On Tuesday evening, Tucker Carlson, former Fox News host, released a new Twitter video outlining his plans for the future. In the video, Carlson expressed his belief that the news media frequently withholds information and manipulates stories to mislead consumers. He argued that the most basic level of news is often a lie of the stealthiest and most insidious kind.
We’re back. pic.twitter.com/sG5t9gr60O
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) May 9, 2023
He continued by explaining how this manipulation works. Carlson noted that if a news story reports that a man has been unjustly arrested for armed robbery, that statement may not be a lie in the literal sense.
However, if the news story fails to mention that the same man has been arrested for the same crime six times before, then the story is misleading and not fully informative. Carlson went on to say that this kind of omission happens in every story that matters every day of the week, every week of the year.
This is also known as broadcast news distortion, which makes it illegal for broadcast but not cable networks to knowingly deceive or withhold information from its audience.
After more than 30 years in the news business, Carlson has seen the effects of this exploitation firsthand. He noted that the best that someone can hope for in the news business is the freedom to tell the fullest truth that they can. However, there are always limits, and if a journalist bumps up against those limits too often, they will be fired.
Carlson emphasized that every person who works in English language media understands this and that it corrupts the system. He then expressed his intention to bring a new version of his show, which he has been doing for the last six and a half years, to Twitter.
He noted that Twitter is the only remaining platform that allows free speech and has served as the place where the national conversation incubates and develops. Carlson acknowledged that while everybody is allowed on Twitter, the news that is analyzed on the platform often comes from media organizations that are thinly disguised propaganda outlets.
In Carlson’s opinion, the gatekeepers are still in charge of the news on Twitter, and he believes that this is a bad system and intends to change it. He emphasized how the first amendment is a right all Americans have, and without it, they have no other rights.
His criticism of the news media and their corrupt tactics is not new, but his decision to bring his show to Twitter is a bold move that could change the way that news is consumed and analyzed on the platform.
