A reflection on the lies of Fox News.

February 18, 2023

          Like you, I find myself shaking my head when I hear absurd statements by Fox News entertainers posing as journalists. I ask myself, “How can they say that? They can’t really believe what they are saying, can they?” While I know intellectually that the Fox entertainers cannot possibly believe their lies, it is disturbing and unsettling to watch them spew their venom with feigned indignance and self-appointed victimhood. It is enough to make a rational observer believe that the “times are out of joint.”

          It turns out that Fox entertainers do not believe the lunacy they promote nightly. That fact was demonstrated in a lawsuit against Fox by the company that manufactures Dominion Voting Machines (which are used by many states across the US). Dominion has obtained a trove of internal emails and texts that demonstrate that Fox’s “news anchors” did not believe the “Big Lie” they promoted relentlessly after Trump’s 2020 loss to Joe Biden. Dominion revealed many of Fox’s internal communications in a court filing this week.

          The internal communications show that Fox’s anchors ridiculed the “Big Lie” and mocked the messengers from Trump’s legal team who promoted that lie. The details of the duplicity and hypocrisy of the Fox anchors are astounding. See, for example, NPR, Behind scenes, Fox News stars derided Trump camp's claims of election fraud. Per NPR,

In the days and weeks after the 2020 elections, the Fox News Channel repeatedly broadcast false claims that then-President Donald Trump had been cheated of victory.

Off the air, the network's stars, producers and executives expressed contempt for those same conspiracies, calling them "mind-blowingly nuts," "totally off the rails" and "completely bs" - often in far earthier terms.

The network's top primetime stars - Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity - texted contemptuously of the claims in group chats, but also denounced colleagues pointing that out publicly or on television.

          I will return to the substance of the texts next week. For now, knowing that the Fox anchors don’t actually believe the tripe they peddle is affirming and liberating. It helps to re-establish equilibrium and certainty in our view of reality. When we say to ourselves incredulously, “They can’t really believe what they are saying, can they?” we are correct in our assessment of the situation.

          The Fox anchors are playing mind games intended to provoke outrage among Democrats and delude their viewers—and to line their pockets. Knowing that fact beyond doubt allows us to relegate the Fox anchors to their appropriate station as the tawdry and malicious play actors they are.

          Having proof that the Fox anchors do not believe their lies can reduce the natural outrage we experience in reaction to those statements. But knowing that they continue to promote those lies despite their contempt for Trump and his followers is even more maddening. Their actions are depraved. The First Amendment should provide no harbor for Fox News. It is a fraud, a criminal enterprise, and a threat to democracy.

          None of the above should be a revelation to anyone who has been paying attention. But having the receipts to prove our beliefs brings a sense of resolution, release, and balance. We were right all along. Let’s leave the Fox anchors in the rear-view mirror and focus on grappling with the damage they have inflicted on America. That path starts with truth and finishes at the ballot box.

          That’s all for this evening from Alaska. Discuss the week’s events in the Comments section. As always, be respectful and promote worthy comments to the top by “liking” them. I plan to talk to you on Monday, although the publication schedule will be erratic for several days more as we chase the Northern Lights.