Some of the same news outlets up in arms over President Donald Trump’s attacks on CNN and The New York Times are now touting Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s war on Fox News.
Warren’s decision to snub an invitation from Fox to do a televised town hall prompted glowing headlines from The Washington Post, CNN, The New York Times and other liberal outlets Wednesday. They highlighted her characterization of the conservative network as “a hate-for-profit racket,” and noted it puts other Democratic presidential candidates who have taken Fox News up on the offer in the position of having to justify their decision.
“Fox News is a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists—it’s designed to turn us against each other, risking life and death consequences, to provide cover for the corruption that’s rotting our government and hollowing out our middle class,” Warren tweeted. “Fox News is welcome to come to my events just like any other outlet. But a Fox News town hall adds money to the hate-for-profit machine. To which I say: hard pass.”
She also attacked several specific Fox News hosts, including Tucker Carlson, founder of The Daily Caller, and Laura Ingraham, in an Instagram post reiterating her “hate-for-profit” line.
Elizabeth Warren just posted this on Instagram pic.twitter.com/NruOupjn7q
— jordan (@JordanUhl) May 14, 2019
“Fox News is getting a debate anyhow, just not the sort that it had courted,” Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple wrote of the news. “The debate concerns whether Fox News is, in fact, a news organization, or something far different.”
“Fox News has long been despised by much of the left, which considers it a propagandistic partisan machine,” Politico noted in its story, characterizing Warren’s move as far left, but offering no counter to her characterization of the network.
“Her denunciation was greeted with glee by some liberals who consider the network the equivalent of state television,” reported The New York Times, again offering no counter to the liberal characterization of Fox.
Their reception of Warren’s declaration of war on the network is markedly different from their reception of Trump’s war on The New York Times and CNN, which he has criticized for publishing “fake news” and referred to as “the enemy of the people.” These same outlets reacted with indignation to Trump’s criticisms, claiming he posed a threat to the free press and put the lives of journalists in danger. (RELATED: The List Of CNN’s Bungled Reporting Is A Sight To Behold)
The New York Times reported that Trump’s attacks “have added up to a rough few days for freedom of the press, a once-sacrosanct American notion that has been under sustained assault since Mr. Trump made fiery denunciations of journalists — and the rallying cry “Fake news!” — into hallmarks of his campaign and presidency.”
“Donald Trump just issued a direct threat to the free and independent media,” CNN reported, after Trump asked on Twitter at what point the amount of “fake news” coming out of NBC and other networks should justify revoking their license. (RELATED: Fixed: An Absurdly Written Correction To A Trump-Russia Story)
The New York press club gave CNN’s Jim Acosta their “Truth to Power” award for defending journalists and challenging the establishment, after he engaged in a series of high-profile spats with Trump.
“Journalists and commentators have tried to persuade Trump to take two things seriously in his role as president,” Washington Post opinion writer Greg Sargent noted in February. “First, that the role of the free press is to hold the powerful to account. And second, that President Trump’s attacks on the news media have dangerous consequences, both at home and around the world.”
And all of these outlets on the threat to the freedom of the press when Warren declares war on Fox News? Crickets.
