Let me just get this out of the way — former CNN media critic Brian Stelter is a nice guy. I’ve met him in real life, and he’s even been professionally helpful to me. However, as someone who’s spent a significant portion of my career engaged in media criticism, I understand why a lot of people dislike him. I rarely agree with him and am often mystified by his analysis. But I think it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that I’m fairly confident he’s a decent family man and doesn’t wake up every morning trying to be intentionally deceitful.
Anyway, Stelter has a new book out about Fox News, called Network of Lies: The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump, and the Battle for American Democracy. Not exactly subtle. And though I haven’t read the book, Stelter’s been doing a lot of publicity, and I have to wonder whether he’s being remotely fair. Exhibit A is this interview he recently gave to another former CNN employee, Chris Cillizza:
Chris: Is it fair to call Fox a “news network” like CNN or MSNBC (or even ABC or CBS)? Why or why not?
Brian: No, because Fox doesn’t operate the way CNN or MSNBC or ABC or CBS do. The recent Niagara Falls debacle is a perfect example.
A young reporter at Fox rushed onto the air with claims that the tragic accident at a border crossing was an “attempted terrorist attack.” Fox ran with these anonymously-sourced claims for hours. The
