According to a forthcoming book by two New York Times reporters, President Joe Biden has a very accurate understanding of Fox News.
The book, due out in May, is called, “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future.” It’s written by The Times’ Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, both also CNN analysts. CNN’s Brian Stelter seems to have gotten the scoop.
Stelter also reported, “According to the book, Biden told an unnamed associate in mid-2021 that Murdoch was "the most dangerous man in the world." Stelter noted that this was probably Biden’s first public comment about either Rupert Murdoch or his son Lachlan (who actually oversees Fox News now).
Biden's comments came as Fox endured an exodus of news side talent and anti-Trump conservatives, a reaction to the network's decision to embrace Trumpism *after* 2020 to fend off challenges on its right.
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) April 4, 2022
More here:https://t.co/oXv6XNRMKB
The Washington Post’s Philip Bump has an excellent analysis of why Biden is exactly right. Bump calls Biden’s assessment of Fox “the more important revelation as it recognizes the breadth of Fox News’s influence even beyond the elder Murdoch.” Bump summarizes:
There are four elements outside of Murdoch that make Fox News a uniquely damaging part of the American news landscape: its strength on the political right, the demonstrated way in which it shapes its viewers’ beliefs, its grip on Republican power and the views of its leadership.
Interestingly, Steve Jobs reportedly said something similar directly to Rupert Murdoch more than a decade ago. According to a 2011 HuffPost article, Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs reported that he confronted Murdoch after speaking at a News Corp. retreat:
“You're blowing it with Fox News," Jobs told him over dinner. "The axis today is not liberal and conservative, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you've cast your lot with the destructive people. Fox has become an incredibly destructive force in our society. You can be better, and this is going to be your legacy if you're not careful."
Unfortunately, Murdoch obviously did not take the advice to heart. And now we have his son, Lachlan, the Tucker Carlson fanboy.
(Biden image via screen grab)
