Brian Stelter > Quotes

“For anyone who knows Russia, Trump’s aim in the use of the word ‘hoax’ is uncannily familiar,” he said. “In Russia the regime dismisses any criticism as ‘information war,’ thus making any kind of evidence-based debate impossible: All information is just a weapon, a form of manipulation, there is no rational ground on which to have a debate, you are either ‘with us’ or ‘against us.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Yes, O’Reilly had some legitimate grievances about the liberal values of some major news outlets. But in the Trump years most constructive sorts of media criticism were replaced by destructive attacks. They didn’t even buy what they were selling half the time: The same Fox talkers who called The New York Times “failing” relied on it for story ideas and background information. The same hosts who bashed CNN texted me links to their latest segments, hoping for coverage from CNN.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Once unbound from the shackles of truth, Fox’s power came from what it decided to cover—its chosen narratives—and what it decided to ignore. Trump’s immature, erratic, and immoral behavior? His sucking up to Putin? His mingling of presidential business and personal profit? Fox talk shows played dumb and targeted the “deep state” instead. Conservative media types were like spiders, spinning webs and trying to catch prey. They insisted the real story was an Obama-led plot against Trump to stop him from winning the election. One night Hannity irrationally exclaimed, “This makes Watergate look like stealing a Snickers bar from a drugstore!” Another night he upped the hysteria, insisting this scandal “will make Watergate look like a parking ticket.” The following night he screeched, “This is Watergate times a thousand.” He strung viewers along, invoking mysterious “sources” who were “telling us” that “this is just the tip of the iceberg.” There was always another “iceberg” ahead, always another twist coming, always another Democrat villain to attack after the commercial break. Hannity and Trump were so aligned that, on one weird night in 2018, Hannity had to deny that he was giving Trump a sneak peek at his monologues after the president tweeted out, twelve minutes before air, “Big show tonight on @SeanHannity! 9: 00 P.M. on @FoxNews.” Political reporters fumbled for their remotes and flipped over to Fox en masse. Hannity raved about the “Mueller crime family” and said the Russia investigation was “corrupt” and promoted a guest who said Mueller “surrounded himself with literally a bunch of legal terrorists,” whatever that meant. Some reporters who did not watch Fox regularly were shocked at how unhinged and extreme the content was. But this was just an ordinary night in the pro-Trump alternative universe. Night after night, Hannity said the Mueller probe needed to be stopped immediately, for the good of the country. Trump’s attempts at obstruction flowed directly from his “Executive Time.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Guilfoyle “knew how to use sex to get ahead,” in the words of one friend, and some of her colleagues suspected that she was hitching herself to Junior for more than purely romantic reasons. According to them, Guilfoyle had been told months ahead of time that her last day at Fox was July 1. Undeterred, she fought to stay on the air. “She had Trump calling Rupert, lobbying on her behalf,” one well-placed source said. “She thought Rupert would do nothing to her once she was with Trump Jr.,” another source said.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Sunday night host Steve Hilton said, on March 22, “You know that famous phrase, ‘the cure is worse than the disease’? That is exactly the territory we’re hurtling towards.” Trump watched Hilton on his Genie DVR a couple hours later, then tweeted in all caps, “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF.” This was the Trump-Fox feedback loop at its loopiest.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“A 2019 PRRI survey found significant differences between “Fox News Republicans” and other Republicans who said Fox was not their primary news source. “Fox News Republicans” were much more closely wedded to Trump, with 55 percent saying there was nothing Trump could do to lose their approval.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“As hospitals in New York City filled up with acutely sick patients, a new conspiracy theory was hatched on social media. Lunatics claimed that the hospitals were actually empty, and they stalked the entrances and parking lots with their cell phone cameras to come up with “proof.” Look, they said, there aren’t many cars in the parking lot! Dr. Bray, at Elmhurst, heard this shit secondhand. “They think the hospital is empty,” she said, positively stunned. Bray wondered: Where are they getting this stuff? The answer, in part, was Fox. The network often mainstreamed ideas from the far right fringe, and that’s exactly what Fox News contributor Sara Carter did on March 29, during a segment on a Sunday night talk show. “You can see it on Twitter,” she said. “People are saying, ‘Film your hospital,’ people are driving by their hospitals and they’re not seeing—in the ones that I’m seeing—they’re not seeing anybody in the parking lots. They’re not seeing anybody drive up. So, people are wondering what’s going inside the hospital.” Bray’s reaction: She wished her hospital was empty. “This is worse than war,” she said. In Geneva, the head of the World Health Organization said countries like the U.S. were in the eye of the Covid-19 storm. In Washington, Dr. Anthony Fauci went on TV and warned Americans to brace for 100,000-plus deaths from the coronavirus. He said millions could be infected. But the president had something else on his mind. He tweeted that his ratings were “so high.” This was the Fox News presidency in action. Here’s how it happened.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Fox News wasn’t always like this. For twenty years, the network was conservative without being conspiratorial, at least most of the time. It was patriotic without being propagandistic. Now, though, at the time I’m writing this, three-plus years into the Trump presidency, Fox is a chest-thumping house ad for the MAGA agenda. Trump props up the network and the network props up Trump. Anchors and guests who point out Trump’s lies get marginalized. Commentators who cover up his failings and foibles get promoted. While the network gives the Trump administration a huge boost, it also creates tension within the White House. Trump’s obsession with the opinion shows causes chaos when he latches on to impossible and downright illegal policy ideas. Aides begrudge the fact that Hannity often has more power than they do. But they watch too, because they need to know what the boss is hearing and what mood he’s going to be in. They try to get certain officials booked on certain shows with the knowledge that Trump can be easily manipulated by what he sees on the air.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“among other reasons, they believe the right-wing backlash would cripple their business. Before the pandemic struck, Rupert banked $29 million from Fox annually. Lachlan made $23 million. Father and son ran broadcast”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“At one point the Fox News PR department dispatched an intern to strike up a relationship with me. We went out a couple of times in New York City—we went to the late great Coffee Shop restaurant in Union Square, we rode the subway uptown, we even spent a late evening on her rooftop. There were moments when I thought these were dates—but her flirtatiousness was all part of the ruse. Years later I found out the intern was assigned to take copious notes and feed information back to her bosses. One email I viewed, dated Tuesday, September 6, 2005, was delivered at 11: 30 p.m. and listed what I told her during our faux-date; who called me during dinner (a PR person from a rival network); and what I said on the phone. Early the next morning the young woman was hauled into Ailes’s office because he wanted a full debrief. She was also tasked with friending me on Facebook and scouring my page for any evidence of anti-Fox bias or other material that could be used against me.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“What works: Stories about undocumented immigrants killing Americans Stories about citizens standing up to the government bureaucracy Stories about college students disrespecting the flag”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“This “do as I say, not as I do” attitude was one of the first things the producer noticed when he started working for F& F. Anti-marijuana segments were a layup on the show. Then he headed to a house party with colleagues for the first time and saw half the staff out on the balcony getting high. “Okay,” he said to himself, “so we don’t really believe all this stuff. We just tell other people to believe it.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“network effectively produced the president’s intelligence briefing and staffed the federal bureaucracy. Never before has a president promoted a single TV channel, asked the hosts for advice behind closed doors, and demanded for them to be fired when they step out of line. This story has all the makings of a farcical drama: a dysfunctional White House, a delusional president, and a drama-filled network misinforming”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Keith), is the octogenarian patriarch. Lachlan is the favorite son and CEO of Fox Corp, which has a market cap of $15 billion.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“You have to understand how completely sexualized Fox is,” a former star said. What was visible to viewers on the air also affected the culture off the air.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Colmes was sent off to the Siberia of Fox News Radio in the weeks after Obama’s victory. Hannity was now the solo host. The pretense was going, going, gone: Hannity & Colmes had never been a fair fight, but at least it was a fight. Not anymore. The ascendance of a black president radicalized the network and ushered in an era with fewer left-right debates and more lectures. Hannity the star began to transform Hannity the show into what it is today—a nightly anti–Democratic Party attack ad for people who distrusted the nightly news.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“You can see it on Twitter,” she said. “People are saying, ‘Film your hospital,’ people are driving by their hospitals and they’re not seeing—in the ones that I’m seeing—they’re not seeing anybody in the parking lots. They’re not seeing anybody drive up. So, people are wondering what’s going inside the hospital.” Bray’s reaction: She wished her hospital was empty. “This is worse than war,” she said.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“If you’re a thief, accuse your enemies of thievery. If corrupt, accuse your rivals of corruption. If a coward, accuse others of cowardice. Evidence is irrelevant; the goal is to dilute the truth and the case against you with ‘everyone does it.’ ”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“the single most important thing to understand about Fox: Everyone there is profoundly afraid of losing the audience and the resulting piles of cash. “They’re making too much money to change,” said one veteran producer who resigned in disgust.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“wood-paneled office with custom-built bookshelves for all of his constitutional law tomes. Sarah Huckabee Sanders got a home studio in Little Rock. Carlson got to host”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“The hourly anti-media shtick was best understood this way: Fox was a 24/7 ad for Fox. Every insult hurled at CNN and NBC doubled as a reminder not to change the channel. Every segment about some other news outlet’s screwup doubled as a declaration to only trust Fox. It was as effective as it was cynical, and Trump helped by battering Fox’s competition every step of the way.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“This story is about a rot at the core of our politics. It’s about an ongoing attack on the very idea of a free and fair press. It’s about the difference between news and propaganda. It’s about the difference between state media and the fourth estate. So excuse me if I swear a little—but I am alarmed, and you should be too.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“People don’t care if it’s right, they just want their side to win. That’s who”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Trump’s entanglement with Fox has no historical precedent. Never before has a TV”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Producers knew that the “base” couldn’t stand to see bad Trump news in the banner and couldn’t bear to hear too many liberals speak for too long.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“The only outlet that dedicates itself to keeping track is Media Matters for America, a progressive group founded by David Brock to monitor and confront conservative media. In 2019 the group’s senior fellow Matt Gertz counted every single time Trump tweeted in direct response to a Fox News or Fox Business program and found at least 657 instances in a single year.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Hannity is just one member of this crazy cable news cabinet. While he deserved credit for getting longtime Fox News commentator John Bolton hired as national security advisor, Carlson got the credit when Bolton eventually fell out of favor with Trump. The sacking of Jeff Sessions? Jeanine Pirro was in Trump’s ear for that one. The resignation of Kirstjen Nielsen? Lou Dobbs was central in it. Pat Cipollone leading the president’s legal team? Laura Ingraham was instrumental. But”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Hannity would tell you, off off off the record, that Trump is a batshit crazy person,” one of his associates said. Another colleague concurred: “Hannity has said to me, more than once, ‘he’s crazy.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“I felt compelled to write it because of what I heard from inside Fox—from anchors and producers and reporters who were appalled by Trump’s gradual takeover of the network. They said management encouraged pro-Trump propaganda and discouraged real reporting, and they said many staffers went right along with it. “They are lying about things we’re seeing with our own eyes,” one well-known Fox commentator said, embarrassed about their colleagues’ conduct. “We surrendered to Trump,” one anchor said to me with remorse in his voice. “We just surrendered.” “What does Trump have on Fox?” another anchor asked, convinced there was a conspiracy in play. Dirty pictures of Rupert Murdoch?”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

“Fox News is not a ‘news network.’ Don’t think of it as a network at all,” said a veteran host. “It’s a profit machine.”
― Brian Stelter, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth