Now that Fox News has decided it cares about Judge Andrew Napolitano’s unsubstantiated claims about British spies wiretapping Donald Trump on behalf of President Obama, the “fair and balanced” network has decided to make Napolitano the fall guy for its own sloppy relationship with truth.
From the Los Angeles Times:
Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano is being kept off the air indefinitely amid the controversy over his unverified claims that British intelligence wiretapped Trump Tower at the behest of former President Obama.
Fox News did not respond to inquiries about Napolitano’s status Monday. Napolitano was conspicuously missing from the network’s coverage of the confirmation hearings on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch — an event in which he typically would have played a significant role. He has not been on the air since Thursday.
People familiar with the situation who could speak only on the condition of anonymity said Napolitano is not expected to be on Fox News Channel any time in the near future. Napolitano was not available for comment.
I suppose Fox’s regard for facts is better late than never. But let’s not forget that Napolitano made his accusations – repeatedly saying he based them on Fox News sources – several times and before White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer cited them in a briefing and caused an international incident. It wasn’t until there was egg on Fox’s face, so to speak, that the network got around to caring whether there was any truth to some very serious allegations being made by one of its own analysts.
And instead of taking responsibility for playing fast and loose with the truth, Fox is scapegoating Napolitano.
I’m sorry to say, it’s not a surprise.
Watch Napolitano get a friendly platform for his baseless claims below, from the March 14, 2017 Fox & Friends, via Media Matters.
I don’t think this leave of absents is due to putting out false information and the damage it did to others, but more because of the embarrassment it caused the network.
It doesn’t sound like he made the effort to verify his sources but just reacted because it’s what he wanted to hear and believe.
IF his lies & misdemeanors are the yardstick for banishment, then practically the whole on air team at Fox would have to go too!
Der Furor’s populist insanity, lifted directly from Fox News and their ilk, is tearing GOPTV™ up. The big example coming to my mind is Megyn Kelly’s departure. But remember Michelle Fields? George Will? Rudy Giuliani’s campaign hijinks embroiling the network in controversy and forcing Bret Baier to make a rare apology for spewing fake news. Then there’s Shep who’s under withering attack by fanboys and fangirls raging he’s ruining their fun by criticizing Trump.
Napolitano isn’t heading for the locker room because he lied. The sort of bulls—t he spewed is bread and butter ‘journalism’ for talking heads at the Fox propaganda factory. No, Napolitano is in trouble because GOPTV™ is getting intensified scrutiny courtesy of Trump. Since Trump is an outrageous personality he’s forcing Fox personalities into equally insane pretzel logic propped up by lies to whitewash our Liar-In-Chief.
People I know who are independents that don’t watch Fox News are picking up from various sources that it’s a right-wing joke. Networks are increasingly outing their propaganda and comedians are on fire mocking Fox.
Here’s to hoping Trump is not the wrecking ball Fox and their fans hoped for that would destroy any whiff of progress America has made since 1789 and is actually the wrecking ball which will tear down the populist mountain of bulls—t right-wing media as built over the last ~30 years. RIP Social Darwinism? Let’s hope.
I said Faux had a reverence to the truth. The same way a biologist would have a reverence to a nasty contagious virus. Isolate it.
NOTE TO JUDGE NAP
You, of all people, should know better not to push falsehoods. You slipped, and now you are done at Fox “News.” Don’t bother asking your former colleagues to defend you. They won’t! Good riddance!
