Sacked Fox News broadcaster Tucker Carlson, left, and former US President Donald Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey last July. Photo / AP, File
Sacked Fox News broadcaster Tucker Carlson, left, and former US President Donald Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey last July. Photo / AP, File
EDITORIAL
A host on America’s MSNBC network opened his show mid-week with a, possibly slightly nervous, joke: “Good evening from New York, I’m Chris Hayes, and I’m not going anywhere.”
It was a nod to news of the sudden axing of two high-profile US broadcasters, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson andCNN’s Don Lemon. Fixtures of their respective cable giants for years were suddenly unwanted.
Carlson was a prime-time drawcard for Fox, on about US$20 million a year and with about three million Americans watching him nightly.
Lemon was a prominent black anchor, who once used to follow the (previously discarded) host Chris Cuomo in CNN’s night-time coverage and was a distinctive voice at the network. He had been accused of sexist behaviour.
Don Lemon at the Time100 Gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on Wednesday. Photo / Evan Agostini, Invision, AP
Carlson’s firing is more obviously tied up with America’s culture-war-infused politics, which run through different sections of society, drawing in major consumer-orientated businesses.
For instance, entertainment behemoth Disney on Thursday sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is considered the leading Republican presidential challenger to Donald Trump. Disney’s resorts are major money-spinning attractions in the state. If you come at the Mouse, you best not miss ... This row stems from Disney’s criticism last year of a Florida education bill stopping lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Carlson was a major amplifier of pro-Trump far-right conspiracy theories and grievances, and downplayed the 2021 attack on the US Capitol. He was an important part of selling Trump’s messages to receptive eyes and ears.
He attracted business advertising boycotts but had close ties to Republicans in the House and was influential with the party’s officials and base.
Media speculation about Carlson’s departure has focused on a defamation trial Fox settled for US$787.5 million with Dominion Voting Systems; workplace issues; and reported disapproval from media mogul and Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch on the broadcaster’s views on Ukraine and religion.
Major US media outlets have concluded that loose-cannon Carlson had become more trouble than he was worth to Murdoch and his son Lachlan.
The trial was about whether Fox knowingly spread falsehoods about Dominion after the 2020 presidential election. Dominion said its business was damaged by Fox repeating claims its voting machines were rigged against Trump and could be hacked.
Illustration / Rod Emmerson
US media said that redacted text messages uncovered in the legal process were part of the reason Carlson was fired. They reportedly include a sexist comment about a female Fox executive.
The lead-up to the abandoned trial revealed that people who worked at Fox were sceptical about election fraud claims from the Trump camp, even as the network pushed them.
Previous unredacted comments from Carlson now made public included an admission that he hated Trump “passionately”. Carlson also said “he’s only good at destroying”. What happens to the Trump-Carlson relationship going forward is intriguing.
Never-Trumper and Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson thinks Trump and DeSantis should be concerned by a potential candidate Carlson - a veteran at presentation and communication.
“Tucker is one of the very small number of political celebrities in this country who has the name ID, the personal wealth, the stature to actually declare and run for president and in a Republican primary run [as] the transgressive, bad boy candidate, the one who lets you say what you want to say, think what you want to think, act how you want to act.”
A video of Carlson on Twitter on Thursday attracted millions of views. In it, he used Trumpian messaging: “When honest people say what’s true, calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful. At the same time, the liars who have been trying to silence them shrink, and they become weaker.”
He added: “Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There aren’t many places left, but there are some.”
NBC reported that people on far-right online forums were shaken by the loss of an ally in the mainstream conservative media.
For Carlson and Lemon, it could at least be the end of their main media careers. Previously big names in US broadcasting, such as Bill O’Reilly, Megyn Kelly, Brian Williams and Cuomo, slid from the top tier once given the push.
Frank Sesno, a former CNN anchor now at George Washington University said: “It’s hard to replace the reach, clout and promotional support of a major platform once you’re no longer associated with it.”
As Fox has reinforced, the stage is the real fixture, while the players rotate in and out.
