In its quest to persuade its right-wing viewers that Donald Trump’s leak of classified intelligence to Russia is just a left-wing/media lie, Fox & Friends trotted out “comedian and social commentator” Chad Prather as an expert on the subject.
Rather than rely on its own reporting on public reaction, cohost (and Trump sycophant) Ainsley Earhardt opened the interview by asking Prather: “Middle America – how are they reacting to what’s being reported from these media outlets in New York City and in L.A.?”
Prather assured her that people are taking the news that Trump revealed highly classified intelligence to Russia “with a grain of salt, almost to the point of ignoring it.”
Then Prather lectured viewers about journalism, even though he appears to have not a single credential. The media has “gone off track,” he insisted. “There’s something they teach in journalism school, you guys know this, there’s a journalistic objectivity, and unfortunately, the media has lost that.”
As the cohosts looked on approvingly, Prather continued, “You can’t mix values with facts, and that’s what’s going on. Instead of reporting the news and disseminating information, it’s become an opinion piece and a constant editorial, and so when you have a major news anchor that is interviewing a staff member that’s very high up in the Trump administration and when she gives her response, he gives a hugely exaggerated eye roll, that’s not news anymore.”
“I think you’re right, Chad,” cohost Steve Doocy agreed. “I think most people want the ‘Joe Friday approach,’ just the facts, Ma-am.”
But “just the facts” were not required here. You could even say the interview was pretty much a fact-free zone. Prather announced (without providing any evidence) that people “believe that he [Trump] has the best interests of the United States at heart.”
Prather added, “I’m going to go with General McMaster who said that I was in the room and it didn’t happen."
Actually, that is not what McMaster said. He would not say whether Trump shared classified intelligence with the Russians. But neither of the fact-loving hosts corrected Prather.
“I trust that,” Prather declared. “I believe that President Trump does want to protect American people, he wants to protect American interests, American businesses, he wants to protect us from terrorism.”
Prather was now the show’s foreign policy expert. The cohosts listened in rapt silence as he described concerns about Trump’s relationship with Russia as a “massive witch hunt” over something that’s “just simply not true, and everyone knows that. In their heart, they know that’s not true.”
Earhardt put her stamp of approval on Prather’s remarks: “I think a lot of people out there would agree with you,” she chirped.
Just in case anyone missed the message, FoxNews.com called the video, “Middle America puts the mainstream media on mute.”
Watch Fox News demand “just the facts” from others while ignoring them itself below, from the May 16, 2017 Fox & Friends.
Oh, let that sink in as you ponder the death of irony on “Fox & Friends”.
Recall for years these curvy couch Trump fans invited The Donald on their show every Thursday for a game of softball. IMHO, “Fox & Friends” created political Donald as we know him because this is where he learned his talking points, perfected his neo-fascist demagoguery.
Trump kiss-ass Steve Doocy agreeing there’s just too much biased editorializing in the media puts me over my tolerance level for hypocrisy for one day so I better sign off.