[ad_1]
A son of Rupert Murdoch and some of Fox News’s biggest stars were potentially exposed to the coronavirus after attending Tuesday’s presidential debate in Cleveland, and the network is planning to have its anchors, reporters and staff screened out of caution. according to a person familiar with his plans.
Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of Fox Corporation, toasted Chris Wallace, the “Fox News Sunday” host who moderated the discussion, at a Cleveland airport after the event. The meeting included two of the channel’s news anchors, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, along with Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and its president, Jay Wallace.
Chris Wallace, who sat about fifteen feet from President Trump during Tuesday’s 96-minute event, then flew a private jet to the Washington area in a group that included Baier and other Fox News-based staff members. Washington.
Sean Hannity, Fox News’ top-rated opinion star, also broadcast from inside the debating room, during which he conducted an in-person interview with the president’s son, Donald J. Trump Jr., who sat alone a few inches from Mr. Hannity. Other Fox News personalities were on an off-site set, including political analysts Brit Hume, Dana Perino and Juan Williams, and host Bill Hemmer. Karl Rove, the Republican strategist and Fox News contributor, was also in attendance.
Additionally, Laura Ingraham, the 10 p.m. opinion anchor on Fox News, attended a press conference at the White House on Saturday where Trump announced the nomination of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Another Fox News host, Pete Hegseth, also attended. Many of those present at Barrett’s event were not wearing masks.
Fox News declined to comment on Friday. But a person familiar with the network’s operation said Fox News was taking precautions, including testing, to ensure the safety of hosts, reporters, and staff who were potentially exposed to the virus in or near the Cleveland debate. White House. During last week. The person requested anonymity to describe internal discussions that were not yet public.
John Roberts, the network’s chief White House correspondent, and Jon Decker, a Fox News Radio correspondent, attended a press conference at the White House Thursday with Trump’s press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. The two correspondents are also expected to be tested for the virus.
Chris Wallace said on the air on Friday that he had not experienced symptoms of the virus, but that he planned to get a coronavirus test on Monday on the advice of his doctors, who said any infection could take several days to produce a positive result. .
