Tucker Carlson, the legend of deception and fakery on "Fox News"

POSTED ON2023-04-29 BY SOTALIRAQ

[size=52]Tucker Carlson, the legend of deception and fakery on "Fox News"[/size]

[size=45]A recent lawsuit revealed that Carlson is merely a performer who promoted opinions he already knew were untrue. This is his legacy[/size]
[size=45]Richard Hall, The Independent's chief US correspondent @_RichardHall, Saturday, April 29, 2023.

Carlson has achieved success on Fox News by going farther than any of his predecessors in pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable (Getty Images)[/size]
[size=45]With Tucker Carlson's career at Fox News coming to an end, so too has his reign as one of the most prominent propagandists in modern American history.[/size]
[size=45]Carlson, who on Monday achieved the tainted honor of being kicked out of all three major American news networks, had found success as a performer, activist, and partisan who manipulated and moved his audience in a way that few others could. That audience included current and former presidents, the liberals who love to watch him criticize and deride him, ordinary conservatives, and every Republican legislator on the planet.[/size]
[size=45]Indeed, Carlson achieved success on Fox News by going further than any of his predecessors, to push the boundaries of the acceptable. From his prominent position on his program, which was watched by a huge number of viewers, he delved into hate speech and intolerance, parroted like topics of discussion espoused by white nationalists, and promoted conspiracy theories and lies under the cover of journalistic investigation.
Of course, this investigation was superficial. Instead of revealing great truths, his work seemed designed specifically to annoy liberals, and it was important for him to annoy liberals in return for their harassment. Indeed, Carlson's sheer degree of influence and arrogance has built an entire identity of his own around his refusal to accept criticism or any other form of challenge. He has deliberately spouted lies and conspiracy theories to prove he can say whatever he wants.[/size]
[size=45]Throughout his career it was possible to watch Carlson getting more and more fed up with the challenges he was facing. He landed his first high-profile television job in the early 2000s, when he represented the voice of the right on CNN's Crossfire, a program that pitted liberals against conservatives in what It looked like wrestling-like night debates.[/size]
[size=45]He then suspended the program when the two anchors [Carlson's co-host, Paul Bigala] were insulted by Jon Stewart [well-known stand-up comedian] in an episode that included a barrage of humiliating reprimands and was later described as "the story behind Carlson's villain," perhaps a reference to The transformation he showed over the next few years. Since then he stopped trying to please either party, and when he returned to television in 2016, he was no longer affiliated with either party.[/size]
[size=45]The first episode of Carlson's Nightly Show aired on Fox News in November 2016, just days after Donald Trump won the presidency. Both men showed expertise in harnessing white anger for the pursuit of power and profit.[/size]
[size=45]But what made Carlson different from other broadcasters? Stripped of context and stripped of his prime-time show, there is nothing that makes him any different from any other garrulous braggart. He is not a great thinker, and most of his arguments and narratives collapse under the slightest criticism, which is why he has rarely hosted dissenting viewpoints. People like him, fanatics with effective communication skills, have been around in one form or another.[/size]
[size=45]But what made him unique was the platform provided by one of the most watched cable news networks in the country. Indeed, it was Rupert Murdoch who made the decision to let Carlson roam the country and reap the financial rewards for doing so.[/size]
[size=45]Murdoch seemed to understand that the same surge of resentment that led to the rise of Trump could also lead to higher ratings, and he was right. That partnership gave Carlson enormous influence over the Republican Party, and in turn ensured high viewership ratings for “Fox News.”[/size]
[size=45]A large portion of Carlson's audience will follow him wherever he goes next, but it will be difficult for him to maintain the same kind of influence when separated from the giant news channel. He will not be able to dictate the course of action and determine the ideas that will be discussed as he did on “Fox”, and he will not have the opportunity to target his opponents with the same bitterness and anger. So, its effect is likely to diminish.[/size]
[size=45]So what will Carlson's legacy be?[/size]
[size=45]It's worth noting that what led to Carlson's firing wasn't something he said on air. According to The Los Angeles Times' initial report of his firing, Carlson's firing is related to a lawsuit for gender discrimination brought by Abby Grossberg, who says she was subjected to a hostile and discriminatory work environment.[/size]
[size=45]But in fact, it was the other lawsuit, the one brought by Dominion Voting Systems, that wrote Carlson's obituary on Fox News. During that trial, it was revealed in the fact-finding phase [the process by which lawyers learn about an opponent's case in preparation for trial and reveal evidence, documents in their possession and witnesses], that Carlson conveyed opinions and news to his viewers that he knew were untrue, and they were primarily about False allegations of election fraud. The lawsuit itself revealed his intense hatred of Trump, despite his frequent support and promotion.[/size]
[size=45]In short, Carlson is leaving Fox News after his deception and fakery have been exposed in the open. This is his legacy.[/size]
[size=45] The Independent[/size]
[size=45]https://www.sotaliraq.com/2023/04/29/%d8%aa%d8%a7%d9%83%d8%b1-%d9%83%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%84%d8%b3%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a3%d8%b3%d8%b7%d9%88%d8%b1%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ae%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b9-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b2%d9%8a%d9%81-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89/[/size]

How stupid.