Media panic as popular news anchor launches independent show
Legacy media corporations reacted with panic Tuesday to the launch of former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson’s independent show, Tucker on Twitter.
Carlson, who until April was the highest-rated cable news host on television, struck a chord with millions of viewers on several poignant issues. He expressed staunch opposition to mask and vaccine mandates, supported President Trump, railed against aid to Ukraine, criticized its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and gave voice to Joe Biden’s political opponents who have been persecuted under the January 6th narrative.
Carlson was abruptly fired on April 21st without explanation. According to a Fox News producer, the termination was part of a settlement agreement with Dominion Voting Systems, an international manufacturer of voting machines. Dominion filed suit against Fox News in April 2021, accusing the network of “deeply damaging” its reputation by insinuating its machines replaced votes for Donald Trump. The two corporations reached a settlement last month for $787.5 million and, apparently, Tucker Carlson’s job.
Media and Democrat operatives gloated over Carlson’s ouster from Fox News, with Pentagon officials and the White House cheering the fall of their most influential critic.
But the cheers stopped abruptly when the first episode of Tucker on Twitter was posted online Tuesday and garnered 20 million views in four hours. While much shorter and simpler than his hour-long segments on Fox News, the 10-minute video retained Carlson’s signature reporting style and insubordinate content. The popular news anchor took aim at Ukraine, Zelenskyy, and media propaganda. Fans commented they thought it was Carlson’s best work to date.
Media operatives quickly issued criticisms of Carlson, their chief complaint being that the ten-minute independent show did not contain any music or special effects.
“It’s wild to see what a fish out of water he is on the internet: no jump cuts, no background music, no catchy thumbnail or video title. Not sure how he’s going to stack up against even an average streamer or youtuber,” tweeted Washington Post operative Taylor Lorenz.
NBC and MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan mocked Carlson for performing a monologue. He also chided the anchor for reporting on a recent breaking story about a Pentagon whistleblower who says the US government has obtained extraterrestrial technology.
“I kid you not but Tucker Carlson’s first episode of his new Twitter show - basically him doing a monologue & scrolling through his own teleprompter - said we should be asking more questions about what happened on 9/11 & insisted we have proof that UFOs are real. Poor Alex Jones has some tough new online competition. Watch out!” Hasan wrote.
Media Matters’ Matthew Gertz also complained that Carlson’s show did not come with “bells and whistles”.
“That Tucker video is bleak. It’s jarring how his schtick just does not work without the Fox bells-and-whistles. He was maybe the most powerful man in rw media; now he’s just another streamer with half-baked opinions peddling conspiracy theories. He’s Alex Jones in jacket and tie,” he tweeted.
Former CNN anchor Brian Stelter fussed that Carlson was operating the teleprompter himself.
"’Tucker on Twitter’ is how @TuckerCarlson's video is branded. Notice his right hand in the wide shot: He's using a TelePrompTer controller to run the prompter himself,” Stelter said.
As of this report, Carlson's first episode has garnered 80 million views.
