Posted by Tucker Carlson is fired from Fox News.
By Taylor Kane, Staff Writer
Who is to blame when a lie is believed? Are we to blame the liar, or the believer? For the past era of media, it’s been the believer. Gullibility is a punishable crime but dishonesty is not – until now. In December of last year, InfoWars star Alex Jones was ordered to pay almost $1.5 billion for claiming the Sandy Hook shooting was fake, and now Tucker Carlson, Fox News host and one of the most watched news personality, has been fired from his position in the wake of Fox’s $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Is this the beginning of a new era of journalistic accountability in the media? Or, is this simply a materialistic fluke before a return to the average media sensationalism?
The answer to both questions is yes, mostly. I absolutely believe this is the beginning of a change in policy as figures like Jones and Carlson being fired proves that fame and notoriety are not substitutions for journalistic integrity- but will it be an immediate change? No, it won’t, as much as we might like it to be. There will be no mass expulsion of journalists and news personalities, and I expect no wave of settlement money flowing into the hands of those wronged and misrepresented. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on the courts to take down each public figure in quick succession – we have to rely on the companies themselves, which is where the materialism comes in.
If Jones and Carlson’s cases have proven anything, it’s that the most effective way to slap the media’s wrist is with a bill. Despite this, it is unlikely that Carlson was fired solely because of Fox’s settlement. A leaked video of Carlson’s offensive remarks off-air at Fox suggests that it was in part due to his personal conduct, which is more proof that no matter how famous and well-platformed you are, you are never bigger than the weight of your words. Admittedly, money is a factor of the recent shift towards greater accountability because that’s just how the media works, but it is not the motivator. Money is a method of punishment, but public opinion is what’s causing the change. Carlson was not fired just because of the million-dollar settlement, but that was likely the last straw, as it were. Jones was not sued to bankruptcy because InfoWars was losing revenue in the wake of his allegations against the Sandy Hook shooting, in fact it was quite the opposite, his sensationalized claims garnering him extreme fame. No, Jones was fined solely because of his personal conduct and greedy disregardment of the truth. Carlson and Jones’ cases are different in terms of magnitude, but they both revolve around conspiracy for the sake of views and money. It’s ironic that views and money are what led to their eventual downfalls, and the poeticness of the situation is not lost on us, the audience.
I eagerly await the inevitable decrease in tolerance for sensationalism and falsified content that will come in the future. It will be gradual, and we must be patient, but it will happen. It has been proven even the most-watched news host is vincible, just as personalities like Alex Jones with their own private platforms are. A new era of journalism is upon us, and finally, after an extended period of embellished headlines and charismatic mistruths, journalism will be what it is supposed to be: honest.
The Maroon 