Fox's top hosts lobby Trump for action on Jan. 6, text show

Another example of how Fox News Channel's stars tried to influence Donald Trump is the revelation that Fox News Channel personnel sent text messages to him during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Fox's top hosts lobby Trump for action on Jan. 6, text show

According to Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, Wyoming, vice-chair of the congressional investigation into the riot, Brian Kilmeade, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity all sent advice to Trump's chief staff Mark Meadows.

"Mark, the President needs to tell people at the Capitol to go home," said Ingraham, host on "The Ingraham Angle." This is hurting everyone. He is ruining his legacy."

Kilmeade, a Fox & Friends host, texted Kilmeade: "Please get him onto TV." "Destroying all you have done."

Hannity wondered, just like Ingraham, if Trump could make a statement and request people to leave the Capitol.

The text messages were released by Cheney late Monday night, a day after Chris Wallace, the most prominent hard-news reporter at Fox, announced his departure after 18 years to take up a job at CNN. Wallace was privately upset by Fox's promotion of conservative opinion hosts, especially after the network's ratings plunged following the election.

The network did not immediately comment on Tuesday regarding the texts.

Journalists have to be ethical: You are responsible for reporting the news and not trying to influence the actions or decisions of journalists.

Fox has tried to differentiate between "news" programming and "opinion", even though these lines are sometimes blurred and viewers may not be able to make the same distinctions. Fox considers Hannity and Ingraham hosts of opinion programs. Fox argued in court that prime-time hosts of opinion shows can't be held to same facts as journalists.

This isn't the first time that Fox personalities have served as a kind of kitchen cabinet for Trump. Hannity was often present during Trump's presidency. Tucker Carlson asked for and received a meeting to discuss COVID-19 in its early days.

Aly Colon, professor of media ethics at Washington and Lee University, said that they are not considered journalists in the traditional sense. "But they are representative for a Fox news operation."

Colon stated that their actions raise questions about whether they were loyal to Trump or viewers who want to get information about the news from them.

Fox News did not provide live coverage of Monday night's hearing, even though MSNBC and CNN provided coverage. Hannity interviewed Meadows, but didn't ask about the advice that he and his coworkers sent. He blasted the work of the committee at the beginning of his show.

Hannity stated, "We've been saying to you that this was a waste of time and money." They have a predetermined result."

Some people disagree with the Fox hosts' actions, such as a consultant who managed Fox's news operations for eight years in the 2000s.

Michael Clemente, an ex-executive vice president of Fox News, stated that "I think it was useful to have them, and anyone else with influence or potential influence over him, tell him what to do."

He argued that in times of national crisis this is more important than the objectivity rules most journalists are required to follow.

Tim Graham, director for media analysis at conservative Media Research Center, stated that "Texting the chief staff to ask him to tell President Obama to end the rioting is a great thing." "But journalists should not be sending political advice to the White House," he said.

Graham stated that he doesn't believe the news will shock Fox viewers. He said, "It shows Fox as anti-riot. They will be encouraged by that."

Ingraham stated that the Capitol was attacked by "people who can only be called antithetical the MAGA movement." This wasn't true.

She was unhappy about the "continual loop" of Capitol breach. She claimed that the demonstration was peaceful at 99 percent, but that "because of a small contingent loons these patriots were unfairly maligned."

Hannity condemned violence at Capitol on that evening's show. Hannity also spoke extensively about the "train wreck", presidential election, and the failure to condemn the "violent far-left riots" that took place in American cities during the summer 2020.

Some critics felt that there was a disconnect between the Fox personalities' public statements and their private messages.

"So you're telling me that all these Fox News hosts knew this coup was terrible and begged Trump to end it. And when he didn’t, they kept on promoting him?" tweeted Amanda Carpenter. Carpenter is a columnist for The Bulwark which is a political website dominated conservatives who oppose Trump.

Both Hannity and Ingraham claimed that there was no difference in what they had said publicly Jan. 6 and what Meadows texted them.

Ingraham stated, "Both privately and publicly, I said what my belief was -- that the breaching of the Capitol had been a terrible thing."

Hannity was upset that Cheney made his text public.

He asked, "Do you believe in privacy in the country?" "Apparently not."

Fox's top hosts lobby Trump for action on Jan. 6, text show

By DAVID BADER5-7 minutes 15.12.2021

NEW YORK (AP), -- Another example of how Fox News Channel's stars tried to influence Donald Trump is the revelation that Fox News Channel personnel sent text messages to him during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

According to Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, Wyoming, vice-chair of the congressional investigation into the riot, Brian Kilmeade, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity all sent advice to Trump's chief staff Mark Meadows.

"Mark, the President needs to tell people at the Capitol to go home," said Ingraham, host on "The Ingraham Angle." This is hurting everyone. He is ruining his legacy.

Kilmeade, a Fox & Friends host, texted Kilmeade: "Please get him onto TV." "Destroying all you have done."

Hannity wondered, just like Ingraham, if Trump could make a statement and request people to leave the Capitol.

The text messages were released by Cheney late Monday night, a day after Chris Wallace, the most prominent hard-news reporter at Fox, announced his departure after 18 years to take up a job at CNN. Wallace was privately upset by Fox's promotion of conservative opinion hosts, especially after the network's ratings plunged following the election.

The network did not immediately comment on Tuesday regarding the texts.

Journalists have to be ethical: You are responsible for reporting the news and not trying to influence the actions or decisions of journalists.

Fox has tried to differentiate between "news" programming and "opinion", even though these lines are sometimes blurred and viewers may not be able to make the same distinctions. Fox considers Hannity and Ingraham hosts of opinion programs. Fox argued in court that prime-time hosts of opinion shows can't be held to same facts as journalists.

This isn't the first time that Fox personalities have served as a kind of kitchen cabinet for Trump. Hannity was often present during Trump's presidency. Tucker Carlson asked for and received a meeting to discuss COVID-19 in its early days.

Aly Colon, professor of media ethics at Washington and Lee University, said that they are not considered journalists in the traditional sense. "But they are representative for a Fox news operation."

Colon stated that their actions raise questions about whether they were loyal to Trump or viewers who want to get information about the news from them.

Fox did not provide live coverage of Monday night's hearing. MSNBC and CNN provided live coverage, while Fox did not. Hannity interviewed Meadows, but didn't ask about the advice that he and his coworkers sent. He blasted the work of the committee at the beginning of his show.

Hannity stated, "We've been saying to you that this was a waste of time and money." They have a predetermined result."

Some people disagree with the Fox hosts' actions, such as a consultant who managed Fox's news operations for eight years in the 2000s.

Michael Clemente, an ex-executive vice president of Fox News, stated that "I think it was useful to have them, and anyone else with influence or potential influence over him, tell him what to do."

He argued that in times of national crisis this is more important than the objectivity rules most journalists are required to follow.

Tim Graham, director for media analysis at conservative Media Research Center, stated that "Texting the chief staff to ask him to tell President Obama to end the rioting is a great thing." "But journalists should not be sending political advice to the White House," he said.

Graham stated that he doesn't believe the news will shock Fox viewers. He said, "It shows Fox as anti-riot. They will be encouraged by that."

Ingraham stated that the Capitol was attacked by "people who can only be called antithetical the MAGA movement." This wasn't true.

She was unhappy about the "continual loop" of Capitol breach. She claimed that the demonstration was peaceful at 99 percent, but that "because of a small contingent loons these patriots were unfairly maligned."

Hannity condemned violence at Capitol on that evening's show. Hannity also spoke extensively about the "train wreck", presidential election, and the failure to condemn the "violent far-left riots" that took place in American cities during the summer 2020.

Some critics felt that there was a disconnect between the Fox personalities' public statements and their private messages.

"So you're telling me that all these Fox News hosts knew this coup was terrible and begged Trump to end it. And when he didn’t, they kept on promoting him?" tweeted Amanda Carpenter. Carpenter is a columnist for The Bulwark which is dominated by conservatives who are against Trump.

Both Hannity and Ingraham claimed that there was no difference in what they had said publicly Jan. 6 and what Meadows texted them.

Ingraham stated, "Both privately and publicly, I said what my belief was -- that the breaching of the Capitol had been a terrible thing."

Hannity was upset that Cheney made his text public.

He asked, "Do you believe in privacy in the country?" "Apparently not."

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