In a memo obtained by The Daily Beast, Fox News’ own research department – yes, they have one – is admitting that many of the people that appear on the network are regularly spreading propaganda.
According to the report, a 162-page internal research briefing book issued a warning to Fox News colleagues “not to trust some of the network’s top commentators’ claims about Ukraine.”
More from the Daily Beast report:
An internal Fox News research briefing book obtained by The Daily Beast openly questions Fox News contributor John Solomon’s credibility, accusing him of playing an “indispensable role” in a Ukrainian “disinformation campaign.”
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The document also accuses frequent Fox News guest Rudy Giuliani of amplifying disinformation, as part of an effort to oust former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, and blasts Fox News guests Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova—both ardent Trump boosters—for “spreading disinformation.”
The 162-page document, entitled “Ukraine, Disinformation, & the Trump Administration,” was created by Fox News senior political affairs specialist Bryan S. Murphy, who produces research from what is known as the network’s Brain Room—a newsroom division of researchers who provide information, data, and topic guides for the network’s programming.
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The briefing book is also seemingly critical of Fox’s own coverage, urging employees to note the role that unnamed “US Media” outlets played a role in the “amplification of disinformation stories from clearly unreliable sources and non-disclosure of conflicts by guests.” While Fox isn’t specifically named in the introduction, much of the timeline focuses on appearances made on Fox programs, and Murphy writes that the “most prominent” outlets who amplified the disinformation campaign are mentioned in the timeline—a possible reference to Fox News itself.”
Mitch Kweit, senior vice president of the Brain Room said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, “The research division of FOX News produces a briefing book for all major stories, which serves as a standing collection of extensive data on major topics for internal use by all those in editorial functions. The Ukraine briefing book is nothing more than a comprehensive chronological account of what every person involved in the Ukraine controversy was doing at any identifiable point in time, including tracking media appearances of major players who appeared on FOX News and in many other outlets. The 200 page document has thousands of data points and the vast majority have no relation to FOX News—instead it’s now being taken out of context and politicized to damage the network.”
As Sam Stein of the Daily Beast pointed out on Twitter, the memo is basically an admission by the network that viewers shouldn’t trust folks that regularly appear on Fox News.
Fox News side is basically admitting that the Fox News evening guest rotation is part of a massive disinformation campaign and shouldn’t be trusted.
— Sam Stein (@samstein) February 6, 2020
Without Fox News, the Trump presidency would have been over long ago
It’s important to remember that Donald Trump’s presidency would likely have been over – and may not have even existed in the first place – if not for the propaganda Fox News pushes on a daily basis.
The network has created a comfortable, alternative world for this president and his supporters to live in – one where facts don’t matter and Donald Trump never does wrong. In this fictional universe, the unprecedented corruption of the past three years doesn’t exist, and it’s actually the Democrats who are at fault for daring to hold the president accountable.
For those living in the real-world, it’s hard to comprehend how one might support this president – a self-centered child living in the body of a 73-year-old man – but the existence of Fox News is what makes Donald Trump’s support possible.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
