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And, by this time next year, FOX may have morphed into another CNN, and find itself in competition with a new, conservative alternative.

FOX is dying



FOX is dyingOn 22 March 2019, an article titled "Deep State Propaganda Has Come To Live At Fox News" posted here. Then, on 27 March 2019, a piece entitled "Is FOX Falling?" followed-up here.   For over a year, the Canada Free Press has watched a gradual shift underway at FOX News.  

Signs of decline at FOX

One indication of that shift came in November 2019 when Catherine Herridge left as FOX's Chief Intelligence Correspondent and moved to CBS News. She'd been a FOX star. Her clear, succinct, factual reporting was exceptional. No spin. No drama. Just news. In losing Herridge, FOX, also, lost her sources. Signs of decline at FOX appeared back in June 2017, when, according to the New York Times, its "fair and balanced" slogan was officially dropped. The unofficial slogan seemed to become "diverse and inclusive," when former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile – the leaker of CNN debate questions to Hillary Clinton – became a featured FOX commentator.  Then, in early July 2019, FOX's afternoon news anchor, Shepard Smith, left the network and later joined CNBC as an evening news anchor.  At FOX, Shep had been a serial NeverTrumper. But it appears he was neither interested in "fair and balanced" nor "diverse and inclusive" as a reporting strategy.  Shep found a simpatico home at an all-liberal network.  FOX seemed to continue in the "diverse and inclusive" mode, with the inclusion of at least one NeverTrumper in every panel discussion; e.g., Juan Williams or Marie Harf.   Things changed during the First Presidential Debate of this silly season when Chris Wallace came out of the closet in a redux of Cathy Crowley's performance in one of the Romney vs. Obama Presidential debates. (See here.) Shortly after Wallace came out of the closet, FOX's White House Correspondent John Roberts aligned with the legacy media reporters who badgered White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany during her post-debate briefing.  

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Roberts joined the liberal herd

Roberts joined the liberal herd by demanding she condemn white supremacy on behalf of the President. This demand came right after McEnany cited multiple times when Trump disavowed the false claim that he supported racism.  Roberts said:
 "'I'd like to ask you for a definitive and declarative statement, without ambiguity or deflection. As the person who speaks for the president, does the president denounce white supremacism, a group that is founded in all their forms?' he asked."
In framing his question, Roberts indelibly added his name to the list of journalists who continue, with no proof, to drive the fake meme that Trump is a white supremacist. McEnany replied, 
"'This has been answered yesterday by the president himself. The day before by the president himself on the debate stage. The president was asked this and he said 'sure' three times. Yesterday, he was point-blank asked 'Do you denounce white supremacy' and he said 'I've always denounced any form of that,' McEnany said, before listing off examples of Trump's comments denouncing racism, neo-nazis, white supremacy, and the KKK. 'He has condemned white supremacy more than any president in modern history,' she added."

It might have ended there, but McEnany followed up with two tweets that suggested Roberts check with his wife, Kyra Phillips, an ABC reporter, who, just the day before, questioned Trump on his attitude toward white supremacy: "@johnrobertsFox I would refer you to your wife's reporting from 21 hours ago… accurate reporting I cited in the White House Press Briefing," she wrote, retweeting Phillips's report showing Trump denounced white supremacists. "Just now: @realDonaldTrump tells me he DENOUNCES white supremacists @ABCPolitics @ABCNewsLive @ABCWorldNews @ABC @johnrobertsFox," Phillips's tweet reads."




Roberts, whose skin is thinner than his shirts

The exchange was thoroughly covered by The Federalist.  Roberts, whose skin is thinner than his shirts, went ballistic after the tweets, as chronicled by a video clip posted by one of the many relatively new conservative websites popping up on the web: Trending Politics Before joining FOX News in 2011, Roberts was a CNN anchor and the Senior CNN National Correspondent. Perhaps he's angling to return. So, what's happening with FOX?  It is slowly dying. 

Today, FOX has no conservative competition

That trend is not yet apparent in its ratings. For now, they remain high when compared to the competition. But then, the Drudge Report had a 40% higher rating last year than it has today, now that it has turned decidedly Left and faces competition from several, fresh, aggregate-news, websites, led by the gaining on Drudge, veteran-run Whatfinger. Today, FOX has no conservative competition. That may change in the next calendar year. Without its evening line-up of Carlson-Hannity-Ingraham, it's ratings would likely take a nose dive.  Those of us who watched Ted Turner launch CNN on 1 June 1980 saw the first successful cable news channel morph, over time, into the thoroughly-biased, Democrat Party propaganda machine that it is today.  That didn't happen overnight.   That same shift may be underway at FOX News.   And, by this time next year, FOX may have morphed into another CNN, and find itself in competition with a new, conservative alternative.

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Lee Cary -- Bio and Archives Since November 2007, Lee Cary has written hundreds of articles for several websites including the American Thinker, and Breitbart’s Big Journalism and Big Government (as “Archy Cary”). and the Canada Free Press. Cary’s work was quoted on national television (Sean Hannity) and on nationally syndicated radio (Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin). His articles have posted on the aggregate sites Drudge Report, Whatfinger, Lucianne, Free Republic, and Real Clear Politics. He holds a Doctorate in Theology from Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, is a veteran of the US Army Military Intelligence in Vietnam assigned to the [strong]Phoenix Program[/strong]. He lives in Texas.

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