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Brian Stelter Profile picture
@brianstelter
Sep 29, 2020 • 8 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
Is this a "Fox News debate?" Well, no, because it is live on EVERY big channel and website tonight. But in a broader sense, yes it is. #Thread time...
Tonight's moderator, Chris Wallace, stands alone at Fox. His Sunday program primarily airs on broadcast, not Fox News. He has his own producers. He has said that he doesn't regularly watch the right-wing talk shows that make Fox #1 in the cable ratings.
But here's the thing: Everyone at Fox is affected, in some way, by the Trump-Fox merger. Everyone "feels" it. The pressure from the audience, the pressure from management, the expectation that Fox will be "fair" to Trump – and I don't mean "fair" in the good faith definition.
In HoaxTheBook.com, I wrote that Wallace, Bret Baier and Shep Smith "felt they were working from the inside to preserve some space for news as Trump and Hannity gained power at Fox." There IS still space for news – but year by year Fox's news has turned Trumpier, too.
In February Wallace was asked "Do you ever think that Fox News is using the quality of your work to truth-wash prime time?" Wallace insisted there's a "firewall" between news and opinion. But I saw the wall come down brick by brick. So did the Fox insiders who told me about it 👇 ImageImageImageImage
Despite all we know about Trump, Fox's news leaders still largely treat him like any other GOP prez, giving him the benefit of the doubt, assuming the best, excusing the worst. This tilts the scales big time, treating lies and crazy talk like it is legit, aiding the propaganda.
So, with all this in mind, a few days ago I said to one of Wallace's friends, is this a "Fox debate?" They said "it's a Chris Wallace debate, and his esteemed masterful moderating record speaks for itself." Wallace DOES have an impressive moderating record. But...
This is a "Fox debate" because Fox has shaped the political and media environment in ways that help Trump – for example by letting the news-opinion wall come down. Watch tonight: Will Fox rigorously fact-check the candidates right after the debate? Let's see. /end

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More from @brianstelter

Brian Stelter Profile picture
Dec 23
So, Bari Weiss decided to shelve a planned "60 Minutes" story titled "Inside CECOT," but the report has reached a worldwide audience anyway. Blame Canada, or thank Canada. Here's what seems to have happened...
Global TV has the rights to air "60 Minutes" in Canada. Networks like CBS sometimes deliver taped shows to affiliates like Global TV ahead of time. That appears to be what happened here: Friday's finished version of "60 Minutes" was digitally shipped up north.
Earlier today some Canadian users of Global TV's streaming app noticed that the Friday version of "60 Minutes" was available to view. Folks started sharing clips and summaries, and within hours, the videos went viral on platforms like Reddit and Bluesky.
Read 4 tweets
Brian Stelter Profile picture
Dec 10
Thread time >>> The New York Times' careful, clinical story about President Trump showing "signs of fatigue" and facing "realities of aging in office" came out two weeks ago. But the story definitely got under the president's skin. And it still seems to be on his mind...
Last night Trump lashed out in a 488-word post, asserting that "it's seditious, perhaps even treasonous, for The New York Times, and others, to consistently do FAKE reports in order to libel and demean THE PRESIDENT." He ominously said "we should do something about it."
Today @nytimes responded: "Americans deserve in-depth reporting and regular updates about the health of the leaders they elect. Mr. Trump welcomed our reporting on the age and fitness of his predecessors; we're applying the same journalistic scrutiny to his vitality."
Read 6 tweets
Brian Stelter Profile picture
Aug 18
The Trump White House has sought to reshape the press corps in its favor this year, and today showcased how well the effort has succeeded >>>
Veteran White House correspondents privately grumbled as a MAGA online personality dominated the Q&A during a photo op with President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump was mostly served set-ups for his own talking points: cnn.com/2025/08/18/med…
"This display, especially in front of foreign leaders, is so embarrassing," a WH correspondent remarked to me. "Many of the questions aren’t designed to get answers, but to create another confrontation or make Trump look good. That's not journalism."
Read 4 tweets
Brian Stelter Profile picture
Aug 4
Climate change reports, deleted.

DEI initiatives, banned.

Local TV and radio stations, defunded.

The list goes on and on. President Trump and his government appointees keep asserting more control over ideas and information...
Trump's abrupt firing of the labor statistics chief is one of the most dramatic examples yet. But his push for control has been evident all throughout his second term — and the individual headlines should be analyzed as part of a pattern: cnn.com/2025/08/04/med…
Books, removed from military academies. Names of civil rights leaders, erased from ships. History lessons, purged from museums. Transcripts, deleted from websites. This battle for control isn’t happening in a vacuum...
Read 4 tweets
Brian Stelter Profile picture
Jul 17
"THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT will end in May 2026 at the close of the 2025-26 broadcast season," CBS says.
CBS claims that "this is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.  It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount."
Here's the full statement from CBS:

“‘THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT’ will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season.  We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘THE LATE SHOW’ franchise at that time.  We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.

This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.  It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.

Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult.  Stephen has taken CBS late night by storm with cutting-edge comedy, a must-watch monologue and interviews with leaders in entertainment, politics, news and newsmakers across all areas. The show has been #1 in late night for nine straight seasons; Stephen's comedy resonates daily across digital and social media; and the broadcast is a staple of the nation’s zeitgeist.

The accomplishments of ‘THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT’ are memorable and significant in performance, quality and stature.  With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers.”
Read 4 tweets
Brian Stelter Profile picture
Jun 14
Several dozen sidelined Voice of America staffers have suddenly been called back to work as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates – a dramatic turn of events for the US government-funded broadcasting system that was shut down by the Trump administration in March 🧵
>> @W7VOA says VOA specifically brought back Farsi language speakers who had been on paid administrative leave. The move suggests that the US government wants to bolster its programming into Iran. Here's my full story cnn.com/2025/06/13/med…
BEFORE the cutbacks were instituted in March, VOA said that it produced 4+ hours of "Persian-language programming to Iran" a day, meant to confront the "disinformation" of the "Iranian regime" and "speak directly to the Iranian people and the global Persian-speaking diaspora."
Read 6 tweets

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