EPADe Republikeinse politica Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tucker Carlson en Donald Trump
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 18:44
The American channel Fox News has cut ties with the far right host Tucker Carlson. Carlson was last seen on television last Friday with his program Tucker Carlson Tonight, the conservative channel reports. Why Carlson is leaving has not been disclosed.
Last week, Fox News settled for hundreds of millions of dollars in a case that revolved around coverage of the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden. At the time of the elections, the channel regularly reported on alleged fraud. The settlement — which involved a $787.5 million payment from Fox — avoided a last-minute lawsuit.
The channel paid the millions to the company Dominion, which supplied voting computers. The channel continued to claim that there had been fraud and that the computers were part of the plot. Some of those statements were made on Carlson’s program. Dominion therefore accused the program of defamation.
CNN previously revealed that if it did come to trial, Carlson would be called as a witness by Dominion. The channel also managed to get hold of internal communications on Carlson’s program. The presenter wrote to colleagues that he had developed an “incredible dislike” for former President Trump, and considered his term in the White House a “disaster”. Those statements were at odds with what Carlson had claimed in his program.
Correspondent Ryan Ermine:
“The sudden departure of ratings gun Carlson comes as a big surprise to friend and foe. Carlson was not only the big favorite with the conservative audience, but his show was also the permanent base for Republican leaders and of course former president Trump. The fact that not being allowed a final broadcast to say goodbye to his audience of millions in his own words indicates a conflict with the bosses at Fox News.The press release also reads sparingly and measuredly.
The timing is also striking. He leaves the conservative news channel after the million-dollar settlement Fox News had to agree to. In the defamation case it became clear that Carlson’s show, among other things, paid a lot of attention to the myth of the ‘stolen’ presidential election of 2020. Carlson also often offered a platform for extremist ideas and conspiracy theories, which earned him high ratings.
It will be interesting to see who steps into that vacuum ahead of the 2024 presidential election.”