Chris Wallace, the most prominent moderate journalist at the Rupert Murdoch–owned Fox Information, announced his departure on Sunday and will be joining CNN. This comes as more and more extreme personalities, such as Tucker Carlson, have taken control of the channel’s programme.
Chris Wallace Leaves Fox News as Right-Wing Hosts Hold Sway
With an increased roster of right-wing commentary that attacks President Biden and defends former President Donald J. Trump, the community has surged far ahead of CNN and MSNBC in the ratings. However, several journalists working there have been disturbed by the channel’s coverage of topics like vaccine scepticism and the promotion of conspiracy theories around the January 6 Capitol incident.
The inaccurate claim that the incident was a “false flag” operation devised to vilify the political proper was one of Mr. Wallace’s main concerns when he spoke to Fox Information administration about Tucker Carlson’s latest documentary, “Patriot Purge.” On Sunday, two people who wanted to remain anonymous in order to discuss private conversations corroborated the anchor’s objections, which had been reported by NPR.
Journalists generally respect Wallace for his forthright reporting and pointed interview questions, but Wallace’s confrontational style with former president Donald Trump and the increasingly conservative leanings of Fox News show hosts have driven a wedge between Wallace and his fellow Fox News personalities.
NPR reported last month that anonymous sources said Wallace was upset that Fox had permitted Tucker Carlson, host of a prime time show, to broadcast a special called Patriot Purge that peddled conspiracy theories about the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, which was carried out by Trump supporters. After 18 years at Fox News, Wallace announced at the end of this week’s Fox News Sunday that he was leaving the network to “attempt something new, to move beyond politics” on his new CNN+ show.
As I said before, Chris Wallace has stated that the reaction to the 2020 presidential election by some members of Fox News was a major factor in his decision to leave the network.
Last Words
It’s incredible that nearly 18 months have passed and the Big Lie is still being discussed. Donald Trump keeps bringing it up in interviews since he left office. He told supporters at an event in Georgia over the weekend, “The truth is I ran twice, I won twice, and I just did better the second time.” It’s possible that we’ll have to do it again now.
