Two Fox News Contributors Quit in Opposition to Tucker Carlson's Jan. 6 Documentary
Summary from the AllSides News Team
On Sunday, two longtime Fox News (Right) contributors announced they were quitting the network primarily over Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s Jan. 6 documentary, “Patriot Purge.”
Stephen Hayes and Jonah Goldberg, who co-founded The Dispatch (Lean Right) in 2019, called Carlson’s documentary “a collection of incoherent conspiracy-mongering, riddled with factual inaccuracies, half-truths, deceptive imagery, and damning omissions.” On Monday afternoon, Fox News host Bret Baier said there were internal “concerns” about the documentary, seemingly confirming an NPR (Center) report that Baier and fellow host Chris Wallace had raised concerns with Fox News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace and CEO Suzanne Scott.
Coverage was more common in left-rated outlets than right-rated outlets. Some opinion and analysis coverage in center- and left-rated outlets criticized Carlson’s documentary, calling it “riddled with errors and fallacies.” Some coverage in right-rated outlets characterized Hayes and Goldberg as “anti-Trump Republicans.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Two Fox News Contributors Quit in Protest of Tucker Carlson’s Jan. 6 Special
The trailer for Tucker Carlson’s special about the Jan. 6 mob at the Capitol landed online on Oct. 27, and that night Jonah Goldberg sent a text to his business partner, Stephen Hayes: “I’m tempted just to quit Fox over this.”
“I’m game,” Mr. Hayes replied. “Totally outrageous. It will lead to violence. Not sure how we can stay.”
The full special, “Patriot Purge,” appeared on Fox’s online subscription streaming service days later. And last week, the two men, both paid Fox News contributors, finalized their resignations from the network.
From the Center
Bret Baier confirms his 'concerns' about Tucker Carlson's Jan. 6 documentary
Fox News anchor Bret Baier confirmed he has "concerns" about a documentary produced by the network's leading prime-time host, Tucker Carlson, that focuses on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“I didn’t get hurt by it. I didn’t get damaged by it. Were you bothered by it? Because that’s the reporting," Brian Kilmeade, who is a co-host of the "Fox & Friends" morning program, asked Baier on Monday afternoon during an appearance on Kilmeade's radio show.
“There’s a … Brian, I don’t want to go down this road,” Baier responded. “You know, I mean, there were...
From the Right
Anti-Trump Republicans Say They Quit Fox News Over Tucker Carlson’s January 6 Content
Two longtime never-Trumpers say they quit their gigs as contributors to Fox News because of Tucker Carlson’s recent content about the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
On Sunday, the Steve Hayes and Jonah Goldberg announced their resignations from Fox, where they have worked since 2009. They said in a joint statement that Carlson’s recent “Patriot Purge” special, which aired earlier this month on the network’s streaming service, portrayed the January 6 riot as a deep state “false flag” operation that sought to justify the subsequent persecution of conservatives.
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