Fox News is Essentially “Trump Network” 

I am a faithful Fox News viewer. I usually catch most of their weeknight evening line-up of Bret Baier, Greta Van Susteren, Bill O’Reilly, Megyn Kelly and Sean Hannity. It is my news channel of choice. I have always considered them to be as they advertise, “fair and balanced”.

In the last few weeks though, that has changed. The Republican Primary process has brought out the worst in some at Fox News. They are 100% in the Trump camp. I don’t personally like Donald Trump, and I think he is ill-suited for the presidency. I could cite dozens of examples of his lewd behavior and hateful rhetoric, not to mention the fact that he has no substantive knowledge of the issues, but I will limit this piece to my frustration with Fox News.

I understand that some at FNC are pundits or commentators, and some are hard news anchors. Commentators especially, are free to give their own opinion of the candidates, but I just have a hard time with the extreme bias that Fox has shown towards Trump and the inordinate amount of airtime he receives. It is prime-time free advertising. Sean Hannity has devoted entire episodes to Trump, as has Greta Van Susteren. A few weeks ago, we were treated to a one-on-one interview with Melania Trump, followed by a tour of their penthouse at Trump Towers. You would think that Trump had already won the election, and that she was our First Lady.

Compare it to the amount of airtime the other candidates receive, and there is a sharp contrast. My angst has been growing steadily, and reached the breaking point a couple of weeks ago, when Sean Hannity exploded over Marco Rubio’s “attacks” on Donald Trump. Now, Donald Trump has viciously attacked every single candidate in the GOP primary. These are personal attacks, and he has launched them on Fox News, other news stations, as well during the debates. He has even attacked commentators employed by Fox News. Marco Rubio finally had his fill and spent a few days giving them right back to Trump. Apparently, that was too much for Sean Hannity. He proceeded to lambaste Marco for running a “scorched earth” campaign against Trump, and added that it was a “bridge too far” in his opinion.

On the O’Reilly Factor, Dennis Miller, a man who has made a living hurling insults and personal slams, called Marco Rubio, “a nasty guy”.  Rumor has it that Fox News Chief, Roger Ailes, has alerted some of the Fox News hosts that “they can’t do the Rubio thing” anymore. Laura Ingraham, an FNC contributor, is dismissive of Rubio because of his work on immigration reform, and she makes no bones about it.

There are still some Fox News Contributors who are in Rubio’s corner. Stephen Hayes, Charles Krauthammer, and Marc Thiessen seem to treat Marco fairly in their reporting. Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly are decently considerate towards him as well. But on the whole, the bias has turned me off of my usual nightly line-up. I still tune in for Bret Baier and Megyn Kelly, but they are the only ones. If you’re a Twitter follower, you’ve heard plenty of disdain towards Fox News, with some even suggesting that CNN is a better option these days.

I haven’t gone that far yet, but the primary isn’t over either. I just think that news organizations ought to be a little more neutral in their reporting. They have a vast ability to influence public opinion on candidates, and I think they all deserve a fair shake.  Just FYI…