Fox has all of its eggs in the Trump basket. This may be a winning bet. But what if it isn't ?
" Why Is He Griping About It?"
Because they forgot to say that everything he does is just perfect.
A terrible betrayal.
"Sad."
Fox is a mirror for Trump. When the mirror tells him he is not the greatest president of all, it's the mirrors fault, not his.
8
Donald would eat his own children if it meant an increase in his perceived "popularity." I've never witnessed such a sick egomaniac.
10
Will the sycophants of Fox News go down with Trump?
2
What's truly bothersome is the frequency with which Fox News & sister outlets the New York Post, the Daily Mail, and Page Six appear on Google News
2
"Fox News doesn't deliver for us anymore", said Trump.
Well sir, let us remind you that even on your favorite cable network:
You can fool all of the people some of the time, and fool some of the people all of the time.
But you cannot fool all of the people all of the time....Not even on Fox.
2
I actually find this story encouraging, because to me it means that Trump can see the end of his presidency coming sooner rather than later. When Trump is out of office, which one hopes will be very soon, he will create (with backing from right-wing billionaires) some ultra-right-wing media platform to continue spouting his horrible lies. Fox news will be his competition. So the time for him to start chipping away at them is now.
6
Big Brother Trump is watching his Fox lapdogs. Any hint of criticism is heresy. He is so insecure that he must praise or criticize his “favorite” Fox commentators in front of his mass audiences. How can Fox ever restore any record of objectivity in its news reporting? It can’t. Does it want to? Perhaps it will take more resignations of top Fox anchors and journalists to send a message to Trump’s base that Fox is no longer interested in shilling for this corrupt president. I’m not holding my breath for that day.
3
At the moment it's 75 and Sunny in D.C. But they'd better check with the Don before they report that, just in case.
2
Shep Smith was the rare anchor at FOX NEWS who did not take his marching orders from the Trump White House.
2
He expects, and demands, 100 percent Loyalty. And Loyalty in Trumpspeak is fawning obscenely over the magnificence that IS Trump. No questions, no delays, no judgement. Donald the " Perfect ".
Seriously.
3
Fox and Robert Murdoch are effectively the unindicted coconspirators with Trump. They must accept much of the blame for the polarization in America and promoting the racism and our cultural differences. They don't deserve to be labeled a 'news, organization. They need to look in the mirror and see what they've done for money and power.
8
It is quite alarming to think that the government is filled with Trump's total-loyalty sycophants who's goal is to enable his every whim or risk being replaced. That does not bode well for the theory that there are checks and balances in place for the executive branch. This recruiting style is quite anti-democracy as it creates absolute power with diminished emphasis on accuracy and public benefit as highly valuable counter perspectives are eliminated.
Add to this his indifference towards facts and his by-all-means attempts to stay in power (see Ukraine call with Zelensky) and you've got a highly manipulative and deceptive leader who values his own interests over that of the country. He doesn't even seem to think he owes the public the facts so I don't understand the trust the American people have placed in him. He will say anything about anyone, no matter whether true or not, in the most distasteful language, just to gain brownie points with the public. And this is who half the country voted for. Quite surprising really.
I cannot believe that Americans don't question his motives. By the quantity of resources as well as valuable personal time invested in collecting dirt on Biden and denouncing news anchors that don't pass his total-loyalty test, it's obvious that the fulfilment of his egotistical needs is his highest priority.
Let me just finish my saying the guy is sexist too, whether you want to admit it or not. But America you made your choice so now live with it.
2
"A Pew study found that 40 percent of Trump voters in 2016 cited the network as their “main source” of news about the campaign. "
I suspect the number is much higher but some will not admit it. Anyway , I am sure Putin`s minions keep their eyes on Faux News as well as MSNBC to gauge how their propaganda is working and whether the Trump-Kushner crime family are keeping up their end of the deal.
11
In an abusive domestic relationship, the spouse can never do enough to stop the aggression. FOX will do more and more to please Trump, not less.
6
With Drudge and Fox on the outs, the base has to turn to Breitbart, Pravda, and Der Sturmer
17
Some readers here are probably asking where this issue came from, of a single news organization possibly marrying itself to a politician.
That is because the NY Times, the Amazon Prime WaPo, msNBC, CNN-FakeNews, and the CBS, NBC, and ABC news organizations ALL kneeled before Pres. Obama (in order to claim credibility for supporting the civil rights crusade, some say.)
How awkwardly did these no-longer-journalistic organizations swear never to ask the first serious question of Barack their man-god?
So awkwardly that Obama and his aides often LAUGHED at the Times, CNN-FN, and the rest even as they luxuriated in splendid isolation from any difficult questions.
It was even this way in 2008. On Election Night, one major network host asked another, ''So what do we really know about Barack Obama?''
3
@L osservatore Nasty and wrong. Your "observations" are way off base. Trump is actually the enemy of the people.
1
@L osservatore You do realize, the Times broke the Hillary email scandal?
1
Before I reached Chris Wallace's comment that Trump had Daddy issues, I had thought the same thing while reading this article. Fred Trump must have frequently belittled Donald when he was a child, and also fulsomely flattered him to his siblings and others. Donald, like many verbally abused children, just assumed that was normal. He thinks belittling people or flattering them outrageously, unattached to their actual performance, is how you motivate people. It would be sad if he wasn't in such a dangerous position.
21
Fox News doesn't deliver for the Current Occupant anymore?
The Current Occupant and Fox News don't deliver for America either.
A pox on both of them - neither of them are a benefit to the country.
27
Fox News delivers more for US when it delivers less for Trump.
11
The very fact that trump calls a supposedly independent network executive and also tweets absurd statements ("Fox News doesn't deliver for US [read "ME] anymore") just goes to show how this illiterate man has zero understanding of our Constitution and its statements about a free press. He actually thinks that the press - all press - should be "state TV," adoring his every word and his every act.
This man is totally unfit for office - any office.
33
Ever since the movie Network, and the creation of CNN, television news has descended into a gigantic noise machine. It is essentially meaningless for anything other than brainwashing.
Fox is pro Trump, and was anti-Obama.
MSNBC/CNN are anti Trump and were pro Obama.
Neither presents unbiased information. In Fox's defense, it was created to counter the far left position of mainstream media at the time; ever since, they have both become loudspeakers for the left and right. Flipping between both will provide the extremes , with the truth probably somewhere in the middle.
If you want true unbiased news - you won't get it on tv. And really, you won't find it in print either because NYT and WAPO are far-left anti-Trump.
If you are old enough to find "news" and politics interesting, then you are old enough to acknowledge that each "news" channel is biased. If you won't or can't acknowledge that reality, then you are a brainwashed partisan.
2
Why are you even asking the question? Trump has proven throughout his life to be an overgrown, developmentally backward toddler. Question answered.
19
Props to Chris Wallace for replying about the president’s tendency to compare him unfavorably to his father, the “60 Minutes” legend Mike Wallace, who died in 2012. “He often likes to say about me, ‘You know, I was covered by Mike Wallace, I liked him much more,’” Mr. Wallace told the advertisers. “To which my reaction is always: One of us has a daddy problem, and it’s not me.”
Except Mike Wallace would have been mortified to see his son working for Fox News and carrying water for Trump. Now THAT’S an interview I’d like to see--Mike Wallace and his 156 intelligence quotient vs a paranoid toddler with a vocabulary of 30 words.
Of course after Mike Wallace’s first question using polysyllabic terms, Donnie would have stormed out to where? exactly?
Just as Donnie completely disrespected John Dickerson in the Oval Office, started babbling “Fake News” then wandered over to the Resolute Desk while the cameras and the mic stayed on. So he sits at the desk shuffling blank pieces of paper “pretending” to work. Dickerson is SUCH a gentleman that he could only smile after watching this temper tantrum.
Fox was set up to be a “one trick pony” which had an audience of one. Trump is now losing the one “Fox and Friends" who let him babble incoherently from his phone in the WH.
Has Donnie started talking to the portraits hanging in the WH too?
9
Right wing media created Donald Trump the politician and they prop him up. Without them he's just a naked Emperor.
8
What an embarrassment Fox is! They create fairytales for the impressionable. Did they ever report that Trump's teddy bear whispers advice in his ear and he jumps up to tweet in the middle of the night.
5
“doesn’t deliver for US anymore.”??? What a misnomer: it is the party's own TV network.
Talk about division of power....
5
Trump is in over his head and has no idea how to deal with it.
6
All the talk about how Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, et. al. are shaping the nations politcal opinions may be moot when you consider that all the cable news channels combined are watched by only ~6-9% of the total US population. The vast majority of Americans still get their news from traditional broadcast networks, such as ABC, CBS, and NBC, and their local affiliates.
18
@John Barry True enough, which is exactly why Sinclair has been on a mission to buy as many local stations as it can to make sure the right-wing conspiracy propaganda and Trump bootlicking is consumed by people who do not watch Fox.
5
@John Barry - where did you get that statistic? All my students watch various social media channels - or unfortunately, Facebook. None of them have cable or TV.
3
@M.S.F.
Pew Research. Polls are typically considered more reliable than anecdotal observations.
5
One of the mechanisms by which Fox editors force the pro-Trump line can be seen on its website. Stories that reflect badly on him are reported, but buried under a bunch of Cosmo-worthy stories about nonsense, and often with misleading headlines.
That Trump believes a news network should be "delivering for" him politically is telling.
21
@M. Is there ANY question in your mind that the major news outlets were NOT deilivering for Barack Obama as he ran for president and during the next eight years?
The NY Times did ask really serious questions about Hillary Clinton during that time, but Obama himself got the kid-gloves treatment.
@M. Spot on, but the Syrian debacle has been absent totally.
1
@L osservatore give me a break. There were many fewer negative stories about Obama because he behaved a lot more honorably and ethically throughout his tenure. Perhaps that's why opinion columnists liked him? In any case, when he messed up, they covered it prominently.
3
Thou shalt not say anything negative about thy Beloved Emperor Donald, lest thou be cast into the scrap heap of intellectuals, "dimtards" and "libruls" who hate America and deserve to be shot for their thoughts, as displayed in the grotesque video highlighted in another of today's "if it was fiction no one would believe it" stories.
Sorry, but Martha McCallum is wrong; Trump IS Fox News' boss as long as "What would the Emperor think of this?" is a factor in their highly partisan coverage. (In a possibly less negative way, think of the "What would Jesus do?" folks whose first stop in the thought process is that.) Shepard Smith is no hero to me; he put up with it for 23 years and was well paid for it, but he gets points for finally walking away from the hate-filled cauldron that cooks up what is effectively Trump State TV.
And a cautionary note to us "libruls": if Fox should fall, Newsmax, Breitbart, One America, Salem, Sinclair, The Epoch Times and others are standing just outside the spotlight waiting to move into its brightest (harshest) light.
19
Since Trump's tweets were not effective Barr needed to personally intervened to save his reputation as well. The propaganda Fox espouses should violate FEC rules. It is deceptive using the word news. It is doing overwhelming damage by relaying lies to the public that have led to crippling outcomes politically, environmentally and socially to this country.
22
@rhdelp Actually, Barr was there to challenge the "FOX News" name. He is suing to have it changed to FOX Entertainment.
As a teacher of 20 years, I'd love to see our students learning earlier on what constitutes journalism. FOX "News" does not.
Why does Trump whine about FOX? It works. He complains and journalists, actual independent minded purveyors of news are forced out or resign, leaving opinion/editorial shows whose grotesquely fawning coverage of this POTUS, administration and contemptible GOP without objective oversight. With Shep and Mr. Wallace there was an argument to be made that FOX was more than a Republican echochamber. There was a sprinkle of real, objective journalism at the network, albeit on weekends and during the broadcasting desert of the weekday afternoon hours.
Teaching our future electorate to identify journalistic charletens is as important as teaching them about the three branches of government.
18
@Todd I'd also like to see Civics taught and for high school seniors to pass a citizenship test that is at least as tough as the one that immigrants take in order to become citizens.
I was in an Uber with a younger co-worker and a driver from Somalia studying for the test using an audiobook. He knew how our government works better than my millennial co-worker by a mile and, if I am honest, I didn't know some of the answers he knew, either.
When public education fails to teach the public how our government works and what rights our institutions safeguard for us as citizens, we prepare the ground for Fox to plant its poison.
22
To Trump, praise is like money. He never has enough.
18
Disturbing and yet not! Can we ever stop talking about him and just report on the heinous things he has done to democracy
16
If you want to know what is going on in the world, watch the news from foreign countries for more unbiased reporting. The 24 hour news cycle makes a lot of the news opinion. Most of Fox news is right wing opinion. Fox has pretty much served as the propaganda arm of the Trump reality television presidency. China and Russia are only different in that their news organizations are openly state run and make no pretense of being privately owned businesses by superrich tax evaders like Murdoch or the Koch brothers. And yes, the left also has opinions and too many echo chamber expert panels, but there is no equivalency in the presentation of news between other organizations and Fox and "friends of Trump".
24
@Dr. Conde Dr. Conde is correct. I can only add that Fox News has been the biased mouthpiece of the Republican party going back at least as far as the G W Bush administration.
As a News Corporation shareholder, it's good to see that management is finally taking a hedge position on Trump. Finally, someone has calculated that he may ultimately be bad for business. For the sake of our country, "ultimately" can't come soon enough.
17
It's difficult to not believe that others in the FNC line-up are contemplating a departure. I've always been amazed at how a person such as Martha McCallum, who seems to have a high value orientation and conscience, continues to support Mr. Trump irrespective of his dismantling of the presidency and of our nation. Can it be because of the almighty paycheck? Some of her colleagues, though, are in - lock, stock, and barrel. Hannity and Carlson do give fair and balanced commentary but it happens during commercial breaks.
4
Russell Crowe's brilliant portrayal of the scabrous Roger Ailes in the recent series "The Loudest Voice" skewered the "all-in for Trump" strategy of Fox News. But not all the on-air people there could drink the Kool-aid all the time, and ruminations of disapproval bubbled up. The monolith crumbled.
But Trump's tiny ego can't handle anything but adulation - and with zero impulse control, he attacks any whiff of criticism. Still, where would the base go for its "news" if not for Fox? Will be fascinating to see how this relationship plays out as impeachment clouds build.
11
@Jeff, where would the base go for their propaganda input? They have many choices including Breitbart, One America, the Rush Limbaugh empire, Salem, Sinclair, RT and a host of internet sites just waiting in the wings to come forward when Fox finally falls. We may eventually get rid of trump and his State TV network, but getting the population re-educated to sanity will take a long time, parallel to the denazification of Germany after World War II. True patriots, who care about all Americans of all classes and colors, can never let our guard down. The price of Liberty is eternal vigilance; we took our eyes off the ball and got an increasingly awful series of Republican presidents culminating in Trump.
8
@CP Lots of truth in your reply. We can only hope that large parts of the base are too naive/uneducated to move to the much smaller "alt-right" platforms as an alternative. I'd wager that Breitbart and Drudge get o
nly a tiny fraction of the Fox eyeballs. And while vigilance is important, electing a Democratic Senate is more so. As long as McConnell remains the grave-digger, progress is well-nigh impossible.
6
Obviously the chief executive of FOX News, Suzanne Scott, does not understand the job of a news network. The job of a news network is to provide news and analysis, not propaganda. Suzanne Scott acted exactly the same way that the chief executive of Russian TV if he would have had a call from President Putin, by placating President Trump.
Also since when it is part of the job of an attorney general to meet the owner of a news network?
28
Xi Jin Ping called for absolute loyalty from the People’s Liberation Army because the military is the final backstop to any dissent that challenges his absolute power. Fox News is Trump’s last backstop and he demands absolute loyalty because disloyal underlings are deemed insubordinate and threaten his greatness. He counts on his army at Fox News to give him unquestioned and unconditional support and adulation. He needs them now more than ever as he faces impeachment and he will do anything he can to keep them in line. He is feeling cornered getting some negative feedback from an ally he thought he could count on for unwavering support.
Harvard Business Review published an article citing the fictional Raymond Reddington from Blacklist who values loyalty above all else. The article, written in 2014, states that most unethical behavior in an organization stems from too much loyalty to a leader who is morally compromised and a leader who demands absolute loyalty would make a terrible manager,
We know the truth of this all too well. Even Fox News is the target of Trump’s unbridled and irrational wrath. The world is laughing at us and I am cringing with disgust as I never believed I would live to see the day I could compare a US president to world dictators.
44
@Patricia Caiozzo “The article ... states that most unethical behavior in an organization stems from too much loyalty to a leader who is morally compromised ...”.@
Well, they certainly hit our current national nail squarely on the head.
9
@Frank Trump as Raymond Reddington? I'll take Reddington, morally compromised though he is, because he actually knows how to speak in complete and eloquent sentences.
4
Read this a second time.
“But Fox News executives see some tactical advantages to Mr. Trump’s jibes. . . . The network has also sought to highlight skeptical Trump coverage to advertisers who may be leery of provocative right-wing punditry.”
THIS is what the public needs to hear, and understand. Nothing is face value when dealing with people who believe the end justifies the means.
17
Make no mistake. Murdoch and his crew are doing this because it means Big Money. Fox News is swimming in cash and loving it.
Trust me folks, it’s all about how many eyeballs are on the commercials.
If Trump would somehow alienate that audience tomorrow, Fox would flip in a heartbeat.
Broadcasting is first and foremost a business. Money is the king.
If Trump stops making money for Fox, Fox will transfer its allegiance to The Sure Thing.
24
@Charles Van Sant I've been thinking the same. That's the real purpose of their polls. Once they sense the country swinging pro-impeachment, they will subtly shift that way too.
3
Because they don't love him enough. He wants unconditional love and fealty. He should take Harry Truman's advice and get a dog.
30
@Emile deVere "He should take Harry Truman's advice and get a dog."
My guess is that he never had a pet of any kind in his life. He was born with his mental malady. It is not his fault , just an unfortunate variation/flaw in the extremely complex process of growing from a fertilized egg to a mature fetus. Of course a person with his level of NPD must never have power over other people.
1
@Emile deVere Goodness, I hope Trump doesn't get a dog; he'd make the poor thing miserable. Please don't put such an idea into his cruel head.
1
"That tensions exist at all between Mr. Trump and… Fox… has prompted incredulity inside the network and out."
Said the scorpion to the frog, "It's what I do…"
15
Chilling. Murdoch and Barr meet in Murdoch's private home "for dinner" and the next day Smith is gone. Does anyone see something dangerous about this???? We should question and fear Barr's role as Attorney General. Rather, he appears to be another of Trump's personal lawyers. Scary stuff!!!!
100
Trump, a fake reality entertainer can't deal with reality fact based news, and so, goes on to bully his favorite news station to deliver his propaganda instead. Just change Fox news to Faux news, Fake news or Republican Rhetoric Station, and be done with it already! When entertainers, not journalists, report their opinions in place of unbiased news- it's not a news station, it's a entertainment SHOW...
34
Fox News is the Trump Ministry of Propaganda.
Sean Hannity is the Trump Minister of Propaganda.
Fox News and Sean Hannity are both beholden to and benefit from the support of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin in particular Russian military intelligence aka GRU, Russian domestic intelligence aka FSB and Russian foreign intelligence aka SVR.
No collusion! MAGA!
14
Hope fully this ends the revolving door of employment between Fox and the White House.
5
The executive branch has been an extortion scheme seeking obedience and acquiescence. The only intelligence Donald Trump is interested in is the crimes and misdeeds that he can use to gain power, votes and sycophants. No republicans brave enough to take what comes by standing up to him. His files must contain quite the doozies on McConnell, Cruz, Kennedy, Jordan, McCarthy and Meadows.
17
Everyone seems to treat Trump so badly ,life as been so cruel to him ,born rich ,tall and handsome it went to his head. That self reflection became Trump's major flaw, malignant narcissistic disorder which sees the world thru the prism of "how does this affect me". Loyalty to him is not reality it is only flattery that gets thru any criticism is answered with over the top attacks punching down on women ,war heroes etc. We are stuck with a president that will do anything to get re-elected as if not he faces humiliation and possible criminal prosecution. Trump is unraveling in the face of reality only die hard sycophants are hanging on to "power".
14
@REBCO
If justice is done and Trump (& his criminal family ) go to jail he will probably declare that he is doing "Prison Reform" similar to when he declared that he solved the Obama birther nonsense that he promoted.
He's griping about it because when ever Fox attempts to retain any semblance of it being an actual news outlet they must present a few facts in their coverage. And facts are Trump's most dangerous enemies.
36
The fissure is natural, the split is inevitable.
FOX is anti-American propaganda channel. Its editorial is in favor of a polluted America, with uneducated people without healthcare. Their talking heads (like Tucker Carlson) are openly white supremacist. This network celebrated court decisions that allow companies to pump sulfur and particulates in the air (that cause strokes, stunts growth, produces nerve damage).
Fox's vision of the future is entirely dystopian.
Trump and Fox have so much in common in terms of their 60 million acolytes. Both Fox and Trump raise squeals of delight from this segment of America when they are at their most cruel, psychopathic best.
The former USSR could not have dreamed up a more effective machine that can split asunder this great republic, pretty much as a result of rubbing salt and acid every day on the fissures that already exist in America.
But there are critical differences that threaten their unified interest in producing an undemocratic white Christian theocracy in America. Trump loves Trump more than Fox loves Trump. No one would think it possible; but it is occurring. Even Fox's knees tire while kneeling at the alter of Trump 24/7. Trump cannot understand this complaint of aching knees. The split will occur.
13
Fox “News” is Trump’s propaganda network. Shep Smith was the last remaining true journalist. Chris Wallace is only partially a News man and often is a GOP cheerleader.
It’s no coincidence the station’s audience are Trump cultists.
8
He is showing them how bad it would be if they actually did not lick his boots all the time.
5
The universe is too small a container for the likes of Trump's ego.
His favorite word --and one that is almost impossible to misspell, but if anyone can do it, Trump, in his infinite knowledge and miraculous wisdom, can-- is "I".
8
Nothing is good enough for the "poor little rich boy" that he has been! Three wives, many women some in exchange for money, many more gropings, not enough carnal satisfaction. Not enough money, so plunder goes on , first throwing private bankers, suppliers and contractors to bankruptcies and the nation. "Heel spur" prevented from getting those medals, so he craves for the Nobel medal while paving way for the slaughter of the Kurds who were duped in supporting the US. Isn't life stranger than fiction?
18
My parents watch Fox News all day long. Well, up until about a week ago,
That is. They can’t stand that what they are hearing on Fox no longer supports their personal narrative about Trump and how he is Making America Great. So rather than listen and think, they ignore. To them, time stopped once Fox stopped worshipping Trump’s every utterance. They literally just turned off the TV rather than be informed.
24
@Garden girl
Sad , but please ask them not to vote at all.
2
The First Amendment protects media companies such as Fox to provide an outlet for certain points of view. Fine. But this article offers evidence that those points of view are being coerced and shaped by an external source: Trump and his administration. The Murdoch-Barr meeting and Trump’s call to the Fox News CEO confirm that fact. In doing so, Fox can no longer claim independence, despite protestations to the contrary.
If we lose our democracy due to Trump, what role would Fox have played in its demise? I believe the many sponsors of Fox News should take a serious look at the relationship between the President and Fox, and determine whether profits and shareholder value are worth the price of the loss of our democratic principles.
15
The real issue of concern here is that the president is trying to influence the media, such as the dictators he so admires. The basic freedoms upon which this country was founded are threatened. Citizens should pay attention before it’s too late.
26
Because the Fox News Channel is only 98% biased in reporting favorably on Republicans and unfavorably reporting on Democrats, Trump haz a sad. Facebook's Head of Global Elections is the former communications head for the Republican National Committee (if you wondered why politicians can now lie at will in their FB ads with no penalty). And "mainstream media" seems largely dedicated to the "balance over truth" approach that is a consequence of both Republican working of the media refs since the 1990s and their need for clicks and eyeballs. We have a Trump problem. We have a Republican Party problem. We have a Media problem. These are all related; and they are all working to undermine our republic.
62
Sorry, but mainstream media like the Times, the Post, CNN and MSNBC are no different at all from Fox -- how could they be? The same six to ten corporations control 95% of all the news we are allowed to see or hear and they are the oligarchy that actually rules. As Noam Chomsky has observed, their method to "keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum – even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate."
Progressives were warning fifty years ago of the dangers to democracy of the continued consolidation of mass media into just a few hands. We have been like the frog in the pot, who did not notice that he was being cooked because the water is getting warmer so gradually. Well, the pot is coming to a boil now.
12
@Boris Jones
February 2003, a Florida Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with an assertion by FOX News that there is no rule against distorting or falsifying the news in the United States. Fox's lawyers argued in court that Fox can lie with impunity. It's their right under the 1st Amendment to present fake news.
FOX asserted that there are no written rules against distorting news in the media.
Fox argued that, under the First Amendment, Fox has the right to lie or deliberately distort news reports on public airwaves.
They are they only media outlet to ever take that position.
29
There is a very very big difference between Fox and the liberal media, which report on what’s happening and offers their opinions. Fox on the other hand offers false conspiracy theories, and tries to spin it like its news. History will not be kind to the Murdock’s.
19
@Gub
Those in a media bubble will always say that their sources simply "report on what's happening and (offer) their opinions" while sources outside their bubble only offer "false conspiracy theories and (try) to spin it like . . . news." They are deluding themselves, regardless of which particular bubble they are in.
1
Actually, Democratic candidates should welcome appearances on Fox TV. They will be less likely to get questions that are soft balls of Fox, but the experience will better prepare them for a debate with Trump.
I watched the townhall meeting Fox organized with Bernie Sanders on April 15, 2019. Sanders hit every hard ball out of the ball park and at the end of the event had the audience overwhelmingly on his side. Trump was furious for letting Sanders speak on Fox and has never gotten over the event.
Why did Sanders perform so well?
1. Although originally from New York City, Sanders made his career in rural Vermont and is just as skilled in communicating with rural and swing voters as urban voters.
2. Sanders has been saying the same thing for 40 years and therefore cannot be tripped up in a carreer of playing to changes in the wind.
We don't know yet how the experience of the heart attack has impacted Sanders abilities, but hopefully he will take the physician's advice to relax. Not easy to do in a debate field of twelve, but he performs much better within a smaller group of competitors when he has more time to express his views.
8
This reporting makes President Trump sound like an egotistical dictator. That cannot be right, or he would simply line mouthpieces he didn’t like up against a midtown wall and shoot them. Wouldn’t he? I guess he’s just a little bit different after all. Certainly different from a normal human being. But hey, he’s rich, so he must have it all over the rest of us poor slobs.
5
CNN, MSNBC, NYT, and WAPO are anti-Trump propaganda machines. Since the day after the 2016 election, they have been blasting Trump 24/7. It's as if there is no other world news, except for the occasional hurricane, shooting or other bad news.
Not only is it irresponsible, it is dangerous to our country. In all my years, I have never witnessed such bias and hate. Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Ari, Andy - the list just goes on and on.
Ratings have plumeted because of blatant 24/7 bias and hate. If I was a shareholder, I would want the program directors replaced to stop the bleeding.
4
Being idea permanent victim is a tough job. Keep up the good work!
4
@99percent One of the saddest truths about the victims of con artists is that in order to bolster their own egos, all too many of them continue to support the person who cons them. In the case of Trump, there is literally nothing that he does that will convince them that he is a crook because admitting you were conned is too much for some egos to bear.
20
@99percent
If you've seen the bias and hate as expressed by Rachel, Chris, Ari and Andy then you've never watched and listened to Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson or Laura Ingraham.
Those 3 spew more vicious lies and hate than I ever thought I'd hear on a " news " station.
Tell the truth and shame the devil. Thosr 3 tell lies that please the devil and make him smile.
14
Because Trump can't tolerate even the mildest criticism from any source. He demands infinite obedience, or else.
12
He has that "what was I thinking" look on his face.
3
He's gripping about it because he is a petulant dastardly demagogue - if Trump ever sincerely displays kindness or gratitude then be surprised.
12
Fox will discover that they can wind up under the bus along with many others...Rudy, are you listening?
12
It is one thing to be a hack, it is another thing to be a shill, still another thing to be a toady but to be a Fox broadcaster, I don't know even how to describe it.
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Trump has (had) only one media supporter. The Democrats have CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC and this paper. What’s really disturbing is that the media has so obviously aligned itself with specific political parties and agendas. I miss the old days when you didn’t have to filter reporting to determine the real story.
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Rowdy, only one of those media outlets you mention does NOT have objective news coverage as its core mission. Fox News was created to be a “counterweight” to the objective reporting that conservatives like Roger Ailes found insufficiently supportive of their right-wing agenda. No media company can completely erase the inherent bias of individual reporters or its ownership, but striving to do so while upholding rigorous standards of reporting is what sets real journalism apart from outright propaganda. Fox clearly falls into the latter category and simply can’t be trusted to fairly report news inconvenient to its political agenda, as clearly demonstrated by the vast difference in its coverage of the last two presidents.
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@Rowdy Burns
What old days were that? There has never been such a thing as "objective reporting" because if you are a human being, you will have biases. Overall objectivity in reporting was achieved in the past by there being a multitude of different voices, reporting the news from all their different angles. Now a small group of megacorporations control the media and the news we get is almost entirely from their perspective. If citizens want to preserve our democracy, they need to read widely and critically.
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@Rowdy Burns, there is a long line of Fox wannabes standing behind the big liar and craving to be the top dog. Many are even more extreme then Fox. If Fox fallls, I would be very much concerned about which of them, particularly those that own open-air outlets like Salem and Sinclair, succeeds Fox.
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Trump wants his own Pravda. It’s a matter of time until he opens his own TV network to feed his mob and his own ego. Thankfully, most of Trump’s operations end up in bankruptcy; he has a trouble running anything except into the ground.
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@DO5 - "running into the ground"....exactly what he is doing with America.
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Trump is deranged-he is so insecure that no amount of praise and favorable press is enough.He wants adulation and affirmation all of the time.His cabinet meetings in which he invites everyone at the table to praise him is a sick example of this fragile ego.He rails at any press coverage, including Fox which has the temerity to criticize him.Trump is following a totalitarian playbook which is foreign to Americans.Our Constitution guarantees free speech.Trump is the enemy of our First Amendment and a threat to journalists and journalism.
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As we listen, well read, Trump's incessant braying about the fake and corrupt media, he goes on a rant that Fox "News" is not working for him, well, "US", anymore.
Well, I thought Trump worked for Hannity, Ingraham, Pirro and the morning comedy show.
Well, they do work well together, a real, corrupt media outlet championing a real, corrupt "president".
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Breaking News: Fox is occasionally dabbling with the truth these days.....There’s only so much lying to be done for Trump.
Sad.
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Apparently Fox can only go so far in taking seriously the rantings of an obviously unbalanced President.
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Why is there a Fox Nation among us supporting the Worst President and most dysfunctional Administration in American History ! Interesting that after Barr meets with Murdoch...Shep Smith resigns. I wonder if in light of Rudy's current issues Barr would consider rethinking his planned party at Trump's DC Hotel? I thought Trump promised to drain the swamp? Fox aired a recent Trump Rally...after watching for a short while I stumbled on a WWF Match....the crowds antics and cheering at both events bore striking similarities!! MAGA? What a..MESS !! Trump support has always been.. but is now more than ever...UNAMERICAN and UNPATRIOTIC !!
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This is such a cursory, light-weight article. There's no in-depth review of some of the fantastical and fascist content purveyed by Levin, Pirro, Watters and the creepy British Sunday night host.
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@GriswoldPlankman Perhaps this fine publication did not want us losing our breakfast during or after reading the piece.
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Why do news agencies refer to FOX as NEWS? It is more appropriate to state "FOX OPINIONS"
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Surprise, surprise.
He loves you now, but will he love you later?
Just ask his wives, including the present one.
Next one up to be put under the bus........ladies and gents, may I present Rudy.
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It’s not news when five people shove their worthless opinions at you that’s called commentary. News is when a reporter tells you something you didn’t already know. Which you won’t get on fox or CNN. You want news read the paper or watch CBS at 6:30.
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@J Clark
Or try the BBC.
You'll find world news and a European perspective on the USA and Trump without the pandering to Trump.
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Apparently, no amount of boot-licking will satisfy the president with the giant ego and the vestigial soul.
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It is fascinating to watch the occasional Fox News person trying to report the truth. While CNN goes overboard with conservative commentators, Fox is effectively a State-run propaganda machine. Trump does everything but declare this openly. How many courageous professionals are at Fox? That number seems to be similar to the number of people at the White House who were on the Ukraine call and were willing to blow the whistle.
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Two reasons Trump is critical of Fox. First, a narcissist can’t get enough adulation and can’t stand any criticism. Second, he’s looking forward to starting his own Trump TV channel, and Fox will be his main competition.
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There is no difference between the "news" side of Fox and its prime time screamers. Case in point: the day Comey issued the FBI's conclusion that Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server was not a crime Fox News spent most of the rest of the hour (day, weeks, years) speculating with guests that the FBI was corrupt. Questioning the FBI's conclusion is not news, it's opinion. Likewise, while there is consensus among scientists that the earth is warming because we are polluting the atmosphere with heat-trapping gasses, Fox News gives nearly 70% of its news on climate change to deniers. That's not news, that's criminally negligent propaganda.
Fox News is a criminally negligent propaganda arm of the Republican Party. It is not news. It is not journalism. Their mission is not to give its viewers facts but rather to demonize and destroy Democrats and that mission runs through and through the organization. It may have some token anchors who sometimes mention facts which bothers Trump, such the impeachment survey results, but otherwise Fox News almost never spends time on real news that is contrary to the Republican Party line. It's the best support Trump or any Republican could ask for, assuming they want their minds to be filled with garbage.
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@Sherry
Switch the word "democrat" for "republican", and switch CNN/MSNBC for Fox, and I would agree with you.
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@99percent The significant difference is that CNN/MSNBC are fact based in their coverage. They are promoting truth, not conspiracies and lies. They are not promoting one individual, instead they are advocating for democratic principals. Neither is perfect, but only Fox is corrupt.
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@99percent For a good example of how Fox news is embedded with right wing conspiracy theory promoters and is willing to give credence to the most outlandish stories, I would refer you to an excellent podcast: Conspiracyland for a discussion of the Seth Rich case
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For Rupert Murdoch it's just another business day. He doesn't have to the live the consequences of the lies that he supports. If Fox News is making money - that's all that matters.
Lies eventually only lead to more misery for those who are exposed to them. Enablers, like Murdoch must be held accountable. A LIE MERCHANT of Murdoch's stature must assume responsibility for the confusion, and the hate that he sows.
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Fox News and the Murdoch’s are doing to democracy what Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers did for pain relief. It is a cynical exploitation of free speech for huge profits.
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@Bud This is a brilliant analogy.
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Has it occurred to anyone that Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and others Trumpophiles are doing what they do for the ratings? The ratings go up, they can make a valid pitch for contracts with more money.
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@Noley
and same goes for Ari and Chris and Rachel and Andy and.....
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@99percent
There is no equivalency. The perception is true, that these reporters, Ari and Chris and Rachel and Andy, are broadcasting news that appears unfavorable to Trump. The reason for that perception is that Trump is breaking the law and is twisting the Presidency into an autocratic abomination of our political system. And that is news.
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As with any authoritarian despot, Trump requires that no one question him or point out his mistakes and stupidities. Fox goes above and beyond by being unquestioning sycophants, and yet it is still not enough for him. Even a Trump news channel can not fill the huge empty space within this man, who is clearly not mentally stable.
I don't disparage the mentally ill and I do feel sympathy for them but I will never understand any nation which allows itself to be willingly led by someone as damaged as Trump. When the US collapses into hate, division and fear I hope that all of his winners will be satisfied with what they have wrought.
26
Imagine the reactions of Republicans and conservatives in general if a Democrat President had half the issues, conflicts, and erratic behavior as Trump.
Imagine President Clinton installing Chelsea and her husband in the White House. Imagine President Clinton courting dictators, imposing tariffs, and abandoning allies. Imagine President Clinton sending out inane Tweets in the middle of the night. Imagine President Clinton calling the press the enemy of the people or calling Republican politicians traitors that should be impeached.
All politicians are hypocrites by nature but Republicans have taken it to a new level. It really is all about power and money. Someone said if Republicans had to choose between democracy and power they would abandon democracy.
It will be interesting to watch how soon they try to reclaim "rule of law", "family values", "free trade", "the Constitution", after they loose the election.
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Most of all, I’ll bet they will scream about the deficits that are about to kill us, all the fault of tax and spend Democrats... when everyone knows the wise and prudent tax and keep.
6
The Generalissimo Trump sent our country’s top lawman, AG Bill Barr to the head of a media organization to complain about the coverage the administration was receiving. The head of news was subsequently fired.
To me, this scandal rivals all others. When the president sends the top cop to shut down the news it is clear we’re no longer a free country.
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@Sean
Why wasn't this at the top of the news cycle for a week?
This is corruption at it's most base. The Attorney General, at the behest of the President, lambasted the head of a news organization, which resulted in the top journalist abruptly leaving under unclear circumstances.
Terrifying.
2
Democrats should boycott Fox News entirely. They are Trump TV all the way, as evidenced by Shep bailing last Friday.
The Fox audience is a lost cause. They will not be swayed by any brief appearance a Democrat candidate makes on the channel. And if even the slightest comment can be twisted for the Trump army, you can bet Fox will edit to look its worst and use it repeatedly (think Howard Dean's "scream" at his rally). The only hope people have for a return to a time when facts matter is the toll of time on the very old Fox demographic.
8
We all know FOX is a propaganda network. Mr. Wallace should be ashamed to work there.
If FOX were gone and SINCLAIR as well, Trump's popularity would drop immediately. He knows that. Too bad they get paid by Murdoch and Sinclair's owners to lie along with the president every day.
I wouldn't watch FOX under any circumstance. If I enter a public place where they have it on, I leave.
26
The fact that Fox News is #1 in viewership says more about the country than about Trump. And that, is most alarming.
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Trump does seem to have total control over Fox as anyone on their staff is being harshly criticized or pushed out for any objective reporting on Trump. But do you know who has even more control over Fox? The advertisers who pay the bills. I want to boycott every one of them.
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@GBrown
Let's have a list and then let's write to each company informing them that the boycott is in full force till they stop supporting FOX.
Millions will be hard to dismiss or ignore.
4
Fox News is NOT a news organization. They are an infotainment for-profit company. Irrespective of Trump’s influence on them, which is obviously significant and inappropriate. Wherever they believe they will profit most, is the direction they will take. There is no social contract or consideration of doing what is right or just. Only when doing so is financially advantageous for them. That said, what does trump have to lose by criticizing them? Fox will follow the money regardless. He’s gambling on his cult of blind followers to now pressure Fox News. And by mentioning some other right wing state run media outlet he threatens Fox by taking his support elsewhere, while plugging the organization he’ll probably join or take over if/when he loses his presidency.
7
I am not surprised, as Ingraham's take down of Giuliani several weeks ago could be a defining moment in Trump's presidency.
Ingraham has tried to make it up to Trump since then, but it may be too late.
3
The Attorney General has access to vast amounts of information on individuals and I wonder if his meeting with Murdoch conveyed undertones of that. Given the Ukraine situation we see the lengths this administration will go due to Trump's megalomania.
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Fox has no fiscal choice but to cow tow to Trump as his base is their audience. That said, attrition will eventually take down Fox as that base literally dies off as the median viewing age is 66.
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In terms of viewship, FOX News is the most successful media empire ever.
In terms of truth and integrity, it's the worst. Without the backing of FOX, I doubt Donald Trump would have been elected.
I just read an opinion column from a competing newspaper surmising that perhaps the president wants to be impeached, given how much time he spends watching TV and abandoning the heavy lifting of normal governance.
Just think: America's TV president refuses to govern or get briefings, but spends hours every day watching cable news , like an aimless teenager addicted to his electronics.
It would be bad enough if that's all he did all day without taking action. But the fact he gets his "briefings" from the disiniformation he hears on FOX to make his decisions for the country is more than alarming--it's highly dangeorus.
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@ChristineMcM
Sadly, your second paragraph does a lot to explain the first.
@ChristineMcM Fox news is actually pretty good; much better than CNN or MSNBC. However, there is a distinction between the news and opinion. You seem to think the latter is what Fox is all about; not so. As far as FOX telling Trump what to do - who do you think influenced Obama?
After reading this article, I wanted to take a the hottest shower I could find with the most potent brand of soap legally available.
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@Robert Yarbrough yes! That is the feeling.
4