Media Matters is America’s premier media watchdog. Or at least that’s what they tell us. We haven’t really seen any evidence to support it, but whatever.
And, while we’re on the subject of designations that haven’t actually been earned, here’s Media Matters Senior Fellow Matthew Gertz with an important announcement about Tucker Carlson:
Tucker Carlson’s rhetoric — and the frenzy it seeks to inculcate in his viewers — would be disturbing in any case. But he’s the brightest star in the right’s constellation of bigots and demagogues because of the influence he has on the GOP. https://t.co/HAuQmDwPqj
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) December 20, 2022
Not convinced by the tweet alone? Let’s get to the heart of Gertz’s case:
Carlson is a demagogue who sneers at America’s heritage as a multicultural nation bound by shared principles like liberty, equality, and democracy. He instead embraces the blood-and-soil nationalism of European autocracies. This radical and reactionary philosophy is swiftly gaining power on the American right, thanks to adherents such as the fascist billionaire Peter Thiel and his pet philosopher Curtis Yarvin and hand-picked Sen.-elect J.D. Vance. Carlson is that movement’s accelerant; he is using his weekday program on Fox and regular specials on its streaming platform, Fox Nation, as well as his influence over the Republican Party, to bring it into the mainstream.
In practice, this means Carlson spent 2022 exhorting his viewers to take action against the purported “replacement” of white Americans and the increasing public acceptance of the LGBTQ community and levying inflammatory conspiracy theories sourced from the right-wing fever swamps and Russian propaganda outlets.
Carlson’s rhetoric — and the frenzy it seeks to inculcate in his viewers — would be disturbing in any case. But he’s the brightest star in the right’s constellation of bigots and demagogues because of the influence he has on the GOP. He remains a key adviser to Donald Trump. He intimidates the party’s political operatives, helps his endorsed candidates like Vance win their primaries, and generates election strategy. Carlson will be one of the major players shaping Republican politics in the 2024 presidential election cycle.
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And for that, Tucker Carlson has earned the title of “Misinformer of the Year.” From Media Matters. Media Matters.
Tucker Carlson is certainly no saint and he’s said plenty of stuff that he arguably shouldn’t have, but Misinformer of the Year? Has Matthew Gertz or anyone else at Media Matters ever tuned into a network that isn’t Fox News? We’re not sure they have, because if they had, they’d have caught Joy Reid’s show, for example. When it comes to misinforming viewers, Joy’s tough to beat. Lord knows Joy is a bright star in the Left’s constellation of bigots and demagogues! (Although when it comes to viewership, it’s true that she can’t hold a candle to Tucker Carlson.)
Anyway, at the risk of sounding like Tucker, we’ll say it anyway: cry more, Media Matters. That is what you guys get paid to do, isn’t it?
As for Tucker Carlson, something tells us he won’t be losing any sleep — or fans — over this.
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