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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
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
Brian Stelter Profile picture
Jun 8
The timeline of Terry Moran's suspension deserves some unpacking.

This morning Trump White House aides publicly pushed ABC to discipline Moran. Lots of people have well-reasoned objections to that. But let's also note: ABC didn't "need" to be pressured >>>
As soon as ABC News execs woke up, it was obvious that they'd have to say something. Moran's post lit up group chats and Slack channels because it was so shocking to see from a network correspondent (and someone who had just interviewed Trump a matter of weeks ago!)
At 8:20am @PressSec said "we have reached out to @ABC to inquire about how they plan to hold Terry accountable." It's unclear who at ABC was contacted. But conversations were already underway at ABC by then.
Read 4 tweets
Brian Stelter Profile picture
Jun 8
"If you have the courage to speak, we are saved. If you fall silent, the country is doomed."

Scott Pelley had some strong words to share on tonight's CNN special after the telecast of "Good Night, and Good Luck" >>>
"People are silencing themselves for fear that the government will retaliate against them, and that's not the America that we all love," Pelley told Anderson Cooper in an exclusive sit-down cnn.com/2025/06/07/med…
When Cooper asked Pelley what Murrow would think of the state of play at CBS, Pelley said "he would probably be waiting to see how this lawsuit from the president works out and how the Paramount Corporation deals."

Murrow, he said, "would be for fighting," not settling.
Read 6 tweets

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