For several years, “Tucker Carlson Tonight” was one of the most popular programs on cable TV and the most popular segment on Fox News. On Monday, April 17, however, Mr. Carlson was abruptly dismissed from the network.
A series of controversial texts from Mr. Carlson came to light during discovery in Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against Fox News for promoting false claims about the election in 2020.
The same week, a former Fox employee sued Mr. Carlson for creating a toxic and discriminatory work environment.
Mr. Carlson’s supporters are protesting the dismissal. However, he is not the first newscaster to be dismissed for behavior that poses a liability to their network.
On April 17, the same day as Carlson’s termination, CNN’s Don Lemon was dismissed after commenting that 51-year-old Republican politician Nikki Haley is not a viable presidential candidate because she “isn’t in her prime” and that men in sports deserve to be paid more than women because they are “more interesting to watch.”
Mr. Carlson has consistently misled the public about important issues. Earlier this year, Mr. Carlson engaged in climate change skepticism on his show, saying, “The climate is changing now. It never stops changing. That is a process that we didn’t cause and that we can’t control to any great degree, and we will never be able to control.”
These claims have led his viewers to reject climate change and oppose environmental activists and their work. According to Forbes, his encouraments to his viewers to protest the “2020 election scandal” emboldened the January 6th rioters.
As the top pundit in conservative media for seven years, Mr. Carlson has forever changed the Republican political ecosystem.
While Mr. Carlson’s dismissal is a step forward, the main issue is that such a bigoted and chauvinistic person had a platform in the first place.
Media anchors should be held to a higher standard. Newscasters are given endless opportunities and national platforms to mislead their audience, often without repercussions.
Promptly dismissing news anchors who display such a disregard for the integrity of the press is central to preventing the provocation of violence, stereotypes, hate crimes, and tense political environments. Our country deserves better.
