The mainstream media have accused President Donald Trump of endangering journalists and press freedom by criticizing “fake news” — but were largely silent as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) launched an attack on Fox News on Tuesday.
Fox News did nothing to provoke the attack, other than inviting Warren to appear on a candidate town hall and to reach its audience of millions. Several other Democrats — and even socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) — have done so.
But Warren turned down the offer, saying she did not want to help the network make money for “hate.” She went even further, using the Fox invitation as the pretext to launch an attack on the network across several social media platforms.
On Instagram, Warren posted a GIF calling Fox a “hate-for-profit … racket,” and added a statement: “I won’t do a town hall with Fox News because I won’t invite millions of Democratic primary voters to tune in, inflate ratings, and help sell ads for an outlet that profits from racism and hate. If you agree, sign our petition.”
All eyes on Georgia as Trump-backed candidate battles in high-stakes congressional showdown
Oregon judge limits federal agents’ tear gas use at Portland ICE protests
Cornyn denies MAGA pressure forced support for talking filibuster on SAVE Act
Trump reveals top issues GOP should focus on to secure midterms victory: ‘I’ve never been more confident’
Trump calls SAVE America Act his ‘No. 1’ priority for House GOP
Obama Judge Gets Schooled by Appeals Court Following ‘Constitutionally Suspect’ Injunction Against DHS
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the ‘talking filibuster’ and the SAVE Act
FBI subpoenas Arizona county voting records related to notorious 2020 audit
Zuckerberg Sued: Meta’s AI Glasses Accused of Recording Intimate Moments, Sending Footage to Foreign Contractors
40+ House Republicans rally behind Markwayne Mullin for DHS, call it a ‘critical moment’ for border security
Storage facility raided as feds investigate alleged ISIS-inspired NYC bomb throwers
Judge disqualifies Trump-appointed leadership in New Jersey US attorney’s office
US Not Happy with Israel Over Latest Iran Strikes: Report
Biden-appointed judge in the hot seat after DHS fires back at ‘false’ claims about ICE facility
Alexander brothers learn fate in federal sex trafficking trial
I love town halls. I’ve done more than 70 since January, and I’m glad to have a television audience be a part of them. Fox News has invited me to do a town hall, but I’m turning them down—here’s why…
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
Fox News is a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists—it’s designed to turn us against each other, risking life and death consequences, to provide cover for the corruption that’s rotting our government and hollowing out our middle class.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
Hate-for-profit works only if there’s profit, so Fox News balances a mix of bigotry, racism, and outright lies with enough legit journalism to make the claim to advertisers that it’s a reputable news outlet. It’s all about dragging in ad money—big ad money.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
But Fox News is struggling as more and more advertisers pull out of their hate-filled space. A Democratic town hall gives the Fox News sales team a way to tell potential sponsors it's safe to buy ads on Fox—no harm to their brand or reputation (spoiler: It’s not).
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
Here’s one place we can fight back: I won’t ask millions of Democratic primary voters to tune into an outlet that profits from racism and hate in order to see our candidates—especially when Fox will make even more money adding our valuable audience to their ratings numbers.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
All eyes on Georgia as Trump-backed candidate battles in high-stakes congressional showdown
Oregon judge limits federal agents’ tear gas use at Portland ICE protests
Cornyn denies MAGA pressure forced support for talking filibuster on SAVE Act
Trump reveals top issues GOP should focus on to secure midterms victory: ‘I’ve never been more confident’
Trump calls SAVE America Act his ‘No. 1’ priority for House GOP
Obama Judge Gets Schooled by Appeals Court Following ‘Constitutionally Suspect’ Injunction Against DHS
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the ‘talking filibuster’ and the SAVE Act
FBI subpoenas Arizona county voting records related to notorious 2020 audit
Zuckerberg Sued: Meta’s AI Glasses Accused of Recording Intimate Moments, Sending Footage to Foreign Contractors
40+ House Republicans rally behind Markwayne Mullin for DHS, call it a ‘critical moment’ for border security
Storage facility raided as feds investigate alleged ISIS-inspired NYC bomb throwers
Judge disqualifies Trump-appointed leadership in New Jersey US attorney’s office
US Not Happy with Israel Over Latest Iran Strikes: Report
Biden-appointed judge in the hot seat after DHS fires back at ‘false’ claims about ICE facility
Alexander brothers learn fate in federal sex trafficking trial
I’m running a campaign to reach all Americans. I take questions from the press and voters everywhere I go. I’ve already held town halls in 17 states and Puerto Rico—including WV, OH, GA, UT, TN, TX, CO, MS & AL.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
I’ve done 57 media avails and 131 interviews, taking over 1,100 questions from press just since January. Fox News is welcome to come to my events just like any other outlet. But a Fox News town hall adds money to the hate-for-profit machine. To which I say: hard pass.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
One journalist who offered a mild criticism was Yashar Ali of New York magazine, who pointed out — after prompting by “a rival campaign” to Warren’s — that she had appeared on Fox News last year:
2. A rival campaign just sent me this Fox News clip from last year. Warren appearing on Fox News a year ago. Obviously there’s a difference between this and a townhall but worth noting this appearance. https://t.co/0vVHX8oJ5A
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 14, 2019
Several Fox News hosts have been targeted by coordinated advertising boycotts, and Tucker Carlson’s home was vandalized by a left-wing Antifa (“anti-fascist”) mob last year.
Story cited here.
