The attack on Capitol Hill tonight is prime time on US television. But Murdoch underestimates him

In prime time, the trial of the January 6 revolution. On Fox News the usual programming

New York times, Page 1, by Jeremy W. Peters and John Coplin.

The group of lawmakers investigating the January 6 uprising in the Capitol would like as many Americans as possible to know the shocking and unknown details of the attack. That is why they decided to hold a public hearing on Thursday in the early evening, when many people were sitting in front of the TV. Fox News, the country’s leading cable news channel, has other plans. When the hearing begins at 8 p.m., the NBC It will enter special service mode.

there CBS Will broadcast a special titled Hearings at Capitol Assaultwhile the ABC he will send The Capitol Attack: The Investigation – ABC News Special. there MSNBC and the CNN They will have full coverage all night long. Fox News The session will not be broadcast. Instead, the network will stick to a prime-time program of conservative opinion hosts: Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity And the Laura Ingrahamwho have repeatedly downplayed aggression as a mere “margin” in American history and attempted to discredit the Congressional investigation as a ploy to “purge” the former president Donald J Trump and his supporters from the Republican Party.

Fox News’ position

On Monday, the network said its prime-time hosts will cover the event “based on the news.” Live news coverage will be entrusted to Fox Business, which is a sister network with a much smaller number of viewers. Last month , Fox News It recorded an average of 1.5 million viewers at any time of the day; Fox Business It recorded an average of 136,000 spectators. Carlson It regularly attracts more than three million viewers of the 8 p.m. show. Washington Republicans and conservative right-wing media commentators attacked the committee’s hearings — one of at least six planned for Thursday — as partisan political theater, produced by Democrats to increase their midterm chances. elections.

This is the opinion of many inside Fox News, including his top-rated talents. The latter saw their ratings rise when the network abandoned the more direct tone it had taken immediately after the 2020 election, then threw itself into the complaints and misleading claims spread by Republicans wanting to rewrite the date of Election Day and January 6th. . Not broadcasting the audience sends a message to loyal spectators FoxThe network won’t help legitimize a trial that many conservatives see as a kangaroo court, according to media watchers.

cable network breakout

“Not participating in what will surely be broadcast by all television stations and networks, it is impossible to believe anything other than trying to make a statement of no-show,” Karl said. Cameronformer chief political correspondent Fox Newswho left in 2017 and has been critical of the network ever since. Fox NewsLike the Republican Party, it has changed in recent years. It is less tolerant of dissenting voices and more willing to make unsupported claims. He expelled or marginalized the personalities who aired criticism of the master. trump.

Others resigned in protest, including two conservative writers who said they were shocked by starring in the documentary Carlson, which promoted the unfounded idea that the January 6 uprising was a so-called false flag operation aimed at persecuting conservatives. Nicole Hummerhistorian Columbia University and author Messengers of the Right: Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politicssaid decision Fox News Broadcasting the committee’s January 6 hearing on its smaller programs fits in with the conservatives’ broader argument that the rebellion “doesn’t matter.”
(complete in New York times)

(Pictured assault on Capitol Hill)

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