he does not practice his faith, plain and simple. And he cannot make any excuses because there have been other Republican politicians that do have a conscience that have done the right thing and said that they cannot continue this charade. It's really about whether you want quick, short, political gains or whether you truly live your life with the values that are important to you.
2
Hannity plays abortion politics, which is on the verge of aborting the whole US.
I agree with Ms. Pea. I'm a liberal Democrat, 68, white, self-employed and horrified at the people who watch FOX, mostly 24/7. I am astounded that people rely upon this one source and all its "newscasters" for almost all the "news" they get. Hannity included.
I am more worried, however, that the Koch Brothers have just purchased Time and several other magazines and that Sinclair is due to own most of the airwaves of both TV and radio in a good part of the country. These ultra-right wing people, along with Murdoch, are feeding millions of people a steady diet of propaganda and the people are eating it up like crazy. Is this a problem? How can I say yes loudly enough?
Trump apparently said that FOX is tantamount to "official news for the USA" or something to that effect. Chilling!
Everyone who has a pulpit to preach hate, fear and anger, and who can turn obvious lies into "alternative facts" is a contributor to the present mess we are in.
If you know someone who doesn't vote, do all you can to change their actions. Support the Impeachment process. Doing less is enabling the present moment mess to get worse.
89
The lack of self awareness in the above post is why Democrats can never, never trusted with power.
It’s puzzling what you mean by “self awareness”, but I suspect your real point is to demean the party that is responsible for Social Security, The Civil Rights laws, and Medicare, and which champions the rights and needs of those at the mercy of the powerful. And, surely you recall the coaxing it took by a Democratic President to make the American public aware of the dangers posed by Hitler in a land far beyond the isolationist walls of our borders. Or, perhaps you think the Second World War was for suckers who were just not self aware. No party has a perfect record, but I suspect you or yours have or will enjoy the benefits from the efforts of Democrats. Hopefully you will be self aware enough to appreciate that.
I feel so guilty. I and hundreds of thousands (millions?) like me left the red states (though mine was blue at the time) to seek a wider world. Moving to New York was the best decision I ever made--but our decisions made the Trump presidency possible. And they made Hannity rich.
My Congressional district is now represented by Steve King, one of the worst people in Washington. But I'm not moving back to vote against him.
I hope someone has the answer, because I certainly don't.
17
Don't feel bad bync - we thought about returning to said red state but we can't as a funky evangelical church recently materialized in one of our favorite small towns. The onward progression from blue to red.
There is no answer. The myth of 'the wisdom of the common man' is that, a myth. When you have a president who retweets stories from false alt-right news sites - then much of what we value about democracy is gone. Perhaps a new sign on the State of Liberty should be erected - Abandon Hope All Those Who Enter Here." I have.
1
Entertainers such as Hannity, Limbaugh, and Trump no more change people's minds than do liberal Hollywood entertainers. Rather, they reflect the views of their listeners. People tune in to have their beliefs, hopes, and fears, their view of the world, reinforced. To mistake them as influential rather than as emblematic gives them authoritative power they do not otherwise merit, effectively making them influential. Listeners, viewers, and online clicks count just as much for them if they are by opponents or supporters. Limbaugh's base salary of around $50 million/year is because advertisers know he will have listeners. If you do not like what these people advocate, then organize boycotts of their sponsors. Money talks.
12
As Deep Throat used to say to his favorite reporters -- "You're missing the bigger picture!' Sean wants (and is positioning himself to be) to be Trump's heir apparent in 2024. He fits better than any Senator, Congressperson, Governor, business executive or general one can think of. No wonder he went after Ben Sasse: Sean is playing the long game, with the view that the Trump base is permanent, and he is out to capture it for himself.
9
Mr. Hannity would have been right at home in pre-war Germany as Hitler rose to power and chances are he would have found a role he was suited for. What gives him a microphone on Fox is a shill that borders between the incredulous and ridiculous so adults don't think he's dangerous. I do. Hopefully advertisers boycotting his schtik will help send him home early.
54
So sorry so many folks out there cannot (or not willing) accept the truth about the character and morals of the POTUS!
39
Hannity rarely grants interviews with mainstream media....only when it will feed his ego. That's why he & Trump get along so well.
39
You really have to wonder how these people can disregard everything we've learned about the media's relationship with dictators, fascists and authoritarian regimes. How can Hannity bow and scrape to authority, rationalize abuses of power and call himself an American?
55
"Forbes puts his total annual income at roughly $36 million"
11
The real guilty party here may be the quality of programs on American television.
“Hannity” is a TV show. Nothing more. This and other articles seem to think that viewers have only two channels to choose from, Fox News and MSNBC. There are others but their content is not strong enough for viewers to switch from “Hannity”
Also Sean Hannity provides a comfort zone and a familiarity for his audience in exactly the same way that Sean Murray does when appearing against “Hannity” in “NCIS” on CBS.
And don't both shows contain elements of fiction?
10
Because Hannity speaks the "Truth"?
Not only are the two main political parties miles apart but so are the cable news giants. MSNBC and CNN vs Fox. Hannity has capitalized on pandering to the Trump supporters who back him despite his foul mouth, irascible temperament, and classless demeanor. Hannity is no journalist. He's a rank profiteer riding the Trump train all the way to its downfall.
35
Why was it that liberals always used tragedies to further their own political ends? Because tragedy is the proof that something needs to change!
22
It's not like Trump uses terrorism events to advocate for things like immigration restrictions.
19
George Bush, Rudy Giuliani, Trump would not be considered liberal in most places.
If all you NYT people think it's so great to hate guys like Hannity and
have Liberals lead your country,you should get an idea of the garbage we are dealing with up here in Canada with the boy-Prime Minister. Lacking prudence, lacking political experience, indeed, lacking experience of anything substantive Trudeau relies on show and imagination, not achievement. He neither knows the difference between truth and lies nor cares. For such persons, “lies” are just things you don’t like to hear.
10
We’ll gladly trade you Trump for Trudeau
49
Literally everything you described of Trudeau is true of Trump.
I'll drive Trump there myself.
1
liberals just are beside themselves that they only control 90% of the media...
conservatives have one cable channel and the AM radio dial--
7
You mean the far right has only one cable channel and the entire AM radio dial; that is why you seem to characterize everything else as "liberal". It's time to step back and recognize things for what they actually are.
11
That is a lie. Sorry, but don't understand why conservatives resort to lies. Is it laziness? Is it a desire to be so insular, that facts don't matter? Not sure what the correct response is, but what I do know is that it is irresponsible!
14
What's a liberal and are you a "conservative"?
I believe we all want the same things and that is to not be prejudiced because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, job title etc. If you don't like lying politicians then Trump is easy to hate and so is Hannity. If you don't like abortions and pedophilia then sign me up. Hate those too. I also don't like pollution not a big fan of the air quality in Beijing or New Delhi, I prefer the air quality of flyover country and apparently so do some wealthy Chinese. So am I liberal or conservative? I like some conservative and some liberal policies but not all.
Sean Hannity got rich spewing Fake News, Lies and Hate Speech. That is completely un-American.
43
This piece should be re-titled - "How Low Will Sean Hannity Go?"
27
Rivera recalled the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape last year, in which Trump bragged of grabbing women by their genitals. [excerpt]
It's so dispiriting that in the middle of an otherwise reasonable piece on Mr. Hannity, the writer felt the need to repeat a meme that is transparently false. I've heard that clip many times, and Mr. Trump never bragged about grabbing women on any part of their anatomy. As I'm confident the writer knows, he simply stated that stardom can bring a sense of entitlement, and that willing women will put up with otherwise egregious behavior.
I'm left wondering if the writer was simply trolling for a reaction or whether his own bias blinds him to the truth. Either way, shame on him.
3
denial is not a river in Egypt.
9
Sadly, you “heard” only what you want to hear, not the whole of what DT actually semi-bragged delightedly about doing.
10
Well there is absurdity and then there is just willed ignorance.
Nicolas Kristof has an interesting little video this week on the people of North Korea and you can see the effects of propaganda on the people. They HAVE to comply.
1
Why did the New York Times Magazine choose such an unflattering picture to put on their cover. Sean Hannity is very good looking and surely you could have picked a better photo to go along with this interesting and nice story. My guess is that Mr. Hannity is a conservative and you do not want to present him as handsome.
The liberal media does not like conservatives and Mr. Hannity is right now the most popular and well paid conservative news personality on television. This behavior towards those the liberals do not like is to be expected but not admired. At least Mr. Hannity is getting the attention that he justly deserves. He is number one on Fox News for a reason much to the chagrin of his critics.
6
Sean Hannity and Trump lie a lot about people, race, history, culture, politics, taxes. Some of us can't be party to the lies. But you are not fooled, you see the lies but you go along with it because it gets you what you want in the end. Which is?
because looks trump substance, right? what an idiotic comment. God knows he has an ugly soul, and that's what matters.
Sounds like you are in love.
Having to pay for Fox channels to get high speed internet access is one of the most irritating rip-offs the rentiers subject me to.
12
YouTube, Netflix and a smart TV or a casting device such as Roku, Apple TV or Chromecast will fix that problem
To some of us, having to pay for MSNBC to get high speed internet access is very irritating.
Interesting that this disturbing article elucidating the nationalist pseudo-hero Sean Hannity is side by side with the equally alarming video depicting the frightening single-minded nationalism prevalent today in North Korea. As Hannity slyly convinces his followers that each golden syllable he pronounces is the unequivocal truth, so too do the North Korean minders convince their population of their own invincibility in the coming inevitable war with the evil U.S. In a surreal way, these two audiences deserve each other and it sadly seems very possible they are destined to meet in a conflict "like nothing the world has ever seen." Should that occur, the rest of us will unfortunately be dragged down, or perhaps blown up to their pathetic level, thanks to the incomprehensible leadership on each side. Maybe this is how cataclysmic wars always begin, out of utter stupidity and blind faith.
16
Sean Insanity states he is not a journalist, but then he states he is an Opinion Journalist, so what is he?
He constantly lambasts "The High Priced Journalists" in The Main Stream Media but neglects that he is paid 28 Million Dollars A Year.
He slams Hillary Clinton for Crimes but she has not been indicted for any Crimes, as if he is a lawyer.
He yells about Harvey Weinstein and that is his proof that the Democrats are Corrupt but won't mention Roger Ailes whom he claims as his "Second Father" and he places as his recent co-host, a Serial Sex Abuser, Bill O'Reilly. Oh,and no mention of Bill Schine, Former Fox News President, who fostered the Sex Abuse Culture there.
He slammed Democrats for talking about Gun Control Laws after Las Vegas as "it was too soon".
But close to two months later,has he said anything about Gun Control. Oh, did I mention, he carries a Gun.
He Is A Hypocritical Liar, and nothing more.
29
You're right on the money in all of your points, except that there is, indeed, mention of Bill Schine - as if your arguments needed strengthening, Hannity had just played golf with him.
Never mind his outright mendacity, hypocrisy, sexism, racism, homophobia, and toleration/support of anti-semitism, neo-naziism & white supremacy. (I know, it's a lot.) Hannity is the knowing, willing chief propagandist for Doanld Trump, a quisling who is taking his orders from Vladimir Putin, our greatest geo-political enemy, a man who seeks the destruction of our democratic system and society. That makes Hannity a traitor.
I agree with Donald Trump on one thing: what you do with traitors.
21
STOP COVERING PEOPLE LIKE THIS. They are a disgrace to America. Surely you can find people more newsworthy, people who are actually making the world a better place rather than selling their own souls and taking millions with them. As if last weekend's Nazi piece wasn't enough to learn your lesson. Seriously, just stop.
38
completely agree.
2
If this website does not cover Mr. Hannity, then you will know even less of what is going on in the country outside Brooklyn and HQ2, and will keep getting nasty shocks like you did last November 8.
I am confident that people as loud, untruthful, and antagonistic as Hanity have serious skeletons in the closet; stirring up anger and finger pointing are great money makers but even better distractions. Like O'Reilly as serial sexual harasser and Limbaugh's illegal drug addiction something will turn up to expose Hanity for the hypocrite and fraud that he is. Just give it time.
20
Trump is this jerk's meal ticket, simple as that. As it is for Colbert.
6
Yet Cobert is insightful, humorous in exposing Trump as a hypocrite and bubbling fool while Tue other is playing his patsy.
Hannity is just a blind follower of Trump to put it kindly. He does not think for himself and stands up for the yellow haired presidents lies. I think of Trump as a Rasputin of sorts. Hannity Is just one of his elves.
7
Isn't "advocacy journalist" an oxymoron?
7
Felix: No, but it's overly wordy. You can cut the "advocacy" without losing any of the meaning. Like saying "bloodsucking lawyers" or "corrupt Clinton".
Most dictators have had a mouthpiece in the media
9
the ruse is up, but people have to turn off the tv first, and decide based on their own inquiry. they report, they decide...what you think.
Ironically, the reported ratings For Hannity is most assuredly fake news: the same "ratings" reports that PBS's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" have higher ratings than Rush Windbag and that Windbag has higher ratings than Hannity. However, these "ratings" are self-serving and statistically invalid. Even if valid, do you suppose that the 13 million weekly listeners are each unique? Do you think that none of the listeners watch his FOX show, or is there substantial overlap?
1
The news is what it is and journalists are bound by their profession to present it fairly. Most do. But Hannity and his ilk are not journalists: they are proselytizers with a one-sided view of the world. Most important, they have become apologists for the worst of us.
6
"opinion journalist." Nah. I think he had it right when he "never claimed to be a journalist." Period. These people are hateful.
6
I don't watch Hannity, or Fox or any 24-hour news channel. I became smarter within 24 hours of canceling cable.
4
Sleeping four hours a nite-- obviously makes people psychotic... meaning irrational in this case. Running on adrenaline makes them ANGRY --of course it's one way of counteracting the depressive aspect of their manic-depressive illness where the depressive cycle might result in events even more dire.
Sadly people with similar dispositions or disease gravitate to them!!.
Why do we and esp why do we woen continue to empower these idiotic men who frankly need to be sequestered where ther's a nice golf course and no microphone... and plenty of eye candy... (probably cardboard figures would do fine..
4
what I find interesting, and this may be a generalization, is that there are many conservatives who come to the NYT, Wapo as well as Fox and Breitbart and listen to msnbc, cnn as much as they listen to rush and Hannity. For so-called liberals, they only go to liberal sources to get their take on conservative views and even so don't want to have anything to do with it.
3
“May be a generalization”? Why don’t you try asking an actual liberal before you make an assumption?
Sean Hannity is not a newsman, a charlatan instead, and a cheap one at that. He will say any foolish thing, however outrageous, untrue, or stupid, if it will enhance Trump's egomaniacal image. It is most regrettable that too many republicans rely exclusively on Fox Noise for their propaganda (masked as news). This is the source of Fake News 'a la Trump'. Folks, go educate yourselves for your own good, and diversify the sources of real news, based on facts, and these on reality of course.
5
Some politicians think they can fool people by repeating "fake news, fake news, fake news" over and over again. That might work on the most gullible people in our society, but most intelligent people see right thru it.
What Hannity does is not much different than what Kim Jung Un does - Propaganda. Spin to the extreme with some lies and conspiracy theories mixed in for good measure.
5
Trump is a waste of blood and bone who delights in abject cruelty. Hannity is enjoying his moment in the spotlight--even though he has nothing of substance to offer.
I wouldn't swerve to avoid hitting either one of them.
9
The Electoral College won and Democracy lost and is gone continue this way as long as we tolerate it and believe that we are the leader of the free world and all that no sense that we seem to truly believe.
1
How tragic that our country is going in the wrong direction thanks to people like this. They build their reputation on lies and the uneducated and totally uninformed believe everything that falls out of their mouths. One day those people will wake up and realize they are following the Pied Piper.
7
Consider the source. Consider the audience. Consider the consequences.
We can do better and be better.
2
Scary business. The man has no conscience. "Winning" is going to put humanity out of business. His part in the lead-up to the Iraq war is appalling.
As Edward R. Murrow said, "It is not necessary to remind you of the fact that your voice, amplified to the degree where it reaches from one end of the country to the other, does not confer upon you greater wisdom than when your voice reached only from one end of the bar to the other."
5
As I write this comment, I am listening to Hannity. I guess you could include me as one of the 13 million who tune in each night. It has become my favorite show now that The O'Reilly Factor is no longer on the air. In my opinion, it is not as good as Bill O'Reilly's show but to be honest that took me a while to enjoy and like. Sean Hannity has a good sense of humor and great guests. I tune in to see and listen to different points of view on varying topics that the other cable channels do not include.
CNN and MSNBC present only one side of the story and that is the liberal side. They are biased and boring and seem to discuss more Trump stories then anything else. Most are negative and repetitive. They seem to repeat the same stories over and over again and it difficult to watch for any length of time. They give short shrift to the important stories that should be covered more thoroughly. Now wonder their ratings are low.
Fox News and Hannity is the number one cable network and show for a reason. They have something vital to say and do it very well. They have varied guests with differing opinions and are fair and balanced. It is refreshing to have a popular host like Sean Hannity be so down to earth and unassuming. Most of the correspondents and news personalities today are pompous and dull. Not Sean Hannity. He not only informs his viewers but he entertains them as well. That is a rare combination and one of the reasons he is now number one.
5
Why isnt Mr. OReilly on you might ask yourself? Oh, he is a workplace predator who paid 45 million to settle up claims.
Before Mr. O, why was Mr. Ailes driven out? Oh, he created a toxic and perverted workplace for his female employees.
Most of Americans neither find the lying and harm to the country funny nor "refreshing". Please read some German history.
If your standards for a free press remain flat on the floor, and the requirement is to be "number one on cable" then you might "consider the source"
Anyone who builds a career through radio is talented. Don't hate the player, hate the game.
I occasionally try watch Hannity's show as a counterpoint to CNN after some particularly note-worthy news event. I usually cannot make it through his opening monologue. His rantings, bias and glorification of Trump no matter what he does and says are really hard listen to. How can Hannity appeal to anyone interested in intelligent debate and commentary?
4
Yeah ... but you have to admit that the man is aging well and that his makeup people are tons more expert than Bill Maher's.
10
The man has all the depth of a movie set, Richard.
Nobody on your side really looks happy.
4
The makeup people are much more important to Hannity than Maher; you have to make up for all the blatant lies with face candy.
3
Steve:
Since I don't watch him (probably watched him five times since he's been on), I couldn't say.
In this day and age, you can't go wrong tapping into unhinged, uninformed, unthinking, unforgiving and unrepentant rage, no matter which of the political spectrum they reside. Fox as business is built on that rage, and why not? It got Trump into the White House.
40
One minor correction. Thomas' "unhinged, uninformed, unthinking, unforgiving and unrepentant rage" exist on only one end of the political spectrum: the Trump Hannity end.
Thomas writes:
"In this day and age, you can't go wrong tapping into unhinged, uninformed, unthinking, unforgiving and unrepentant rage, no matter which of the political spectrum they reside. Fox as business is built on that rage, and why not? It got Trump into the White House."
Couldn't agree more. We need unbiased reporters like Rachel Maddow.
18
True. It's amazing how biased she is by facts, and how weakly she will admit to mistakes when she is in error.
Thank God Hannity isn't like that! Then again, Hannity is an 'opinion' journalist, an 'advocacy' journalist who makes his personal agenda and opinions do the work of fact checking. Much easier than truth!
5
Maddow isn't a liar. Hannity is a blatant liar.
5
Both Trump and Hannity will say anything at all, no matter how untrue, just to advance their ratings and line their pockets. It is all a big show to them. Whether they lie, hurt innocent people, or cross any unethical line does not matter to them as long as they get rich out of it, and entertain their base. If you are appalled that people accept their lies, just don't give people more credit than they deserve.
30
What does the truth have to do with anything? You're in America in 2017. Face it: Hannity is today! He's the zeitgeist! His day will end soon and then another one will appear 'cause - in the end - you just love the arrogant and simplistic white male!
12
Hannity is utterly repugnant.
I feel dirty any time I accidentally brush up against his TV rants and screeds, or his truly hideous Twitter feed. Fortunately, those 'incidental contacts' are very rare ... so I surely won't be reading this feature piece.
I do hate that the NYTimes give these jerks so much ink. Yeah, year I know ... both sides, all sides ... we must understand where they're coming from, etc.,etc.
But nope, not these days, with these nut jobs. Too emboldening. They don't need any add'l help. Or exposure.
39
Yes. Better to watch Tucker Carlson if you want
to hear the other side of Maddow.
It is vicious angry democrats like you that have poisoned the atmosphere to the point where spirited informed debate is impossible.
1
Sorry, but Sean Hannity is just a mirror image of most successful media these days - utterly one-sided. He defends Trump no matter what and The Times, MSNBC, CNN, etc., attack him no matter what. I may read the Times every day and I almost never watch Hannity, but I've seen heard/seen him enough over the years to know there's no real difference in bias. And by the way, his drumbeat about the Clintons, particularly Bill and women - it seems like a lot of liberals are jumping on that bandwagon now that he and H. Clinton aren't going to be president. Maybe not everything he says is wrong.
7
Even broken clocks can be right every now and then
Doesn’t this dishonest hack get enough coverage? Does he really deserve this additional attention? Do your readers deserve it? Tell me more about an honest, ethical conservative. How ‘bout Steve Schmidt?
29
An article on Steve Schmidt wouldn't get 600 comments or sell papers. This is red meat for a base that's as unthinking as Hannity's.
3
Holy moly. This portrait isn't as horrendous as the article normalizing/humanizing the Nazis but it is as useless.
Don't you guys ever bother to ask yourselves how people who don't deserve the spotlight become majorly influential movers and shakers? HINT: publications like you give them space like this. Sean Hannity is one of the last people who should be treated as anything other than a buffoon. There's no way he should be so loud in our world. He and Tucker Carlson should slink off the world stage. I just wish there was someone on your staff like Jon Stewart who knows how to call out these figures who demand respect they don't deserve.
If I wanted to know what this propagandist really thought, I'd watch his show, read his twitter-feed, check his facebook, because, guess what? That racist Hannity can't keep his views to himself even when he's caught in a lie and keeps digging a hole wider and deeper. (See the fight with Jake Tapper on Twitter)
What makes you think we needed to learn another single fact about him, except something that would help get him off the air?
How about some of the people he's vilified? Let's hear from them, learn about their day, since they don't have the same access to the giant megaphone.
This was more than enough. It's time make the (annoying) call to cancel my subscription.
36
I wish I could like this comment a million times. For the love of pete, NYT, quit showering attention on these horrible people.
3
Once they create a brand like Hannity, they milk it for all it is worth. He'll be in that gig until the ratings slide.
Sean Hannity and his fox ilk are the real "fake news". How anyone can listen to their constant distortion of the truth and/or out and out lies is a waste of time. fox will NEVER be the official television network. Not as long as there are those of us who detest them.
12
Nothing new here. He is getting richer peddling snake oil to people in need of some quackery . Our country is unfortunately deeply tied to these proselytizing preachers who load up on meatballs in back rooms. Its the American way, and Hannity exploits it .
6
Praise God that Hannity has now been recognized as the media leader of conservative populism. Let the war begin. Hannity and Limbaugh may be charlatans, but both care underneath what they believe and promote. Hannity is a pathetic populist. Limbaugh is now a cowering conservative. The latter knows that Buckley would vomit in the face of a Trump Presidency, though he is unwilling to say it. Perhaps now, not from conviction alone but with jealousy as added inspiration, Limbaugh will finally turn on Trump and his puppet.
1
It amazes me how Sean Hannity and his supporters can support a president who describes the NYTimes as "fake news" but then he himself sits down for an interview with this "fake news" publication for publicity.
21
JK: This won't increase Hannity's viewership among the snowflakes and his viewers feel he was ill-advised to give the failing NY times the lifeline of his popularity.
NYT seems to be on a normalization path, here providing legitimization to a opportunistic conspiracy theorist who also is a Trump conduit and adviser.
I understand the journalistic arguments--it's important to understand all sides, he represents a right-wing audience at FOX.
I hope that, in reviewing the relationship of form, journalism and history, and the impact of these on audiences over time, that the Times is keeping normalization arguments in sharp consideration.
24
Why is publicity automatically considered legitimization in the US?
1
Trump is a bully. Hannity is his enabler, hanger on and sycophant.
Every bully needs at least one enabler, hanger on or sycophant to succeed. I learned this all through school. Usually, you didn't have to deal with just one bully but their gang.
Unusually, there was one extraordinary boy at my school who was an arch bully but who did not have a coterie of admirers and henchmen. He was physically very strong and aggressive, but also very lonely and unpopular. He was the cat who walks alone. I admired him and respected him for his independence, courage and indomitable spirit, even though I hated his bullying. One of the few things I was any good at was fighting. We had some tremendous battles when I would step in to try to stop him beating up a weaker boy.
I despise the Sean Hannities of this world even more than I do the Trumps. Each creature needs the other. Neither has the strength or fortitude to stand alone. Not only are they are despicable human beings, vain, malevolent and cruel, they are moral and physical cowards, weaklings who cannot wreak their evil unaided.
32
Trump woke up in Hog Heaven in that penitential military academy his daddy sent him to, with a fat bankroll, to learn manners.
The failing, dying media lashes out at Hannity. Been there done that, feels good to be winning again.
5
Winning what exactly?
2
This is where conservatives will always have the edge over liberals: they truly and unconditionally love, trust, and support their own. Left-wing pundits and leaders are admired by their cursed-by-objectivity public, but not hero worshiped. Losing the occasional sponsor is a small price to pay for pubic idolatry. The late Alan Colmes much be twitching uncomfortably in his grave over the enduring fortunes of his bombastic former co-host.
2
Hannity champions the “cause” of George Zimmerman. How many angry, violent, racist cement-heads have so far taken cue from Hannity? What did they do? Who did they harm or harass or kill?
14
At some point in time, Sean Hannity will find himself cut adrift from the friendly confines of FOX and as the posterior-boy ears' deep into the uber right wing causes and politicians. Remember, Sean, what goes around, comes around.
4
I don't know. I don't think he will be forced to watch Hillary Clinton rant while waiting to have his car repaired.
1
Sean Hannity champions constitutional conservatism within the context of America's traditional Judeo-Christian ethos. Calling him "über right" might feel satisfying, but it certainly doesn't comport with any sort of fair analysis of our history or founding documents.
3
As a life long republican, I am disgusted by what Hannity and Fox have done to a party that was once intellectuallly driven. Years of devisive propaganda have literally brainwashed their viewers. Intentionally undermining all other sources of media have convinced many that Fox is the only source of real news. Even scarier is the fact that our president has helped perpetrate this fraud. Hannity and his ilk of "opinion" journalist are doing a great job of destroying a once proud party. Some of our past republican presidents are surely rolling over in their graves.
41
Mars? We can only hope.
6
Sean and Rush are in a dead heat ... if being a person who hates and degrades 160 million + American citizens is really a market to compete for.
9
he's a disgusting small minded ma with absolutely no moral compass and I believe no core values...his opinions cater to the lowest common denominator
which is ill-informed and racist. His is so full of hate it is astonishing.
18
Can we please stop seeing the words "...said Sean Hannity" ? The man has nothing to offer, other than lies and hypocrisy. In the future, please find someone with integrity to provide an opinion, please.
11
How would you know what the real truth is if all news was one sided? I listen to both sides and end up somewhere in the middle. That's how it's supposed to work. If one side is successfully shut down, you will live in a dangerous world.
This is not the old days with Huntley and Brinkley and Walter Conkrite (sp?) Those days are gone. I don't consider today.s media as real media. They are only partisan propaganda readers.
5
The title of this article should be "How Low Will Sean Hannity go?".
10
Bruce: Do you think the headline writer was unaware you would think that? That's why it is phrased as it is. So you would come back (and at least three other commenters) with that bang on cue.
An interesting, well-written article profiling the life of a regular American whose innate talents, hard work and good-fortune enabled him to become very successful. It’s a great “American Dream” story that could be used to inspire others.
It’s unfortunate that so many NTY readers, as evidenced by their comments, are so full of anger, jealousy and hatred that rather than appreciating the “good” provided by this story, they default to the divisive and banal anti-American drivel and hate-speach that defines Democrat politics.
10
Rachel Maddow is crazy. Crazy with facts.
9
Right. Because Hannity just spews alternate facts and vitriol. He's an entertainer for sure. Too bad there are some that take his word as fact.
1
First Nazis, now Sean Hannity. White nationalists are having a good week at the NY Times.
11
For all that these flapping heads on television pontificate, not sure how, at the end of the day, any of it really helps the average American or those struggling. Most of what guys like Hannity believe in has been tried and failed, with the American Public reduced to scapegoating one another in a giant circular blame game. But reality is, guys like Hannity, politicians in DC, or even Boomers like Trump; they've been round a long time. Example: Its revealing how they hang on the old hate of the Clintons, and yet now hate Bushes too, yet a Bush and/or Clinton on the ballot in 1980, '84, '88, '92, '96, '00, and '04...most of the Boomers' "prime of life." Of which few were more responsible for Dubya or selling the Iraq War, Bush Tax Cuts, etc. than Sean Hannity! Also, how much ground do you got to talk smack on TV, the radio, in public, etc. when you've been doing it for decades, voted in say 10-15 elections, vs. another group of people only voted in 1, 2, or 3?
1
In many ways, Trump and Hannity are the same. Both of them, Hannity with his "martial arts", trump with his military high school, think they are as much war heroes as John McCain or George Patton. These two are also alike in that they are their own best providers of information. Remember, Trump has a "good brain" and knows many, many words. Hannity displays his superior intellect by believing every bit of garbage that Trump spews.
10
What's more pathetic than Sean Hannity and his sucking up to Trump? Sycophants like Rivera and Gingrich who clearly checked their self-respect at the door long ago.
15
Cancelled my subscription. Because this article was my last straw.
14
Started my subscription because of this wonderful
article.
5
Krishna, did you watch Ted Koppel's interview of Hannity? Koppel is, of course, a standard bearer of American television news journalism. Koppel tells Hannity straight up that he thinks Hannity is "...bad for America." Do you somehow find Hannity more credible than Koppel or the NY Times? Really?
2
Because of you i just gave subscriptions to all my nieces and nephews!!
2
Hannity has literally recreated the era of payola on his radio show, except instead of selling time slots to promote lousy music to teenagers he sells time slots to groups like Dick Armey's FreedomWorks.
In October of 2015 FreedomWorks invested heavily in removing Speaker of the Hour John Boehner. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) was granted at least a 30 minute slot on Hannity's radio show to opine on the possibility that he would run for Speaker. (I didn't hear the rest of the show.) Hannity and Gohmert seemed to read from rehearsed talking points.
A series of people also called in to promote Gohmert. They seemed well rehearsed as well, unlike most people who don't naturally speak in complete paragraphs without a pause, um, ah, or so.
The next day Hannity added Daniel Webster (R-Florida) to the mix. Gohmert suggested he'd step aside as Webster had prior experience as Speak of the House in the Florida House of Representatives. They spoke for nearly an hour.
The next day Hannity didn't have on either Webster or Gohmert, but there was a woman caller who chatted aimlessly with Hannity from the top of hour after the news until the bottom of hour, with no commercial breaks. At one point Hannity said, "Your voice is familiar, have we met before?" "Oh yes, I was office manager for Dick Armey when he was in the House. We met many times."
Why would any radio producer waste nearly 30 minutes of air time without knowing they had sold their airtime?
Hannity is political payola.
7
Always have been disturbed that a fellow Catholic could support and defend a man such as Donald J. Trump! It's obvious that Hannity has never read the Gospels!
By the way, the 9th commandment cautions us all against bearing false witness, Hannity is a world class liar.
20
I'm on the phone now, canceling my NY Times subscription. I have had enough sympathetic profiles of nazis, Trump voters and now noted propagandists and liars (Hannity).
Stop this madness!
16
@James - In what way is this piece "sympathetic" to Hannity?
4
this is a man who makes a fortune by dividing Americans finding divisive not common ground
since he knows no shame he should be boycotted into oblivion
10
When Fox pays a guy who reports troll bait as news $36m a year, they still haven't learned. Another reckoning is on the Fox horizon.
13
Wishful Thinking
Why give the likes of Hannity and Bannon so much NYT space? A succinct denunciation would suffice.
15
How far will he go? My guess is that he has no limits, and if he knew that his hate-filled rants were destroying the nation (and they are damaging the social fabric of our nation), it wouldn't phase him a bit. He is a sociopath, just like Trump and cares about no one but himself. The saddest thing about Hannity is that so many idiots listen to him. Millions of angry and entitled old white people who have nothing better to do than complain all day while they feed from the Social Security trough. These people can't think for themselves, so they listen to Fox to learn what they should think. (I am an old white male - but I am not angry at anyone, and am not yet feeding from the trough.)
10
Really sad the NYT would give space to this proven liar.
18
@Mark H: Yes. It comes across as if the New York Times has channeled Fox. Pun intended.
1
Liberal Left is feeling the heat and running scared. Hillary is about to be undressed. A big thank you to Sean!
5
Rush is my king. He has done more for blacks than any Liberal by challenging them to do better. The NYT writes about blacks like they are handicapped or have a deformity. Thank you Rush for pushing me out of the ghetto and into a great middle class life with a great wife and children. And we all support President Trump!
5
I'm probably late to the party now, but here goes:
How LOW will Hannity and the rest of the fake news (for real) crowd go in their lying, cheating and conniving to harness (yoke) these low information voter to their chassis (pleural, chass-EEZ)?
Cheesey, the whole lot. 0h wait - cheese is good. These dolts are very very bad.
12
It is well known that the empty barrel makes much noise while the full one enjoys the quietness, the steadiness and the wisdom that fills it. It is well known that those who feed on divisive polarizing views are driven by ignorance trying to cover up their own skeletons in their own closet, which sooner or later will be discovered.
Why would hannity dismiss millions and millions of decent people who were horrified and heart broken with the Texas shooting, is a question he will have to answer when his time comes. Many like him are drunk by their own delusion and inflated fragile ego, in which they eventually drown, having contributed nothing essential and healing to this humanity. He is not among the seeds that will grow and nourish, he is the chaff. But not of this matter really, what really matters is how sad that in his ignorance he is incapable of seeing that he is lying to himself and corrupting his core being. He knows no true life and wonder, no true beauty and love and no true wisdom. His life will pass and nothing that matters will be left.
11
BDelsaut: He makes more money in a month than you will make in your entire life, even counting the payments from the government.
Wearing an Amerikan Flag Lapel Pin.
Not interested.
5
Hannity is going almost as far to support Trump as the NYT is going to tear Trump down - but not quite.
1
Hannity's true brilliance: using the hated MSM, like the NY Times, as a platform for his rants about the hated MSM.
8
I am utterly disgusted by your piece on Sean Hannity.
The man is a dangerous and vile charlatan who is actively making our country and especially our national discourse worse.
The fact that you ran whay amounts to a lengthy puff piece on him in the same few day span as your profile of a white nationalist disgusts me.
I am contemplating canceling my subscription.
The Times is an institution I trust and pieces such as this are eroding that trust very rapidly.
20
Didn't read much of this article. Didnt have to. There is nothing interesting or intellectually provocative about the propaganda minister called hannity. Guys like him are a dime a dozen. In the old neighborhood they were the guy "on the make " They'll do or say anything for a buck, they excel at sucking up, and they somehow think all that easy money will erase the blue collar chip that digs a hole in their Italian suits. They forget where they came from and they dont "dance with the girl that brung them." (A cardinal sin.) And at the end of the day, they look back at the value they failed to create, at the people they never helped, at lies that fell so easily from their glib mouths .And they have profound regret.
17
You forgot to mention one very important thing in your interview:
Sean Hannity is not smart.
19
I met Sean about 27 years ago at the wonderful Arts Festival in Hotlanta, when he was a local Atlanta DJ doing outdoor "remote" stunts to promote his station, and I had an afternoon talk show on WFIR radio in Roanoke, VA.....He seemed very nice, and we chatted about doing local radio. I also met Rush Limbaugh around the same time, at a luncheon for us WFIR employees, and Rush was polite and personable as well. These men have VERY powerful friends and backers in the industry, who get sponsors for their shows and keep things on track to get good ratings and lots of advertising money. The late Roger Ailes, who was one of President Ronald Reagan's media gurus and later head of Fox News, was one of the business partners of Rush Limbaugh, and also recruited and promoted Sean Hannity to his current fame at Fox. Both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have huge followings and "fan bases" which allow their radio and TV networks to rake in tons of revenue from advertising. The electronic mass media. like Hollywood, is a very competitive and cutthroat business, based on popularity and corporate money. Sports is the same: corporate sponsors allow team owners to pay huge salaries to their key players, as Fox did with Bill O'Reilly and still does with Sean Hannity. But whether you love them or hate them, or just find them amusing and entertaining, they DO have exceptional on-air presence and talent for drawing an audience, and it is foolish to ignore them.
4
He's a blowhard 6-year-old, jumping up and down screeching "Look at me, everybody!" while throwing rocks at others. Annoying.
15
Hannity is a patriot. Without Hannity and Fox, half of the important news will not get out. CNN and MSNBC only tells you what they want you to know. This isn't China. We have a right to hear both sides. If you have a problem with that learn Chinese or Russian. There is a place for you there.
6
On the contrary, there is very little news on Fox and anyone using that as their sole source of news will be poorly informed. I check the Fox website frequently to see what they are covering in comparison to mainstream media and I find on the Fox site a distorted selection and emphasis of news topics, a few one sided articles and then a lot of coverage of crimes and bizarre occurrences to fill out the page.
Don't forget the survey a few years back that people who got all their news from Fox scored most poorly on a current events quiz, even less than people who watched no news.
8
Clearly you haven't seen the 7 (yes, seven) studies showing those who watch FOX know less about current events than those who watch NO NEWS AT ALL.
I suggest you google that phrase and while undoubtedly you'll be heartbroken, you'll not be operating under that ridiculous premise. One study was done by Newsweek, one by Forbes, one by Business Week, one by Farleigh Dickinson University: the list goes on.
You're a prime example.
4
When those on the right indignantly ask why the rest of the country assumes conservatives are morons, we need only point at their leaders.
17
Wow! Thanks for giving this guy some coverage! God forbid you devote magazine space to people who aren't being disgustingly overpaid while giving unwavering support to the most ridiculously terrible man in American politics (i.e. the President). Clearly there is no one else out there doing important work that deserves attention! Please make promotion of SH and his brand a regular part of this newspaper!
13
Journalist is a noun and means a person who writes for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or prepares NEWS to be broadcast.
Hannity is NOT a journalist. He is a commentator. CNN, MSNBC, NPR like most media outfits also have commentators. Difference seems to be that they know they are commentators NOT journalists.
As for having 13.5 million listeners on radio, is that a lot out of over 320 million Americans? Forbes did a piece October 31st and noted October ratings for television released by Nielsen, showed Hannity finishing in first place with 3.2 million total viewers. Again is that considered a lot when we have over 320 million Americans?
6
I am sick of the way that the NYTimes is "normalizing" the liars and fascists by writing these puff pieces about them.
Hannity, Limbaugh, Trump, and Nazi wannabe's who don't know why they hold obscene beliefs that make it good to dehumanize "others" who are our fellow citizens.
How about writing about Greed and people so sick in their souls that they believe their billions of dollars makes them the owners of everyone else and that they have the right to impose themselves on the rest of us so they can collect even more money from us and deny any assistance for the suffering, the children, people who labor for a living.
22
Why give this dreadful man any more attention? Did he pay for this puff-piece? I am not interested in hearing about him or having his ugly, hateful mug paraded across my screen.
21
Along with the puff piece about a Nazi sympathizer, Tony Hovater, the Times gives us an up-close portrait of Sean Hannity - another professional hate-monger.
But getting past all the hate and sarcasm, aren't there roads to be build, children to be educated, insurance issues to be resolved? At some point the nation needs constructive direction, and it will never come from these Republican merchants of deceit and graft.
14
Trump and Hannity - two buffoons who compliment each other.
13
And also complement each other...
To speak the way he speaks, I would describe him as such: "A Long Island, Irish Catholic, dirtbag who did good." And believe me, he is a textbook dirtbag.
12
Wait - Are you mistaking Sean Hannity for Bill O’Reilly?
Hannity is the perfect example of what politics in America has devolved into...
Loud, unfettered screeds with no other purpose than to play to a far right group of acolytes who would love nothing more than complete anarchy with a racist agenda and absolutely no help for anyone at anytime.
The least-haves among us, in his mind, should perish in the tide of selfishness expressed by this misanthrope.
22
Walter Cronkite he is not.
12
Neither is Anderson Cooper, so what's your point?
3
To paraphrase a Paul Simon lyric:
“Where have you gone Walter Cronkite? Our nation turns it’s lonely eyes to you. What’s that you say Old Gray Lady? Uncle Walter has left and gone away.”
Hey hey hey
But the article is about Hannity, not Walter Cronkite. THAT,I believe is the point, and your sarcasm falls flat.
Back in the 1930's when the population of the US was one third what it is today, an anti-Semitic, pro-fascist broadcaster by the name of Charles (Father) Coughlin reached THIRTY MILLION listeners (take that, Sean Hannity). Though phenomenally popular at the time, Coughlin was eventually forced off the air by the end of the thirties and, today, is seen as the fear and hate-mongerer that he was.
Eventually, the same will happen to Hannity. 'Course, in our era, the Joe McCarthy of our times is actually sitting in the Oval Office. So with his doppelganger in the Oval and with his blatherings feeding nicely into the fears and hates of that part of humanity for whom, throughout history, fears and hates overwhelm reason and empathy, he'll "succeed" for a while.
But, hopefully, he won't just be a sad footnote to history but an end-note as it's time for humanity to awaken to the extent that our fears, wants and hates need to be harnessed in order for us to survive in an increasingly inter-dependent world where it will become so easily to destroy each other when all we seem to be able to do is fear and hate each other.
25
Hannity's only interesting quality is that he's determined to associate himself with the most noxious people in America. Trump. Moore. Ailes. It's astounding.
When some future historian tells the tale of this sorry passage, Hannity will surely require some explanation. A successful, rich tribune of right-wing white resentment who shilled for potential traitors, corrupt bums, child molesters, and sexual abusers.
And the "conservative" patriot set swallowed it all with pleasure.
Very strange.
12
The College drop out is short on knowledge Long on Angry Old White Guy, hate, racism, misogyny &xenophobia. Watching Fox Entertainment, it's not News, has created an Angry Ignorant Brainwashed public. These angry hateful white men have had all the breaks their entire life. Men make a dollar to every 79cents women make, get most of the promotions and have bigger pensions & retirement funds than women and POC! Why so angry? Watch "The Brainwashing of My Dad" an excellent explanation of how we got here. Hannity plays the blame game nightly with selective use of editing. Only recently he switched to Sychophant for Trump, Apologist and even a Peddler of Fake News! He turned on a dime on a pedophile & is working with Bannon. Hannity has reached a low this Country has never seen...
5
Trump is doing great and Hannity is a good guy even thought I can't stand his voice any more. It is really funny reading all these liberal comments that just prove why Trump won and liberalism is about dead. The lefties are just plain dumb, and now the whole country knows it
3
We dodged a bullet when we got President Trump. But I don't think it's funny reading all these liberal comments, because these people aren't dumb; they're the perfect example of what happens when people consume nothing but biased news. And they're determined to deprive you and I of having our turn with our choice of president, even though they have just had their turn for 8 years. But they feel that dragging the country down, and tearing it to pieces is the right thing to do - because after all, they are convinced that we are fascists, and so anything in the Saul Alinsky playbook is fair game.
2
Have a close look at that Saul Alinsky playbook, and you will see that it has been heavily used by the right. By the way, the one trying to tear the government to pieces is Trump; perhaps you are just too blinded by your bias to realize that you are reflecting your own thought in your criticism here.
1
Just like Trump, Hannity can't resist the opportunity be covered by the very media he disparages.
Shame on the Times for helping him maintain and build his brand, which just puts more money in his pockets and raises his media profile, all that interests him.
Guess you're still attempting to reach those blue state readers who have no interest in your paper? Ah, to be part of a club that won't have you as a member. Have you assigned your Tucker Carlson "think piece" yet?
5
Hannity is a cheap trick who will be forgotten 5 minutes after he leaves the stage.
2
He's not that educated and is a beneficiary of fratbro-type culture where you get a job and are accepted because you're an obnoxious white guy. The funny part is, many of his fans probably struggle financially yet look up to him. Sean lives on Long Island in the "bubble" of liberal-leaning New York. Do you think he really would like to move to Scranton or Akron or even Dallas? Not a chance.
5
Oh, I get it NYT! Instead of profiling aggreived rural whites who love Trump, you've finally decided to profile aggreived multi-millionaire whites who love Trump. Good job!
4
From white supremacists to Sean Hannity in just a few days--actually a short distance to travel. NY times, can you stop it, please? I need some holiday cheer, not to be mired with horrific types.
4
I guess that Russian collusion thing has run it's course so now it's the Trump-Hannity Collusion Story! Whoopie!
1
Like all good conservatives- Hannity exploits nostalgia. He along with 13-20 million white, late aged Americans yearn for the 1950's and 60's .. What they wouldn't do to have that back.. you know.. the simpler times when the blacks had "their" side of town.. That subtle racism permeates his show and the entire Fox News apparatus.
5
Hannity spends a large amount of his radio show either talking about himself or repeating old stale talking points over and over and over and over again. I would imagine he must have some research that shows his average listeners have low IQs.
3
I'm waiting for America to stop pretending it's not racist.
4
What a slog. And what a hideously partisan creature.
I have no trouble with intensity and passion, but can’t stomach conspiracy mongering, or feeding the audience he then hides behind.
In my experience, Hannity is typical of many FOX reporters: grow mud against the wall, egg on guests, whip up the audience, and if caught, back off but never retract.
The author of this piece says Hannity has little in common with Alex Jones, but I frankly couldn’t see why. Just because the latter only deals with conspiracies versus the dabbling done by Hannity?
Whenever I’ve caught Hannity, he strikes me as a zealot, which is to say, going way beyond “Opinions” to border on manipulation and innuendo.
If this is what passes for talent, I think I’ll take a pass of my own.
16
I've never understood what has made Sean Hannity such an angry person. What's the chip on his shoulder that makes him so mean-spirited and so willing to ignore basic facts? He's a Long Island boy who has done well and lives a gilded-age type of life. Why the vitriol against "elites" (if you make many millions of dollars a year, doesn't that make him one?) and his blind support of an intellectually and morally challenged president?
13
I ask myself the same thing about Trump: what’s he got to be so angry about? So whiny? So aggrieved? Born with a silver spoon, a career stiffing the world, and HE’S angry?
Hannity and Trump seem separated at birth.
3
@Christine Houston.
Here's a suggestion. Wikipedia. To understand an entire American subculture of grievance, one that is very particular to our time in history, read the entries for Hannity, Kellyanne Conway, Reince Priebus, and Stephen Bannon. The remarkably similar roots of anger and grievance are right there in black-and-white.
2
Every time that grating center photo of Hannity has confronted me today, I've stared right back at it and said, "Oh shut up already."
Oh how gratifying it would be to say this to Hannity in person.
Thank goodness, at least, for TV's program-block settings. On my TV set, Fox News was shut down a long time ago.
13
The so-called mainstream media (MSM) has been biasing, misreporting and covering up for Democrats for at least 40 years.
Along comes a contra voice and the left responds with 3rd Reich comparisons, juvenile name-calling and unbridled sneering.
And yes. I'll make a large bet that Hannity and his Oklahoma producer have a much better feel for the pulse of much of the country than the average NYT reader has.
1
Jimmy Swaggart minus the remorse.
3
If ANY NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN reporter or anchor did anything remotely like this they would be pilloried.
Just appalling.
10
Hannity is an entertainer. Nothing more, nothing less. He plays to a certain audience that has no real perception of anything else than his charisma and silver-tongued falsehoods that stimulate the neurotic minds of a low life class of conspiracy theorists and liberal hate mongers. And it's very profitable for him and Fox News as long as he doesn't stretch it to the unbelievable fantasies of the likes of Glenn Beck, or get caught up in any sexual scandals.
6
I stopped watching Fox some time ago. Their reporting is over the top and slanted toward the GOP. As far as Hannity is concerned he may have 13 million viewers at any one time, but he a blowhard as far as I am concerned.
He along with others should leave their posts at the television station and be a "hustler" for Trump.
4
re: 13 Million people a day...
...maybe.
But they're the same people.
Hannity and his ilk in the media draw those already persuaded, not those searching for real answers.
4
This man worked for two of the most heinous sexual abusers out there.
He has traded the Gospel for 30 pieces of silver (and a lot more).
Along with lying for Trump on a daily basis I'm sure he is a legend in his own mind.
6
Defending the indefensible is not much of a career aspiration. Unfortunately, there are too many vacancies to fill now with this specialty in our political system. Sean needn't worry about being unemployed.
1
I think the most interesting thing this article suggested at one point was that Mr. Hannity's biggest fear is that viewer "picking up the remote." That seems to me a fairly succinct way to understand how someone like him operates. You know it's odd, I imagine the best thing at least for "business" for Hannity has been the canidacy and now the presidency of Donald Trump, however what is probably even more telling that before then Barrack Obama was probably the best thing to happen to his career. It doesn't matter who is in power, or what policies are being pursued, Hannity second probably only Rush Limbaugh embodied the driving ideology behind their whole ideolgy behind their entire movement, or "resurrection" as I believe he referred to it--ratings. Seeing how his colleagues have fallen from grace has probably provided him with all the more motivation, why else would he fund his own focus groups? Maybe it's just an example of vanity gone haywire.
I read this article for the following reason: I want to better understand how people are influenced to think the way they do... This is not an echo chamber article... and I found it to be very disturbing....
6
So we consider Sean Hannity a big deal because he reaches less than 4% of the American population? What passes for news at Fox is little more than informational vulgarity.
5
"Why was it that liberals always used tragedies to further their own political ends?" Seems to me Hannity should be looking in the mirror when he says that, given that he then went ahead and used the Las Vegas shooting as a plarform to further his own career, something he doesn time and time again, while pretending to be a "reporter." He's a talk show host who indulges himself in the worst sort of moral hypocrisy. Hannity doesn't REPORT the news, he FASHIONS it. Disgusting.
3
Sadly, many of his followers look to him as a journalist like Bret, Shep, Wolf or Jake. Hannity, in my opinion, is an "op-head" with his pom-poms out for Trump.
I will give him credit for taking true journalism down and propping fake-news up.
1
Oh I thought you all knew it is just pro Republican advertising from a TV host. He has chosen his side you either watch him or you don't you know what he is.
I would expect nothing less from Hannity. I quit watching him after seeing him interrupt and bully people he was interviewing (OK, mostly liberals). Another bully in the style of Trump himself...
4
Sean Hannity is road rage with a microphone. And it's daunting the huge numbers who resonate with the toxicity he daily dishes out--and are impacted by it. Yet, gratefully, on the other hand, many of us agree with Mahatma Gandhi who once observed,: "I won't let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet."
17
That's your opinion and your right to believe what you want. Try to shut down one side is not democracy. I refuse to watch CNN and MSNBC but that's my choice. You don't have to watch Fox, that's your choice. The key is that there ARE two sides and both sides need to be readily available so we can make your own decision. It's called a free country.
1
Argy Bargy, I agree, there are many perspectives and the more we are exposed to the better decisions we can make. I in fact do watch Fox. I never miss Shep Smith. He's an excellent journalist who reports the news without bias; without over the top emotions or insulting or demeaning language that get in the way of the information being transmitted.
Hannity and Maddow are performers. Why would anyone watch? Because we need to hear over and over again the we "are right".
Sadly, the dumbing of America has established both of them as "news". We are very close to achieving a reality similar to that in the film called "Idiocracy". Gatorade anyone?
2
Wow. So Hannity is an investigative, real issues based journalist. I thought he was just another low rating stand-up. You know. The kind who has the loudest laugh to his own (non) jokes.
6
Interesting article. Hopefully in years to come Hannity and Limbaugh and the like will be remembered as the Baghdad Bob's of our time
3
This article was remarkably fair. Enjoyed reading it (or I let the computer read it aloud to me). Barak Obama, Sean Hannity were both born in the same year and if circumstances were different, they could have been friends in school smoking and drinking together. I myself also born in 61 have been very interested in how these two men could grow up having radically different views on life, culture and morals. Both as influential!
3
Entertainers such as Hannity, Limbaugh, and Trump no more change people's minds than do Hollywood entertainers. Rather, they reflect the views of their listeners. People tune in to have their beliefs, hopes, and fears, their view of the world, reinforced. To mistake them as influential rather than as reflective in fact gives them authoritative power they do not otherwise merit, effectively making them influential. Listeners, viewers, and online clicks count just as much for them if they are by opponents or supporters. Limbaugh's base salary of around $50 million/year is because advertisers know he will have listeners. If you do not like what these people advocate, then organize boycotts of their sponsors. Money talks.
4
Hannity, Limbaugh and their lesser peers are all cut from the same cloth. Their so called “opinions” are driven purely by the quest for cold, hard cash. Hannity knows exactly when he is being illogical, irrational and immoral to the most extreme. Like Rush and friends, keeping his wallet fat is entirely dependent on generating as much resentment and anger as is humanly possible. Their diatribes are all fine tuned to keep listeners pounding on the dash and viewers screaming at their flat screens. Raising viewer anxiety and anger in the surest way to get them to tune for more tomorrow. In the right-wing media bubble, greed always trumps morality.
2
In the summer of 2008, Hannity was signed for a $100 million five-year contract. That should say it all.
1
The best thing about Sean Hannity is his unrelenting attacks on the left and the alt-left media. He has a much larger audience than any left wing media outlet, which must really aggravate the left wing media.
1
I'm sorry, but I find this sad. Not that I'm ever against Freedom of Speech, but it strikes me that what Hannity does is close to propaganda. And he takes pride of that, as he makes millions.
Distortion of comments, airing them, without fact checkers is what's helped moved us to the sad state of division we (American citizens) face every day as we try and live our lives.
4
Read about a third of this and wondered why I'd read that far. Hannity is as divisive as those leftists he points at. He is mired in political muck to the wealthy corporatists that run our nation as much as if not more than anyone who backed Hillary to the tune of a billion dollars. I have no sympathy nor allegiance to either Party or their ideology of lies and deception.
I did not know much about Sean Hannity until I read this. His family picture from 1963 looks a lot like my family of five children of Irish immigrants in the Bronx in 1965, with a baby in a high chair.
I accept that the Times shows him posing at his former house and a nearby restaurant, instead of where he actually lives now. But articles like this make sociopaths seem like heroes, instead of just sociopaths.
144
Franklin Square one of the segregated areas on Long Island where black people could only live in certain areas
It's interesting that he says he had no use for school but considers himself a "worker bee." He probably doesn't realize that some people do well in school and are so-called worker bees. It's not either/or, but the GOP has a following because of their anti-intellectualism or rather, distaste for "book learning."
Did not no much about Hannity, but you know he is a sociopath. Very revealing.
NYT, I am so weary of your coverage of Trump, his enablers and his followers. In the past one year, you have beaten readers over the head with your reporting on the The Trump tribe without revealing anything new. In their denial of basic facts and basic decency, there is no room for them to change. So how about shifting your focus to the people who care about facts and have open minds? Help shine a light on the biggest voices and influencers for women audiences. Hispanic and Black audiences. Democratic viewers. Young voters. help us understand what white democratic voters and nonracists are feeling. Talk to a few young, influential minorities. Talk to a proud Moslem immigrant. In my affluent white CT suburb, which votes Republican, 66% voted for HRC. It might be useful for you to shine a spotlight on that?
175
I must be reading a different New York Times than you, literally. I did not vote for Trump and truly find him deplorable. I hold true many progressive policy positions. But, not a day goes by where we don’t have pieces on people affected negatively by Trump’s policies or the people influencing progressive policies. Remember the article on undocumented workers last week? The countless opinion pieces on women affected by sexual harassment? I do.
“Know thy enemy.” Sean Hannity clearly has an distinct way of thinking, and the only way to combat his backwards morals is to understand him.
3
Amen. Thank you.
1
An affluent Connecticut suburb, which voted 66% for a Democrat is NOT Republican. That is a cover story that does not work. Republicans that vote Democrat are NOT Republicans.
President Trump is doing SO MUCH to improve this country and rescue it from the horrors of Obama. I am so proud of him. From the courts, to the illegals, to ISIS, to the economy, he may be the best president since Lincoln.
The question is, whether are you going to keep the money that he has added to your 401k and market accounts? Or are you going to give it back? You certainly would not be a hypocrite and KEEP THE MONEY his policies have provided, and continue trashing him.
For 8 years, our investments were FLAT, due to the inability of the community organizer to handle our nations economy. But, we weren't allowed to say a word in question (or be called a "racist"). Now that a businessman is in charge, we are making money again and yet you continue to trash him. I am grateful that the horrors of the Clintons are receding.
If corporations are people, then Fox is the corporate jerk who's yelling "FIRE!!" in a crowded movie theater and Hannity is standing up egging him on.
Some people says Hannity "speaks his mind", like what's been said about trump. Thing of it is, Hannity and trump also make things up, misinform, mislead and outright lie. Profusely.
Hannity is not "news", he is propaganda, inflammatory propaganda that is eating away at the core of our country.
Like a cancer.
92
So he feathers his nest and the rest of us get plucked; the usual scam-artist elevated in the media age. I remember seeing newsreels of rallies for Hitler and wondering why were people there? What would compel them to support a divisive agenda? I'm finally having some real life insights about that and it begins and ends with the powerful being willing to manipulate the feelings of others to their own ends: $ and or fame and or righteousness.
34
And millions will die. Many, many millions. You are correct: this is exactly where this is leading to.
1
Somewhere in one of my comments, a commented denigrated Rachel Maddow. she was Rhodes scholar --Oxford University-- and has a PhD in Political Science so she is great deal better able to make criticism of the drumpf crime family than Hannity the GOP lapdog enuciator who is a disgrace to the Irish. He not only kissed the barney stone, he swallowed it. Hannity graduated from Hangum High.
53
Rachel is doing the work we wish we could all do. It’s transcendent. Sadly, I’m sure there are memos and plans for her, for Chris Hughes, for Joy-Ann Reid. For others. We should thank them for their patriotic service while we can.
3
The scary thing about Hannity, Fox and some of the other similar "news" outlets is that they ignore science, facts, and reality. Once they latch on to an agenda, their core of dim-witted followers takes what they say as facts.
In the past, you had the National Enquirer to read about alien invasions and conspiracy theories, which was great entertainment. Everyone knew it was a joke. Now in spite of overwhelming facts from thousands of scientist, and rising sea levels +++ these news outlets still claim global warming is a myth.
31
Oh, and CNN just does a FANTASTIC and HONEST job reporting? OK!
It’s not a bug, it’s a feature. This is planned. It’s not stupidity, it’s not idiocy, it’s about an agenda. An agenda that will be very harsh when it comes. Anyone naive to their ultimate goals is just that: naive.
1
Fox IS the National Enquirer of the airwaves...
4
How do people who are far right or far left become the spokesmen for either political party? And, how can the average reader/viewer like myself make sense of the messages we are inundated with everyday?
6
Elizabeth,
It does seem that everyone has an agenda. I am currently reading Peter Janney's new book, Mary's Mosaic about the Kennedy assassination and he talks about the CIA's Project Mockingbird where the CIA works with major media to control information that we read. Pretty scary. One person I admire is former CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson. Check our her website and TV show, Full Measure http://fullmeasure.news/.
I think the answer to your question is to read both sides. I have digital subscriptions to both The NYT and the WSJ, for example.
2
Whar "Far Left" person/persons is a spokesman for the Democrats?
I agree. I try to stay informed. But how many people do the same? His view is so one sided.
Who cares? Hannity represents much of what I hate about a segment of this country-Trump supporters: anti- intellectuals, anti-science, anti-factually news reporting like Drudge, Breitbart, etc., Not a surprise for a President and his supporters, both of whom read National Enquirer.
39
They do it for a reason. They know and agree with the science. They simply are willing to use that as a wedge: you vs them. So, yes, you should care. They are playing for all the marbles. Discounting them as otherwise benign boys playing in the sandbox is foolish. Like or not, they are extremely dangerous.
4
I truly don't understand how so many people can read here, and countless other news sites, see 80-90% of all stories being criticism of Trump on every topic from the big (tax policy, immigration, gun policy) to the embarrassing (ice cream orders, wife's footwear, North Korean opinions about him) and then be SHOCKED! about the propaganda-like bias of Hannity.
Can you really not tell that you are reading the same level of heavy handed editorializing that you see the right-wing crowd consuming? Is it any less propaganda simply because more outlets mirror it?
It's terrifying to me that one has to read BBC, or read countless, varied US sources to be able to separate the simple events that actually happen, from the manipulative attempts to get us to feel a certain way about the events. I really never imagined it could get this bad in a democracy, but it's gotten to a point where we are exactly where the USSR citizens were when they had to try to figure out actual events without propaganda.
Is having a bubble to tell us that our thoughts are all correct really worth all of this? News, comedy, movies, sports, video games, teachers, all increasingly feed us a never-ending dose of politics, as if our elections aren't long and exhausting enough. Is it any wonder we hate each other so much? When will this end?
7
It will end when a greater number of Americans turn off mindless television and do some honest homework about what is damaging this country.
1
"The influence obviously thrilled him. I say it ...and it's gone." says Sean Hannity. High cotton for a man whose family isn't that far from immigration. Treating our world as his toy and crowing over his part in bouncing our country like a basketball. Never claiming to be a journalist? What a relief but how many of those who listen to him realize he orchestrates his content like it's a dog and pony show. Just what will stir up or soothe his people. Beyond worry that Trump's sons, daughter and son-in-law are running the country there's this impresario, like some lion tamer with whip and chair running Trump. Terrific.
24
Just what, you ask? How on earth can you not know by now?? Racial cleansing, white nationalism, christian extremism. Anyone that looks like a target against those terms IS. Time to stop soft-balling these comments. Time to wake up and smell the coffee. They are coming for us.
3
You have to wonder about people that watch Hannity or Maddow. Are these people incapable of critical thinking and feel the need to be told what to think?
5
With Rachel Maddow, at least you know she went to college and then on to graduate school (Oxford for a PhD?). Sean is a dropout who probably hasn't read a book since high school, if then.
3
Wow, I was searching for just the right comment... and you already said it.
2
Dear susan,
Suggestion:
1. Ask yourself if you're half as articulate as Rachel Maddow. If you are, you're doing pretty well.
2. Then ask yourself if you're half as ignorant as Sean Hannity. If you are, you're faring pretty poorly.
Senior executive producer at Fox, Porter Berry has the nerve to say, "Our audience is regular people." I am so tired of reading stuff like this. As if Democrats aren't "regular" people. I'm a liberal Democrat, 65, a white lady, living on social security and the salary from a part time job. I probably have more in common with Berry's Oklahoma family than Hannity, the multi-millionaire, does. To claim that Democrats aren't "regular" is a crazy assertion and just another way to drive a wedge between people.
Hannity thinks he has his finger on the pulse of this country, but he's wrong. He serves no purpose and helps no one but himself. His audience of 13 million represents only about 20% of the people who voted for Trump, so he can't even attract the viewers he thinks he knows so well. Hannity has a way to go before he's as influential as he seems to think he is.
429
Until I viewed the photos of Hannity associated with this article, I
had no idea what he looked like. This retiree clicks on CNN, NY Times,
New Yorker, the Guardian and others throughout the day and evening.
Am I missing anything by not watching Hannity? I don't think so.
4
Regular is just a euphemism stupid, under-educated, low-brow, ignorant, slow, dim-witted, non-thinkers, yahoos, goobers, and more recently, marks.
1
Thank, Ms. Pea. Me, too. I think of myself as a "regular person," too, not rich. And I'm really against taking away protections for consumers who are otherwise fleeced by fake "universities" and banks that set up extra accounts without permission and brokers who churn accounts to cheat clients and letting industries poison people and pollute our environment. I guess that makes me a liberal.
2
His audience is made up of the descendants of the hard core Nixon fans, as well as those of people like Strom Thurmond. They never change and will be with us. Good news is their numbers, relative to the population of the US are going down, down, down.
13
Having lived in a number of US cities including NYC. I have observed that most New Yorkers think the world ends at the Hudson River. How sad!
5
Haha. Pretty funny. New York City has a very high percentage of foreign-born residents, probably at least 40 percent. I think many of those people know that there's a big, wide world out there. Maybe others like Sean Hannity don't because he's huddled on Long Island's North Shore where his two kids probably play lacrosse and attend private Catholic school.
The best part of living in NYC is seeing Hannity & the other racists in FOX news spew hatred on air then grab authentic American food. Like tacos, sushi, pho. Hypocrites all.
Hannity, Levine, Rush, Coulter... a motley cast whose angry voices echo in the right-wing silos, and are challenged only by callers who are easily potted down and guests that are invited on to serve as punching bags. Of course these aren't journalist. Media literacy, reading with a critical mind, questioning of sources needs to be taught and taught early. We are witnessing what happens to democracy when so many viewers/listeners are easily manipulated by an angry "patriot" who relies exclusively on cherry-picked information to galvanize hatred within his/her audience.
219
Of course, the main stream media, which is almost totally biased to the left, is not guilty of lies, distortions and failing to report the truth. While I an not greatly enamored with Hannity, we need his voice and similar voices to counterbalance the liberal media, which is in full force these days to destroy Trump and cause total political turmoil.
1
Would it help to know that many state and local budgets cut school funding after the crash of '08 and never reinstated it? Arizona leads the pack with cutting educational funding by about 36% with Florida close behind. (Source: NPR yesterday, ATC) If you don't educate children, you will have an easily lead electorate. Teaching critical thinking requires more than teaching to the test.
I am so glad that I, and my children who are grown, went to strong public schools.
The media is increasingly owned by a handful of archconservatives. Sinclair, Murdoch, and others - now to be followed by the Koch ownership (eventually, they will control it completely) of Time and its related print media - have poisoned the airwaves with vitriol that has divided the country like never before. They have been waging a war against objective reporting and substitute emotion and opinion for truth and facts. They are the reason so many people are so abysmally ignorant about climate change, for example, even while the oceans rise, the lakes dry up, and natural disasters multiply.
You are entitled to your opinion concerning the so-called liberal bias, but it is utter hooey.
2
Sean Hannity is Pravda come to America. It's our future now.
I've been in commercial TV for 45 years. We've seen it coming for a long time as corporate America raided and took over the airwaves.
Hate it, but the dread has arrived.
19
Good for Hannity! Seems to me that this is the MSM doing some inner reckoning. It's intriguing to think that while liberals and the MSM are willing to defend Hillary Clinton at all costs, they would hint their indignation at Hannity for doing the same. Seems to me Hannity is doing nothing more than putting his finger on the scale! This provides viewers with a sense of balance in all that sloppy reporting that they're exposed to day in and day out... including from the NY Times!
4
Mabye Hannity it is extreme. But he balances out the unfair treatment Trump gets from the main stream media. They are so apoplectic that Trump cleaned Hillary*'s clock that their treatment of him makes the treatment Reagan got look like a love fest.
*How did it happan that given that Hillary is the most qualified, very experienced, brilliant, competenent candidate, ect... She is so detached from reality that she does realize you have to campaign. You know go visit voters in places outside of the Hamptons and Beverly Hills. Places like Mich, Penn, and Wisc. Then when she looses she blame everyone and everything under the sun. Wow the country sure dodged a bullet. Trump should be on Mount Rushmore for saving the country from delsional Hillary.
4
Trump won indeed. But he's passed on nearly every opportunity to show grace and leadership. He prefers to re-litigate the election and every perceived slight he's ever received. He cannot accept that some people dislike him, and that he lost the popular vote. Get over yourself, I say. Basically I find him to be a crybaby-in-chief. And, quite honestly he appears to be operating at an intellectual deficit, so much so that his own cabinet members call him names like "moron." You can't really blame the media for any of this. And, his latest - support for a suspected pedophile, his denial of the authenticity of a tape he's already apologized for, and his potshots at Obama, Senators Warren and McCain and others, shows how unfit he is to be a leader even of a Cub Scout den.
So back to that “Hannity is extreme” - so is that cool with you? I understand the need to deflect onto the popular vote winner by about 3,000,000 votes, but it’s a year later now. Any regrets? You are all in on whatever extremism now plays out?
1
Sean Hannity asks, "Why was it that liberals always used tragedies to further their own political ends?" Well, there is a very simple answer to that question.
The politics is always there, and Hannity is too clueless to notice. The politics of gun control never goes away. It's a problem every day in America. The gun-nutty GOP hates the moments when they have defend their insane gun positions with weak arguments. I'm sure these 2nd Amendment politicians, cloaked with conservative values, are praying for forgiveness. Sell the soul, get re-elected, and rot in the afterlife.
Yes, Sean, the politics of gun control is always there in our violent society.
9
And why is it that it's step down now Mr Moore while "due process" for Conyers...?
Hannity aired a liberal talk host complaining about how he hates to sing the national anthem, and then claimed this as an example of how much liberals hate America. The guy was actually complaining, as most of us do, about how hard it is to sing and how we should have a better anthem, like god bless america. Hannity intentionally took a quote out of context, and created a straw man caricature of a hateful liberal to stoke up more hate in his credible listeners. There's not a dimes worth of difference between hannity today, and father coughlin in the 30s.
9
His people who work hard to stay ignorant of facts, education, and destroyed their own coffee machines brought it, that's all that matters.
Where was Sean Hannity during the Cold War? Did he volunteer for service? No. He worked in radio, perfecting his hate-filled style.
1
I wouldn't put too much stock in Hannity's viewership. A lot of those people are either elderly racists or the military. Two demographics who don't represent a cross section of America. They're predominantly (if not all) white. These are the people who wistfully think back to a "better time" when we could use racial slurs in everyday conversation without having to deal with a triggered cuck. Hannity hasn't really expanded his viewer base. He doesn't attract NEW viewers. Keep in mind that 62M people voted for Trump, most of whom regret it, but that they don't even represent 1/4 of the voting population. Hannity will always have a job, Trump won't... Destroy the President.
3
Hannity is a self made man and the left can’t stand that. He has worked for and created everything he has. He didn’t inherit his wealth and isn’t a member of the club of liberal elites and they cannot tolerate that. The left has been shoving their garbage ideas down American’s throats for many years and people are sick of it. Sean is proving how corrupt they really are and this causes them to lash out with hate.
4
Nah, he's just an obnoxious undereducated "mean boy." He is taking his viewers for a ride, living a very pampered life indeed, on the East Coast, specifically in the suburbs of New York city. He benefits from the work of liberals but can't stop complaining about them.
1
Hannity has admitted that his show is not the facts, but his slant on the facts!
sean seem tireless. i never watch his show. i just don't like shouting matches. he's doing what he truly believes, so he'll never get caught in a lie. we all have our own visions for America, he's just making money giving his.
Hate sells. Sad to see how many are buying.
11
To me, the most amazing thing is the lying. On a daily basis, President Trump tells easily disprovable lies as just part of how he does business. So to be an unapologetic supporter of his, you have to either be so stupid that you’re totally fooled by this or be so in love with him that you don’t care.
Well, Hannity is clearly not stupid. So is it that he thinks this is OK? Actually, there’s an even more cynical take on all this, which is that he needs an audience for his rants, and he has found one in what’s called the Trump “base.” This base is only a third or so of our adult population and hopefully is continually shrinking to even less than that, but even so, if you’re in the TV and radio business that’s quite a potential audience—especially since the number of other media people who are willing to sink so low as to humor this group is also shrinking.
So if you’re willing to trade your integrity for the ratings that come with being President Trump’s apologist you may be able to enjoy that audience. But what a fate for a human being! Well, as this story reports, at least when he sold his integrity he got lots of money for it.
1
The more he's paid the more he lies. The higher the ratings the more fantastic the lies are.
3
I don't always agree with Sean he's too repetitive and at times predictable, but he seems like a regular guy. He's worked hard his whole life and believes to a fault at times some of the things he puts out. The MSM and Times hate the working class white guy, the regular neighborhood guy in the bar or at the bowling alley who boast a little, drinks beer, has an opinion on just about everything and is a foreign citizen to many in the liberal media. This part I like about Sean, he's a good guy.
2
This reminds me of the recent Times article that got criticized for 'normalizing a white supremacist'. Telling me that Sean Hannity likes to go out to eat, was once a baby, and has a childhood home does not make me forget that he is a bully, a horrible, mean, lie-spewing "journalist" who is a huge reason that our country right now is deeply polarized. Telling me that Sean Hannity is a nice guy is a good example of 'fake news.'
8
I am pleasantly surprised by this article. Nice trip outside the echo chamber, nyt! Ten years ago I thought Hannity was a joke. Since then ldemocrsts and the mainstream media left me with their hatred and race biting and all the propping for Crooked Hillary and social engineering so I came to watch Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity regularly, though Tucker is the most brilliant mind in the new fox line up. I am an independent, btw.
1
A different religion and a different nationality ... I swear people would use the word 'radicalized' to describe him.
The MSM should look in the mirror when they ask who created the Hannitys and Limbaughs of this world. Many people do not believe that they are receiving unbiased news which creates a market for equally biased news from the right.
29
Such "bias" is human and inevitable. The bias on the Right (especially the Far Right) is vastly more insincere, vapid, hateful, and dangerous.
3
Sorry -- NO WAY can you blame reporters who do NOT lie and are NOT deliberately partisan -- for the work of people like Hannity.
2
All sources of media have some bias. Much of the media from the right is not equally biased it exponentially more biased than the so called "main stream media." The outright falsehoods from much of the right wing media that passes for conservatism in America today is extremism. It is dangerous and has become a threat to our democracy.
I have less problem with Hannity twisting the facts in normal partisan fashion and more of a problem with his delivery. He insults his "peers" in the media by calling them idiots (verbatim), and he stirs up anger and resentment by playing the paternalistic good guy who tells it to you straight. He makes you feel good about being an angry bully with mildly racist tendencies. He reinforces the Fox News anti-intellectual culture to such an absurd degree that he is painful to watch.
222
He's a journalist like I'm an astronaut. Meaning he's not even in the same hemisphere as a journalist. He's a threat to this country when he advocates for a traitor like Trump.
17
Most of my disrespect for Mr. Hannity comes from his view of what a debate is. Instead of the give and take of ideas, it's two people bonbastically bellowing at each other. I don't care if one person is a saint and the other is a satanist - if you are going to have a talk show, talk. Don't scream and yell like two year olds.
5
That photo of Hannity playing basketball encapsulates a great deal: the rim is nowhere near ten feet high and it makes him seems bigger and better than he is. He is not a journalist. He is a shill, a hack, a demagogue, and above all a manipulative liar.
10
Wow, Hannity is a self proclaimed conservative commentator who is living RENT FREE in the NYT head. 1000s and 1000s of words....he is successful and he is a decent listen. He actually looks at the conservative side of an argument....
He agrees with Trump on lower taxes, free market, and protected borders....what is not to love?
3
That they pay this sophomoric twit gobs of money, whose career was expelled from the bowels of another media magnate sine laude (deceased), demonstrates the perverse order of our present media universe. Seems like dotards are everywhere these days...really where have all the smart people gone?
2
The last time The NY Times published a similar article about Rush Limbaugh, I cancelled my subscription for 10 years.
I'll cancel my subscription for the final time. Sean Hannity is a joke. I don't need to read about him in The NY Times.
4
This guy's a piece of work. No moral compass; shilling for his idol Trump now matter what, endorsing alleged child molesters, all in the name of the almight dollar. He neither cares nor knows the damage he's doing to this country by supporting an incompetent, ignorant, immature, idiotic "leader" and his regressive agenda. He's nothing more than a propagandist, just like most of the people on Fox "News"
4
Let's be honest. The Hannity hater here are just jealous because left-wing talk radio gets zero transaction, including Air American which was lead by Al Franken.
4
I listened to Hannity once a week for several years driving into Brooklyn for an evening class. He can be personable and, on many occasions, he can interact warmly with people of opposite opinions, even allowing his former Fox partner, Alan Colmes, to plug his book on his radio program. And while I generally have considered him a good guy, he rarely listens to opposing views without thinking of some sophistry to show why they're wrong. And usually, he rarely gives callers of differing opinion a second's respect before his contemptuous reply is followed by hanging up on him.
He illustrates much of what is wrong with talk radio: he spews his contempt at those to the right of him and shows great respect for people such as Ann Coulter and Oliver North, who deserve none.
2
That should be "to the left of him"
File this article - immediately - in the `Too Soon?' category.
It was only three days ago, November 25, that The Times ran the following article, for which it took considerable heat.
`A Voice of Hate in America’s Heartland'
Now The Times devotes precious space to the loudest voice of hate on Fox. Yes, too soon. Way too soon.
7
Once again, the Times wastes it precious space and resources promoting a far-right blow-hard, without even asking a proper question of the subject’s world view or his relationship to the President. This is completely unacceptable and it is bad journalism.
20
I hardly think this article is an endorsement. Hannity is a stain on journalism, but he's incredibly influential, and I appreciate the Times providing this article for the benefit of readers like me who would rather chew glass than watch Fox TV treat me like a gullible idiot.
2
Sean Hannity is a fool, he's a jester, and he’s a carnival barker. He's not a journalist. He states his opinion ignoring the truth, honesty and facts. He distorts the stories to suit his agenda. Anyone can do this type of opinionated nonsense and we see it daily on Fox News. It's not real news, there's no journalism involved. There’s no corroborating the facts and examining sources. There are no sources. It’s just their viewpoints. It’s their news based on their delusional fabrications and it’s their way of distorting the truth to feed their base. We see this from Trump on a daily basis. I’ve listened to him a couple of times just to see what he was talking about and his viewpoints were laughable. It was a comedy show. There was not one once of proof or facts in his commentary. Anybody with half a brain and just a wee bit of intelligence should within a few minutes of listening to Hannity figure out that the man is an ignorant fool spreading nonsense.
15
A loudmouth, bigoted know it all who never managed to graduate from college.
1
thank God I have a life and avoid all the right and left wing talking heads. I watch on span old news programs from the 1960s about Vietnam, the Cold War, race etc and see well planned measured and informative hour shows. Weirdos like hannity, cooper, joe/mike, pirro have 4 heads on screen dreaming at each other and there is no insight, perspective..nothing. Faced Zachariah has a good show..THe idiot late night "comedy" shows are no better. I did not vote for trump but he is making the cretins tons of money
3
"But Hannity told me that 'when I got in trouble, my father ripped the belt off and kicked the [expletive] out of me.'"
That's terrible and knowing this I feel sorry for Sean Hannity. The tens of millions of dollars in his bank account will never make up for the abuse he suffered.
1
So if one is abused and grows up to be mean and racist and a demagogue we should feel sorry for them?! Do you know how much money Hannity makes? 29 million a year. Thanks, but I'll 'feel sorry' for a deserving human being.
1
He built shoddy houses before becoming a fake journalist spreading lies on "conservative talk radio". He used to have a show with a guy named Combs. Combs was the informed liberal who always had a well thought out counter point to Hannity and his lying.
On the flip side: the abuse he suffered was very likely the catalyst from which his right wing reactionary career was born.
This was a surprisingly balanced essay on Mr. Hannity, especially given the NYT liberal leanings. Love him or hate him, Mr. Hannity will speak his mind. And his mind is aligned with the conservative principles adopted by President Trump. Mr. Hannity sees an opportunity in putting forward the conservative principles of patriotism, smaller government and individual accountability with the ascendency of Donald Trump. Mr. Hannity is, almost more than any other pundit or adviser, responsible for influencing the President's blend of populism and Tea Party Conservatism. He is not necessarily a shill for the President, but rather a muse through which the President refines his ideology, as it is.
As such, the liberals rightly despise Mr. Hannity as much as the Trump base rightly loves him. Can't say I've ever seen a more symbiotic, ideological relationship than between Hannity and Trump. Interesting to see how this relationship evolves over the remaining 3 (7?) years of the Trump presidency.
42
Hillary, you suggest that Hannity is credible, stating facts. Do you believe what he says? I'm curious. You say "speaking his mind," but that's different than using facts.
I don't see how it's "patriotic" to call harassed women liars, to call President Obama every ugly name in the book, or to openly pass on lies about Hillary Clinton. Hannity isn't despised because he's a conservative; he's despised because he will lie, cheat, and lie some more to anyone he meets. And, in that, he is exactly like trump. Stop pretending there's some ideology there. It's just greed.
2
Hillary writes:
"... especially given the NYT liberal leanings."
This is the kind of nonsense that Fox and Hannity traffic in. The NY Times isn't Fox, but that doesn't make it "liberal leaning." Fact and evidence based reporting is just that. Fox and Hannity and Trump for that matter call such fact and evidence based reporting "liberal."
4
Hillary of Seattle and other Trump faithful need to understand that Trump has no principles. Patriotism, small government and individual accountability mean nothing to Trump other than as magic buttons spoken to energize his supporters. In the meantime, Trump is destroying the core structures of our society that protect his supporters and enhance their lives. Trump is not there for you, he is there for himself and his wealthy brethren. Liberals have no need to despise enablers like Mr. Hannity; they are deeply saddened that such a person continues to participate in this charade when they clearly know the disastrous impact they are having. Other nations have encountered such people before and it has not turned out well; it is our turn now and Mr. Hannity will have a lot of explaining to do.
2
These are the types of personalities that are created today with the 24-hour news cycle. We get what we deserve.
112
Sean Hannity is a perfect example of a base person who uses guile to convince people that he is on the side of honor and righteousness when, in fact, he is demeaning several catagories of 'other' people, conjuring an environment of persecution from these 'other' people, and entrapping his listeners into adopting the emotions that were evoked by his agressive and abusive rants.
Sean Hannity got a rush of power from that volunteer gig at a Santa Barbara radio station; he recognized that he was "good" at evoking anger; and he decided to be worshipped by the listeners who allowed themselves to be debased into needing a "champion" to demean 'other' people.
I feel sadness for the watchers and listeners of Hannity and his ilk. I just pray that they change the channel, so they can find some optimism in general and can fill the hole that Sean Hannity drills into the soul.
16
In essence the guy is supposed to be an entertainer. There is nothing entertaining about hearing the same humourless drivel over and over again.
27
He is bombastic and, of course, it's really a shtick. And he knows it and will do anything to protect his gig, especially when he is earning millions. Argument (I mean that in the proper sense of the word, not yelling), evidence, facts established by evidence, etc. doesn't matter. But, to be fair, the left can be almost as egregious. I simply refuse to watch Maddow, et. al. and I lean pretty far left. I just can't stand polemics, no matter its political stripe. How I yearn for reasoned argument and debate - from all sides.
116
You may wish to check out the PBS New Hour. Making my pledge tonight.
2
Thank You Sean. You will go down in the history books as A Great American !
3
Hatred is not a strong enough word. Anyone that goes on TV with a flag behind their head says loudly that they are more patriotic than I am. It makes me very sick of our flag. It has been taken away. Confiscated by rich Tokyo Roses with a racist agenda.
12
Hannity has13 million people that think he is great.however he will never get more people to watch him.
7
Not to mention an additional 14 million listeners who tune into Hannity's syndicated 3 hour talk show on any one of 500 stations across the country. Thank goodness for the free press! As intimated here, some folks would rather have you reading the NY Times as the one and only sacred news source. Not!
Breakfast cereal intellectualism for the right. High in sugar and low in nutritional value. And they eat it up, daily.
26
And in this day and age why would Hannity feel they Megyn Kelly's debate question was "patently unfair." Explain Mr. Fair and Balanced, if you will?
5
“I’m a journalist,” he told me. “But I’m an advocacy journalist, or an opinion journalist.”
So that's it. He is whatever he says he is, whether he is that or not.
And all the fools that watch and believe him will buy in.
12
He got a pass (because he's a real 'man' and throws a football) with his cruel and dishonest remarks about Mrs. Clinton.
One wonders if it's because he knows he will never be First Lady, twice-elected U. S. Senator, Secretary of State and the nominee of his party to be the president.
And it's probably too late for him to get a solid education.
10
Hannity is a bit of a cartoon character. I had no idea he had millions of viewers. He's not my cup of tea, especially his obsession with the 2nd Amendment and 'the right to bear arms'. I strongly disagree.
However, I think he exposed a lot of the egregious misconduct by the Clintons and the DNC. Everyone claimed it was a lie, but no one disputes how much the MSM trolled for Clinton to win the Presidency (this paper was one of her biggest cheerleaders).
I'm surprised the NYTimes interviewed him, but I read it and think the piece is fair and balanced. The comments, however, are not - it is obvious that the biggest haters commenting did not even read the article. Perhaps the Times just ran the article for the click-bait attraction? I guess it worked, look at all the nasty comments.
Intellectual curiosity, tolerance and civility used to make NYTimes comments very interesting. Now it's often an echo chamber of tribal partisanship, ideology, group think and histrionics. That's regrettable because Americans will always have profound differences, but if we stop talking and listening to one another, hate and mistrust quickly take over.
We will never solve our problems as a country by hating those different from us.
3
Melinda writes:
"... no one disputes how much the MSM trolled for Clinton to win the Presidency ..."
Did you read this paper during the election? Anybody who read this paper would disagree with you, Melinda. Don't take Hannity at his word when he says this. During the election, this paper dedicated a significant amount of space to Clinton's shortcomings--an amount that was comparable in magnitude to its analyses and investigations of Trump.
4
Interesting and successful guy. 99% of all media are flaming liberals so what surprises me is out perpetually outraged liberals are of any opinion other than their own
Rachel Maddow can hug Hillary, CNN can give out debates questions ahead of time Martha Raddatz cried when Hillary lost on air, Stephen Colbert literally had a permanent stroke while broadcasting on election night. And my brief list is short by about a hundred other media types also insanely biased. But the left just shrugs. But should one channel, fox, just one channel oppose the common one world no borders elite media we are all doomed. Not true. Hannity is good at what he does, if you don’t like him don’t watch or don’t listen.
4
"My thoughts are the same: I’m mad,” he said." and "Hannity rarely grants interviews to mainstream reporters, whom he calls 'disgustingly biased, ideological and corrupt.' But he also suffers from a suspicion that his critics willfully misunderstand his motivations. “People don’t know what drives me, what energizes me.” and "'He’s the same guy who used to drink beers with me behind the movie theater,' Gomez said — still puckish and voluble, still possessed by an energy he seems to have trouble controlling." I think we have a pretty good idea of what motivates and drives this man based on these statements alone. He is a Trump. Jr, he will never become emotionally mature, he remains frozen in time, back in the 1960's "Leave it to Beaver" crowd, when their world was lily-white and everyone knew their places in society, and God forbid, you step out of it, you get lambasted. What's really sad is that there are still so many Americans out there that want this fairy tale to remain true for them and will do or say anything to maintain it at all costs, such as electing a bigly unqualified man-baby for president and gleefully cheer on Nero's fiddling while Rome burns down around them. Great job, Hannity, hope you're happy with your thirty pieces of silver.
11
Congratulations. Not a fan of the NYT. But this article is a very fine piece of portrait-background. Thank you for a great read.
3
Hannity panders to tribal emotions: "us versus them." Evolutionary psychologists can explain why he is so successfully enjoyed by people who feel that he is a spokesman for the tribe.
The Nation's Founding Fathers recognized the risks of such tribalism, and sought to protect us against it using tools such as the Bill of Rights (e.g., the 1st Amendment protection for the Press) and governmental check and balances. The Founders viewed an educated citizenry as paramount.
Education in civics, and demagoguery, is what is necessary to combat the tribalism that entertainers like Mr. Hannity employ for profit and power.
9
Fortunately in television everyone has an expiration date.
4
This guy expired years ago. He's borrrrring! Same nonsense over and over again.
6
How far will Hannity go? Well that depends how much we will pay. It is a circus after all, and it is making him rich beyond belief. Stoking anger and suspicion is incredibly lucrative in the New Amercia where money is far more plentiful than honor. Honor simply does not pay enough.
9
A key is to hit Fox in the pocket book. A key driver behind the drop in revenue at Fox has been the decline in advertisers during Hannity's show. A product boycott works. A list of those advertisers are here:
https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2017/05/23/these-are-sean-hannitys...
5
He and Trump are proving they need more sleep.
3
And also that they need a conscience.
1
This is an ironic headline. Sean Hannity is one person, but who defended Barack Obama during his 8 years of a stalled economic recovery, embarrassing episodes like Benghazi, or his failed promise of socialized medicine that wouldn't cost the taxpayer a dime? Just about every popular talk show and news media host other than Sean Hannity.
4
Yikes! Someone with an agenda different than mine is exercising his First Amendment Rights. I hate when that happens.
2
What I cant figure out is how he does this all day, every day. Every single day he has to come up with more and more anger and outrage, that has to wear on you.
6
Hannity has about 3.5 million Fox viewers daily with the median age of 68 (half of the viewers are younger than 68, half are older than 68). That's about 0.011% of all Americans and dramatically skewed to the elderly. On radio, Hannity reaches about 13.5 million listeners a week. So, with five shows and a highlight rerun show each week, that's somewhat over 2 million people a day.
Certainly his daily audiences overlap to a huge degree - both in those watching and listening to both shows and in those doing so every day. So, giving a generous accounting, Hannity has a daily audience of a bit over 3 million comprised mostly of elderly, ideologically rigid Americans.
So, my question is: Why do we care about Sean Hannity?
Stop watching. Stop listening. Stop reporting about him.
Hannity has no shame. His small audience is impervious to facts, rejects reason, laughs at logic and apparently will support their guys despite credible and numerous charges of sexual assault, including one instance of pedophilia against Roy Moore.
Stop giving Hannity the one thing he craves more than anything else: our attention.
5
OK to lie: Trump's birtherism/ Hannity's Rich murder claims. Half truths, fiction as fact, as long as it's entertaining and nourishing the anger, fear of immigrants, blacks, liberals while trumpeting lets make America great again.
Just what programs is Hannity for?Does an Alabama candidate against the 20 century advancements- read that as FDR's social programs as well as Ike's infrastructure expansion, and yes, government regulation against despoiling the air , land, and work place and LBJ's policies- for unrestricted, unbridled capitalism? Trump's sham Populism of tax breaks for the rich while soaking the poor also a Hannity plan?
Just what is Hannity for? Who does he see in his America? Are those kneeling athletes scourges of antiAmericanism or alarms sounding that America can and must do better?
7
He is the epitome of the Trump supporter in Long Island. A person who wishes that time never moved beyond 1961. Women, Blacks and Hispanics were still kept in their place. I have heard some of these people because they are the parents of some my friends. They have nostalgia for a time that never truly existed, but desperately yearn for. They honestly believe that their lives have been stolen by the uppity minorities that have had the courage and nerve to demand their rights.
10
The most insidious problem with the "talking heads" on both sides is that people think they are really accomplishing something when they call in, email or tweet rather than spending their time and energy contacting their Representatives and Senators. Before doing so, they should sufficiently research and contemplate the issues so that they can speak from knowledge not ignorance. Ignorance and stupidity are not synonyms. Some very intelligent people choose to remain ignorant by refusing to consider reasonable alternative opinions and positions. The list of ignorant individuals in the media and government is mind-boggling. I have a modicum of sympathy and tolerance for the cub reporters who simply don't have enough "miles on their moccasins" to know how arrogant, supercilious, inconsequential and ignorant they are. However, I have zero respect for those old enough to know better whose bias, self-interest and cowatrdice evoke statements and accusations which they know in their heart of hearts are blatantly false and misleading. I don't have to identify them. They know who they are!
2
Hannity is irrelevant. Nobody listens to him excepts his converts.
Of course, the same can be said of many other TV "commentators", both on the left and right.
Who do you listen to says more about you than the individual spinning his/her stories.
1
Fair and balanced, Sean Hannity is not.
1
Do we have to look at this guy? Isn't seeing the National Embarrassment everyday enough?
2
Mr Hannity,
I recently visited Red Hill, home and burial site of Patrick Henry. I stood at the foot of his grave and recommended you to the great patriot. We are forever grateful for all that you do. Please keep up the good work.
4
Patrick Henry rolled over in his grave. Murdoch, Ailes, O'Reilly, and Hannity have coarsened America into the equivalent of the rabble of Rome. This period of American history will be viewed as the Decline of the Empire.
7
"Patriot" is one of the most misdefined, misused and self-serving words in any language. One person's patriot is another person's traitor.
1
Speaking as a fan, thanks for a great article.
2
The idea of a liberal media bias is laughable. As a real liberal, I have yet to find a mass media pundit whose views resonate with mine. There's certainly a Democratic bias to most mainstream media sources, but not a liberal one. There is no liberal or left-wing host who toes the ideological line for the left the way Hannity does for the right. I've frankly never understood why the idea of a liberal bias persists. I find most TV hosts to be tepid moderates with Democratic tendencies, unwilling to speak their mind for fear of alienating their centrists viewers. Conservatives need a little perspective, maybe realizing how good they have it in the media.
45
"Liberal media" is a classic right-wing smear designed to de-legitimize anyone who disagrees with their agenda, and to cow media outlets into the kind of "earth round or flat, opinions vary" coverage that has become SOP.
9
Never heard of Don Lemon, Larry O'Donnell or the editorial board of the NYT? Liberal media abounds. Pew reported that CNN reported negatively about Trump 97% of the time!
GIA - Thank you for stating what are my views regarding real liberal or left-wing news - for the left as Hannity does for the right. "Tepid moderates" about does it. If only a deep moneybags left wing billionaire would buy a station, as was done with Fox...
1
Hannity may never claim to be a journalist and Fox News may claim to be fair and balanced, but the problem is hannity and fox news supporters think Hannity is a journalist, his program is a news program and Fox News is fair and balanced.
29
Pew Poll reported that Fox News reported negatively of Trump 52% of the time and positively 48% of the time. That's very balanced. CNN? 97% - 3%! And its over 90% negative on MSNBC, CBS, NBC and ABC.
News is not all about Trump.
Very interesting article.
1
Anyone who supports this despicable, Trump sycophant represents what is precisely the problem with America.
47
Really, at tell us pray tell what is precisely the problem with America. Are there too many liberal so-called intellectuals? That is one of the main problems.
this guy is like the bully at school that you wished you had dunked in ice water..
mediocrity has its champion!
22
Hannity is a distant second to Rush LImbaugh.
9
So we learn that Hannity's program is repackaged twittery and fakebook posts, op-ed journalism reduced to "retweet" and "like?" Do the actual authors of the material get royalties?
8
Sorry, reality — Mr. Hannity wouldn’t let us bring you along to the interview. This story is an embarrassment.
8
To show that it isn't the liberal 'echo chamber' that many on the right like to claim, the NYT does reporting like this, then gets pilloried by its own readers.
In case you haven't figured it out yet, if it's a left wing echo chamber you want, you're in the wrong place.
10
I imagine this is a companion piece to the one on the neo-Nazi white supremacist from last week. Unfortunately, this guy is far more dangerous.
18
Hannity is completely determined and enthusiastic about his total confusion. He is a really annoying person. Reminds me of that kid in high school who just couldn't keep his mouth shut.
14
Mr. Hannity is now unlistenable. He is simply a shill for Trump- no depth, no surprises and no intellectual honesty. He was bought and paid for by Trump. Pretty cheaply it seems, all it took was invitations to the White House for dinner.
55
There’s a word for that.
Watching this clip of the holier than thou Hannity makes me wonder yet again why some men (Trump, Hannity, and probably Moore) escape as others are pilloried for less
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk1tSEFqVqo
17
No Bill Clinton on this list? Interesting....
No t really 'interesting' as your tendentious remark suggests. The list was not supposed to be exhaustive. Clinton was impeached and publicly shamed (yes, I know the impeachment was overturned). But that is not really the point, is it? Your reply is a great example of whataboutism. Not mentioning Clinton implies not favor or condoning of his behavior. My point was that Hannity is an aggressive sexual harasser as the clip demonstrates. Deplorable.
No I agree. Why make an exhaustive list? Better just make one wholly of the political opposition so as to appear evenhanded.
A fair profile of Sean Hannity? I’m shocked! So this is what real journalism looks like. Excellent work, NYT.
10
The Left hates Hannity because he is fearless, smart, likable and principled.
He is also one heck of a debater. I've listened to him since 1995 and between him and Rush, I saw the world in a new way. The Democrat party is not the party of my Dad or Granddad and they enlightened me. The Dems left me, I did not leave them.
11
we hate him because he is a liar and conspiracy theorist that puts lives in danger.
31
What are Hannity’s principles?
PS if I had listened to Hannity and Limbaugh since 1995, I’d see the world in a new way, too. Unfortunately, new isn’t always good.
31
The Republican party or your dad and granddad isn't the Republican party of today. Not by a long shot. If Hannity is indeed "smart," as you claim, then he certainly is not principled. I personally find him to be one of the most vile people in our country.
1
The numbers don't lie, Fox News' Hannity's hold on white, disenfranchised males continues. There is a rationale for all of the President's behaviors and tweets and it is presented by the White House spokespersons, Hannity and Fox News.
But it is not difficult to find hypocrisy in almost everyone who is implanted in today's political system. Denying the cynicism that fails to acknowledge white privilege and the discrimination of all minorities is pure sophistry, and it grants Hannity, his numbers' based millions. Hannity's fans among the entrenched white poor can feel better than the minorities Hannity actively attacks or fails to protect against systemic persecution. And the racist rich can hide behind his conservative bromides that continue to protect their undue influence. Rampant campaign finance dysfunction, forces Congress to embrace the wealthy lobbyists whose primary goal is to increase market share, often at the expense of the majority without primary political influence. And a bristling, handsome, white Catholic millionaire with a black belt, holds sway over this large, anxious constituency, backed by an Australian billionaire, media baron, bent on controlling peoples' access to fair and balanced reporting.
19
Truly a despicable specimen from our evolutionary chain. Never watch or listen to him. I'll make an exception when he goes ahead with the water boarding that he boasted he could withstand.
26
He talks so much and knows so little.
48
Sean Hannity: Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
Like every loudmouth bully one had to suffer in childhood come back to haunt us...or validate us..depending on what side of life you are on. Revenge and one upmanship? Sean's your guy. Compassion for those less fortunate? Forget about it!!! You can't stand him! Perfect mirror for life in America today.
19
There is no one on television more dishonest and intellectually bankrupt than Hannity. I actually think that's why his fans like him. They know he is lying, distorting and spinning like a pinwheel, and they know it makes the left insane, and that's what they like. They don't even care that Trump's policies will hurt them, the satisfaction they get from sticking their thumb in eye of liberals is worth it.
43
Equating making people “livid” with having principles has nothing to do with thinking. Sean Hannity stirs hatred against his fellow Americans. For pay.
"How far will Sean Hannity go?"
I hope "away".
56
Hannity is standing in front of a full length mirror ... he sees a image of Trump,
Trump is standing in front of a full length mirror ... he sees a image of Hannity
Sad!
13
"Hannity is standing in front of a full length mirror ... he sees a image of Trump,
Trump is standing in front of a full length mirror ... he sees a image of Hannity"
Lame.
It has occurred to me more than once that Johnson's line, "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel," might well have been said with a notion of the unborn Mr. Hannity in mind.
10
Mr. Hannity and Fox are not journalists. They are entertainers posing as journalists. They have adopted personas and issues which play upon the fears and misconceptions of people unable or unwilling to apply critical thinking to the drivel Mr. Hannity spews. While it was interesting to see the rock which Hannity crawled out from under, some fact-based questions from Mr. Shaer about Mr. Hannity's current and former positions and theories would have been more enlightening.
15
I could be wrong, but weren't there some NYT people shown to be conspiring with the Clinton campaign? Letting the campaign plant stories, letting the campaign preview/OK NYT articles before publishing? Correct me if I am wrong.
I'm digging deep to try and decipher the NY Times motivation for such a soft, friendly piece about Hannity. It's so nice, he'll probably send out copies to friends and family for Christmas. I kept thinking maybe the hard ball questions about his gross lies and fear mongering will come at the end. Nope. Maybe this is part of an over-arching master plan to get more conservatives to read the NY Times? It would have been easier just to air drop a few thousand copies over West Virginia and Alabama.
16
I didn’t read it that way. Clearly, the author included details throughout that allow the audience to see what a jerk he is and what a sham his show is. That’s the idea I walked away with.
1
You know how it is when a tornado is approaching and you see it in the distance swirling and somehow you have to do one more thing, like take the wash down from the line and suddently it's on you. Then you're swept up and flying and folks will then say, why did she try to take the wash down? Why didn't she just run for cover.
That's the catagory that I think this NYT puff piece about Hannity belongs to.
Trump is not the happy imbicile, idly being in the white house just goofing off and not causing trouble. HE IS DISMANTLING THE INSTITUTIONS OF POST WAR U.S.
So very, many are going to be hurt by his ignorant and malicious actions. We will never be what we could have been. Future generations will be hurt in his fallout for who knows how long. Will we always be the victims of the kleptocracy, working like slaves who only serve to enrich the 1%?
Therefore, I think that the NYT made a drastic error in this puff piece of Hannity/Trump, a drastic error in judgement, making him seem almost normal. He isn't. His lies under the rubric of journalism need to be called out because without him being challenged, more people will be under has sway as the tornado of the lost principles of our country whirl away.
Canada anyone?
1
I'm sure he is in his glory.
1
Hey, how much more pandering to the right are you gonna do? Should I cancel now? Or, is there a chance you might start realizing the old journalism standard of both sides do it has changed.
11
13 million? 4% of population. If only 4% of the country were grossly misinformed I could sleep at night, but the widespread ignorance goes far beyond Hannity's sad audience.
12
Blind faith isn't faith at all. It's called overpowering ego! I'm right everything and everybody else is wrong. Sound familiar?
3
Sean Hannity thinks that he has solutions to all the issues. No in depth analysis.
2
For weeks we dealt with the daily images of Harvey Weinstein on the front page.
Now, this guy?
1
Keep in mind folks that it wasn't Hannity or Fox News that got Trump elected. The popular vote went to Hilary.
It was the Republican Party that got Trump elected. Never forget that. Trump is just being himself.
It's the Republican Party that needs a deep cleansing. They gave us Trump.
9
Hannity and his ilk across the entire political spectrum are emblematic of all that is wrong across our country.
As a country we should be better than yelling and screaming at each other, failing to appreciate multiple points of view. Until we get back to civil discourse and acknowledging that no one person has the answer, we will continue to be mired in the muck of hatred, bigotry and narcissism.
I no longer watch any of these blowhards on either the right or left.
4
How far will Sean Hannity go? Far far away I hope.
4
May be a 'liberal or progressive Hannity', endowed with his rhetorical prowess and driven by the same fury that drives Hannity will serve as a balance for the 'thinking' public...
Is there someone out there that fits the anti-Hannity profile?
I don't know about "liberal" or "progressive" but the fury of Christopher Hitchens is sorely missed. The fact that he is dead and dangerous crazies like Trump and Hannity are alive makes me sure there is no god or if there is he isn't on the side of the angels. I weep for your country.
1
Nope. Us liberuls are burdened by honesty, integrity, and intellectual curiosity. We feel compelled to base our opinions on fact, and to change them as the facts compel.
Demagoguery just doesn't fit our world view.
1
Rachael Maddow.
I don't watch anything on channel 5.
1
I've wondered if Mr. Hannity believes the propaganda he spews or if it's just a high paying gig that he's willing to do for money. From this article it appears he came to these beliefs early but there was no attempt to dig into why. Did he just like the fire and brimstone aspect or was it like religion where you're supposed to digest it all or did he see even then it was like having a show business job and he was dreaming of being like them?
Maybe there is no there there on this man, a robotic purveyor of what sells. No wonder he admires Mr. Trump, they are both salesmen, nothing else. Great ones based on their ability to make believers into a fervent fan base. But neither do anything great for anyone but themselves. They are shills, pure and simple.
7
No current pundit of any political persuasion has less intellectual chops.
NO reason to take a lightweight seriously.
5
He'll go to the end of the money trail.
3
I guess defending Old Bone Spurs is good for business. It sounds to me as if Hannity is nothing more than an opportunist making a buck. He's a modern day Elmer Gantry.
9
It’s fairly easy to know a person like Hannity and what motivates him and drives him. The power of the mouthpiece. Winchell, coughlin, o,Reilly,Limbaugh,coulter, the list goes on and on and on. They have become addicted to their audience. They believe in the power of delusional thinking. Fakirs each and every one. What is sad are those persons who listen to this garbage and get all worked up. They think this is news. It’s all star wrestling by mouthing. They are the problem. Not the solution.
4
Hannidy and his listeners congratulate each other for being a "great american". All it take to be great is to simply agree with each other, and, of course, the enemy disagrees. Hannidy does not offer critical thinking and facts are not important. Trump has now defined CNN as an enemy spouting fake news while FOX as a bastion of truth as they blindly support him. Please imagine how this may become worse, it's not hard to do.
5
Your picture does not depict the Sean Hannity most of us know. Hannity is just a guy, a guy from a working class background, a construction worker, a painter, etc. He's not an angry conservative, he's not alt-right. He's not an intellectual, and doesn't portray himself as one. The elite coastal media will never understand why people like Rush, Levine, and Hannity continue to have such a large following.
He probably did want Trump to win, but Donald Trump is the President, and he's willing to make the best of it. He likes the fact that Trump puts America first, and he is not ashamed of our country's past.
You can't see who he really is for the same reason you couldn't see President Trump winning last November. You live in a leftist bubble, and you can't see past the mountains, except looking down at them when you fly over them.
Articles like this give me a good laugh.
4
Many people understand the appeal of Fox, Limbaugh and Hannity.
He’s a “just guy” who is making a heck of lot of money from his fans. Anger has lowest common denominator appeal and, in this case, is a marketing success story. Has folks saying gibberish like:
“not a fan of Donald Trump, but...”
“not a fan of Roy Moore, but...”
He's an entertainer. He needs to attract eyeballs to sell time to make millions. The sad part is there are people who think he actually has knowledge and is ethical.
7
Is there anyone stumping for the left that's anywhere near as wealthy as Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly or Beck? How do you get to where you're worth hundreds of millions w/o backstopping where the money is. Then there's the second and third string mouthpieces like Alex Jones, Savage and the rest. The goal should be to spread the opportunity and wealth but that gets lost in the ambitions to monopolize every opportunity by already wealthy enough chain restaurants and discretionary sources of spending. Supply side has always been a sham. Enrich business with the excuse that it'll be reinvested and that will bring em in. When in actuality, all it does is transfers sideways any market share out of competitors for a net zero growth in the economy when an increase in Demand doesn't precede it. That strategy doesn't conform with the republican money laundering Supply Side strategy. Trickle down is worse. Promises don't make who tells payroll what to do increase wages to the rank and file. Are republicans extinct yet? They should be.
Do you really not know why they make more money? When you have a few outlets serving as a right-wing echo chamber, and several dozen competing for a similar number of left-wing echo chamber seekers, of course the former are going to make far more. Not to mention the left-wing echo chambers also have to compete against about 5 late night comedy programs for the same dollars. The left is spread far to thin to make good money doing it
1
Hannity, like Trump, is entertainment mistaken for serious content by an audience of WWF fans.
It is hard to fault Hannity-- a radio talk show host who has hoisted himself into the spotlight and who is living a life he probably could not have dreamed of.
But I suspect he has a soul and if he ever feels like checking up on it, it might be telling him that what he is doing is wrong.
2
That Hannity hails from Franklin Square explains 98% of his unwavering support for the Queens-born and raised Trump. Though clearly from different economic circumstances, these two guys grew up around 5 miles apart.
These two share a certain Long Island Bro culture upbringing. Trump is the Big Man on Campus and Hannity is the wannabe acolyte. It's not about pure politics; it's a tribal thing.
I remain hopeful that Hannity's slavish following of Trump will eventually lead to his downfall. I predict that by any one of a number of possibilities, Trump's term will go down in flames and will consume Hannity along with it.
10
I don't know how these demagogues endlessly get away with this trick:
"He wanted to center his monologue on a theme he frequently returns to on Fox and on his syndicated daily radio show, which reaches approximately 13.5 million Americans: Why was it that liberals always used tragedies to further their own political ends? To make the segment really hum, he would need material to react to — Hannity’s most effective segments are oppositional — and Berry and Fazio agreed to start digging."
Their digging results in a incendiary comment found someplace and Hannity turns that into a sweeping indictment that is swallowed by his gullible audience. It is possible, in this "information" age, to find SOMEBODY saying something awful. All sides. And some of the comments are planted lies. No matter. Does an isolated comment have any statistical relevance in relation to a broad group? No. Does his audience care? Apparently not. And so a grievance is generated and sustained.
This is, collectively, uncritical thinking by his audience, and Hannity thrives on it. How can a democracy survive this?
7
I read comments here. The quote used by Hannity resembles many I've read here.
You can't. I was shocked - shocked - to hear that people I know who I thought were informed listen to Fox. These are Canadians. People I know turned out to be idiots! When I suggested they listen to PBS for news they looked at me as if I were insane. I keep saying (and it doesn't make me happy) that I think you are finished.
That comparison is from ocean shore to ocean shore; using a sailboat.
Thank you for that article. It was an informative piece on an interesting man, and very much so, he seems like just the guy next door. He hasn't grown out of his hometown feelings, and still likes his lifetime favorite foods. He has friends from long ago, and even takes them with him on business trips. I am a liberal, but I respect his views and his pov, and he has always been classy and faithful, two qualities hard to find in a big portion of media. I may not agree with all his points of view, but I agree with some of them, as do even the most ultra-liberal of us. Most are just too locked into one side to be truthful. It was classy and fresh of the NYT to share this profile, it was well written and well done.
6
It's performance art. The fans - even the most cloistered - have to know he's cherry picking whatever he wants to get excited about. What's disturbing about it is what George Bernard Shaw observed about the theater many years ago - popular entertainment sets the vocabulary and sets up a sort of short-hand for fashionable communication in the salons and at the dinner tables. Hannity is fun to emulate because getting a good mad on is empowering. But nobody should take it seriously.
I almost never watch Fox News. I watch MSNBC. Many times when watching their various nighttime programs, I have noticed intellectual laziness, or even subtle manipulation. I also know that MSNBC does make an effort to interview politicians from both sides of the aisle and they do have many republican pundits contributing on a consistent basis.
I wonder if this is the case for Fox News...
Repubs on MSNBC - former Repub Congressman, Joe Scarborough hosts a 3 hour show each weekday morning. It's called "Morning Joe".
Hannity is popular with his crowd for a lot of the same reasons pit bulls are popular with theirs. Not because they're nice, or sweet, or friendly, or cuddly, but because they instinctually attack. Then again, pit bulls can be trained. Hannity is untrainable.
4
The answer is, and has been, "too far."
This man is a caricature developed for a specific mass media diet. Nothing about what he purports to believe or support should be viewed through the distorted lens through which his corporate patrons would have us all see the world.
2
I think we all ascribe too much belief to Mr. Hannity and most of the rest of what I think of as the ranting right.
None of these people care one whit about truth, fact, or for that matter the lives and problems of their listeners, or our country.
They are there solely to employ any and every strategy to avoid the truth, exacerbate hate, and line their own pockets.
This it has ever been with the smallest of ego.
1
It takes an enormous amount of bombastic lying to defend the indefensible.
It also takes at least 35% of us to make pay well.
1
Sean Hannity is a symbol of what has gone wrong with America over the past 40 years. Truth, honesty, cooperation, shared responsibility to deal with the many problems that afflict America have been replaced by Republican/Fox "News" and hate radio propaganda. All in the service of raking in big bucks for a few media stars at the expense of their ignorant viewers. And all from the right.
Hannity is a blight on America, a culture warrior sowing division and hatred for his personal gain. (The similarities with Trump are not surprising.)
One day Trump, Hannity and their ilk will be left to the dustbin of history. Till then, switch channels and vote Democratic.
6
Most of the division and hatred I see comes from the left.
1
What I despise most about Hannity is not his right leanings because I lean left, but his willingness to paint everyone he opposes with the villainous brush. Without a hiccup or flinch he goads his followers to clench the reasons of hate. Am I to be despised as evil? According to him I am. I take great offence at this and my conservative friends do also. Like throwing gas on a fire he marvels at his own ability to conjure up great disruption. I condemn all of those (left or right) that conspire to deepen the rift that is splitting America in two.
5
I wish these types of articles would be less about the man and more about his philosophy and his vision of the future. What he is for is as important, if not more important, than what or whom he is against. Small government, low taxes is a slogan, not a philosophy.
He claims to be interested in the truth. But it is apparent that the truth he is after is only his version of the truth. A seeker of truth would be open-minded, objective, logical and interested in facts, no matter where they lead. Hannity knows where he wants to go and looks no farther.
What is his vision of the future if his views win. Will it be a country deeply divided between the haves and the have nots - with the have nots disenfranchised? Will the reign of the Sun King be followed by a bloody French Revolution?
Puff pieces are nice human interest stories. But they are su highs without substance.
9
To be truthful I am not Hannity fan ( I don't find him intellectually deep enough and his constant mentioning of his diet, training, etc is ANNOYING!).
Having said that the level of hatred in the mr. Shaer's gibberish creation is FRIGHTENING! It is saturated with venom and if Hannity sleeps only 4 hours a day I doubt Shaer consumed with such hate , and venom is able to sleep at all! It is sad that NY Times chooses to seek out the most venomous articles to print on its pages....Extremely sad indeed.
5
You didn’t read the article, did you?
33
Sean Hannity doesn't portray himself as an intellectual. He has guest for that. That's probably the best part of his appeal, he's like the neighbor next door.
What a strange reaction. I thought Shaer's piece actually humanized someone I always assumed was an android programmed by Roger Ailes.
5
I'm so disappointed in Mr. Shaer's article which truly represents "fake news." Why would my dear old gray lady publish this trite at this time? Have you no shame?
20
Because they unabashedly, over the top, leftist to the core. I read their articles for balance. I don't want to live in a bubble like they do.
You clearly haven't a clue what "fake news" means, which is quite embarrassing. There isn't a single thing fake about it, in fact the article is entirely fair, showing Hannity's views and the views of those who oppose him. That's it.
3
What happened to this tuff cable guy's ultimatum to the pedophile he supports? Inanity.
20
Dump Hannity and the rest of the Trump team.
51
How far away will he go------hopefully to a galaxy far far away
28
Rupert Murdoch and Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch, have known each other for years. A much-publicized "social" gathering took place in October 2008 on the Greek island of Corfu, where they gathered in their luxury yachts anchored by the Rothschild estate.
Mr. Murdoch has built Fox News into a Trump propaganda machine, while Sean Hannity is reported to be in regular contact with Donald Trump. I fully expect that the Mueller investigation has taken notice and is looking to connect some of these dots. From the view of a regular observer like me there seems to be something more than mere partisanship. Their coordinated lying and evasive "reporting" has feathers, it quacks and it swims.
27
Hannity makes me cringe when I think of the fact that he's a Catholic, but then I remember how many corrupt Catholics there are and have been in the powerful ranks of the Church, and it makes me even sicker. Hannity would say anything for a paycheck as large as his. And does. It isn't news. It's shareholder return and (pathetic) infotainment and propaganda. Those 13 million people are an embarrassment.
59
I don't care what Sean Hannity has to say. Nor do I pay much attention to MSNBC pundits or celebrities sharing their political wisdom. The net of all this noise is ginned-up tribalism, more heat than light.
We spend too much time condemning heretics we've never met and too little time listening to each other as individuals and without hostility.
Too many people have too much invested -- fame, fortune, television ratings, Twitter prominence, re-election campaigns -- in maintaining a permanent state of rhetorical hot war. It's a problem.
24
MSNBC pundits are motivated by sincere beliefs.
Hannity is motivated only by money. There's an ENORMOUS difference.
3
False equivalence - politicians and journalists are not all the same. Compare Hannity with Madow (ignore left vs right)- bluster and ignorance vs intelligence and accuracy.
2
How far? All the way down
24
Angry people love Sean Hannity...a man with all the nuance of soiled pair of Huggies. One has to wonder what his viewers could contribute to the world if they didn’t spend so much time hating on people not like them. I’ll admit, right after 9/11 I watched Fox News to get a dollop of anger because I was angry but sheesh, all these years later you would think folks would want to hang up the whip and go relax and do a little wood-working or whatever. Life’s too short and Hannity ain’t gonna solve your problems!
54
Tell that to Hannity fans like my uncle, who has watched the guy's show every single day since he retired. He watches FOUR HOURS of Fox News a day, he told me last year before the election. (This was right after he insisted to me that Hillary Clinton has had dozens of people murdered.) Too many baby boomers never fully developed hobbies, at least not ones they want to pursue in their golden years.
3
Angry people love Trump too. Too bad no one can really articulate why they are so mad, or what they really want, except for everyone else not like them go away.
1
They do the same as the left who is also totally consumed by hating.
You American DO realize that your presidency has become a Ponzi scheme.
You realize that, right?
63
"opinion journalist". That IS an oxymoron.
24
Hannity reminds me of the evangelical preachers on radio in the 1950s. You could buy a piece of the cross or an autographed picture of Jesus Christ and help sustain the cost of the ministry. And they were sustained by people with belief who could ignore the small falsehoods in order to retain the overall message. Hannity is one of many Murdock creations in a vast media empire that has rattled 3 governments on three continents with false news in tabloid avalanches. Where Hannity lives on Long Island, he inspires people to believe as he does. An owner of two short order cafes really adores Hannity and proves it by not giving receipts for cash purchases. Yes, Hannity inspires him to avoid paying taxes and others to mayhem in defiance of the Constitution, democratic government, and the Declaration of Independence. Hannity is a paid-for Pied Piper to lead people away from constitutional government to one bought and paid for by the Koch brothers, Murdock, and over 400 billionaires who want to whisk away the governments of his birthplace. People sustain this rhetoric because they can be triggered by behaviors developed over time: white versus color, Christian law versus any other kind of Constitutional or religious law, taxes, unions, guns, and the benefits and problems of transition or change. Yes, it is propaganda and it is effective. Hannity is one of the Pied Pipers to a plutocracy and he does not care about its consequences.
40
Oh yes, the NYT. Where liberal leftist believe they are the smartest people on the planet. Disagree with them and you are labeled something derogatory.
I bet half of you don't even know what fascism means. If you did you would be looking at yourself in the mirror.
24
Oh please!
35
Those that can, read. Some even read the NYT.
Those that can't, watch FOX Drivel.
109
Of course CNN and MsNBC are paragons or truth?
Trump and Hannity. Two desperate publicity pigs loudly and proudly grunting at the same suck-up sewer trough. These are two completely soulless media-ratings-at-any-cost hacks who completely deserve each other as they holler and echo back and forth at each other. When the sleeping elephant voting blocks finally - inevitable, pendulums always swing back eventually - wake up from their current mass willfully oblivious collective stupor, watching the twin tramplings of these two brainless con men as they backtrack into the mud will be delicious.
31
Hannity's list of Trump achievements on the screen last night was highly amusing. Many items, but very few of any significance whatsoever. There is a desperation among Hannity and like-minded folks and things will get meaner and meaner as they see a "hero" plummet from power. They assumed that he would have grand success. I think many of them will eventually turn on Trump at the early end of his career - in order to somehow save their own reputations.
I'm CANADIAN. I live an hour away from Upstate New York. Thirty-million of Canada's 36 million people live within a two-and-a-half hour drive of the U.S.A.. We know your country better than anybody else on planet earth. How could this man have somehow been elected President? The political meanness in the USA was disturbing even before Trump was elected. But he has brought so much more to the fore. Your country is more screwed up than it ever has been in my life - including the Vietnam War and Watergate. I now even do see some on FOX who cringe as Trump's latest tweet comes in - they are clearly wondering how things got so bad so fast.
58
Ok, let me take a Polaroid of you anti-Trumpers and FOX News haters. You look just like me. Me from eight years ago. Replace the name Trump, with Obama. The facial expression, hyper ventilation and cursing is the same.
However, our experience differs in one way. The MSM and the RINOs loved Obama. Most of what you saw or read, validated YOUR perception of those current events. If CBS didn't love Obama enough, you could switch between CNN, HLN, ABC, MSNBC, NBC,CNBC, NPR and PBS. If you weren't the newsy type, there was ESPN(1-8), MTV, VH1 and TWC. Literate liberals could choose between any paper that had Times in their name. Magazines like Time, Newsweek, Nat Geo and on and on. Then, when Hillary lost, you looked at all your news sources and thought, "How could all of them be wrong?" Everything you knew, just evaporated. Yeah, What Happened.
My advice, get a hobby. Exercise, eat right, get plenty of sleep, give up drugs and reduce your dependence on alcohol. Certainly cut back on that MSM drivel. Do your own intervention. These sources told you, with the certitude not even found in the Bible, Hillary was going to win. And those sources have not changed their tune since Trump won. Most of you honestly thought there was no one who could possibly vote for Trump.
Now, the MSM has been on this Russia thing for a year. Consider this. Until Prince Reibus was fired, there was a dozen "administration sources" leaks everyday. But, still, no Russia.
Breathe. Exhale. Repeat.
17
I would love to breath again but you people have sucked all the air out of the room.
Advice for you
1) Put on oxygen tank
2) Breathe - Exhale - Repeat until oxygen is gone - get oxygen refill - Repeat
Talk to you next year
7
Night and day, Vlad was the one. Hundred millions of rubles got laundered, are we having fun! Scrubbed clean under Cyprus' blue sky, ghastly Wilbur so happy he might just un-die. Put that Zombie in Commerce. Oh Vlad. Don's your guy. Putin loves Trump and we all know why. Little Vanka shills condos far, far from the sun, with some Azerbaijan guys (maybe thugs who sell guns).
Donald's debts simply could disappear. There's no Russian connection to see or to hear. Ninja Vlad loves the Trumps and their future is clear.
Only Russia! Vlad's pals end up all billionaires, mother Russia's natural resources now theirs.
Donald wants to be Vlad, ride a horse, take his shirt off. Be a black belt, have muscles. Be manly and hot. All the things he is not. Except crooked.
We liberals were never like you. Not like HannityInSpanx. Our heads weren't exploding from envy and greed. Or lies about kiddies and pizza and murders. But you and Sean have Vlad, Donald, real murders and huge crimes. So relax, inhale, enjoy it. That is the stench of
12
Differences between the Trump and the Obama years: Trump regularly accuses the media of fake news when he disagrees with what is published or when something negative is said about him. But the fake news is real news and real news is fake news through the looking glass of TrumpWorld. Frankly, Obama was polite to negative press and overly kind to McConnell, Boehner, Ryan and the other Republicans who railed against him and tried to impede everything Obama wanted to do. Although I detest the lame things Trump does, I FEAR for the future of this country given what Trump is doing through his cabinet and his personal approach to bullying diplomacy. I do hope we are all here in a few years, not wiped out by a nuclear war. And as for what the Trump regime wants to do with public policy, only a one-percenter like Trump himself, Hannity and maybe you, Mike, would like. Pick your words. If Trump had his druthers, he would turn this country into either a 100% oligopoly or a kleptocracy, like Russia. Which one? This would be a country that does not make me proud. And it is now a very unpleasant and very much divided country to live in.
1
According to the DSM-V, around 2% of the population has the antisocial personality disorder. So, in the US, with its 320M population, we have 6-7M antisocials. They must feed off of the Hannity's of the world.
The 13M viewers, while a large number, is still a small percentage overall ~4%.
Relax everyone. He's an idiot, he panders to idiots, or both.
29
And what about publishing articles like this that only increase his aura and sense of importance? (the same thing we do with Trump) Perhaps if they are not given so much public exposure we'd all be better off and they wouldn't be so normailzed.
6
Instead of another useless profile on a right wing nut job, how about a profile on Deray McKesson? Or Joy Reid? Or Chris Hayes? Why are you continuing to portray people who are literally bathing our nation in hate in your newspaper? Shame on you and your staff for being unable to focus on the rest of us who are trying to fight the gravest threat to our country's democracy in our history. Shame. Shame. Shame.
29
You can't cure stupid. It doesn't matter if the stupid is the messenger or the audience. They are a self reinforcing circle. This is how democracy is lost: a demagogue, the demogogue's mouthpiece, and the ignorance of the 13 million deplorables that hang on the every word of a man whose face belongs on toilet paper, not on a news magazine.
18
Wow! First the Nazi, now this idiot. What is this, sugarcoat a bigot for Christmas week? And the headline boldly proclaims "He has 13 million listeners." So? 135 million Americans voted in the last election, 65 million for Donnie. And Hannity only has 13 million listeners? Maybe this country isn't as stupid as he would have us believe.
17
FAKE NEWS. You got that wrong, FRB. 65,844,610 people voted for HILLARY. 62,979,636 voted for the liar-in-chief.
19
Get him off the front page.
27
inSHannity !!!
11
Why would you write an article about this bum and why do you cover Fox propaganda at all? I don't care what they say or think or who was accused of sexual harassment. I need to rethink my digital sub with you people. Chicago Trib is looking better all the time lately.
5
"Advocacy journalism?" No, Mr. Hannity. The correct word is "propaganda."
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