Fox Drops Dr. Ben Carson - What About Huckabee?

On Friday, Fox News announced it had dropped Dr. Ben Carson from its pool of paid contributors now that he has produced a self-promoting documentary in support of a presidential run. Over the weekend, Fox's media critic Howard Kurtz praised the move and suggested, albeit ever so timidly, that host Mike Huckabee should maybe be removed from the payroll, too.

From the November 7th Washington Post:

Following an ABC News report that Fox News contributor Ben Carson is set to air an hourlong ad/documentary* “introducing himself to the American people” as part of a 2016 Republican presidential bid, Fox News has cut ties with him, according to aFox spokeswoman. The video is titled “A Breath of Fresh Air: A New Prescription for America” and, according to ABC News, will be heavily biographical, addressing Carson’s “rise from being born to a single mother with a poor childhood in Detroit to director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins for almost 40 years, known for his work separating conjoined twins.”

...

The Fox News spokeswoman says that Carson understood the network’s reasons for terminating his contributor status and that the two parted amicably.

Not surprisingly, Howard Kurtz called this a "smart move." He continued:

A guy who's more or less running for president shouldn't be on a network payroll. Which means Fox also faces a decision about former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee who is openly weighing a White House run.

If you ask me, Fox is not "facing a decision" about Huckabee but ducking one. Huckabee has been openly promoting his possible candidacy, even on Fox News, at the same time that he insists he's undecided. He may well be truly undecided. But what's not in any doubt is that he is able to collect an undoubtedly cushy salary and take advantage of an extremely valuable platform while he floats his potential run. So long as Fox allows him to continue in this vein, they are complicit in the game.

Watch Kurtz below, via Media Matters.

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Showing 5 reactions

commented 2014-11-12 01:40:55 -0500 · Flag

Aria, I disagree that Carson is poison on Fox. He’s on plenty to discuss either African Americans or medicine (Ebola, e.g.). Let’s see how often he appears on the network to trash ObamaCare in the coming months. I’ll also bet he’ll get plenty of opportunity to promote his candidacy.

commented 2014-11-10 17:48:48 -0500 · Flag

Gomer the Huckster is not going to give up his Fux Noise cushy job and generous salary. He is no more a legitimate candidate for public office than the Whore of Babble-On Palin and Birther Trump are.

commented 2014-11-10 14:11:01 -0500 · Flag

Carson’s been on his way out for a while- Between his homophobia, and the extremity of some of his views, he’s become poison. Not to mention that with both Tim Scott and Mia Love in Congress now, Fox has much better tokens than someone who’s entire political stake is making a complete ass of himself at that one event he was invited to.

Seriously, even with the FNC audience’s desperation for a reputable token, and their inability to hear any view Ailes doesn’t want them to… I never got Carson’s appeal in the first place. The guy’s basically a black version of Ablow.

commented 2014-11-10 13:31:51 -0500 · Flag

Huck has “Favorite Color Status” at Fox :^)

NewsHounds posted about Fox Drops Dr. Ben Carson - What About Huckabee? on NewsHounds' Facebook page 2014-11-10 13:25:53 -0500

There's no doubt that Carson will still get lots of friendly airtime to promote his candidacy. While Huckabee still has his own show.