Brian Stelter Profile picture
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

Sep 3
I'm returning to @CNN in a brand new role as Chief Media Analyst. I'll be appearing on TV, developing digital content, and once again helming the Reliable Sources newsletter.
We wanted Reliable Sources readers to find out first. So I wrote them a letter: cnn.it/4ea4ttr
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The sheer amount of talent at CNN covering media, tech, pop culture, infowars is stunning. @Hadas_Gold, @passantino, @liam_a_reilly, @EWagmeister, @LisaFranceCNN, @TheSandraG, @AlliRosenbloom, @DDale8, @Donie, @MarshallCohen, @claresduffy, @jonsarlin – just to name a few!
Read 10 tweets
Aug 17
Key quotes from Harris-Walz campaign memo about its ad spending plans: It is placing "$170 million in TV reservations" this weekend. That's "on top of what the campaign believes to be the largest digital reservation in the history of American politics at more than $200 million."
The $200 million in digital reservations "only include connected TV/OTT, premium video, and digital audio" (Hulu, Spotify, YouTube) and do not include further spending on paid social, search, and other high-impact placements as well as video and display ads across the web."
The campaign says it wants to "surround voters" wherever they are – "whether watching on a 'box in a living room,' searching for more information, or scrolling social media feeds. In a fragmented and personalized media environment, we believe we can leave no stone unturned."
Read 9 tweets
Aug 9
The Summer Olympics have been a huge success for NBC. Ratings are way up. Revenues, too. I spoke with several NBC Sports and Peacock execs about what they've observed and learned 🧵
NBC's "no holding back" strategy is working: The company has given up on gatekeeping the hottest events of the day until U.S. prime time. Everything in Paris has been shown live. "We are here for the audience," said Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production.
Key quote: "For the first time, I really feel like we've solved the conundrum of navigation. The audience is always like, 'I'm overwhelmed by the Summer Olympics. I can't find what I'm looking for.' I do think the interface and the dashboard of Peacock has really solved that."
Read 7 tweets
Aug 5
The New Yorker's story about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. just landed >>> newyorker.com/magazine/2024/…
New Yorker's @ClareMalone obtained a photo of RFK and the dead bear cub Image
"A person with knowledge of the event said that Kennedy thought it would be funny to make it look as if the animal had been killed by an errant cyclist." newyorker.com/magazine/2024/…
Read 5 tweets
Jul 1
>> @MorningMika: "Like many, I want to know, was this a one-off episode or a sign of what's to come? Can his team and the president himself move forward with more discipline and also manage the fact that he is 81?" But she's still fully on board with Biden. 🧵>>>
Mika said "this moment in the race fits the entire narrative of Joe Biden's life." She spent about eight minutes reciting his comebacks over the years. "So now, after Thursday's abysmal debate performance, President Biden finds himself at rock bottom again," she said...
"I still believe in Joe Biden," Mika said. But: "Do there need to be changes? Yes. Managing him. Management to his schedule. Changes maybe even to those around him." In other words, she channeled the Bidenworld sources who are blaming the staff.
Read 12 tweets
Jun 28
Watch this assessment by @clairecmc on @MSNBC. All 4 minutes.
"Joe Biden had one thing he had to do tonight and he didn't do it," former senator Claire McCaskill said. "He had one thing he had to accomplish, and that was reassure America that he was up to the job at his age, and he failed at that tonight."
McCaskill on MSNBC: "I'm not the only one whose heart is breaking right now. There's a lot of people who watched this tonight and felt terribly for Joe Biden. And you know, you have to ask, how did we get here?"
Read 6 tweets

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