Lachlan Murdoch accused Fox News critics of not watching his hate mongering network but his call for more tolerance and his claim that Martha MacCallum is a straight-news anchor suggests that he’s the one who’s out of touch.

As TVNewser reported, Murdoch, the “New Fox” chief was asked today if he is embarrassed by Fox News prime time (my emphases added):

MURDOCH: No, I’m not embarrassed by what they do at all. You have to understand that Fox News is the only mass media company in this country with strong conservative opinion in prime time. It’s the only one; it’s not one of a few, it’s the only one. I frankly feel that in this country, we all have to be more tolerant of each others’ views. That goes for everyone, everyone in this room, everyone in this country. Everyone on both coasts and in the middle. And that’s the problem, we’ve come to this point where we are more and more intolerant of each other, and that just has to change.

Really? If Murdoch truly wants more tolerance, he ought to start with the steady diet of inflammatory intolerance that spews from the Fox News Channel every night.

Murdoch also responded with a call for more tolerance to Modern Family co-creator Steve Levitan’s vow not to work with the “Fox network ever again as long as Fox News remains such a destructive voice in our society." Murdoch said, “I completely understand this. He feels the anger and intolerance of opinions that we’re seeing across all of our communities in America."

However, Murdoch also suggested that Fox News’ reporting carries more weight than its prime time shows. Variety reported, “He also noted that ‘far more’ people watch Fox News’ reporting than watch the primetime lineup of opinion hosts. He stressed the straight-news reporting credentials of anchors such as Shepard Smith, Chris Wallace, and Martha MacCallum.” Given that Hannity, Tucker Carlson Tonight and The Ingraham Angle were the three top-rated shows on all of cable news, you have to wonder how much Murdoch knows about his own network. His depiction of MacCallum – a propaganda mouthpiece if ever there was one – seems even less informed.

Yet Murdoch also insisted, “Our biggest critics of Fox News are not watching Fox News. They’re picking up pieces from Twitter, social media, and elsewhere.” I know that we watch Fox – and whole shows, not just clips – as do Media Matters and The Contemptor. I have a feeling that we know the network better than Murdoch does.

Methinks Murdoch needs to spend some more executive time with his own peeps.

Murdoch also made it clear Megyn Kelly will not be returning to Fox. You can watch his polite kiss-off below.