Fox News and other Murdoch outlets begin to diverge from Trump as presidency recedes



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Topline

Fox News on Monday interrupted White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany to verify her false allegations of voter fraud, the latest appeal from Fox and other members of the media empire of Rupert Murdoch, once key allies of President Donald Trump. , rejecting Trump’s unfounded refusal to accept defeat and prepare viewers for a post-Trump future.

Key facts

After McEnany unsubstantiated suggesting at a news conference Monday afternoon that supporters of President-elect Joe Biden are deliberately engaging in electoral fraud, Anchor Neil Cavuto interrupted her. and he said he has no proof, saying, “I can’t keep showing you this with good demeanor.”

In recent days, Fox news anchors and reporters have routinely acknowledged Biden’s status as president-elect and said Trump’s claims of voter fraud lack evidence, though they have given Trump’s legal battles more credibility than most other media.

While some devout Trump opinion makers like Sean Hannity still defend voter fraud, popular primetime host Tucker Carlson focused on criticizing Biden’s vision for the country rather than re-legitimizing Friday’s election results.

the Wall street journal Y The times From london – two top-of-the-line Murdoch newspapers – have published stories driving big holes in SendThe Hunter Biden allegations, and while Fox opinion anchors promoted the stories on the air, the coverage on the network’s news side was more skeptical.

Crucial appointment

“Donald Trump has every right to present legal challenges. Other unsuccessful candidates have done so in the past,” Fox host Chris Wallace said Saturday, minutes after his network called the race for Biden. “So far, at least, we don’t see anything that would rise to the level of serious fraud, and certainly not serious fraud that would change the election results.”

Key Background

Trump’s history as a political figure is practically inseparable from Fox News. Under the late Fox founder Roger Ailes, the network gave Trump time to joke about politics before he decided to run for office, and its hosts helped defend Trump both before and after his 2016 victory. In the past four years, Fox has become an unofficial part of the White House communication strategy: The president calls regularly for interviews with sympathetic presenters, tweets his favorite shows live, and on-air personalities sometimes even break the fourth. wall and give advice to Trump, knowing he is a frequent viewer. Yet Trump has been frustrated this year, openly complaining on Twitter and on Fox airwaves that Fox’s nominally independent news side is not loyal enough. He reportedly called Murdoch over the summer to complain about Fox’s coverage. For his part, Murdoch is focused on the future, Vanity fair reported in September, and he would like his network to remain relevant when Trump is no longer president. Fox did not respond to a request for comment.

Tangent

If Fox’s news side is embracing a post-Trump future, smaller conservative outlets are rushing to fill the void. Newsmax and One America News, two fringe news networks that They have won Trump’s support, spent the weekend credulously reporting on Trump’s unfounded and inaccurate allegations of election fraud. The two networks defiantly told viewers that they have not yet called the race for Biden, although it is unclear if they have the kind of math-based career decision desks that the networks typically use to make election projections.

Other readings

With Trump’s loss, Murdoch’s Fox News faces anger and tough decisions (NPR)



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