‘Wannabe Dictator’ Chyron Went ‘Too Far,’ Fox News Admits
Network ran caption to describe President Biden night of Trump's latest indictment
For the second time in a matter of months, Fox News — the cable network which historically has clung stubbornly to its right-wing version of reality — has had to publicly admit to error.
Specifically, its had to acknowledge that production staff operating the network's control room went “too far” when they ran a chyron, or on-screen caption, describing President Biden as a “wannabe dictator.”
A producer found responsible reportedly also has been let go.
The admission comes just months after Fox News executives settled defamation claims against the network over its role in disseminating falsehoods about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Fox News staffers ran the chyron calling Biden a “wannabe dictator” last Tuesday in a split-screen shot showing the president and Trump both talking, the evening after the former president appeared in a federal courtroom in Miami Fla., to answer more than 30 charges involving his mishandling of sensitive federal documents.
“Wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested,” the caption said.
There is no evidence whatsoever that Biden was involved in the decision to charge Trump. In fact, Biden's attorney general, Merrick Garland, appointed a special counsel to oversee the investigations into Trump's activities so as to maintain their independence.
Further, the charges against Trump last week were returned not by government officials but an empaneled grand jury.
But Fox News has been famously antagonistic towards Biden since succeeded Trump.
Fox, in a statement on Wednesday, said the chyron had been taken down and the issue “addressed,” without further explanation.
“Fox News briefly put up a banner that went too far on the day of Donald Trump’s arraignment referring to President Biden,” Fox News host Howard Kurtz said, on-camera Sunday. “'Wannabe dictator speaks at White House after having his political rival arrested.' Fox said in a statement, 'The chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed.””
Alex McCaskill, a longtime producer for former Fox host Tucker Carlson is out after he was deemed responsible for the on-air headline. McCaskill had been allowed to remain at Fox after the network ousted the hard-right Carlson in April less than a week after Fox agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787 million to end what had become a publicly embarrassing defamation case.
McCaskill offered to resign with two weeks’ notice after the “wannabe dictator,” flap, but was told to clean out his desk and leave immediately, he said.
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