MADNESS AT FOX NEWS AS TRUMP FACES IMPEACHMENT

[kpete]

“IT’S MANAGEMENT BEDLAM”: MADNESS AT FOX NEWS AS TRUMP FACES IMPEACHMENT
A Trump identity crisis at Fox as Hannity frets, Lachlan Murdoch prepares for a post-Trump future, Paul Ryan whispers in Rupert’s ear, and Shep Smith and Tucker Carlson trade blows.



In public, Donald Trump’s allies are putting on a brave face, repeating talking points, mostly staying on message. But in private, there are few who believe that the allegations leveled by an intelligence agency whistle-blower that Trump abused American foreign policy to leverage Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden won’t result in considerable damage—if not the complete unraveling of his presidency. “I don’t see how they don’t impeach,” a former West Wing official told me today. “This could unwind very fast, and I mean in days,” a prominent Republican said.


Trump’s final bulwark is liable to be his first one: Fox News. Fox controls the flow of information—what facts are, whether allegations are to be believed—to huge swaths of his base. And Republican senators, who will ultimately decide whether the president remains in office, are in turn exquisitely sensitive to the opinions of Trump’s base. But even before the whistle-blower’s revelations, Fox was having something of a Trump identity crisis, and that bulwark has been wavering. In recent weeks, Trump has bashed Fox News on Twitter, taking particular issue lately with its polling, which, like other reputable polls, has shown the president under significant water. Meanwhile, Trump’s biggest booster seems to be having doubts of his own. This morning, Sean Hannity told friends the whistle-blower’s allegations are “really bad,” a person briefed on Hannity’s conversations told me. (Hannity did not respond to a request for comment). And according to four sources, Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch is already thinking about how to position the network for a post-Trump future. A person close to Lachlan told me that Fox News has been the highest rated cable network for seventeen years, and “the success has never depended on any one administration.” (A Fox Corp spokesperson declined to comment.)

Inside Fox News, tensions over Trump are becoming harder to contain as a long-running cold war between the network’s news and opinion sides turns hot. Fox has often taken a nothing-to-see-here approach to Trump scandals, but impeachment is a different animal. “It’s management bedlam,” a Fox staffer told me. “This massive thing happened, and no one knows how to cover it.” The schism was evident this week as a feud erupted between afternoon anchor Shepard Smith and prime-time host Tucker Carlson. It started Tuesday when Fox legal analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano told Smith on-air that Trump committed a “crime” by pressuring Ukraine’s president to get dirt on Biden. That night, Carlson brought on former Trump lawyer Joe diGenova, who called Napolitano a “fool” for claiming Trump broke the law. Yesterday, Smith lashed back, calling Carlson “repugnant” for not defending Napolitano on air. (Trump himself is said to turn off Fox at 3 p.m., when Shep Smith airs.) Seeking to quell the internecine strife before it carried into a third day, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and president Jay Wallace communicated to Smith this morning to stop attacking Carlson, a person briefed on the conversation said. “They said if he does it again, he’s off the air,” the source said. (Fox News spokesperson Irena Briganti denied that management had any direct conversation with Smith).

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/09/madness-at-fox-news-as-trump-faces-impeachment-lachlan-murdoch

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Go to MSNBC, Shep!!!

He's the last credible (well, Chris Wallace as well) newser on Faux.


Go into the light Carol Anne!

[DrToast]

2. "Now he has the power to do something"

Only now Paul Ryan has the power to do something? Seriously?!?

[saidsimplesimon]

3. Paul Ryan is so yesterday.

Has he been resurrected from the thumping delivered by his own party?

[NewJeffCT]

5. He's on the Fox News board of directors

so, he can get his revenge on Trump

[saidsimplesimon]

7. He's just another grifter.

I doubt he or faux news will expose the fool in our WH.

[DAMANgoldberg]

4. I don't mind the MSNBC link...

IMO, he is/was only there because of a contract extension signed during the previous era. I'm near certain that the new folks want him gone, and may even eat serious $$ and non-competes for that to happen. If I'm CNN, I would snap him up in a heartbeat and place him on the 7 PM eastern hour (Say Bill Weir land, Erin Burnett).

[Me.]

6. Now He's Ready, Now?

[BannonsLiver]

8. A split with Trump would cripple the network

I understand what Lachlan is saying about abandoning trump but not his supporters. The problem with that is that it is a cult. And even those soft around the edges are conservatives, which means they are binary thinkers literally unable to process nuance of any kind.

[lindysalsagal]

9. Sorry, but that's real news. Ryan was their leader!

Wow!