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Decoding Fox News

I watch all the Fox News you'd never want to.

A weekly analysis of 15 hours of Fox News programing hosted by Juliet Jeske a researcher and journalist with a background in covering extremism.

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Thursday · 50 min
Podcast #231 - Fox News: Who Cares if AI Kills Us All!
It’s getting more obvious by the day on Fox News that the MAGA dream is dying and the network has given up on trying to revive it. For weeks the folks on the network have tried to send signals to Trump that voters weren’t happy with the war in Iran or the state of the economy. It hasn’t worked. As Americans struggle to pay for gas and groceries their glorious leader threatens to destroy The Kennedy Center. Trump’s disconnect with the public is profound. During rallies meant to boost struggling Republican candidates the president calls the affordability crisis a hoax and claims he’s gotten prices down. Meanwhile Americans are paying more for nearly everything. Last week Fox News answered the call by defending the AI industry. It was an odd move considering recent polls have shown that most Americans remain concerned about the use of AI and the harm it might cause. Americans distrust and hatred of data centers have gotten stronger in recent months despite the network’s best efforts to promote them. Fox News was reacting to a series of statements and warnings made by experts in artificial intelligence who have been pleading with the government for more regulation in their industry. One whistleblower even said he thought AI superintelligence could destroy humanity by the end of the decade. Superintelligence refers to computer systems that exceed the cognitive function of human beings across all fields. Experts worry that AI superintelligence could become uncontrollable by its human creators. Fox News hosts didn’t appear to understand the technology as Greg Gutfeld compared AI to a kitchen blender and Jesse Watters promoted it as an all-purpose tool to solve every problem. At the same time the upcoming midterm elections cast a cloud of doom over the network. Instead of hyping up struggling Republican congressional candidates Fox News spent the rest of its focus, on the actress Sydney Sweeney, the controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, the Lindsay Clancy trial and the rapper Macklemore. The network also brought up any criminal case it could find involving undocumented immigrants. Like the president Fox News ignored the affordability crisis and the war with Iran. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
Thursday · 58 min
Is Fox News fed up with Trump? (with Juliet Jeske)
Thank you PJ Schuster, Carole, Maureen Drews, Jackie Taylor Miller, Fat News Daily 📰, and many others for tuning into my live video with Aaron Rupar! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
September 17 · 53 min
Podcast #230 - Fox News and The Trump-A-FLOP-ooza
Last week as the Republican Party held a 14-hour Midterm election extravaganza Fox News, the network most closely aligned with the president and the GOP, downplayed the event. Instead of focusing its cameras on the speakers who appeared live onstage at the convention the network spent most of its airtime on a luxury box at the American Airlines Center. There in a makeshift television studio Fox News hosts, popular Republican lawmakers, podcasters and pundits discussed the midterm election. For The Five, the network’s top-rated show, the corporate leadership at Fox chose to include only one segment about the convention then moved onto other news stories. The cast of The Five stayed in New York City as did Jesse Watters. Twenty underperforming Republican candidates from around the country spoke during the event. Fox News only featured five of them. During its coverage of the convention it almost seemed at times as if Fox News was aggressively trying to cover up what was happening onstage. On the first day of the event The network completely erased an extended segment dedicated to the UFC. Fox News might have suspected the event would be a flop as the ratings for the first night of the convention ended up being around three million. In comparison the 2024 Republican convention averaged over 19 million viewers per night. The broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC were unable to include the event without being in violation of the FCC fairness doctrine since there was no equivalent event for the Democratic Party. Fox News is able to show the convention because cable networks are not subject to the same FCC rules. The convention was also carried by two other Nielsen-rated channels Newsmax and NewsNation. It was also streamed on various platforms across the internet including Fox Nation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
September 9 · 53 min
Podcast #229 - Fox News is Still Trying to Tell Trump ‘It’s the Economy Stupid’
Every now and then I see cracks in the matrix of the well-formed Fox News propaganda apparatus. President Trump’s many manic social media posts, the failing war in Iran and his rapidly sinking poll numbers are all taking their toll on the network. Fox News hosts are tired of the nonstop chaos that is Trump 2.0. Last week multiple Fox News hosts appeared to almost malfunction as they spoke openly and candidly about problems with Trump’s economic policies, the high price of gasoline and the prospect of major losses in the midterms. They seemed to be trying to signal to their glorious leader to change course. Fox News management knows its programming is a conduit to Trump’s rapidly deteriorating mind and fragile ego. We’ll find out during his speech at the midterm convention if he got the message. I doubt he has. Fox News also spent a lot of time covering the Lindsay Clancy trial, various crime stories and the pre-trial hearing for Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the murder of Charlie Kirk. Fox & Friends was the only program that spent any time or energy on the war with Iran. The segments about the conflict were very sparse and did not include much commentary. In stark contrast the conflict was the top topic on The PBS News Hour. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
September 3 · 54 min
Podcast #228 - Fox News is Desperately Trying to Make the Midterms About a Twitch Streamer
If desperation had a scent all of Midtown Manhattan would be overwhelmed from the stench generated by Fox News headquarters. What started out as a dream for the network on January 20, 2025, has turned into a nightmare of another never-ending war in the Middle East, high gas prices, a rise in the popularity of socialism, and a mentally declining president who is more focused on his vanity projects than his campaign promises. Fox News was so panicked the network dedicated entire segments to Hasan Piker, a controversial leftwing Twitch streamer who is not well known outside of his specific audience. The network has brought up Piker and his problematic statements for the past few months. Last week his name showed up in the transcripts 73 times which was more often than the words Israel, China, Biden, gas or even midterm appeared. The network is determined to make Piker the new face of the Democratic Party even though he has an army of critics among prominent left of center lawmakers and political pundits. He also has made no move to seek public office or engage in fundraising at a scale that would rival a PAC or mega donor. Other than Fox’s obsessive coverage of Piker the network was a jumbled mess of pop culture stories, fantasies involving Hillary Clinton, deceptive segments about an interview with Abdul El-Sayed and fawning praise for the glorious leader - Donald J. Trump. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
August 27 · 56 min
Podcast #227 - Fox News and the Fear of a Powerful Black Woman
Fox News took things to another level last week in the network’s attempts to avoid talking about Trump’s disastrous war in the Middle East, high gas prices, a sluggish economy and the president’s obsession with his gilded building projects. The network spent over 1/3 of its airtime on the shows I covered last week trashing Democrats mostly Abdul El-Sayed and Angie Nixon. Nixon is a talented and charismatic Florida state rep who easily won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. She is unapologetically loud and known for sharing her opinions on the House floor with a pink bullhorn. She is also the exact type of politician Fox News loves to target and demonize - a powerful and intelligent Black woman. Other major stories last week included a trial involving a mother with postpartum psychosis, a student led cocaine ring at Penn State, a brawl at a Major League Baseball game and the never-ending scandal involving a comment made by a WNBA player about transgender athletes. Fox News also continued to try to change public sentiment surrounding enormous data centers and the use of AI. Meanwhile gas prices remained elevated while Trump’s approval numbers plummeted. Measles cases continued to rise across the country while the U.S. food supply has become increasingly dangerous with recalls of beef, blueberries, jalapeños and even popsicles. The national debt also reached a staggering $40 trillion last week. While everything crumbles around him Trump led the press on an extended tour of construction sites for a planned White House helipad and his grand ballroom/security fortress. Fox News also largely ignored a growing scandal involving Natalie Harp, a close presidential aide whom the Secret Service is worried has an unhealthy relationship with Donald J. Trump. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
August 20 · 53 min
Podcast #226 - Fox News: GOOOOOOOO Capitalism!
For weeks the folks at Fox kept telling their audience that diehard communist revolutionaries were on a mission to destroy the American way of life. The movement started in deep blue congressional districts in New York City but was quickly spreading across the nation to envelop the heartland. Thanksgiving celebrations would be canceled; football games would be replaced by Pagan transgender drum circles and air conditioners would be confiscated by the state and smashed by blue-haired women studies majors. On the night of Wisconsin’s primary when it became clear that the Democratic Socialist gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong would be defeated by a moderate, I could almost hear a primal scream coming from the offices of Fox News headquarters in midtown Manhattan. Every script for nearly every program was going to have to be rewritten. Even though Hong didn’t win the folks at Fox News kept talking about her for days after the election. The network also made a slight adjustment in its messaging. Both Brian Kilmeade and Ainsley Earhardt sang the praises of free market economies and daring bold entrepreneurs. Miranda Devine from the NY Post and folks from Fox Business warned of the dangers of government run healthcare systems. Fox News also managed to stretch a minor scandal about a statement made by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham of the WNBA into a four-week story. Cunningham made a statement about excluding transgender athletes in women’s sports and the public reacted both negatively and positively to her opinion. It was astonishing to watch the network react with such panic and indignation over an incident where no one was fired or sanctioned and no actual transgender athlete existed. The folks at Fox News also avoided talking about the war with Iran. The network still covered it but segments about the conflict were short and vague. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
August 13 · 53 min
Podcast #225 - Fox News and the Night of the Living Dead: Commies, Transgender Athletes and COVID
Last week Fox News attempted to revive long since dead horrors for its audience - the COVID-19 pandemic, outrage over a transgender athlete scandal that did NOT include a transgender athlete and commies, commies and more commies. In late June the Supreme Court ruled that states were allowed to ban transgender athletes from K-12 and colligate sports programs for women and girls. This essentially barred transgender athletes from competing in women and girls’ sports in 29 states. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic committee announced last July that it would ban transgender women from competing. Several other sports leagues followed suit including the International Cycling Union, World Aquatics, World Boxing Organization, World Athletics Council, and the National Athletics Council (NCAA). Although the issue of transgender women and girls competing in women’s athletic competitions is not completely settled the SCOTUS case and athletic league bans have greatly reduced the likelihood of transgender women and girls dominating women’s sports. Sophie Cunningham, a WNBA player, voiced support for barring transgender girls in an ESPN article in late July. Fox News acted as if Cunningham was the Rosa Parks of women’s basketball. After the article was published Cunningham wasn’t fired or disciplined. An Adidas shoe she sponsored sold out in nearly 24 hours. She was praised and criticized for her statement with dueling protesters at some of her games. Cunningham is entitled to her opinion of course, but the hysteria seemed displaced as there is no transgender athlete in the WNBA. Even before the SCOTUS ruling and other athletic league bans transgender athletes made up less than less than 0.002% (10/500,000) of US college athletes, and even fewer of recent Olympians (0.001%) identified as trans. The hype and hysteria surrounding the Cunningham story is peak Fox News. The network knows that the bigotry and hatred of transgender people will keep its viewers interested in its programming while it ignores things like the affordability crisis, the war in Iran and the DOJ’s many efforts to coverup everything related to Jeffrey Epstein. While the network whipped its audience into a frenzy about an imagined transgender takeover of the WNBA the network revived other cultural issue zombies such as rehashing disinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and the new red scare. One of the more amusing moments last week happened when Fox News immediately distanced itself from a story involving its former host Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. In a 20-page court filing, Pirro’s office wrote that the damage to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was the result of a “botched” renovation – “not vandalism”. Her office dropped criminal charges on four people connected to incidents involving the tourist attraction. President Trump was outraged insisting there was ‘tremendous vandalism’ at the site. Fox News did absolutely nothing to support its former host. The network did not acknowledge how it supported Trump’s false claims with surveillance footage that showed no criminal activity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
August 6 · 55 min
Podcast #224 - Fox News: Dr. Fauci's Diary Will Not Make the Iran War Go Away
As the president’s ill-conceived conflict with Iran becomes more unstable and chaotic his personal propaganda machine has run out of ways to spin it to its viewers. Last week the network was more than happy to hype up a personal vendetta Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has against Dr. Anthony Fauci, formerly the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) cast himself as a noble physician battling what he believes is a corrupt mad scientist, Fauci, who was hellbent on accumulating power and wealth during one of the darkest chapters in recent American history. Although Paul is a medical doctor, he studied ophthalmology and briefly worked as an eye surgeon before following his father’s path in politics. The senator might be able to surgically fix a problem in a human eye, but he has no expertise or experience with infectious diseases. Dr. Anthony Fauci is a physician-scientist and immunologist with a decades long career as a public servant. Fauci was instrumental in the U.S. government response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Over a period of years he helped secure research funding, speed up drug trials, and helped design PEPFAR - a U.S. initiative to treat HIV/AIDS patients all over the world. Fauci had the misfortune to run the NIAID when a new virus, SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, spread across the world while working with one of the most incompetent presidents in U.S. history - Donald J. Trump. During the public health catastrophe Fauci kept notes about his work on a government issued computer. Senator Paul subpoenaed the personal notes Fox News called “The Fauci Diaries” and attempted to use Fauci’s writing to bolster a false narrative about the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul’s pursuit of Fauci resulted in a Senate committee hearing last week where the doctor evoked his fifth amendment rights against self-incrimination over 100 times. Meanwhile Paul and his fellow GOP senators cherry picked statements from the personal notes and mocked Fauci for passages about his fascination with celebrities and his newfound fame. The focus on COVID provided the network with an easy way to avoid discussing an unpopular war while it provided Fox News viewers an opportunity to re-ride the roller coaster of conspiracy theories, snake oil remedies and vaccine avoidance that cost hundreds of thousands of American lives. In addition to the network’s obsessive coverage of a senate committee hearing that gave their viewers no new information Fox News hosts continued to openly criticize Trump’s handling of the war in Iran while insisting that the United States was on the brink of a communist takeover by a small group of Democratic Socialists. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
July 29 · 58 min
Podcast #223 - Hey Trump Even Fox News Hates Your War!
Most of the folks at Fox News last week looked like they would rather endure a drug-free root canal performed by a trained chimpanzee than talk about Trump’s disastrous war in Iran. The conflict that was supposed to be over in a matter of weeks has dragged on for months with no real end in sight. More American troops have paid the ultimate sacrifice as Iran managed to strike U.S. a military base in Jordan. As soon as the first retaliatory strike was launched at an Iranian target gas prices spiked. As the midterm elections loom Trump is dropping like a stone in the polls. Most of the president’s campaign promises have not materialized as grocery prices remain stubbornly high, mortgage rates have spiked, Black and Latino unemployment are higher now than when Trump started his second term, the national debt has increasedand residential electricity rates have gone up in nearly every state. The war in the Middle East will only make everything worse for Trump as it has caused an increase in the price of petroleum-based fuels along with fertilizer. His plan to add additional tariffs to nearly every country on planet earth won’t ease the affordability crisis. The president continues to boast to the American public about a booming stock market, but the average citizen won’t touch most of their investments until retirement. The gains they might see in their 401(k) plans, IRAs or stock portfolios are just Monopoly money until they sell. Trump is slowly sinking a ship he managed to pull out of the depths of his party’s losses in 2020 and the riot on January 6th. Last week Fox News hosts openly called the war unpopular and questioned how the so called decimated Iranian military was able to strike U.S. targets. Jesse Watters was the only Fox News hosts who has not lost faith. Even Sean Hannity couldn’t muster much enthusiasm for the conflict. Producers at The Five decided the war wasn’t even worth covering so it wasn’t mentioned for most of the week. Laura Ingraham spent more time discussing the woke leadership at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The network put far more focus on trashing Democrats last week than covering a regional Middle East conflict that could spiral out of control at any moment. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
July 23 · 56 min
Podcast #222 - Even Fox News Cannot Put Lipstick on the Bloated Pig Anymore
Last week the folks at Fox News seemed like the frustrated parents of a juvenile delinquent son who was caught setting his high school principal’s car on fire. The network had no problem spinning measles outbreaks, the Epstein files coverup, the murder of Iranian school children, the mass pardon of cop beaters, the president’s insider trading, self-dealing, foreign bribes, vanity projects, or his deference to Bibi Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin. Fox News didn’t seem to care that he kept threatening the very foundations of our democracy with unconstitutional executive orders while openly defying various court rulings. The network didn’t mind when high-ranking members of the Trump administration openly lied about details regarding the death of two American citizens at the hands of federal law enforcement agents. The spikes in inflation, gasoline prices and residential electricity rates weren’t even speed bumps to the folks at Fox News who kept insisting the country was experiencing a new golden age of prosperity. As the Ukraine War raged on without an end in sight no one on Fox News seemed to remember Trump’s promise to end it before he was sworn in for his second term. Even his deeply unpopular war of choice in the Middle East didn’t cause much concern. Last Thursday their glorious leader took a step too far when he used up about a half an hour of primetime television to spin the same election lies that cost the network $787.5 million. Fox News still faces a $2 billion defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic for the lies the network knowingly promoted about the 2020 election. Trump committed the ultimate sin. He was messing with the money. Since Trump’s primetime address I’ve noticed a subtle shift on Fox News away from the president. The network is still trying to terrify its audience about the looming threat of a communist takeover of radical Democrats. Fox News is still demonizing transgender folks and undocumented immigrants. It continues to beat the drum about the evils of diversity, equity and inclusion in American institutions. The network mocks what it calls ‘woke’ celebrities while it promotes racist tropes about urban crime and the decay of western civilization. The cultural battles are never-ending while some of the shine of their populist hero is chipping off like the American Flag Blue coating on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. Last week I noticed a slight transition away from the usual praise for the president. It’s beginning to sink in that his administration could be a catastrophe for the conservative movement and the Fox News media empire. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
July 16 · 54 min
Podcast #221 - The Propaganda Machine's Selective Outrage Over Conspiracy Theories
Last week on Fox News guests and hosts alike seemed to all come up with the exact same conspiracy theory about the Democratic Party and control of the U.S. Senate. According to the Fox News narrative party leaders decided to pick a deeply flawed yet charismatic blue collar oyster farmer, Graham Platner, to run for the U.S. Senate in Maine. The second he started to dip in the polls the Democratic machine convinced one of his ex-girlfriends to tell the press that Graham sexually assaulted her. When Platner dropped out of the race the Democratic establishment would replace him with their preferred candidate - someone less radical and more likely to defeat Susan Collins, a moderate Republican who has represented Maine in the U.S. Senate for over 29 years. Did this theory make any sense? No, but that wasn’t going to stop anyone at Fox from promoting it. Platner’s many shortcomings and disastrous personal life was somehow all part of the master plan to disenfranchise voters and sneak in a new candidate at the last minute to run against a well-funded incumbent. Also last week as more evidence came out during the preliminary hearing for the suspect in the murder of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk the network lambasted opportunistic un-named podcasters and pundits who knowingly promoted false stories about his death. So, Fox News, the same network that pushed elaborate fabrications about the 2020 election, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden family, the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, undocumented immigrants, and the World Economic Forum was suddenly outraged about conspiracy theories. All irony is dead on Fox News. Other major stories on the network last week included: * The new red scare - the communist takeover of the United States * Trump’s intervention into a red card call at the World Cup * The war in Iran (the network’s least favorite subject) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
July 9 · 54 min
Podcast #220 - America 250: Commie USA!
Last week Fox News hosts attempted to marry the glory of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States with the lurking danger of an impending domestic communist revolution. Never mind that Americans are super shoppers in many ways as approx. 70% of the U.S. economy is based on consumer spending. The folks on Fox News think the largest free market economy in the world is about to collapse into a Soviet style managed economy. The fear of communism is an evergreen topic on the Murdoch owned media empire but the recent primary wins of a handful of DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) candidates have sent the network into a spiraling hysteria. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
July 2 · 54 min
Podcast #219 - The New Red Scare: A Weapon of Mass Distraction
When things aren’t going well for President Donald J. Trump Fox News has a few tools in its arsenal to keep its viewers terrified, paranoid and glued to their television sets. One of the network’s biggest propaganda weapons of mass distraction is the fear of a communist revolution in the United States. So far this year the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) endorsed 150 candidates in primary elections for federal, state and local offices banking 38 wins. Last week in New York City nine of the ten candidates backed by the DSA won their races in deeply blue districts. Although the DSA is further to the left the Democratic Party on many issues it would be a stretch to call the political organization communist. There’s nothing in the political movement’s platform that would indicate the DSA is planning to seize the means of production or outlaw private property rights. Fox News has seized on the DSA’s use of the term ‘socialist’ as an indication that the organization is secretly plotting to topple the largest free market economy in the world and replace it with a totalitarian Soviet style managed economy. This would be quite the feat in a country with 33 million small businesses, a high rate of home ownership (65.2%), and where roughly 156 million Americans own publicly traded stocks. Americans also love to buy a lot of products and services as over 70% of the U.S. economy is based on consumer spending. The United States is about as far away as a communist economic model as an any economy could be but that is not going to stop Fox News from manipulating and terrifying its viewers. The network is desperate to distract its audience from the reality of Trump’s failed conflict in the Middle East, high gas prices, rising inflation and the president’s obsession with his building projects. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
June 25 · 56 min
Podcast #218 - Only the Dumbest Man in Television Believes in Trump's Deal with Iran
Trump’s proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the U.S. and Iran is so dreadful that even the network that helped get him elected cannot muster much enthusiasm for it. The producers at Fox & Friends trotted out several experts who said the pending agreement was worse than no deal between the two countries. Brian Kilmeade even snapped an experienced military expert who tried to downplay the agreement’s shortcomings. Sean Hannity shifted his focus to criticizing the newly opened Obama Presidential Center rather than try to promote the deeply flawed MoU. The cast of The Five spoke about it in vague terms but spent far more time and effort on what they were called the socialist revolution in the Democratic Party. The only holdout was Jesse Watters; a man so dim he once asked during an episode of The Five if seals could breathe out of water. Seals are covered in fur and have puppy-like faces - two obvious signs of mammalian traits. In the four and a half years I’ve covered Fox News I have never seen the network abandon Donald J. Trump as they did last week. Normally Fox will simply ignore stories it cannot spin as it did during the Israel-Hamas conflict, the many scandals surrounding the Epstein files, and countless embarrassing gaffes and alarming social media posts made by President Trump. Instead of pretending the MoU didn’t exist multiple Fox News hosts and guests openly criticized it. It was shocking to witness as this is incredibly unusual for a network that thanked its viewers for voting for Trump and enthusiastically celebrated his inauguration. Fox News is the Trump administration in many ways as over 20 former Fox News hosts or contributors have government positions in the president’s second term. While several former Trump officials, such as Kayleigh McEnany and Kellyanne Conway are now Fox News employees. There is no line between the propaganda network and the president’s mind as Trump has been known to change policy soon after a Fox News host suggests it on air. The president has also posted slogans, conspiracy theories and policy ideas on social media minutes after they were broadcast on Fox News. Most of the pushback against Trump’s MoU came from the folks on Fox & Friends. The corporate heads at Fox News have the most influence over the popular morning show than any other programming. It seems that the corporate leadership or even the Murdoch family is trying to send the president a message since they know he’s a devoted fan of the morning show. Other topics the network spent a lot of airtime covering last week: * The socialist takeover of the Democratic Party * European World Cup attendees falling in love with America * Liberals lack of patriotism * How the FBI foiled a terrorist attack planned for the UFC fight at the White House. There was little talk of the affordability crisis or domestic issues, but Fox did mention that Ukraine managed to strike military targets in Moscow. Fox has gone weeks without including much of anything about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This week’s newsletter is solely dedicated to how the network framed the pending MoU between the United States and Iran. It’s so unusual for Fox News to openly criticize the Trump administration that I felt it was far more important to cover this than the usual ‘Democrats are terrible’ schtick on the network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
June 18 · 52 min
The War in Iran - When You've Lost Fox News
The Fox News propaganda machine normally promotes the same triumphant rhetoric for its glorious leader. The network portrays President Donald J. Trump as a master negotiator, a maverick and an unconventional leader who is changing the world through his unique personality and force of will. All of Trump’s flaws are excused as part of his genius. His many deficiencies are completely ignored. The network also pretends that he is incredibly popular with the American people. Last week for a moment in time the network’s enthusiasm for Trump started to wane. Laura Ingraham couldn’t hold her frustration in any more after weeks of avoiding the conflict in Iran. Sean Hannity mostly sat back and let his guests talk about the conflict rather than share his own opinion. The folks on The Five appeared annoyed that they weren’t talking about Jill Biden, Rosie O’Donnell or a transgender athlete. The cast of Fox & Friends continued to express their doubts and slight misgivings about the conflict as they have since the first missile strike in late February. The outlier last week was Jesse Watters a man who will justify anything Trump says or does and then completely forget he did so the next day. Fox News also continued to attack Democratic candidates in multiple races across the country. I’ve included a chart at the end of the newsletter that shows how much airtime the network spent on each race. This week’s newsletter will be solely dedicated to how the network handled the dramatic shifts last week in the Iran War. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
June 11 · 52 min
Podcast #216 - It's Shill Baby Shill for Republican Candidates!
Last week the folks on Fox News promoted Republican candidates as if they were public relations specialists hired directly by their campaigns to create negative ads about their opponents. As we approach the midterm elections Fox News is ramping up its propaganda to aggressive and unapologetic Agitprop (Agitation and Propaganda Section of the Central Committee of the Communist Party) levels. As they have done in past elections Fox tends to focus on candidates that will get the biggest emotional reaction from its viewers rather than focusing on tight races. The race for the U.S. Senate seat in Iowa could be a nail bitter but the Democratic candidate, Josh Turek, is an incredibly likable Paralympic athlete and former state representative. Fox has put its focus instead on the U.S. Senate race in Maine between popular incumbent Susan Collins and Graham Platner, a deeply flawed man with no governing experience. Although Platner has a devoted following he also has major liabilities which Fox News is happy to exploit. Susan Collins has won her seat multiple times even when polls showed she might lose it. If Fox News really wanted to make sure that the Senate stays in Republican control it would shift its focus to races like Iowa instead of Maine. The network knows segments about Platner, and his troubled past will rev up the base and keep eyes glued the screen. The network also made an abrupt pivot in California as it became more and more obvious that the former reality star and crystal connoisseur Spencer Pratt wasn’t going to make it to the general election in the Los Angels mayoral race. Instead of championing Pratt or even tearing down his opponents Mayor Bass or Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, the network attacked California’s vote counting process. Pratt, for now, won’t become the second coming of their glorious leader Donald J. Trump. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
June 4 · 54 min
Podcast #215 - Fox News: Spencer Pratt is the Second Coming of the Glorious Leader!
Last week the folks at Fox News put most of their focus on promoting Republican candidates across the country. The network didn’t praise GOP hopefuls as much as it trashed Democrats. James Talarico, a U.S. Senate candidate in Texas, was presented as a politically radical girly soy boy who munched on vegan burgers and thought that God was transgender. Graham Platner, a U.S. Senate candidate in Maine, was a Nazi, communist and a trust fund brat all at once. New York Governor Kathy Hochul was a radical socialist in close cahoots with the ultimate Marxist mastermind New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The only Republican candidate who was mentioned far more than his Democratic opponents was Spencer Pratt. Fox News treated his main rival, Karen Bass, the current mayor of the city, as an afterthought. Pratt was championed as the next MAGA messiah who would galvanize Angelenos to a path out of socialist mismanagement of the second largest city in America. Pratt was Trump 2.0 - an angry aggrieved privileged white man who would solve problems simply by insulting people and attacking the most marginalized. Fox News also continued its confused and uneven coverage of what President Trump calls his ‘minor excursion’ into the Middle East. Jesse Watters presented the war like any 12-year-old might discuss his favorite video game. Sean Hannity continued to insist that every hiccup and stalled peace talk was all part of Trump’s master plan. The folks on The Five largely ignored the war while stuffed shirts on Fox & Friends were the only hosts on the network who continued to show tiny glimmers of doubt. The lone voice on Fox News that appears to approach the war with any sense of gravitas is Trey Yingst the chief foreign correspondent currently stationed in Tel Aviv, Israel. Fox News also spent a lot of air time criticizing former First Lady Jill Biden for statements she made about her husband in a book about her time in the White House. Mrs. Biden was lambasted for saying she wondered if Joe Biden was having a stroke during his wretched debate performance against Trump. Jill Biden’s decision to have her husband visit a Waffle House after the event was portrayed as elder abuse and dangerously reckless. The term ‘Waffle House’ showed up 13 times in the transcripts from last week. Segments that were critical of the Biden family took up 7% of the airtime last week. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
May 28 · 51 min
Podcast #214 - Fox News: Trump Will Destroy Iran Any Day Now We Swear!
Fox News started last week predicting a massive U.S. military campaign that would crush Iran and end Trump’s gamble in the Middle East. Within 24 hours Trump declared another pause in the conflict which forced Fox News to pivot to more mundane topics. By mid-week the war wasn’t even a major story. The network’s highest rated show The Five didn’t even include a single segment about the war for the entire week. Fox News still hasn’t found its footing on how to sell or promote this deeply unpopular conflict in the Middle East. President Trump wasn’t helping as he held extended press conferences at the construction site of his beloved ballroom, rambled on about his reflecting pool project and exaggerated or fabricated his many perceived accomplishments in his second term. It seems Trump would rather obsess about his building projects and legacy than do much of anything to help the American public. Desperate for something to rev up its viewers Fox News demonized Democrats all over the country. The network had a field day with the botched DNC autopsy on its many failures surrounding the 2024 presidential election. Fox News downplayed a court settlement between Trump and the IRS that would dole out nearly $1.8 billion of taxpayer money in an Anti-Weaponization Fund to anyone who felt they were legally victimized by the previous administration. This could include violent rioters who beat law enforcement officers, terrorized lawmakers and damaged property at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Jesse Watters dedicated a lot of airtime on recently released and declassified Pentagon files about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) commonly referred to as UFO’s. The network also ramped up and expanded its coverage of fraud cases in Minnesota to include multiple Democratically run states it called ‘The Fraud Files.’ The network also found creative ways to promote former reality star Spencer Pratt’s campaign for mayor of Los Angeles. During breaking news segments about a wildfire in California Fox would include Pratt’s social media posts about the disaster while leaving out the mayor’s office response. Fox News also celebrated wins by Trump endorsed candidates in Republican primaries in multiple states. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe
May 21 · 52 min
Podcast #213 - Step Right Up and Get Your Very Own Handshaking Trump Doll!
Anyone tuning into Fox News last week might think the channel had converted to a home shopping network that sold only one product - the glorious leader himself Donald J. Trump. The president was treated like an overpriced trinket. “Look at how he stands next to Xi Jinping. Observe how his tiny makeup covered hands touch the Chinese leader’s! Such majesty!” It wouldn’t have surprised me if Fox shifted to a sales pitch while discussing the president, “If you call right now, you too will get our exclusive offer and pay for your own Glorious Leader replicate in four easy to pay installments of $19.99!” There were no definitive trade deals to crow about, no negotiations with Iran, and no relief in sight for sky-high gas prices. Trump dined with and stood next to the Chinese president while a small group of billionaire business owners followed them around like dutiful ducklings. China is known for making promises it doesn’t keep, stealing intellectual property, threatening its neighbors, committing human rights abuses, cheating on trade agreements, suppressing freedom of speech, crushing dissent, and violating international embargoes and sanctions. None of this seemed to bother Trump. If Xi Jinping promised to buy more U.S. soybeans, then that was good enough for the president even if the country has still not matched its prior commitments to U.S. farmers. It was a lot of pageantry with very little substance, another distraction for Trump’s disastrous war in the Middle East and failed domestic policies. Other topics on the network included the ongoing war with Iran, an attack on Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the network’s aggressive promotion of Spencer Pratt, a former reality television star, for Los Angeles mayor. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe

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