As we’ve discussed here many times (and others have as well), the rest of the corporate media needs to stop treating Fox as a legitimate news outlet, and start acknowledging that they’re nothing more than right-wing propaganda dressed up as “news.”
The recently revealed January 6th texts between Mark Meadows and many of the anchors on Fox has forced networks such as CNN and others to finally start treating Fox in the manner they deserve, with Don Lemon wondering why they’re even allowed into the White House press room to ask questions:
CNN’s @donlemon: “Why does Jen Psaki continue to call on Fox in the briefing room?”
“Why should they be able to take part in a legitimate press briefing and legitimate journalism?”
“Why did they even allow Fox to pretend in the briefing room they’re a real news organization?” pic.twitter.com/HEf06pesIT
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 14, 2021
This was met with the reaction you might expect from Media Buzz host Howard Kurtz, who opened his show this Sunday complaining about Lemon. Kurtz pointed to Fox’s defense of Jim Acosta (who had his press badge revoked after Trump lost it during one of his insane briefings, because he didn’t like a question Acosta asked him) as justification that Fox is somehow worthy of the same professional courtesy from CNN now.
Kurtz followed up by bringing on Special Report host Bret Baier to join him in complaining about Lemon. Baier also helped play cleanup on aisle five over the mess the network finds themselves in now that the blatant hypocrisy of their fellow hosts has been laid bare for all to see with their January 6th texts. You know, the ones wherein they privately told Meadows what they really thought about the insurrection, who was responsible for it, and who had the ability to stop it, compared to their lying, complicit coverage later where they downplayed what happened and tried to blame it on Antifa.
Although Baier did complain about the conduct of his colleagues, he still spent the better part of his time during the interview with Kurtz defending his network and pretending that they’re actually a legitimate news outlet, and not just a funnel for right-wing and Republican propaganda.
I hate to break it to the two of them, but shows like Baier’s and a couple of others that try to give the network a veneer of respectability won’t make up for the remaining endless hours of lies Fox regurgitates, and Baier isn’t blameless either. His show constantly lies by omission, and by the topics they choose to cover or not to cover, and he regularly allows guests on his show to tell blatant lies unchallenged. He may not be as bad as a lot of the others at Fox, but like Chris Wallace, who just left the network, Baier’s just as complicit when it comes to keeping their viewers fed a daily diet of right-wing talking points.
Other media outlets are late to the game acknowledging just how dangerous Fox is, but better late than never. Don Lemon was exactly right. They’ve got no business being allowed in the White House briefing room, and they ought to get the boot along with OANN, Newsmax and a few others. Sadly, we’re not likely to see that happen anytime soon though.