If Fox News wouldn't give people what they wanted, then Newsmax was happy to do so.
Fox protected its brand.
By now, readers of this blog have heard the news about texts by Fox executives and news hosts which state frankly that they knew full well that Trump lost the 2020 election.
They knew claims of fraud were bogus and that there was no credible evidence that Dominion's vote tabulating machines corrupted the election. They shared panicked texts with each other agreeing that they needed to promote the false story anyway. Their viewers did not want to see Fox in disagreement with Trump.
Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich, fact checking a Trump tweet, on November 12, 2020 wrote:
"There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”
This was unacceptable. Tucker Carlson texted Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity:
“Please get her fired. Seriously….What the fuck? I’m actually shocked…It needs to stop immediately, like tonight. It’s measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke.
Fox didn't care about Dominion. They were focused on defending their brand by giving its Trump-believing viewers what they wanted and only what they wanted. Fox was already under suspicion by Trump and its viewers. Shepard Smith left, saying he couldn't take it anymore. Fox anchor Chris Wallace hosted the first Trump debate with Biden, in which Wallace appeared to disapprove of Trump's interruptions. Fox anchor Neil Cavuto, had pulled away from a post-election White House press conference that asserted election fraud, saying on air, “I can’t in good countenance continue to show you this.” Fox had infuriated viewers on election night by correctly calling the Arizona election as a Biden victory.
Hannity responded with a text, complaining that the network was going off brand.
“I’m 3 strikes. Wallace s**t debate[.] Election night a disaster[.] Now this BS? Nope. Not gonna fly. Did I mention Cavuto?”
Newsmax had brand clarity. Fox was looking wobbly. Fox was uncomfortable with Trump's position, but saw that its audience was not. Pillow entrepreneur Mike Liddell was doing interviews on Newsmax and complaining about Fox. Yikes! News Producer Abby Grossberg texted Maria Bartiromo, "To be honest, our audience doesn't want to hear about a peaceful transition" of power because "they still have hope" of Trump remaining in power. Fox executives and hosts decided to protect the brand, validating guests who they privately described in texts as crazy and dishonest.
Mainstream commentary treats this as a shocking expose. I see it differently.
This is an opportunity for Fox to come clean and affirm their brand. Fox feeds its huge audience outrage and resentment. It shapes a political party. Fox is not a news channel. They serve a particular appetite. So do comedy channels, home repair channels, and the golf channel. They are what they are.
I liken Fox News to a snack food company. Cheetos are edible and designed to be delicious, but no one seriously thinks they are a fair and balanced part of a healthy diet. Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of Pepsi, makes and sells them. If customers began switching to Kelloggs' Cheez-it crackers, preferring their greater cheesiness, one wouldn't blame Frito-Lay for announcing a change in formula even if it made an already unhealthy snack even less healthy. They are in the salty snack business, not the healthy nutrition business. No need to pretend otherwise.
This whole event might be liberating for Fox. Fox will survive this lawsuit. It is not clear that Dominion has been badly financially damaged. The whole dustup demonstrated Dominion's reliability, having survived partisan audits. Fox can afford to pay a settlement, even a $1.5 billion one. Fox News is huge and very profitable. Fox gives its audience what it wants, the information equivalent of salt, fat, empty carbs, and a pleasing crunch. If Fox loses, it will have its own wonderful grievance to complain about.
The revelation of the texts free Fox to be its true brand. They already pushed out Chris Wallace and Shepard Smith. They don't need to pretend to be journalists. They can be unabashed advocates. They are the voice of White Christian American nationalist populism, the largest constituent group in the Republican Party, and the governing majority in much of the country. They have an audience, a profitable business, a giant media platform, and a message. They are Fox Nation, pure and simple.
Ironic that the town crier warning all of us of fake news was the one peddling it.
Fox's only brand is profit. They do it well. The rest of us need to catch up...