The conservative broadcaster's condemnation came after a brief but highly controversial on-screen headline (chyron) that labeled President Joe Biden as a "wannabe dictator.".
The incident occurred last Tuesday, in response to the arraignment of Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 election, on charges brought by the Biden administration. The contentious chyron, "Wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested," was aired briefly but had a profound impact.
Reflecting on the event, Carlson noted, "Those words were up for less than 30 seconds, but the effect was immediate. Inside Fox, the women who run the network panicked." He disclosed that the network's response was swift, first chastising the producer responsible for the chyron, leading to his resignation less than a day later.
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This producer, who had a decade-long tenure at Fox and was widely regarded as one of its most competent individuals, offered to serve the usual two-week notice period. However, the network ordered him to vacate his desk immediately.
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Fox News issued a public apology, stating, "The chyron was taken down immediately," and assured that the situation was "addressed." Nonetheless, the impact of the incident reached far beyond the newsroom, igniting a scandal that, for a time, took precedence over Trump's arrest in media discussions, according to Carlson.
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Prominent figures such as Alexander Vindman, a frequent MSNBC guest and vocal advocate for Ukraine, even proposed banning Fox News from all military bases. To this, Carlson retorted, "In other words, Joe Biden must ban all criticism of himself because that's what non-dictators do."
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Observing the furor surrounding the situation, Carlson posed, "Democrats were very, very angry. But why were they angry? If the banner on Fox was false, why the hysteria? Lies don't seem to bother anyone anymore."
The commentator concluded his critique by challenging viewers to question the labeling of Biden. "If some cable news producer had called Joe Biden a genius or accused of being secretly Sudanese, would anyone be yelling about it? Would Fox News have apologized for it? Probably not. But calling Joe Biden a wannabe dictator, that stunk. So you've got to wonder if you're being honest with yourself is Joe Biden a wannabe dictator?"
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