Eric Boehlert: Jan. 6 committee keeps dragging Fox News

[babylonsister]

https://pressrun.media/p/jan-6-committee-keeps-dragging-fox

Jan. 6 committee keeps dragging Fox News
Bring it
Eric Boehlert


For the second time in three weeks, Fox News has been shoved into the insurrection spotlight by the House select panel investigating Trump’s coup attempt. It probably won’t be the last time the Congressional body sets its sights on Rupert Murdoch’s propaganda network. The unprecedented glare is highlighting just how duplicitous its hosts are, as we learn they were beseeching the White House 52 weeks ago to call off the insurrection hounds on the eve of Jan. 6.

Today, Fox News dismisses the Trump riot — the same way it dismisses Covid — and attacks Democrats over their fact-finding mission. But the latest Sean Hannity insurrection texts released by the committee don’t lie. And they were flying fast and furious one year ago. More importantly, it’s clear that the media-savvy committee is going to keep up the pressure on Fox News in a way no government body has since the network debuted more than two decades ago.

The Jan. 6 panel announced yesterday it wants to call Hannity as a “fact witness.” It’s not trying to subpoena Hannity because he can hide behind laws that are designed to protect journalists, even though he isn’t one. (Hannity a journalist the same way Alex Jones is a journalist.) So this isn’t going to be a long drawn-out legal battle. It’s a public relation showdown, and so far the committee is scoring wins. (Murdoch hates playing defense.) Especially as the panel releases the damning texts in batches, instead of all at once, which generate rolling headlines.

The revelations pull back the opaque curtain Fox News tries to hide behind in terms of claiming to be a legitimate operation. The communications show Hannity to be a plugged-in operative for an administration he was supposed to be covering.

snip//

Thanks to the Jan. 6 committee we now know Fox hosts were frantic about the unfolding coup attempt, and demanded Trump stop making claims about the ‘stolen’ election. What will be the next Fox shoe to drop?

[grumpyduck]

1. Actions do have consequences.

[ShazamIam]

2. Fox has been openly Putin friendly since Sarah Palin was sprung on us, and it has been obvious they

function as the pr arm of the billionaire conservatives and their Republican elected and their special Democratic like, oh you know.

[sanatanadharma]

3. Fox can't avoid consequences

Fox can't protect itself by claiming Hannity, Tucker, et al are entertainers not journalists, and also try to protect Hannity by claiming he is a newsman.